TLC and its parent company Discovery Communications are paying the price for turning the Duggar family stories into profit. Cancelling the highest-rated show on the network is a move that will cost $19 million and more.
During Discovery’s second quarter earnings report, CFO Andy Warren confirmed that TLC had to take down charges of $24 million for “restructuring and other charges.” That was a jump of $19 million from the same period last year, notes The Hollywood Reporter.
Warren specifically blamed the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting for the “higher restructuring and other charges” the company will face this year. Those charges include coming up with new programming to replace the highest-rated show on the network. So the $19 million cost in this past quarter is just the start, notes EW.
19 Kids featured the ever-growing Duggar family. In May, Josh Duggar, the eldest child in the series, admitted that he molested young girls in his teens, including his sisters. It wasn’t until July that TLC finally cancelled the series and announced that it will make a documentary special on child sexual abuse.
Discovery has also had to cancel other high-rated shows due to other recent off-camera controversies. Discovery had to cancel Sons of Guns after one of its stars faced child rape charges. TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was cancelled after it was found that June Shannon was dating a man convicted of sexually molesting one of her daughters.
screenshot from AloneYetNotAlone YouTube Video