NBC Plans to Stop Programming Shows In the 10PM Slot

NBC is currently having preliminary discussions to cut down on its primetime television programming, eyeing the 10 p.m. EST spot.
NBC is considering cutting back on its primetime television hours.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the broadcaster is currently having discussions to stop programming for the 10 PM to 11 PM EST slot and would subsequently give that hour over to local TV stations. The discussions are preliminary and no official decisions have been made. According to one source, it is entirely possible that NBC will continue its programming for 10 PM and the matter has not been officially discussed with its affiliate board, ie. the group that represents NBC’s station partners.
“We are always looking at strategies to ensure that our broadcast business remains as strong as possible,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement. “As a company, our advantage lies in our ability to provide audiences with the content they love across broadcast, cable and streaming.”
Foregoing the 10 PM slot would be a cost-cutting move for NBC since broadcast ratings have continued to decline as other companies, NBC Universal and parent company Comcast among them, continue to broaden their streaming horizons. This would save nearly seven hours per week for NBC, effectively saving the network tens of millions of dollars. However, since the 2022-2023 schedule is currently set, the earliest this shift could happen would be fall 2023.
NBC unveiled its fall schedule in June, setting premiere dates for shows like Quantum Leap, which is set to premiere Sept. 19 at 10 PM EST. At the moment, NBC airs most of its scripted dramas during the 10 PM hour, including Quantum Leap, New Amsterdam, Chicago P.D., Law & Order: Organized Crime, Dateline (which runs on a two-hour block from 9 PM to 11 PM EST) and NBC Sunday Night Football, though this would likely be unaffected by the change.
This potential shift would mean could instead be filled by local news or syndicated programming, and would mean earlier airtimes for late-night shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and even Saturday Night Live, which typically air around 11:30 PM EST.

According to WSJ, sources claim that the chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, Mark Lazarus, is leading these discussions of cutting down on NBC’s primetime television hours. Recently, Lazarus pulled NBC programs from the 1:30 AM to 2 AM EST slots and handed them over to affiliates instead. In recent years, NBC has reduced programming for scripted dramas and sitcoms in order to make room for sports and competition shows such as America’s Got Talent and The Voice.