HitRecord on TV, Fortitude, Please Like Me Cancelled At Pivot As Network Shuts Down

Pivot is itself getting the axe, with the network’s impending closure set to leave a trail of cancelled series in its wake.

Among the cancelled or soon to be cancelled Pivot shows – HitRecord on TV, Fortitude, Angry Planet, Human Resources, Jamie’s Super Food, Jamie’s Sugar Rush, Occupied, The Operatives, Secret Lives of Americans, Truth and Power, Capital (UK acquisition).

While cancelled at Pivot, Please Like Me Season 4 will air November 9, 2016 on ABC in Australia,  though it remains to be seen whether the series will continue beyond that.

Per THR:

Pivot, the three-year-old TV network from Participant Media, is shutting down. The network, which tried to court a millennial audience with shows from the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Meghan McCain, has only been on the air since 2013.

Participant’s decision to pull the plug on the show comes after the media company tapped a new CEO (David Linde) in late 2015. The network was initially quite ambitious with original programming, under president Evan Shapiro, but the 2014 executive shuffle that saw Kent Rees named general manager was followed by an increased reliance on acquisitions.

The channel will go dark sometime before the end of 2016.

Per Variety:

Some of the channel’s programs won critical favor, like “Fortitude,” a drama about the oddball denizens of a town in the Arctic,  “Please Like Me,” an Australian relationship dramedy and “Secret Lives of Americans,” a reality-style show with everyday people exposing their secrets via cameras, cell phones and laptops. But Pivot never found a mass audience or made a significant dent in the popular conscience.

Pivot has issued the following statement:

Today, Participant Media announced that as part of an overall reevaluation of the business, the company would be focusing its efforts and investments behind content creation and social impact, and exiting the business of owning and operating its TV cable network, Pivot.

Commenting on this restructuring, Participant Media CEO David Linde said, “As the media landscape changes, we have been evaluating how we fulfill our mission to entertain and inspire social action around the world’s most pressing issues. That process has led us to the decision to move away from owning and operating a cable network. While this conclusion was not an easy one, it is ultimately in the best interest of all our stakeholders, and allows us to allocate more resources toward the production of compelling content across all platforms.”

As has been widely reported, the landscape for stand-alone, independent cable networks has grown significantly more challenging since Pivot’s inception in 2013. This includes a wave of consolidation among the largest cable TV distributors; increasing competition for high-quality content, driving up the costs of programming; and continued migration by consumers and advertisers toward online video and away from traditional linear video.

At the same time, demand for high-quality content has continued to grow as consumers spend increasing amounts of time watching content at home, at work and on-the- go. “There has never been a better time to be a creator of great content,” noted Linde. “By focusing squarely in that direction, Participant is positioning itself to take advantage of these trends.”

“This was a decision made over a lengthy period of analysis,” said Linde. “The network’s real achievements can be wholly attributed to the Pivot team, of whom we are incredibly proud. This very talented group’s commitment to our broader mission has been absolute, and we are very grateful for their significant contributions to the organization.”

With the news, HitRecord on TV and Secret Lives of Americans are cancelled after two seasons; no Season 3 for the variety show and docu-series.

AND THAT'S A WRAP! #PleaseLikeMe Season 4 is officially shot. Coming 2016. pic.twitter.com/pVKAzM3JBZ

— Please like me. (@Please_like_me) August 8, 2016

The much-delayed Fortitude Season 2 premieres January 2017, and is also a co-production, with UK’s Sky Atlantic.

As such, Please Like Me and Fortitude, while cancelled on Pivot in the US, may theoretically continue on their domestic networks – though the loss of their US producer/broadcaster will be music to the cancellation reaper’s ears.

At the very least Fortitude Season 2 should go to air on Sky Atlantic, though a third season is in question. It’s currently unclear whether any of the cancelled shows will be shopped elsewhere.

Stay tuned as we continue to monitor the precarious status of both Please Like Me and Fortitude…

RIP.