Showtime’s business model means lots more original series

In a recent Forbes magazine article, CEO Matt Blank explained Showtime’s business model and the reason it decided not to renew its contract with Paramount for movies — choosing instead a deal with the Weinstein Co.

Basically, movies aren’t the cash cow they used to be, since so many of us can get them On Demand or on DVD before they ever show up on the pay cable nets. For the same price, Showtime can buy a brand-spanking-new original series — which it can then sell by the episode on iTunes or full season via Amazon and other entertainment retailers, at huge profit margins.

“The only real return on investment is on original programming. That’s where we’re getting the ratings and the attribution,” Blank told the magazine.

Showtime Fans, that’s good news for us. Showtime has lots of pilots for originals in the works and we’ll soon reap the benefits. If even a few live up to the caliber of Weeds, Dexter or Californication, we’ll have lots to talk about even after those series have lost their creative bloom.

Photo: John P. Filo/CBS Broadcasting Inc.