TV Networks Bet Big on Fall Lineup

The biggest US television networks plan to launch more new TV shows in one week than they have in years, an expensive bet that comes as the future of broadcast television remains clouded. About 58 television shows -- 17 of them brand new -- are scheduled to have their season premieres on the four biggest US networks over the next seven nights as broadcasters look to build on recent success in sitcoms, and reclaim lost ground on Friday evenings.

Four-and-a-half hours of new prime-time shows will premiere on Monday night alone. The big cache of new shows comes as media companies confront an uncertain and fast-changing digital landscape. New devices from Apple Inc. and Google Inc. this fall are set to pipe more Web content onto home television sets. Meanwhile, the overall number of TV subscribers in the U.S. fell for the first time in the second calendar quarter, stoking fears that online video could be starting to eat into the traditional TV business. At the same time, broadcast networks have shown some renewed strength in the past season. The average size of their overall prime-time audience grew, after years of decline, according to Nielsen.