TCM and Shudder are showing the value of hosts who introduce movies

Indiewire

"Where hosts were once a matter of necessity, introducing a series and then expanding out to fill in for commercial breaks, or, as premium cable and streaming started, the absence of them, they remain a serious branding technique," says Kristen Lopez. "You could identify a network by its hosts, whether that is the litany of horror hosts that peppered the airwaves of various local networks throughout the country, to AMC’s Bob Dorian (back when that channel was still showing classic features). Now, as TCM and Shudder continue to soldier on for the movie host, it’s an element audiences want more of."