E! has tapped TV programming veteran Amy Introcaso-Davis as its executive vice president of development and production, the network announced Wednesday.

Introcaso-Davis will lead all unscripted development and production for E! beginning Sept. 25. She will report to network president Adam Stotsky.   

Introcaso-Davis most recently served as executive vice president of programming & development for GSN. Prior to that she served as senior vice president of development & production for Bravo and senior vice president of original programming & development for Oxygen.  

“Amy brings extensive experience and a track record of success creating hit shows that appeal to women, as well as a deep understanding of today’s pop culture landscape,” said Stotsky in a statement.  “I look forward to partnering with Amy as she leads our talented development and production team, and we continue to innovate and expand our slate of hit unscripted franchises that are rooted in pop culture and celebrity lifestyles.” 

The made-for-TV couple from this season’s edition of The Bachelor — Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell — will be getting the hottest and most buzzworthy wedding gift that television can give: a spinoff series.

Their new series Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After — premiering this fall on Freeform, sister cable network to The Bachelor’s home of ABC — will join a multitude of spinoffs from successful reality series franchises across the cable dial. In many cases, these off shoots perform as well or better than their parent shows in the ratings.

More than one-third of cable’s top 30 reality shows for the period of June 1, 2015, to May 31, 2016, were reality franchises and their respective extension shows, according to Nielsen. Such extensions, which can potentially cannibalize viewers from their parent series, were once considered a risky play for networks. Now, they are sought-after content with built-in brand recognition and an audience base that can be lured in without a great deal of marketing effort.

“Spinoffs are so big these days because it’s so hard to launch new series today … there’s so much content to choose from and it’s so hard to reach people with new ideas and a new series,” Shari Levine, executive vice president of production for Bravo, said. “When you are doing a spinoff you’re delivering a show to a ready-made viewer that’s somewhat susceptible. You don’t have to explain the concept to them. Half of the marketing is done for you.”

Related:'Deadliest Catch’ Hooks a Spinoff [subscription required]

For some cable franchises just one or two spinoff shows aren’t enough to satisfy the appetite of loyal viewers. Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise — which follows the lives of affluent housewives from various parts of the country — has branded a whopping nine separate series over the past decade.

GETTING HARDER TO ‘KEEP UP’

E! later this year will launch its limited reality series Rob & Chyna, focusing on the lives of celebrity couple Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna, another spinoff from the long-running series Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

VH1’s Love & Hip Hop, which chronicles the lives and relationships of hip hop and R&B musicians, has spawned three spinoff series: Love & Hip Hop: New York, Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and Love & Hip Hop Hollywood.

And the Atlanta version has spun off two series of its own, K Michelle: My Life and Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood. And despite all the iterations from the original franchise, it seems viewers are singing the praises of virtually all of these series. Current seasons of Love & Hip Hop, Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and Love & Hip Hop Hollywood all finished among the top 15 most-watched reality series over the past year, according to Nielsen. The sixth season of parent franchise Love & Hip Hop averaged 3.3 million viewers (on a live-plus-7-day basis), topped only by the fourth season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, which drew 3.6 million viewers.

Brand recognition is paramount when trying to break through in crowded television marketplace, E! and Esquire Network president Adam Stotsky said. Once a brand is established with viewers, he said, the ability to extend it over a multitude of programs gives networks a leg up on the competition.

E!’s Kardashians empire remains strong and fertile, according to Stotsky. Flagship Keeping Up With the Kardashians is still among the most-watched shows on cable, averaging 2.9 million viewers over the past year, besting all of its franchise extensions, which include I Am Cait, Kim and Khloe Take the Hamptons and Dash Dolls, as well as new series Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian, to launch later this year.

“Given that competitive landscape and the marketing challenges faced in launching new franchises and brands from scratch, working off an existing base where viewers know who these characters are and the world they live in is like makes for an easier entry point for consumers, and alleviates some marketing pressure for the networks,” Stotsky said.

Still, a franchise extension isn’t a slam dunk. Producers must still find a viable new setting, location or character around which to build a spinoff series.

“You have to listen to your audience because they vote with their thumbs on the remote controls everyday,” Stotsky added. “It’s a balancing act — on the one hand, the opportunity to extend versus the risk of cannibalization and oversaturation, and that’s something we monitor.”

