TCM (DStv 137) which will be turning 20 years old next year is actually not interested in getting and chasing viewership for the channel and is not trying to get a broad audience to tune in to the niche channel, Turner Classic Movies revealed at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles.
In a TCM panel discussion, channel executives revealed that the classic movies channel is not trying to change the formulae to attract bigger audiences as it nears its 20th anniversary in April 2014.
"We don't get ratings. We're not even allowed to get ratings," said Charlie Tabesh, the vice president of programming for TCM in America who've been with the channel for 16 years. "We're not trying to reach a broad audience. We're not trying to maximize the demo. We're not trying to get the 18-34, whatever it is. There's none of that that's considered at all."
TCM also explained why it can't show every classic movie ever made. TCM only has the (pre-1986) MGM library, the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library, the entire RKO library and some United Artists and a few MGM films (since the two merged for a while). TCM however doesn't have ownership but has to license the movies along with all other films shown on the channel.
"We can't license every classic movie ever made; financially, it's impossible to do that," said Charlie Tabesh.
