LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Sarah Connor might have the struggling economy to thank for not being terminated.
Industry observers say the recent cluster of low-rated shows granted full-season orders might have something to do with network executives watching the plunging Dow rather than their shows' falling Nielsens.
No execs would talk on the record, but the economic crisis, combined with the cost of marketing a new series, the lack of new programing inventory because of the Hollywood writers strike and the anticipated difficulty of locking down new advertiser commitments, has networks inclined to play it safe.
"Most years there would be more cancellations then there have been to date," said John Rash, senior vp/director of media negotiations at ad agency Campbell Mithun. "But the dual dynamics of schedule stability keeping ad dollars in place is combining with delayed programing development from last season's writers strike."
NBC's "Knight Rider," ABC's "Private Practice" and Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" recently received orders for an additional nine episodes apiece. Such a move typically indicates a network's confidence in a show's performance and signals the inclination to keep a series on the air for the duration of the season.
But all three shows have posted modest ratings in recent weeks, with "Knight Rider" and "Terminator" having numbers that in previous years would have resulted in cancellation.
The most obvious reasons for the pickups are that many series this fall are doing poorly, and these shows are performing among the best of the worst. Networks are loath to exit the fall without at least one series to tout as a success. Plus, the writers strike, as Rash noted, has delayed quality midseason replacements. And with ratings declining overall because of increasing DVR penetration and audience erosion to cable networks and the Internet, the bar for success keeps being lowered.
But the added element of economic worries this fall makes picking up low-rated shows potentially more attractive, too.
An August survey by the Association of National Advertisers reported that the majority of marketers expect their advertising budgets to be reduced in the next six months.
Once a show is canceled or moved, advertisers have the option of getting their investment back. So even if a drama series is pulling a meager rating, why risk having to resell a time period?
"The way the economy is going, there might be cutbacks in regard to advertising," said Brad Adgate, vp research at Horizon Media. "And there's always frustration from advertisers when shows get pulled too quickly, but if advertisers exercise their options to get out, it would be because of the economy."
Also, the economy directly impacts networks as well as their advertisers. NBC Universal recently announced that the company would trim $500 million from its budget. Given the cost of producing and marketing a new scripted series, the company might have a greater temptation to give a show like "Knight Rider" more time to find an audience.
"From the networks' standpoint, they're loath to cancel since the cost of finding something to replace a show may not be worth it," said Shari Anne Brill, vp and director of programing at Carat. "And advertisers still prefer to be in a quality scripted series to an inexpensive reality show," she said, adding, "I'm in the camp that believes it's a mistake for an advertiser to disappear during a recession because you need the consumer awareness so sales won't grind to a halt."
So far, the networks' doubling down on the bubble shows has had mixed results. "Terminator" and "Knight Rider" hit season lows after their pickups. But last week, "Practice" showed some life, perking up 15%.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bad economy good news for low-rated TV shows
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Top 20 shows in prime-time Nielsen ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for June 2-8. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (X) NBA Finals Game 2: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, ABC, 13.5 million viewers.
2. (X) NBA Finals Game 1: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, ABC, 13.38 million viewers.
3. (15) "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 9.81 million viewers.
4. (22) "60 Minutes," CBS, 9.81 million viewers.
5. (46) "Million Dollar Password," CBS, 9.62 million viewers.
6. (9) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 9.61 million viewers.
7. (53) "So You Think Can Dance" (Wednesday), Fox, 9.56 million viewers.
8. (13) "House," Fox, 9.44 million viewers.
9. (28) "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 9.36 million viewers.
10. (53) "So You Think Can Dance" (Thursday), Fox, 9.25 million viewers.
11. (25) "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.11 million viewers.
12. (13) "NCIS," CBS, 8.93 million viewers.
13. (15) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 8.91 million viewers.
14. (67) "Swingtown," CBS, 8.57 million viewers.
15. (22) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 8.27 million viewers.
16. (X) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Thursday Special," CBS, 8.21 million viewers.
17. (32) "Rules Of Engagement," CBS, 8.12 million viewers.
18. (32) "Cold Case," CBS, 8.08 million viewers.
19. (79) "Dateline NBC-Sunday," NBC, 7.99 million viewers.
20. (94) "48 Hours Mystery Tuesday," CBS, 7.78 million viewers.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The top 20 prime-time shows (Aug. 20-26)
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Aug. 20-26. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (31) "America's Got Talent," NBC, 13.94 million viewers.
2. (7) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 10.37 million viewers.
