TV Critics Association cancels TCA press tour for winter 2025
The Television Critics Association has canceled its planned winter 2025 TCA press tour after failing to reach a critical mass of networks, studios and streamers willing to participate in the biannual event. It’s the latest blow to the TCA organization, which has struggled in recent years to organize a robust press tour after the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the twin Hollywood strikes.
In a letter to TCA members, Television Critics Assoc. President Jacqueline Cutler blamed the “deep contraction” of Hollywood. Although several streamers, networks and studios committed, it was not enough for a full press tour. We wanted to respect our members’ need to plan, so as a board we decided to set a deadline for making this decision in early November.”
Cutler added that the TCA plans to hold a tour in the summer of 2025, and that executives are still working on returning to that event.
The TCA was able to hold press tours in both February and July this year, returning to its normal biannual calendar after having to cancel the TCA press tour in the summer of 2023 due to the Hollywood strikes.
TCA normally holds one winter and one summer press tour per year, centering panels with the casts, writers, directors and producers of various series across various networks and streamers, as well as Q&A sessions with network executives. The event went virtual due to the pandemic in 2020, but returned to an in-person event in the winter of 2023 — before having to be canceled again that summer.
This year’s TCA Awards were presented in person in July for the first time since 2019, but the summer 2024 press tour was shorter than normal as only a handful of outlets were presented to the press. This summer’s event lasted just a week, with presentations from Disney Entertainment Television, CBS, NBC, PBS, Hallmark, Starz, CBS Studios and a handful of small-time hosts.
Here is Cutler’s full memo to members:
Dear TCA members,
We write with the disappointing news that the Winter TCA tour has been canceled.
As you know, Hollywood is in deep decline. Although several streamers, networks and studios committed, it was not enough for a full press tour. We wanted to respect our members’ need to plan, so as a board we decided to set a deadline for making this decision in early November.
I want to emphasize something that the members who attended last February and July already know: they were great tours. Executives I spoke with were exceptionally positive about the last two press trips. More importantly, everyone emphasized that they wanted to participate in the 2025 summer tour, and we are already working on that.
Honestly,
Jacqueline Cutler
