Networks began removing underperforming original titles from their libraries to claim tax write-offs and save on residual payouts.

In late December 2013, the global film industry was under the spell of Disney’s . Released just weeks prior, the film was in the midst of a historic run that would eventually make it the highest-grossing animated film of its time. On December 22, families were flocking to theaters, solidified by the inescapable earworm "Let It Go."