Networks & DVRs

Let's Do the Time Shift

By Steven Lloyd Wilson | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (18)

Neither bible verses, threats of damnation nor promises of salvation ever prodded my soul much, but if a church organized under the principle of TiVo as the product of a beneficent deity, I’d be willing to listen, at least a little more intently than I do to those proper young acne-ridden boys who like to wake me hung over on the occasional Saturday with their pamphlets and judgmental “good morning sir.” I have only a vague idea when any television shows I watch actually air live, being the sort who tends to binge-watch television once every week or two.

Once heathens to the DVR faiths, the networks are beginning the slow dance of conversion, which is a beautiful proposition for those of us who watch shows that slip through the vaunted Neilsen cracks. All the way back in the sixties, we bemoaned “Star Trek” getting axed although it had a huge niche following invisible to the network. In the last decade we’ve watched “Firefly” die despite relatively massive DVR season passing, and seen it’s resurrection in movie form along with the television resurrection of “Family Guy” and “Futurama” after strong DVD sales. Network executives, always the highly intelligent and learned sort of cephalopod, are now trying to actually notice non-Neilsen ratings instead of just waiting until they run out of DVDs to realize that a show might have actually been watched. “Dollhouse” is getting to air out its episodes in part due to the ratings boost from DVRs. “Fringe” gets almost 30% of its total viewership timeshifted, a number that if discounted would put it much further down in the pack.

Shari Anne Brill, Senior Vice President at CARAT (clearly a PR firm founded by DeBeers) says that “a time-shifted show signifies engagement with the content because they’ve taken that extra step. A lack of time-shifting suggests, ‘If I miss it, oh well.’ ” Egads, I feel so dirty agreeing with a quote like that. Usually I quote them and then mock them and it’s jolly fun.

Ah, here we go. Alan Wurtzel (somebody from NBC who likes talking to journalists) explained why NBC was seeing such a low level of DVR activity amongst their shows: “God didn’t invent news to be time-shifted, nor Jay Leno. The whole point of Leno is to be topical.” So is herpes medication, and it’s not funny either.

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Comments

“Dollhouse” is getting to air out its episodes in part due to the ratings boost from DVRs.

I still wish it aired and got canceled in 2004, and Firefly took its place in the whole "getting to air it's full run in the proper time" thing.

Posted by: George at October 15, 2009 9:25 AM

I still wish it aired and got canceled in 2004, and Firefly took its place in the whole "getting to air it's full run in the proper time" thing.

I had never thought of this, and now I kind of hate you for making me think it.

Posted by: Jerce at October 15, 2009 9:46 AM

I still wish it aired and got canceled in 2004, and Firefly took its place in the whole "getting to air it's full run in the proper time" thing.

Damn, now I'm depressed.

Where'a godsdamn time machine when you need one!?

Posted by: Doric at October 15, 2009 10:15 AM

Somewhere around the advent of the programmable VCR/barcoded TV Guide, I predicted that someday there'd really be no reason for networks to limit their programming to prime time. They could run stuff at 4 a.m. and as long as 99 percent of people who wanted to watch it had intelligent recording equipment and the intelligence to record with it, it wouldn't matter.

There should have been some way to turn my prescience into money, but alas: I get nothing out of being right except the satisfaction of being right.

Posted by: , (TCFKAB) at October 15, 2009 10:20 AM

I still wish it aired and got canceled in 2004, and Firefly took its place in the whole "getting to air it's full run in the proper time" thing.

Congrats George! Three for three. Anyway, I'd substitute in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - and in reality that's what should have happened.

It's certainly about time the networks started paying attention, because the Neilsens are just not a true representation. And no one dvrs Leno because he sucks dingleberries.

Posted by: Cindy at October 15, 2009 10:23 AM

No one DVRs Leno because his audience has a median age of 150 and still can't figure out how the VCR works.

Posted by: Three-nineteen at October 15, 2009 10:39 AM

I think this "awakening" by the industry is a good news/bad news kind of thing. The good news is shows that skew younger/hipper will benefit (dollhouse, etc.). The bad news is that shows that skew younger/hipper will benefit (reality crap).

Posted by: ed newman at October 15, 2009 10:47 AM

(TCFKAB) you are very optimistic, bless your heart. 99% of viewers possess intelligence? Awww, you're such a cutie patootie!

