Reality TV and unscripted shows have an advantage in the coming months as dramas, comedies, and other scripted series face major delays

• Unscripted TV commissions are up this year and scripted ones are down, according to a Tuesday report from analytics company Ampere Analysis.
• TV commissioners are using unscripted content to fill gaps in the release schedule left by scripted shows delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• More than half of the scripted programs that would have been released in the second half of this year could potentially be delayed, according to the report, and some may not be released at all.
• But Ampere Analysis predicted that while some unscripted titles would be delayed, 71% would be unaffected by the time fall arrives.

Unscripted TV has had a stellar year already thanks in part to breakout Netflix hits like the reality series "Love is Blind" and the true-crime docuseries "Tiger King." And content like this will have an advantage as the year moves forward and even into next year.

In a report released on Tuesday, analytics company Ampere Analysis said that unscripted content is in high demand among TV commissioners to fill gaps in the release schedule left by scripted content delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Unscripted orders have increased, while scripted has fallen.

Unscripted shows are largely easier to plan for during this time of uncertainty. For instance, the most recent season of the singing competition "American Idol" wrapped up with contestants singing from their homes. Scripted shows, which require cast and crew to be on set, don't have that luxury.

The report found that more than half of the scripted programs that would have been released in the second half of this year could potentially be delayed because of the pandemic, which has forced film and TV productions to temporarily shut down. Ampere Analysis projected that between 5 and 10% of scripted titles that would have debuted in the fall are at risk of not being released at all.

The effects could last well into 2021. TV commissioning is down by 40% in March through May compared to the same time period last year, according to the report.

"The knock-on effect of delayed releases is a likely depression of the number of new commissions for some time after the shutdown ends, as commissioners look to fill schedules with delayed projects they have already invested in before signing off new ones," Fred Black, the Ampere Analysis senior analyst, said in the report.

That's not to say unscripted content hasn't been impacted. The report said some unscripted commissions that were to be released in Q2 and Q3 this year could be delayed, but Ampere Analysis predicted the release schedule will begin to return to normal in the fall, with 71% of unscripted titles being unaffected.

"Unlike scripted content, commissioners can typically order enough adapted unscripted content during lockdown to cover normal numbers of new unscripted releases, as well as help cover schedule gaps from delayed or cancelled scripted content," the report said.