Ratings

[RakuMon]

WB has those shows lined up and wonder's why it's losing audience?

Seriously. I wonder what's going to happen to the network once Smallville's gone. At this rate, I'd suspect the WB would want to keep them on for as long as possible.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

they'll fork over a boat load of cash for "Metropolis"?

 

[AgentPat]

^ I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd think we were separated at birth.

 

[rumpuso]

This article was in today's Washington Post. I've highlighted the points relevant to Smallville, however the entire article is relevant to this discussion.

~~~

The Washington Post, The TV Column, Lisa de Moraes
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

The WB is cutting bait on “7th Heaven” in May because the former hit will lose about $16 million this season, network CEO Garth Ancier told surprised critics Monday.

In fact, the prime-time soap, starring Stephen Collins as a minister with a large, very busy family, has been a money loser for the network for a few seasons, Ancier said. Like other much-loved shows, “7th Heaven” will bit the dust because the increasing wage demands of its expensive cast and crew slammed up against plummeting ratings and ad revenue.

But here’s a bit of good news for “7th” fans: It may have a reincarnation. Network suits are waiting for show creator Brenda Hampton to pitch them a spinoff that would feature only “7th Heaven’s” younger and less expensive stars and cheaper writer-producers, bringing the costs down considerably, Ancier said at Winter TV Press Tour 2006.

“In an ideal world, we would rather that show not go away,” programming chief David Janollari said.

This got critics to thinking about, and fretting over, WB’s other long-running and by now more expensive shows – “Gilmore Girls,” “Charmed” and “Everwood,” to name a few.

“Charmed,” about three witch sisters, is still a “really solid performer, and though it is one of our more expensive shows it’s not in the territory of ‘7,’” janollari assured them.

“We are not losing money on ‘Smallville’ or ‘Everwood’ or ‘Gilmore Girls,’” Ancier chimed in.

To be more specific, “Everwood,” the network’s doc drama set in Colorado, is less expensive than “7th Heaven,” as is “Gilmore Girls,” Amy Sherman-Palladino’s chick drama about a mom and her daughter who are best pals. “Smallville,” the Superman teen-angst drama, is as expensive as “7th” but is higher rated and it repeats well, Ancier said. (“7th Heaven” episodes are repeating poorly this season, which further brings down ad revenue.)

Ancier – the only top dog of a broadcast network who is not too yellow to get up on the stage at press tour and answer questions on the record – went unusually deep into the economic model behind his network, which has struggled in the ratings after a few years of gangbuster growth.

It happened when one critic noted that Nielsen began sending out early stats for Spanish language network univision each day, which revealed that it sometimes pulls in more prime-time viewers than the WB.

Even though the WB in its best year makes a couple million dollars and in its worst year loses a couple million, that’s not how the network is judged, Ancier insisted. The bigger moneymaker for parent Time Warner is Warner Bros. Television – the most prolific producer of small-screen programming in the business, selling to all the TV networks. The value of the WB network is that it puts half of that production on the air, thereby opening up the possibility that all those shows may become eligible for syndication, overseas sales and other back-end deals, where the big bucks can be found. “Frankly, what would be the point of owning this network,” which is a break-even proposition, Ancier said, “if you weren’t going to have ‘Smallville,’ which is worth hundreds of millions in back-end value?”

Speaking of back-end value, Ancier said all the networks are trying to figure out the actual economics of the deals they’re making fast and furiously to repurpose programming for iPods and the rest of the digital zoo.

“This is a tumultuous time for television as a medium, and I’m not quite sure what the economics…of it are,” he said.

“Technology continues to change our industry. Thanks to innovations, you can now watch television on your iPod, your PC, your cell phone,” WB’s goodwill ambassador, keith marder, had said in his traditional WB Press Tour Opening Comedy Bit.

“Good luck – we can’t even get people to watch television on television sets.”

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Well the thing is with WB is that they got a fixed teen audience and have always made shows to cater to them. So although some of them lose there popularity after 3 years as long as every year they bring out another Dawson's, One Tree Hill or Smallville they'll have a steady niche audience I suppose

 

[NHawk19]

Well it looks like SV will be around for another year, as it's making money for the net in more ways than one. Dawson, Buffy, Angel, 7th Heaven, Charmed, Gilmore and now SV made that network. Too bad they havent come up with much else to keep it running.