Discovery Channel decided to bring back contestants from its popular survival-themed series Naked and Afraid, challenging them to endure a much longer and tougher survival challenge in the buff via sophomore spinoff series Naked and Afraid XL, Denise Contis, executive vice president of development and production for Discovery, said. The result was another hit series for the network, with Naked and Afraid XL garnering 3.8 million viewers during its freshman run, beating out its predecessor’s 2.7 million viewers.

“The spinoff is authentically motivated by the contestants themselves, who are looking to push themselves even further,” Joe Boyle, executive producer of both series, said. “Instead of just that process of learning to work with one other human being, they’re learning to survive and work with a number of other human beings and the ramifications of that. It gives us a much larger playing field in terms of character development.”

EXTENSIONS OF ANOTHER KIND

Other networks are doing more unconventional franchise extensions. AMC, which this July will debut the Stephen David-produced Making of the Mob: Chicago — a spinoff of last year’s Making of the Mob: New York — also looked to basic cable’s top-rated scripted series, zombie thriller The Walking Dead, to beget Talking Dead, the reality genre’s most-watched series over the past year. The live recap talk show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, drew 6.3 million viewers during the period, according to Nielsen.

TV One is doing the complete opposite of AMC: It’s spinning off an episode of Unsung, its unscripted docuseries on popular R&B artists, into an original telefilm. An Unsung episode on the 1990s R&B singer Miki Howard served as the basis for Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story. Its June 12 debut drew more than 2 million viewers across multiple viewings, setting a network ratings record for an original film, said D’Angela Proctor, head of original programming and production for the African-American-targeted TV One.

As long as networks are serving viewers with unique content that fits within the confines of a particular franchise, there’s no such thing as too many spinoff s, Bravo’s Levine said. Along with the Housewives franchise, Bravo has already built multiple shows around such franchises as Million Dollar Listing, Married to Medicine and Below Deck.

“As long as it’s working, there isn’t a limit, but I don’t think you know until you actually do it,” she said.

Adam Stotsky has been named president, E! Entertainment, adding responsibilities for all unscripted programming and development for the pop culture network. He had been general manager at E! and will continue overseeing all day-to-day operations of the network, NBCUniversal said, including news, digital, marketing, communications, research and acquisitions. He will also continue to be president at Esquire Network and he reports to Frances Berwick, president, lifestyle networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. 

Stotsky became GM at E! in 2014 and, in a release, NBCU credited him for leading the network’s ongoing growth (it cited January 2016 viewing increases of 35% among total viewers (632K) and 29% among A18-49 (356K) in primetime). It also credited him with successfully integrating E!’s news and digital divisions to enhance cross-platform content and create a more engaging social and interactive “E! News” experience. In January 2016, “E! News” had year-over-year viewership growth of 14% among A18-49 (325K), E! said.  

Esquire Network launched two and a half years ago and saw gains of 18% among A18-49 and 15% among M18-49 in 2015, the network said.

“Adam is an exceptional senior executive who has been successful in leading the teams at E! and Esquire Network and setting their strategic direction for future growth,” Berwick said in the release. “I am excited to announce his well-deserved promotion and expand his responsibilities at E! as we continue to build on our success as a multiplatform powerhouse offering exclusive access to celebrity lifestyles and the world of entertainment.” 

Before Esquire Network, Stotsky was general manager of G4. He previously has been president of marketing for NBC Entertainment and, from 2001 to 2008, had senior marketing positions at Syfy, most recently as Executive Vice President, Global Brand Strategy and Market Development. Before Syfy, Stotsky was VP of marketing at Discovery Communications. 

E! will offer extensive multiplatform coverage of this month's fall edition of New York Fashion Week, the network said Monday.

The network will launch its coverage Sept. 10 with nightly stories on E! News from the top runway shows. A special episode of Fashion Police on Sept. 14 will feature guests and interviews, E! said, and a second special, Macy’s Presents Fashion’s Front Row, will premiere Sept. 23, serving as a wrap up show of the Fashion Week festivities.

On the digital front, E! Online will live-stream coverage from all the major shows, while the network’s social media platforms will offer up-to-the minute coverage of the catwalks.

“Fashion is a hugely influential part of the pop culture zeitgeist, and New York Fashion Week has become the defining event that the world looks to for the next styles and trends," said Adam Stotsky, general manager, E!, and president, Esquire Network. "As the pop culture powerhouse, E! delivers up-to-the minute news and information from this once exclusive event directly to our viewers on-air, online and across social, connecting not only with the fashion-forward audience but with all pop culture fans."