3. (22) "Without a Trace," CBS, 9.3 million viewers.
4. (20) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 9.25 million viewers.
5. (X) NFL Exhibition: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (Sunday), NBC, 9.2 million viewers.
6. (28) "60 Minutes," CBS, 9.05 million viewers.
7. (44) "Singing Bee," NBC, 8.88 million viewers.
8. (77) "Power of Ten," CBS, 8.7 million viewers.
9. (26) "Cold Case," CBS, 8.45 million viewers.
10. (24) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 8.3 million viewers.
11. (22) "CSI: NY," CBS, 7.85 million viewers.
12. (89) "Big Brother 8" (Thursday), CBS, 7.78 million viewers.
13. (81) "Just for Laughs," ABC, 7.68 million viewers.
14. (13) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 7.65 million viewers.
15. (98) "Big Brother 8" (Sunday), CBS, 7.41 million viewers.
16. (89) "Big Brother 8" (Tuesday), CBS, 7.3 million viewers.
17. (110) "Last Comic Standing 5," NBC, 7.25 million viewers.
18. (X) "TV's Funniest Moments" (Monday), Fox, 7.24 million viewers.
19. (110) "Just for Laughs" (Tuesday), ABC, 6.83 million viewers.
20. (X) "NFL Pre-Season Pre-kickoff" (Sunday), NBC, 6.77 million viewers.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Rerun-Packed Friday Goes to CBS
Eye wins soft night thanks to crime dramas
Fast National ratings for Friday, April 20, 2007
Friday night was a quiet one on the TV landscape as the networks loaded up with reruns.
CBS came out on top with a 5.1 rating/9 share in primetime. NBC won a tight race for second with a 3.9/7, followed by ABC, 3.6/7, and FOX, 3.5/7. The CW averaged 2.4/4.
ABC and CBS tied for the lead among adults 18-49, albeit with only a meager 1.9 rating. FOX, 1.6, came in third. NBC drew a 1.5 and The CW a 1.2.
A "Ghost Whisperer" rerun, 4.5/9, put CBS on top at 8 p.m. FOX finished second for the hour with a "House" rerun, 3.7/7. NBC's game show "Identity" earned a 3.3/6 for third, beating out a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat on ABC. The CW got a 2.1/4 from "Friday Night Smackdown!"
CBS improved to 5.4/10 at 9 p.m. with a "Close to Home" encore, while NBC moved up to second with "Raines," 3.9/7. A "Bones" repeat kept FOX in third, ahead of ABC's "Wife Swap" rerun, 3.2/6. The second hour of "Smackdown!" scored a 2.7/5.
At 10 p.m., a "Numb3rs" repeat finished the CBS sweep with a 5.4/10. A "Law & Order" rerun posted a 4.6/9 for NBC, a little better than the 4.3/8 for ABC's "20/20."
Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
ABC Cuts Out Thursday Competitors
'Grey's' carries Alphabet to victory
The return of "Grey's Anatomy" after a brief absence revived ABC's ratings fortunes Thursday and led the network to a win for the night.
ABC averaged a 9.0 rating/15 share in primetime, topping the 8.2/13 for CBS. NBC, 4.6/8, finished third in households, although FOX, 4.5/7, had a few more viewers. The CW earned a 2.3/4.
ABC's lead among adults 18-49 was wider -- it scored a 5.2 rating in the key ad demographic, while second-place CBS drew a 3.6. NBC, 3.1, was third, followed by FOX, 2.5, and The CW, 1.6.
"Survivor: Fiji" won the 8 p.m. hour for CBS with an 8.1/13. ABC's "Ugly Betty" took second at 6.7/11, one of its lowest numbers of the season. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?" put FOX in third. "My Name Is Earl," 4.6/7, and a rerun of "The Office," 4.0/7, were fourth for NBC. The CW got a 2.5/4 from "Smallville."
At 9 p.m., "Grey's Anatomy" drew the night's biggest audience with a 13.7/21. CBS fell one spot to second with a "CSI" repeat, 8.1/13. From there came a steep drop to third-place NBC, which went with "30 Rock," 3.3/5, and "Scrubs," 3.5/5. FOX's "Trading Spouses" came in fourth at 3.1/5, a point better than "Supernatural" on The CW.
CBS reclaimed the top spot at 10 p.m. as "Shark" posted an 8.5/14. "October Road" bled half its lead-in to finish at 6.7/11 for ABC, while NBC's "ER" came in at a below-average 6.1/10.