Wonder who's gonna be cast as \S/ in Metropolis.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Speaking of back-end value, Ancier said all the networks are trying to figure out the actual economics of the deals they’re making fast and furiously to repurpose programming for iPods and the rest of the digital zoo.

“This is a tumultuous time for television as a medium, and I’m not quite sure what the economics…of it are,” he said.

“Technology continues to change our industry. Thanks to innovations, you can now watch television on your iPod, your PC, your cell phone,” WB’s goodwill ambassador, keith marder, had said in his traditional WB Press Tour Opening Comedy Bit.

“Good luck – we can’t even get people to watch television on television sets.”

For the love of god Garth, get Smallville eps on iTunes. I have 30 MB's of video iPod and a 40 minute train commute just SCREAMING for it...

 

[AgentPat]

Hysterical!!!

The Battle for Thursday night
Fox's rich beach kid comedy/drama steps into the ring with the WB's chronicles of the young Superman
By: Alan Donahue

Between work, school and homework, college students often have little time to spend watching TV. For college students who only have an hour to spare on Thursday evenings, they must choose between two popular shows that air back-to-back with "Smallville" at 8 p.m. and "The OC" at 9 p.m.

Settings: Now in it's fifth season, "Smallville" still features the nice Kansas landscape. And while the farm scenery is nice and all, it doesn't compare to the beaches of Orange County. The overhead shots of waves crashing onto the sand every episode have me wanting to pack my bathing suit and towel. (Setting: "OC" wins this category.)

Action: Looking back at the first season of "The OC," we saw Ryan get into a fight, and then he got into another fight, Seth got punched and then Ryan fought for him, and they were all very repetitive. Now, most of the fights are verbal, making you yearn for Ryan to pull out his fist one more time. "Smallville" offers much more variety on the action, seeing as the main character is a teenage version of Superman. And the special effects are amazing, especially when Clark Kent goes into Super-speed and everything else appears in slow motion. Smallville's action will keep you on the edge of your seat. (Action: OC - 1; Smallville - 1)

Music: With a hit teen show, you have to have good music to keep the episodes going. Both of these shows do not lack in the musical category. "The OC" has featured live performances from Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie, while Smallville High in Kansas has managed to book Remy Zero (who sing the catchy theme song, "Save Me") and Lifehouse. Both shows have also released soundtracks featuring some of the best music from the show. (Musical quality: Tie.)

Girls: Maybe a female writer will contradict this article with one about the boy of this show, but for now, here is my heterosexual opinion on the females. For "Smallville," they needed to cast iconic characters from the Superman universe such as Lois Lane, Lana Lang and Mrs. Kent. They also added their own character, a go-getter journalist Chloe. Earlier this season in an episode with Aquaman, a trip to the lake proved great for viewers as we got glances at Lois Lane (Erica Durance) and Lana Lang (Kristen Kruek) in all their bikini glory. Sadly, they don't visit the beach too often. Over on the West Coast, though, there is much to see and the two leads Marissa (Misha Barton) and Summer (Rachel Bilson), take advantage of the warm weather with many skimpy outfits that show off their assets. An added bonus is Marissa's mom, Julie Cooper-Nichol (Melinda Clarke), who sometimes outshines her daughter. "The OC" wins this one, mostly due to location.

(Girls: OC -2; Smallville -1).

Storyline: This category is the most important and worth two points. "Smallville" shows the teenage life of the world's most recognizable icon; Superman. And we sit in awe in early seasons as we watch Lex and Clark be friends. But with knowing the future and fate for both of these characters, the writers still manage to keep us watching week after week. Having Lex slowly change into the most evil villian in comic book history is amazing.

With "The OC," we are introduced to new characters but almost immediately, the storylines become almost predictable. soon you find yourself watching it purely for the girls and the comedy. The writers really need to up the ante to keep viewers.

(Storyline: "Smallville" wins this one by a longshot.)

http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=8633​

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

how are they cmpeting again if they're on at different times?

Anyway, I just heard that That 70's Show is now toast for Fox. They're hurting bad outside of House and their Sunday night cartoons.

 

[AgentPat]

how are they cmpeting again if they're on at different times?

