Post by annabelleleigh on Feb 2, 2009 18:04:13 GMT -5
For those of us who follow the numbers. Boldfaces mine.
AL
P.S. After ordering up a big ticket marketing makeover (which, according to a press release, is supposed to help the broadcast network figure out what its future "image" will be) NBC Entertainment went on to sink more of its money into -- you guessed it -- reality shows. I guess co-CEOs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff have already decided. Out with quality drama?
-----------------
TV Rating: Midseason Wisdom
New Shows Struggle, but Old Faves Return Strong
By Josef Adalian and Jon Lafayette
TV Week
February 1, 2009
Excerpt:
"As the national economy slides deeper into a recession, viewers appear to be turning to familiar favorites to ease the pain, making it harder for many newer shows to get noticed. That's proving to be a challenge for the cable networks that rolled the dice in December and January on several high-profile original drama premieres.
So far, while executives are preaching patience, none of the newcomers appear to be out-of-the-box hits...
...On the plus side: Established successes on both broadcast and cable networks—from Fox’s “American Idol” to USA’s “Burn Notice” and TNT’s “The Closer”—are in many cases doing better than expected, providing a much-needed warm winter after a brutal fall. Viewers seem hungry for comfort food, and networks that have such shows on their programming menus are being rewarded.
It’s only February, but TV Week has already found five lessons TV can learn from the first month of 2009 ratings trends.
For cable, launching new dramas in January can be tough.
A&E’s “The Beast” opened with lower-than-expected numbers, and TNT’s heavily promoted premiere of “Trust Me” held onto just 40% of its lead-in from “The Closer.”...
...Another Turner show, “Leverage,” was down significantly in January from its December premiere. Mr. Wright said “Leverage” is likely to be renewed because it’s performing above its goals and improving its timeslot with the benefit of a strong lead-in.
...Bonnie Hammer, who oversees USA as president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Studio, said the performance of “Burn Notice” on Thursday at 10 p.m., once a premier broadcast timeslot, opened the door to putting more originals on in the first quarter.
“We put our toe in and we didn’t get burned. In fact, we flourished,” Ms. Hammer said.
“I think cable can start going toe-to-toe with broadcast,” she said. “The difference between broadcast and cable in the public’s eye is getting smaller and smaller. If you build it, if you have the right show, they will come.”
Overnight ratings are dead … or at least a lot less relevant. That’s the lesson many cable and broadcast executives are trying to push these days. With DVR viewership on the rise, and often counting for a big chunk of a show’s overall viewership, many network insiders believe it’s a mistake to judge a show solely by how it does in the live-plus-same-day national ratings...
...Unscripted hits aren’t showing their age; just the opposite. Case in point: “American Idol.” Fox’s singing sensation has still got its sizzle, returning last month to its traditional perch as TV’s most-watched series, by a mile. And last week’s Wednesday night episode notched 27 million viewers, nearly 1.5 million more than the same episode last year...
...But “Idol” isn’t the only reality show hitting high notes this winter...NBC just ordered 12 more episodes of Friday newcomer “Howie Do It.” And ABC’s new “True Beauty” has showed unexpected spark behind “The Bachelor,” averaging a 2.9/7 in adults 18-49 and improving the network’s performance in the timeslot by 61% against last January, when “October Road” aired.
You can compete against “American Idol.” While Fox has to be pleased with how its juggernaut is doing, other networks are realizing they don’t have to roll over and die opposite “Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s death stare.
NBC’s “Loser” has built strong ratings despite facing an hour of “Idol” from 8-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Last week, CBS’ “NCIS” drew 19.63 million viewers competing against “Idol,” the second-biggest audience ever for the network’s crime drama."
The full article at
www.tvweek.com/news/2009/02/midseason_wisdom.php
AL
P.S. After ordering up a big ticket marketing makeover (which, according to a press release, is supposed to help the broadcast network figure out what its future "image" will be) NBC Entertainment went on to sink more of its money into -- you guessed it -- reality shows. I guess co-CEOs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff have already decided. Out with quality drama?
-----------------
TV Rating: Midseason Wisdom
New Shows Struggle, but Old Faves Return Strong
By Josef Adalian and Jon Lafayette
TV Week
February 1, 2009
Excerpt:
"As the national economy slides deeper into a recession, viewers appear to be turning to familiar favorites to ease the pain, making it harder for many newer shows to get noticed. That's proving to be a challenge for the cable networks that rolled the dice in December and January on several high-profile original drama premieres.
So far, while executives are preaching patience, none of the newcomers appear to be out-of-the-box hits...
...On the plus side: Established successes on both broadcast and cable networks—from Fox’s “American Idol” to USA’s “Burn Notice” and TNT’s “The Closer”—are in many cases doing better than expected, providing a much-needed warm winter after a brutal fall. Viewers seem hungry for comfort food, and networks that have such shows on their programming menus are being rewarded.
It’s only February, but TV Week has already found five lessons TV can learn from the first month of 2009 ratings trends.
For cable, launching new dramas in January can be tough.
A&E’s “The Beast” opened with lower-than-expected numbers, and TNT’s heavily promoted premiere of “Trust Me” held onto just 40% of its lead-in from “The Closer.”...
...Another Turner show, “Leverage,” was down significantly in January from its December premiere. Mr. Wright said “Leverage” is likely to be renewed because it’s performing above its goals and improving its timeslot with the benefit of a strong lead-in.
...Bonnie Hammer, who oversees USA as president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Studio, said the performance of “Burn Notice” on Thursday at 10 p.m., once a premier broadcast timeslot, opened the door to putting more originals on in the first quarter.
“We put our toe in and we didn’t get burned. In fact, we flourished,” Ms. Hammer said.
“I think cable can start going toe-to-toe with broadcast,” she said. “The difference between broadcast and cable in the public’s eye is getting smaller and smaller. If you build it, if you have the right show, they will come.”
Overnight ratings are dead … or at least a lot less relevant. That’s the lesson many cable and broadcast executives are trying to push these days. With DVR viewership on the rise, and often counting for a big chunk of a show’s overall viewership, many network insiders believe it’s a mistake to judge a show solely by how it does in the live-plus-same-day national ratings...
...Unscripted hits aren’t showing their age; just the opposite. Case in point: “American Idol.” Fox’s singing sensation has still got its sizzle, returning last month to its traditional perch as TV’s most-watched series, by a mile. And last week’s Wednesday night episode notched 27 million viewers, nearly 1.5 million more than the same episode last year...
...But “Idol” isn’t the only reality show hitting high notes this winter...NBC just ordered 12 more episodes of Friday newcomer “Howie Do It.” And ABC’s new “True Beauty” has showed unexpected spark behind “The Bachelor,” averaging a 2.9/7 in adults 18-49 and improving the network’s performance in the timeslot by 61% against last January, when “October Road” aired.
You can compete against “American Idol.” While Fox has to be pleased with how its juggernaut is doing, other networks are realizing they don’t have to roll over and die opposite “Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s death stare.
NBC’s “Loser” has built strong ratings despite facing an hour of “Idol” from 8-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Last week, CBS’ “NCIS” drew 19.63 million viewers competing against “Idol,” the second-biggest audience ever for the network’s crime drama."
The full article at
www.tvweek.com/news/2009/02/midseason_wisdom.php
) and I don't get home until 9:30, I can still start watching the ep from the start, but yet that won't be "Live"-TV. 