TV viewership down, exec's puzzled

Gonz

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
S the ratings have rolled in for the first three weeks of the new television season, one question has dominated the conversations inside the industry's executive suites: what the heck is going on?

Network executives are baffled by a season unlike any seen before. Returning hit shows like "Friends" and "E.R." are losing significant numbers of viewers from previous years. New shows have performed far worse than almost anyone expected, a result capped off Monday night when the Fox network started two shows that had received huge promotional pushes during the baseball playoffs, "The Next Joe Millionaire" and "Skin," and they posted crushingly disappointing numbers. And men between 18 and 24 are apparently deserting television in droves. So far this year nearly 20 percent fewer men in that advertiser-friendly demographic are watching television during prime time than during the same period last year.

The drop-off in these viewing figures tabulated by Nielsen Media Research is inexplicable to industry executives. "Frankly what we're seeing strains credulity," said Alan Wurtzel, the president of research for NBC.

Executives are demanding an explanation from Nielsen for these discrepancies, which, if they continue, could leave the networks on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in so-called make-goods, free commercials to make up for falling short of guarantees to advertisers. A permanent decline in television viewership could jeopardize the broadcast and cable networks' advertising bonanza, which reached a record $15 billion in national advertising commitments for this season.
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NY Times

Here's a thought. Make better shows. :rolleyes:
 
I fell off of the tv wagon years ago. Its about time that society is starting to show its disdain in tangible ways.
 
Indeed, the only reality show I watch at all is survivor, and that's only towards the end. Fear Factor, Joe Millionaire, they're all just displays about what nasty people we can be.
 
Too bad they aren't comparing the network shows to cable shows. It's pretty clear to me, you have to go to cable to get anything worth watching. I'm sure channels like TLC and Discovery get more viewers than NBC or ABC.
 
Its cause they are all sitting on the computer posting on message boards and chatting on Instant Messaging programs. we are hitting the first adults now who have grown up with the computer as their primary means of communication with their friends. of course its gonna effect the television numbers. burn baby burn i say.
 
I never watch TV except when someone else needs the computer.
Let TV die.
Welcome to the digital generation.
 
greenfreak said:
Too bad they aren't comparing the network shows to cable shows. It's pretty clear to me, you have to go to cable to get anything worth watching. I'm sure channels like TLC and Discovery get more viewers than NBC or ABC.
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Don't forget the History channel. Did anyone else see "We Built this City" there are three different ones that I know of, New York, Paris and London. Very interesting stuff.
 
Right on thulsa, we got em corraled here on the forums learning manual dexterity and such. get better shows and we'll consider them. Plus who wants to get involved in a show that you know is gonna end at the end of the season anyways.
And there is too much reality for me on tv. every stinking chanell has it spin offs of reality is even worse. That why i got a dvd player, to watch what i want to watch...
 
I loved that series of shows that dealt with trying to prove (or disprove) theories of how ancient engineering feats were accomplished. i.e., the pyramids, stone henge, etc...
 
"Television used to be a vast wasteland. It's improved though. Now it's only half vast."
---James Whitmore in the one man show "Will Rogers"

:lol:
 
I still gotta have my West Wing every night. But I'm watching the reruns on cable. :D

PT, every time I tune into the History channel, it's never anything that interests me. I think the trick is to give it at least 10 minutes and usually you get hooked if it's good. But if I'm flipping, I usually don't stop. I remember seeing something about bridges though and it was really really interesting. They showed that famous footage of that bridge that wobbled till it collapsed and explained how it happened.

Oh and I saw the building of the Empire State Building and it also was very interesting. I like stuff like that, the building of man made structures and how they never considered things like wind and earthquakes.
 
i'm a sucker for documentaries, especially ones where they build stuff or blow stuff up, which coincidently includes most of the genre. it's a good thing i don't have the history/discovery/learning channel.
 
TV is great. There is plethora of intriguing viewing out there...just have to know where to look. There are excellent shows out there that deserve more audience *cough* Nip/Tuck *cough*. Cable is also stealing much of Free tvs thunder.

People may simply be busy or just overwhelmed by the overabundence of material thrown at them. It can't be the quality....if you watch Survivor or any of those reality shows then you have no right to complain that shows suck.

TLC and Discovery channel disgust me now. Where once they use to be an escape from glitz and glamour to more entertaining TV they have now become shit holes. TLC should be just renamed to to that godawful house switching show that is on 24/7 there and Discovery channel is now nothing more than a collection of monster garage episodes and detective case episodes.

FX has improved vastly and Comedy Central is just plain excellent.
 
Discovery has gotten commercialized. It has however added several sub-channels:
Discovery Space
Discovery Science
Discovery Health
Discovery porn
Discovery more cash
Discovery Animal Planet
Discovery geeks

It's all good :rofl:
 
Gods, who's got time for watching TV anyway? Between all the unreal reality shows, buggered up game shows, reruns of reruns, soap operas and ads all you get are Tellytubbies and Barney the Dinosaur :rolleyes:

Only channels worth a damn IMO are Discovery, National Geographic and BBC Food (because I love cooking). I avoid Hallmark like the plague because made for TV movies make me feel physically ill. Once in a while a good 'oldie' will be shown on TCM, so if I happen to be near a TV when it's on I might watch that. And a few of the British comedy shows are still watchable.

And it seems to me that whenever a semi decent show makes it onto the tube it doesn't last more than one season.
 
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