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Hollywood goes conservative as an economic shift fuels a turn toward faith and family-based shows
- The U.S. film industry is focusing on faith and family-based content as producers and investors try to make every dollar count in a tough financial climate, according to sources cited by Business Insider. Conservative-themed programs are proving popular with ads advertisers who prefer non-polarizing content and which can be made cheaply and without big star names. Faith-based titles have fared well, with one of 2021's biggest indie hits viewed as conservative-themed: Sound of Freedom, a thriller about child trafficking. Streaming platforms Netflix and Amazon have added conservative religious and family-friendly programming.
- Amazon and MGM Studios are preparing a biblical epic called House of David, with an extensive production to match the scope of the biblical material. It will be the first series to come from Amazon's deal with The Wonder Project for faith-focused productions. Netflix has announced a deal with Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin to produce faith-based films, starting with R&B, which is a reinvention of the biblical romance Ruth and Boaz transposed to modern-day America. Streamers are now in the ad business and need high-quality and engaging content geared towards the whole family.
- Production of family-friendly shows can be relatively cheap compared with other genres, without big-name actors, to attract global audiences and keep advertisers satisfied. Industry experts suggest that streamers are exploring this type of programming because it comes with established audiences and has a low risk of triggering political sensitivities and boycotts. However, it is argued that studios want to target rural America but are uncertain about what typical heartland shows are and what defines them.
- Although the definition of programming that meets heartland values is unclear, Hollywood insiders define these shows as those featuring universal values, neighbourly help, and hope. The question of what defines family-based programming is also uncertain, as some believe that the far right has co-opted family values and Christianity. Nonetheless, the film industry recognises that faith and family entertainment is important, but a lack of acquisitions has stymied production of shows that could appeal to Middle America.
- According to research by Ampere Analysis, the number of faith-based content hours on major US streamers has doubled in the past year to around 500, but this amounts to less than 1% of that they offer overall. Hollywood insiders believe the industry would prefer to stick to its more trusted franchises rather than move into the faith-based entertainment industry. Nonetheless, the industry will have to look to faith-adjacent programming to gain more mainstream support and attract more widespread audience ratings.
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