Ratings

[Sioux]

I think once the WWF Smackdown moves to Fridays, the ratings will change a little. I've been looking at the ratings for Thursday's for the past few weeks since I heard Smallville was moving, and Smackdown was usually the 2nd highest rated show for that timeslot (even beating out NBC, ABC and FOX). As the #1 show for men, I think SV's biggest competition was Smackdown, not the OC. Frankly, SV is NEVER going to beat Survivor and probably not most of the big four networks, but if it can consistently beat UPN and bring in decent demographics, we'll be fine.

I can't imagine why any major media outlets would start commenting on ratings for a new timeslot this early in the game. For one thing, this isn't the actual line-up, and for another, it's all repeats (and actually repeats of repeats in the case of SV).

We'll have to wait and see. No need to fret yet.

 

[Joaqenix]

Haha...I don't think anyone with half a brain ever thought Smallville would have any chance of beating Survivor in the ratings, but it has lots of other tough competition as well. Survivor, Smallville, The O.C., and Alias, are all younger skewing shows.

I still the WB is smoking something fierce to think that moving Smallville to Thursdays at 8 was a good idea. Thursdays at 8 is THE most competitive time slot on network television every single year. It was pretty bold for the WB to move Smallville and Everwood to Thursday nights, but I doubt they'll keep them there for long.

 

[avidreader]

I can't imagine why any major media outlets would start commenting on ratings for a new timeslot this early in the game. For one thing, this isn't the actual line-up, and for another, it's all repeats (and actually repeats of repeats in the case of SV).

Appears quite a ridiculous comment considering it is off season and iSmallville's 18-34 viewing audience are probably mostly away on vacation somewhere. I wonder how the ratio of the other networks compared to their usual ratings.

Whilst reading articles like that are disconcerting, I would think that the WB would only be concerned if come Fall they were still having bad ratings.

Lets hope the WB can pull their socks up and do some decent advertising of their programs as well.

I'm not that good at reading these things but it looks like it was fairly comparable to the O.C. I would imagine WB would be happy with that and to be fair it was its first time airing at that time. How did it do the night before?

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Haha...I don't think anyone with half a brain ever thought Smallville would have any chance of beating Survivor in the ratings, but it has lots of other tough competition as well. Survivor, Smallville, The O.C., and Alias, are all younger skewing shows.

I still the WB is smoking something fierce to think that moving Smallville to Thursdays at 8 was a good idea. Thursdays at 8 is THE most competitive time slot on network television every single year. It was pretty bold for the WB to move Smallville and Everwood to Thursday nights, but I doubt they'll keep them there for long.

meh.........guys it's the last season anyway so what have they got to lose?

 

[AgentPat]

Excerpt from:
http://www.brandrepublic.com/bullet...te-face-ad-skipping-new-interactive-services/

TiVo does volte face on ad skipping with new interactive services
by Staff Brand Republic 19 Jul 2005

The new services will mean that viewers are now able to send their personal information directly to advertisers, choosing which products and services they are interested in. ...

As part of the development, TiVo has signed a deal with General Motors and the WB Television Network. ...

The WB Television Network, which makes shows including 'Charmed' and 'Smallville', will use the new technology to screen promotions for upcoming shows. The promotional ads will allow users to press the green "thumbs-up" button on the TiVo remote, to programme it to record a single episode or the full season of a show.​

With technology like this - where viewers can send their personal preferences about what they like and watch DIRECTLY to advertisers - Nielsen ratings will becoming less and less important in the future.

 

[TheStrider]

5th season is the last season? That makes me sad.

 

[triplet]

No, it's not certain... They have a plan for up to seven seasons.

I think a lot of people are assuming that once SR is out then Smallville must stop.

I don't know why people are thinking that because everyone involved in both the movie and with Smallville have said the two universes are seperate.... They can co-exist.

 

[TheStrider]

I sure hope they do, Smallville is my favorite show of all-time.

 

[Serene]

Smallville is relocating this fall to what is becoming the most contentious hour of the week, 8 p.m. Thursday. In addition to incumbents Survivor, The O.C. and Joey/Will & Grace, ABC has shifted Alias into the time slot and UPN has scheduled the most promising newcomer of the season there, Everybody Hates Chris.

