48 Hours, the true-crime series once imprisoned on Saturday nights, continues to spread its wings with the launch Wednesday of a 48 Hours 24-hour free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel.
With the exploding popularity of the genre, the long-running CBS News series now appears on multiple cable networks, in broadcast syndication, in streaming and on social media. It has also spawned multiple podcasts.
The FAST channel is available on CBSNews.com and the CBS News app as well as Paramount Plus and Pluto TV, rolling out on partner channels today.
Next week, the rollout will continue across other distribution platforms.
The added exposure for the show will mean “more work but more reward,” 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty told B+C.
At a time when people talk about how the networks are losing their reach, “we are in so many places where a whole new group of people — often younger — get to hear the stories we tell,” Moriarty said.
“I can’t tell you how exciting this is for us,” added 48 Hours executive producer Judy Tygard.
“This expansion is like oxygen for us because for years we were on Saturday night, the loneliest night of the week, and it was very hard for us to compete with other broadcasts,” Tygard said.
“Everywhere we put 48 Hours it explodes,“ she said. “We’ve always believed in the quality of the episodes that we do and now when we see how people respond to it, wherever we put it, it’s very gratifying for our team.”
The 48 Hours FAST channel will have access to nearly 600 episodes of the series. Those episodes are constantly being updated.
Legally Sound
“They’re not like episodes of Law & Order that we can pull off the shelf, blow off the dust and put them on TV,” Tygard said. “We have to make sure that everything’s legally sound. With the length of time that we've been on the air, things change. Convictions can be overturned or appeals can be heard. So we are constantly having to maintain that vast archive which might be the biggest true crime archive in the world.”
Across linear and streaming platforms, 48 Hours has garnered 36.3 billion minutes of viewing during the 2023-24 season, making it one of the most popular programs in America. Compared to the previous year, 48 Hours total minutes are up 23% on linear, 31% on streaming and 25% overall.
Now in its 36th season, 48 Hours has been Saturday’s No. 1 non-sports primetime program for 18 consecutive years.
Full episodes of 48 Hours on YouTube generate strong viewership, with some notching more than 10 million views, CBS News said.
48 Hours also started two podcasts in 2022 and now has four podcasts running.
“Clearly, 48 Hours has tremendous appeal to millions of viewers and is delivering remarkable growth in its 36th season. It truly is the iron horse of the true crime genre and continues to gain steam as we find new ways to create ubiquitous distribution for the show,” said Wendy McMahon, president and CEO, CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures. “We are excited to launch 48 Hours and package episodes in ways that will appeal to both longtime fans, as well as viewers who have just discovered this powerhouse series.”
With so many episodes, the 48 Hours FAST channel won’t repeat an episode during its first seven days.
The channel will also feature blocks of episodes with themes including “Crimes of Passion,” “Serial and Spree Killings,” “Criminal Blunders,” “Evil in the Family,” “Love Gone Wrong,” “Wrongful Convictions,” “Women Who Kill,” “Houses of Horror,” “Money Kills,” “Missing People,” “Cold Cases,” “Survival Stories” and “Hollywood Mysteries.”
Moriarty said she is amazed at the growing and enduring popularity of the true crime genre.
“I had to do a panel at Crimecon in Nashville,” she said. “The number of people who came to my panel was shocking and scary and exciting all at the same time.”
Moriarty believes that while people can’t talk about politics without getting angry, everyone wants to talk about true crime.
48 Hours approaches the genre by focusing on the victims’ humanity and showing empathy for their families, the investigators and even those accused — sometimes wrongly.
“One of the reasons why I’ve stayed on this as long as I have is because I’m a lawyer and I felt that I can bring perspective to these cases,” Moriarty said.
The show’s expansion means people don’t need a TV to hear the stories.
“I was checking into a hotel in Missouri and one of the agents recognized my voice from the podcast,” she said. “He said ‘Oh, you’re Erin Moriarty.’ He had no idea what I look like, but he knew my voice.”