Esquire Network has ordered a 10-episode docu-series chronicling the off-field action among four leading sports agents during the run-up to the 2015 National Football League draft. The Agent will premiere in July, the network said Tuesday (March 24).

The series aims to give viewers an insider's look at the business behind a sport that experienced a troubling 2014-15 season off and on the field. The production gained exclusive access to the four agents -- Jeff Guerriero, Peter Schaffer, Sunny Shah and Ed Wasielewski -- starting last summer, Esquire Network said, capturing contract negotiations, endorsement deals, recruiting, private clubs, training, and meetings with scouts and veteran NFL players, all in pursuit of securing the top draft pick.

Filming will continue at least through the NFL draft, which begins on April 30 and ends May 2.

With its mix of drama (the "ruthless pressure" of a "cutthroat world," as the network characterized it) and characters (who Esquire positions as "real-life Jerry Maguires"), The Agent appears to fit squarely into the network's gameplan to offer programming built around "a decidely masculine experience" but in a "tone of voice that's accessible to women," as Esquire Net president Adam Stotsky told Multichannel News last year.

While it aims to skew male, the network also wants to court women viewers watching with significant others as well as solo. "This is not the men's locker room," he said at the time. "Women are very welcome at the Esquire Network."

The Agent will join other character-focused football- and sports-themed series on the network, including Friday Night Tykes, The Short Game and Horseplayers.

The Agent is executive produced by Emmy winners Mark Herzog and Christopher G. Cowen of Herzog & Company/HCO (CNN's The Sixties) with Vincent DiPersio, also an Emmy-winning producer, and Josh Mamann. Nicole Zien from HCO is co-executive producer. Esquire Network did not reveal a specific premiere date.

NBCUniversal has restructured its cable portfolio, expanding the purview of Frances Berwick as the overseer of the newly formed lifestyle network group.

In her new position as president of the group, Berwick will add strategic oversight of E! Entertainment and Esquire Network to her current duties at Bravo and Oxygen Media. She will  continue to report to NBCU Cable Entertainment chairman Bonnie Hammer, who announced the reorganization that more closely aligns the lifestyle services with the way they are positioned in the marketplace.

As part of the changes, Suzanne Kolb is exiting her position as president of E!, ending a nine-year run with the entertainment service, including the last three at its helm. Adam Stotsky, president of Esquire Network, which was converted from Style in September 2013, also has been named general manager of E! and will report directly to Berwick in both capacities.

Berwick was appointed president of Bravo and Oxygen Media in September 2013 spearheading strategy and operations for both brands. She was named president of Bravo, which she joined in 1996, in 2010. Under her tutelage, it has become a top 10 cable network with over 550 hours of year-round original programming that reaches one of the most affluent audiences in television.

Over the years, she has overseen breakout original programming, including the popular “Real Housewives” franchise, Watch What Happens Live! and Emmy winners Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Top Chef. Most recently, Berwick has the network poised to enter the scripted realm, with its first entry Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce slated to debut in December, to be followed by the half-hour scripted comedy Odd Mom Out next year. 

In 2013, Berwick's role was expanded to include Oxygen Media where she is currently overseeing the network's rebrand, targeting young, multicultural women and scheduled to launch across all platforms on Oct. 7.

“In a crowded, constantly evolving media landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a business structure that not only delivers results today, but also sets a course with the right leadership for future success,” said Hammer. “Frances is that rare individual whose creative instincts are as finely tuned as her business savvy. Her impressive track record is all about identifying compelling, innovative content. It’s part of her DNA, and it will be an invaluable asset in this new role and in maximizing E!’s tremendous brand potential.”

At E!, Berwick will be directly responsible for original programming and development aimed at buttressing viewership, strengthening the channel’s competitive positioning and extending its worldwide reputation as the multiplatform destination for all things entertainment.  

“I’ve been a huge longtime fan of E! from afar, so I’m really excited to now be part of the team,” said Berwick. “I have enormous respect for the brand leadership position they've built in entertainment news and celebrity culture.”

In his new role as general manager at E!, Stotsky gains oversight of daily operations, notably news, digital, marketing, communications, research and acquisitions. He will continue his duties as president, Esquire Network, with direct oversight of all areas of the network.   

“As a colleague of Adam’s for years, I’ve been impressed by his leadership skills and his ability to envision and define brands, from Syfy to NBC to Esquire,” said Berwick.  "The distinctive brand and impressive slate that he and his team at Esquire Network have built in a short period of time is remarkable. I look forward to working even closer together as we take E! to new heights."