Are we worried? Damn.. could it be up against any stiffer competition?

 

[TheStrider]

Erm, Smallville ownz them all!

 

[triplet]

That's pretty stiff competition...

 

[TheStrider]

With that type of competition it won't get near the rating it usually would, which means it might be less likely for more seasons. Not cool.

 

[Spider-Gamer]

That's pretty stiff competition...

I have to agree.

 

[AgentPat]

Are we worried? Damn.. could it be up against any stiffer competition?

The "trick" with this sort of thing is, read the posts in general newsgroups and see what people are saying. Here's a long thread in rec.arts.tv:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_frm/thread/216bf8e21101bf65/

It starts out specific to James Marsters' casting, and then goes all over the place. Interesting read. Here's a few excerpts:

<snip all the posts about how Alias has jumped the shark>

Post #34: "So "Smallville" is up against "Suvivor 27" <yawn>, "Joey" (I know how much you can't miss *that*!), "The O.C." (ditto), and the new UPN Chris Rock-inspired sitcom. IOW, "Smallville" has a 'clear shot' with this viewer. "

#35: "What? You would watch Smallville over The O.C.? Who are you and what have you done with the real ijball?"

#36: "Yes. It's not even very close, surprisingly.

"Smallville" is a show I don't take even remotely seriously and, as a result, I have a heck of a lot of fun with it.

It's simple - like "One Tree Hill" before it (which, ironically, I'll actually be *forced* to watch this Fall - because it has *zero* timeslot competition!), "The O.C." showed me in season #2 that the people behind it have no clear idea what they're doing.

"The O.C.'s" writers are clearly making it up as they go along, without so much as even a season-long storyarc in hand.

So, again, like OTH, they throw a quickly rotating series of guest stars at us, in the vain hope that we won't see that there's no "there" there. (And, with all these casting announcements for the new seasons of both "The O.C." and "One Tree Hill", it's clear neither show has learned its lesson.)

"The O.C." ends up a little better in comparison to OTH, because the former is a 'dialogue-driven' show (so the plot details tend to get obscured somewhat by the witty banter), while the latter is all plot-driven (and, so, when the plot goes "bad", it takes all of OTH down with it!).

Anyway, after season #2, my 'rose-colored glasses' are off in regards to "The O.C."

I'd probably watch it if it were up against light timeslot competition.

But this Fall it ain't, so I ain't watching it!"

 

[triplet]

Here's an interesting article on the fight for Thursday night ratings and includes comments on why The WB moved two of its bigger shows (Smallville, Everwood) there:


http://www.detnews.com/2005/screens/0507/29/0ent-261290.htm

Here's the important bit that touches on their reasoning for committing what looks to be ratings suicide (Smallville came in dead last night, btw...):

It's unlikely all these competitors will live to see a season beyond 2005-2006. Some may scurry for a safer time slot sooner rather than later. But all the networks are willing to give Thursday a shot for one simple reason: big money.

"From an economic standpoint ... it's because it is the day before movies open," said Garth Ancier, chairman of The WB.

With films opening Friday, movie studios routinely buy ad time Thursday night. All the networks gun for young viewers, because they're the target audience of most movies today. Thursday is useful for other advertisers, Ancier said, because it's the night "before people make their spending decisions of where they're going to shop this weekend. Thursday has long been the most important night in terms of advertising dollars.

Is it surprising that everybody wants to be competitive on that night? Not at all."

The WB expects to increase its ratings in the time period, even though ratings for individual shows, including "Everwood" at 9 p.m. Thursday, are likely to decline from what the shows garnered in their previous time slots.

"Do they have to perform at exactly the same levels?

No," said David Janollari, Entertainment president of The WB.

 

[triplet]

Yet another article on the perils of Thursday night programming, this one from Rednova had this to say about The WB's decision to move Smallville and Everwood:

Even The WB, which has never enjoyed much success on Thursday, aggressively moved two popular series to the evening - "Smallville" at 8 p.m., followed by family drama "Everwood."


