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NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt has admitted that the network suffered a "really bad" fall season.



In the latter half of 2011, the network cancelled new shows including The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect and Free Agents as ratings dropped by 11% to an average of 7.4 million viewers and a 2.5 adult demo.

"We had a really bad fall," Greenblatt confessed at a press tour event. "[It was] worse than I had hoped for, but actually about what I expected.

"People keep saying the only place we have to go is up - which I think is true, but there's a lot of work to do before we get there. We had few strong lead-ins - our most recent scripted hit, The Office, is six years old. Some of our older hits lost cast members."

Greenblatt also suggested that NBC's merger with Comcast would be "good news" for viewers, saying: "They're investing in our business, not only with financial resources, but with their patience."

Other revelations from the NBC press event include the confirmation of guest mentors for The Voice season two, news of Harry Connick Jr's guest stint in Law & Order: SVU and assurance that Community has not been cancelled.