You're being logical. That's not allowed here.

Edit: I just reread it. The article points out that college students don't have that much time to spend, so with only one hour of free time, it's either SV at 8pm, or OC at 9pm. How to choose?

Anyway, I just heard that That 70's Show is now toast for Fox. They're hurting bad outside of House and their Sunday night cartoons.

And yet another one bites the dust. RIP.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

LOL one hour of free time a day in college? Yeah umm okay....

 

[AgentPat]

LOL one hour of free time a day in college? Yeah umm okay....

Yeah, I didn't go to that college either. LOL

 

[triplet]

Yeah, I didn't go to that college either. LOL

LOL! Me neither!



I think I watched more TV back then than I do now... and I'm currently unemployed!

 

[triplet]

Intereseting article on general downturn in ratings for the aging netlet. It mentions how Smallville's ancilliary revenues help prop up The WB's bottom line (not sure why this is dated on the 30th). It also mentions why The WB's shows are not on the web (iTunes) and why that might change soon:

JANUARY 30, 2006

NEWS: ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

The WB: Over The Hill At 11?
The network sparks solid DVD sales, but an aging audience is worrisome

The WB television network's recipe for most of its hit shows was always pretty simple: Mix hunks with babes and add a liberal splash of sexual innuendo. And it worked. By the late '90s, the WB was Teen Girl Central. Not anymore. The Gen Yers advertisers covet are tuning out in droves, and speculation is rife that Time Warner Inc.'s 11-year-old network will go the way of its recently canceled show, 7th Heaven.

But the WB is not about to follow its sappy family drama into oblivion. Not yet anyway. And you can thank the zany economics of the TV business for that. Yes, ratings are down for 6 of the 10 shows that returned this season. And it's true that the WB has lost $80 million over the past two years. But Time Warner seems prepared to choke down the losses. That's because the Warner Bros. studio, producer of most of the network's programming, makes a mint selling DVDs and reruns of shows that attract even a modest following. It's a neat trick -- and one that is getting harder to pull off with ratings down 13% from last year. "All the ancillary revenue doesn't mean a thing," says Albie Hecht, a former president at Spike TV, "unless you have something someone wants to see."

The WB is unlike the other networks in one crucial respect. The likes of Fox and UPN can sop up red ink with profits from their TV stations, which make money selling local ads. Warner Bros. owns no stations. And that's where the DVDs and reruns brighten the picture. For example, the studio gets an estimated $850,000 an episode by selling reruns of its Superboy drama Smallville to cable. The WB also sells DVDs, along with Smallville Magazine subscriptions to teens for $37.75 a year. And it gets a cut from the soundtracks of such shows as Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill.

AGING AUDIENCE
To generate those ancillary revenues, the WB needs big enough ratings to satisfy advertisers, though. They indirectly foot much of the bill for such shows as Supernatural, which costs an estimated $1 million an episode to make. Yet ratings this year fell by 43% for One Tree Hill, now in its third year, and 24% for four-year-old Everwood. Worse, as several shows have aged, so have the viewers. Since 2002, the WB's median age has risen by six years, to almost 37. "That could be deadly for a network that sells young demos," says Brad Adgate, research director of media buying agency Horizon Media Inc.

Advertisers aren't fleeing so far, but the WB isn't taking any chances. It laid off 45 people, about 15% of the staff, in December. Axing 7th Heaven was another cost-cutting move; the show lost the WB $16 million last year, due to highly compensated stars and falling ratings. And while Warner makes most of the 12 shows on the current schedule, the WB has to reach outside for ratings grabbers, such as Fox's Beauty and the Geek.

The WB doesn't have forever to right its ratings, what with corporate raider Carl C. Icahn at Time Warner's gate. A renegotiated deal with Tribune Co. (), which owns 22.5% of the WB and carries programming on its 19 affiliates, could help. That contract has been held up for months, giving rise to speculation that Tribune could refuse to pay for the WB shows it carries and cripple the network. Tribune also could stop Warner Bros. from distributing on the Web shows that would compete against its stations.

But the new deal, says WB Chairman Garth Ancier, will likely allow his company to sell shows via the iPod. That's another way for the ratings-challenged network to eke out revenues as it battles to reclaim its lost youth.


By Ronald Grover

 

[Kaboom]

