system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What does an economy of scale mean in a tv show sense?

I was reading the Black Mirror Wikipedia page when it said “The series was expensive for Channel 4, as the anthology format meant there were no economies of scale.” I looked up what an economy of scale meant and the video made sense in the context of making bread, but how does it apply to a show? I guess it means the higher budget of the show should mean it makes more profit, but how does an anthology not apply to that? Is it because the episodes aren’t continuous and don’t build up to some bigger thing?
gpt
If you take a long running TV show like, say Game of Thrones, although it may be hugely expensive in terms of building sets, designing special effects and employing actors and crew, you get eight seasons worth of show for your investment - hence you have economies of scale in production of a lot of shows with the same set up.
In an anthology show like Black Mirror, because every story is different, you need to start from scratch with new sets, cast and effects. Each investment is a one off which has to pay for itself from only one show.