Posted by: Agent Scully at October 15, 2009 11:39 AM

My (non-US) understand was that it was physically impossible to miss Jay Leno on NBC these days, thus negating the need for DVR-ing. Isn't NBC the all-Leno, all-the-time, fuck-everything-else network?

Posted by: Shay at October 15, 2009 12:10 PM

Network executives, always the highly intelligent and learned sort of cephalopod...

Dear Mr. Wilson:

As devout parishioner of the Church of The Holy Fucking Godtopus, I take issue with your comparison of television network executives to the same class of animal as His Holy Godtopus. This is blasphemy of the most heinous kind. Please be advised that should I ever encounter you in real life, I will be forced to purify your soul with the flames of alcohol and purge you of the evil in your heart with the fluid of Inky Stickyness. Repent your evil ways if you wish to be embraced in his holy tentaclyness and have your junk tickled.

Sincerely,

His Holy Enforcer
Admin

Posted by: admin at October 15, 2009 12:14 PM

My mom (in her 60's) finally embraced DVR this year. She now extols it to all her friends.

I have been on the Tivo bandwagon since the very beginning, I still have my series I unit. I'm now on the streaming Hulu video bandwagon. I've thought for a long time that the Neilsen ratings were over rated. If I had my own network, I would guarantee each show 1 season, keep it in the same time slot and then rebroadcast it at some ungodly hour for the shows that conflict.

Also, I would allow people to purchase full seasons via iTunes or Amazon, $29.99 no commercials or $9.99 with 30 second commerical breaks. If you purchase the season then the show is available the same time as the east coast feed. Streaming is one week behind.

Then from midseason to the end of the season I would look at the direction the show is going, what the plan is for the next season, how the show is doing in the Neilsen, DVR, Streaming, iTunes, hell even torrents, before making a decision.

And if I was going to cancel a show I would give them a 13 episode, 2nd season to prove why they should stay or to clean up any story lines.

As long as I has some sort of profit I would would be a happy camper.

Posted by: DoubleH at October 15, 2009 12:42 PM

I was never very good with theology. Is the COTHFG (Church of The Holy Fucking Godtopus) to TOOTBOG (The Order Of The Blue Omnipotent Godtopus) as the Opus Dei is to the Roman Catholic Church?

Seems an apt comparison given both COTHFG and Opus Dei are heavily into self-flagellation.

Posted by: branded at October 15, 2009 12:55 PM

As long as I has some sort of profit I would would be a happy camper.

You're obviously not an American.

Posted by: ed newman at October 15, 2009 1:01 PM

Ed Newman

Born and raised in Chico, CA. Currently live in the East Bay, CA.

But I'm not they right wing, capitalist American. I'm a yippie, socialist american. Love my Cole Haan handbags, but go to the farmers market every Sat.

Posted by: DoubleH at October 15, 2009 1:17 PM

(TCFKAB) you are very optimistic, bless your heart. 99% of viewers possess intelligence? Awww, you're such a cutie patootie!

Posted by: Agent Scully at October 15, 2009 11:39 AM
---
Should have been more specific, meant 99% of Pajibites.

And I AM a cutie patootie, glad you noticed!

Posted by: , (TCFKAB) at October 15, 2009 1:17 PM

George, couldn't have said it better. I'm also quite frankly shocked that enough people to make the network notice want to own Dollhouse on DVR. The show got better than the godawful first half of the first season, but it's still not something you would ever actually want to own.

Posted by: Royalewithcheese at October 15, 2009 2:28 PM

I'm holding out hope that DVR will be the death of TV advertising. It's way too easy to start a show 15-20 minutes late so I can zip through the ads.

Royale- you might be confusing DVR (tivo and the like) with DVD?

Posted by: Squirrelgripper at October 15, 2009 6:30 PM

DoubleH-

What you're describing (or something very much like it) is not just an interesting idea, it's basically what HAS to happen for the television industry to survive.

The global media market is moving more and more towards content being available on-demand; I can hear a song on the radio or in a bar, buy it off of iTunes and be playing it on my phone within two minutes. The rise in popularity of DVD means that people now watch TV shows on their own schedule.

Programmed network television is a model of the past. The idea that someone else is deciding when I should be watching a particular program feels laughably outdated.

Posted by: Daniel Hall at October 15, 2009 8:24 PM

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Let's Do the Time Shift

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