yea in college, i used to schedule my classes AROUND television shows, and lord knows i never cracked a book outside of class. The author probably has a kid who tells him how hard s/he works up at school. What the author doesn't know is that to an undergraduate, "working" is defined as figuring out how to sneak alcohol into a dorm when your underage, or figuring out what bar your going to be at, for how long, and how to end up in the sack with someone you've only known for 30 minutes. ah, the good ole days.

 

[RakuMon]

Not the usual ratings report since MediaWeek's on hiatus due to TCAs.
Here's Zap2It's ratings breakdown:

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Fast National ratings for Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006

"Dancing with the Stars" continued its solid run on ABC Thursday, but as is usually the case, CBS came out on top in the ratings.

CBS averaged a 13.8 rating/22 share for the night, easily beating ABC's 8.9/14. NBC finished third at 5.4/8. FOX, 3.4/5, came in fourth, ahead of The WB, 2.8/4, and UPN, 1.8/3.

The Eye also held a commanding lead among adults 18-49, drawing a 7.0 rating in the key ad-sales demographic. ABC, 3.9, edged NBC, 3.8, for second. FOX averaged 2.6, The WB 2.0 and UPN 1.0.

"Dancing with the Stars" scored an 11.9/19 for ABC at 8 p.m. CBS went with a "CSI" repeat, 9.6/15. NBC took third with "Will & Grace," 5.3/8, and "Four Kings," 5.0/8. An hour of "That '70s Show" was fourth for FOX, beating out "Smallville," 3.0/5, on The WB. UPN trailed with "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

A new "CSI" moved CBS into the lead at 9 p.m., drawing the night's biggest audience with a 16.9/25. "Dancing," 12.5/18, and "Crumbs," 7.8/12, finished second for ABC. "My Name Is Earl," 6.6/10, and "The Office," 5.6/8, fell off some from recent weeks but still kept NBC in third. FOX got a 3.4/5 from "The O.C.," good enough to beat "Beauty and the Geek" on The WB and "Eve" and "Cuts" on UPN.

"Without a Trace" dominated the 10 p.m. hour for CBS, coming in at 15.0/25. An "ER" rerun averaged 5.0/9 for NBC, and ABC's "Primetime" posted a 4.7/8.

# Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

 

[avidreader]

Kryptonsite has Smallville's ratings at 3.9/6. Zap2it always seems to be really low for some reason.

 

[Kaboom]

here's hoping we're number 1 across the board tongiht!

 

[AgentPat]

Anybody want to take a guess at what they think the ratings will be for tonight's ep? Short of Mr. Primary Colors and a Cape going airborne for a grand finale, I'm gonna predict Reckoning will be SV's highest rated episode this season. Here's my stab in the dark...

men 12-34 (3.9/14)
men 18-34 (3.8/14)
men 18-49 (3.5/11)
adults 18-34 (3.3/11)
adults 18-49 (3.1/9)
persons 12-34 (3.3/11)

Total viewers: 6.9 million

I have no clue about the female demos because there's not much of a precedent to base any figures on, unfortunately.

 

[Serene]

I can't begin to guess actual numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is the highest viewed ep of SV ever, and not just this season.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

highest ever? Wow that was like 8.3 million for the pilot epsiode. I dont know if it'll be up THAT high but I think it'll be above 6 million easy

 

[Serene]

highest ever? Wow that was like 8.3 million for the pilot epsiode. I dont know if it'll be up THAT high but I think it'll be above 6 million easy

Well.. I did tell everyone in my office to watch. And that I'd be testing them tomorrow to make sure.

What?

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

I hope you work for a BIG company

 

[Pickle-El]

It should cross 6 Million for the night.

 

[NHawk19]

From Zap2it

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Fast National ratings for Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006
Thursday night's Nielsen ratings fell into their predictable pattern, with "CSI" leading CBS to a victory over ABC and "Dancing with the Stars."

CBS averaged a 13.1 rating/20 share in primetime to beat ABC's 9.5/15. NBC was well back in third with a 5.3/8. FOX's 3.6/5 held off The WB's 3.2/5 for fourth, and UPN trailed with a 1.6/2.


The story was pretty much the same among adults 18-49, where CBS' 6.3 rating led the way. ABC, 4.0, was second, with NBC in third at 3.7. FOX averaged 2.9 in the demographic, The WB 2.4 and UPN 0.9.
"Dancing with the Stars" easily won the 8 p.m. hour for ABC with a 12.4/19. A "CSI" rerun put CBS in second. "Will & Grace," 4.8/8, and "Four Kings," 4.2/6, were third for NBC. The 100th episode of "Smallville" scored a 3.8/6 for The WB. FOX averaged 3.6/6 with two episodes of "That '70s Show." UPN went with reruns of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with "CSI," 16.1/24. ABC stayed in second with the final half-hour of "Dancing," 12.8/19, and "Crumbs," 7.3/11. NBC held onto third with "My Name Is Earl," 6.5/10, and "The Office," 5.5/8. "The O.C.," 3.6/5, moved FOX into fourth ahead of "Beauty and the Geek" on The WB. UPN stayed in last with "Eve" and "Cuts."

At 10 p.m., CBS' "Without a Trace" delivered a 14.4/24 to beat the combined totals for ABC's "Primetime," 6.2/10, and NBC's "ER" rerun, 5.4/9.