Comments on: I Heard the Same Kind of Banter 10 Years Ago from Newspaper Titans… http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/ The Blogging Site of Ted Leonsis Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:33:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: CSW http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7144 CSW Tue, 13 May 2008 21:10:30 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7144 p.s. regarding the "geeky" educational channels: PBS cornered that market long ago. I stopped tuning in to TLC or A&E when those stations began running things like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" or "Inked" p.s. regarding the “geeky” educational channels: PBS cornered that market long ago. I stopped tuning in to TLC or A&E when those stations began running things like “Dog the Bounty Hunter” or “Inked”

]]> By: CSW http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7143 CSW Tue, 13 May 2008 21:07:31 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7143 I think the cable providers will pick up the TV series genre (and give more R-rated options there) and we'll see a shift from traditional "movie channels" like HBO, Showtime, etc, move from a hybrid mini-series/movie format to more of a weekly series format (given that movies are released faster on DVD and available on demand for many subscribers, I'd guess that less and less viewers are waiting for the cable movie channels to run them). Leaving the traditional broadcast networks with what? I'd guess focusing on any news and sports subsidiaries they might own. There's always the local news niche, but local access stations could pick that up. The reality series is (hopefully) going to sputter out as people get tired of seeing the same formulae over and over + youtube, etc, are kind of their own on-demand "reality tv" (not making the content creators any money [yet] of course). I think the cable providers will pick up the TV series genre (and give more R-rated options there) and we’ll see a shift from traditional “movie channels” like HBO, Showtime, etc, move from a hybrid mini-series/movie format to more of a weekly series format (given that movies are released faster on DVD and available on demand for many subscribers, I’d guess that less and less viewers are waiting for the cable movie channels to run them).

Leaving the traditional broadcast networks with what? I’d guess focusing on any news and sports subsidiaries they might own. There’s always the local news niche, but local access stations could pick that up.

The reality series is (hopefully) going to sputter out as people get tired of seeing the same formulae over and over + youtube, etc, are kind of their own on-demand “reality tv” (not making the content creators any money [yet] of course).

]]> By: Karen http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7140 Karen Tue, 13 May 2008 15:25:15 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7140 When "reality TV" became the "in thing" for the networks to being showing, ad nauseum, they touted it as the NEW THING! THE BEST THING ON TV!!! And yeah, it appealed to the lowest common denominator TV watcher, but some of us who enjoyed shows like West Wing and it's ilk realized that these shows were gold mines for the network due to the low cost to produce. I haven't watched much of anything on network TV (except NHL games, of course!) since all this dreck started showing up. I find myself watching A&E, Discovery Channel and all those other "geeky" channels precisely because I'm disgusted with the regular networks. They lost me about 5 years ago! When “reality TV” became the “in thing” for the networks to being showing, ad nauseum, they touted it as the NEW THING! THE BEST THING ON TV!!! And yeah, it appealed to the lowest common denominator TV watcher, but some of us who enjoyed shows like West Wing and it’s ilk realized that these shows were gold mines for the network due to the low cost to produce. I haven’t watched much of anything on network TV (except NHL games, of course!) since all this dreck started showing up. I find myself watching A&E, Discovery Channel and all those other “geeky” channels precisely because I’m disgusted with the regular networks. They lost me about 5 years ago!

]]> By: Mikey http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7137 Mikey Tue, 13 May 2008 14:23:38 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7137 I truly don't understand why NBC seems so eager to turn their back on their core strength, which is massive reach. It seems like they can't wait to show advertisers that they can get 5000 people to watch a five minute show on a cell phone. Meanwhile, I have to agre with Ted, they're allowing their core business to go into a slow decline. They're not putting up much of a fight. If anything, it's like they're eager to surrender. Ted, keep an eye on the rest of this week's network upfronts. I think you will find that not everybody is giving up on the traditional model. I truly don’t understand why NBC seems so eager to turn their back on their core strength, which is massive reach.

It seems like they can’t wait to show advertisers that they can get 5000 people to watch a five minute show on a cell phone. Meanwhile, I have to agre with Ted, they’re allowing their core business to go into a slow decline.

They’re not putting up much of a fight. If anything, it’s like they’re eager to surrender.

Ted, keep an eye on the rest of this week’s network upfronts. I think you will find that not everybody is giving up on the traditional model.

]]> By: Sam http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7133 Sam Tue, 13 May 2008 00:10:52 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7133 Networks don't want disposable product. They want bankable product. Unfortunately, either the popular shows aren't bankable or the networks haven't figured out how to bank on them. I think the latter is true, but that's not the point. Most viewers don't watch every single episode of a program - an average I once heard was one episode a month, so one out of every four. This makes disposable content a lot easier to digest. The best thing going for anyone in scripted television is syndication. There is much more opportunity for syndication than ever before. But syndication requires the exact opposite of disposable content - shows with arcs, narrative threads, and characters which stand the test of time. These shows have to break out of the one out of four paradigm - they require the "must see tv" label of the networks' golden days. No one knows if the TV can get that back. Maybe mustsee.tv is next... Networks don’t want disposable product. They want bankable product. Unfortunately, either the popular shows aren’t bankable or the networks haven’t figured out how to bank on them. I think the latter is true, but that’s not the point. Most viewers don’t watch every single episode of a program - an average I once heard was one episode a month, so one out of every four. This makes disposable content a lot easier to digest.

The best thing going for anyone in scripted television is syndication. There is much more opportunity for syndication than ever before. But syndication requires the exact opposite of disposable content - shows with arcs, narrative threads, and characters which stand the test of time. These shows have to break out of the one out of four paradigm - they require the “must see tv” label of the networks’ golden days. No one knows if the TV can get that back.

Maybe mustsee.tv is next…

]]> By: Dan http://www.tedstake.com/2008/05/12/i-heard-the-same-kind-of-banter-10-years-ago-from-newspaper-titans/comment-page-1/#comment-7128 Dan Mon, 12 May 2008 20:19:30 +0000 http://www.tedstake.com/?p=2250#comment-7128 Color those of us writing and writing and shooting our own pilots and trailers for pitches nervous as well! It's like getting to the party as everyone is hugging and saying goodnight. It's a shame that shows like Lost and West Wing (in it's good years) and Heroes...Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs, The Office...they're so good, and yet all the networks want to see is disposable content. Shows with no arc...no narrative thread. Shows where you miss one week or three, and you can pick right bak up without missing a beat. (Heaven forbid an audience have to think or remember something that happened earlier in order to enjoy a show!) So what's next? AOL.tv? Color those of us writing and writing and shooting our own pilots and trailers for pitches nervous as well!

It’s like getting to the party as everyone is hugging and saying goodnight.

It’s a shame that shows like Lost and West Wing (in it’s good years) and Heroes…Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs, The Office…they’re so good, and yet all the networks want to see is disposable content. Shows with no arc…no narrative thread. Shows where you miss one week or three, and you can pick right bak up without missing a beat. (Heaven forbid an audience have to think or remember something that happened earlier in order to enjoy a show!)

So what’s next? AOL.tv?

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