" 'Smallville' and 'Everwood' have loyal audiences, audiences that go to a lot of movies," explains WB Entertainment president David Janollari, "and the thought was to go after some of that movie (advertising) money on Thursdays." So far, however, summer repeats of those programs haven't found sizable audiences in their new time slots.


​

See the entire article here:


http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=213110&source=r_technology

 

[Max]

That's because they're repeats of repeats of repeats. I'm a huge Smallville fan, but even I have not been watching the repeats on Wed and Thurs; I've already seen them, both on TV, during their second run showing, AND I have them on tape.

They can't determine anything until the new season starts. I'm glad they moved the "Smackdown." That would have been the toughest competition for Smallville. My only concern, at the moment, is that the UPN show with Chris Rock, which is going to be airing in SV's timeslot and is getting good buzz, is going to air a week BEFORE Smallville's premiere.

We'll have to wait and see come September.

 

[triplet]

Mmmmm... I've been watching them anyway, even ones I don't particularly like, because there is always something of interest in a Smallville episode...

Like last night's episode was Bound, which I loathed, but there was some great scenes between Clark and Lionel and Clark and Lex... Great acting and great dialogue, even if the story totally sucked.

 

[Max]

I usually watch the repeats also, but it's been a busy, crazy summer. I'm just saying I don't put much weight into the ratings for the summer, especially since some of the airings are double-repeats.

 

[AgentPat]

More on the time slot change...


Question: Why in the world did the WB move "Smallville'' and "Everwood'' to Thursday nights, where the competition is so strong?

Answer: The same reason ABC put "Alias'' and the remake of "The Night Stalker'' on Thursdays, UPN shuffled in its new and very hot "Everybody Hates Chris'' and Fox scheduled one of its big new shows, "Reunion,'' after "The O.C.'' that same night.

While none of those networks thinks it can challenge CBS's powerhouse Thursday lineup, they all see viewers (particularly younger viewers) to be had, now that NBC's schedule is no longer must-see TV. There's also big money to be made if a show gets even halfway decent ratings -- as "The O.C.'' did last year -- because Thursday is the night when the Hollywood studios pour millions into advertising their new films.

In other words, a show such as "Smallville'' could make more money for its network by drawing a smaller audience on Thursdays than it would by playing to more people elsewhere in the week.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/12440840.htm


Something to keep in mind.

 

[RakuMon]

By the by, anybody catch the latest ish of EW?
Their Fall Movie preview gives a little rundown for each of the hotly contested nights.
For their Thursday night analysis, the mag focused (naturally) on the 8PM battle. While predicting Survivor would take the crown (no surprise there), they also gave a shout out to the "underdog" claiming Smallville will be Seth Cohen's "kryptonite."
It looks like the night will break down like this:

1. Survivor
2. Joey? (Even this is debatable.)
3. - 6. is up for grabs between Alias, Everybody Hates Chris, the OC and Smallville.

 

[Max]

From what I've read, and correct me if I'm wrong, even if Smallville pulls in less viewers than last year, if the ratings for the WB in the 8:00pm timeslot is the highest it's ever been (even at say 3.5) for the network, the move would be considered a success, correct? My worry at the moment is UPN's Chris; it's getting alot of good buzz.

It will be interesting to see how the OC's ratings are tonight?

 

[triplet]

That's true... even if Smallville's viewership goes down it might still be considered a win because of the extra ad dollars generated on thursdays because of movies opening on Friday.

All those "Opening tomorrow" ads for films bring in big bucks for Thursday TV shows. Likely another factor is that there are a lot of genre films coming out this fall, so look for ads for the Sci-Fi and horror films to be placed with Smallville or possibly Alias rather than with The OC or Joey....

 

[Max]

Thanks Trip! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that Smallville produces some good numbers for the WB or at least what they are hoping to see. It appears we are going to be getting so much this season: Supervillans, superpowers, Lex/Clark dynamic, the FOS, ect.)

 

[triplet]

I think this is promising to be the best season yet!

I just hope the more casual viewers catch onto this fact and tune in again letting Smallville improve on what it did last year despite landing in an even tougher timeslot.