Broadcast networks wilt in summer (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Variety ^ | June 26, 2009 | RICK KISSELL and MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

[abb]

Viewers tuned in en masse last week to see the marriage behind "Jon & Kate Plus 8" break down on camera.

Here's what they didn't bother to watch last week: the equally stunning collapse of the once-mighty broadcast networks.

While cablers glow in the summer heat of TLC's "Jon & Kate," as well as USA's "Royal Pains," HBO's "True Blood," ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and plenty more, over at the broadcast networks ... well, viewers have been treated to a dumping ground of repeats, first-run episodes of canceled shows and "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here."

Sorry, celebs, no one's there to hear your cries.

"It seems like the summer of 'let's just throw anything on the air," ' one TV exec says of the broadcasters. "And they don't seem to have the time or are making the effort to promote new shows."

It's not gonna get any better, either. No big events like the Olympics will be around this year to bail the broadcasters out. And if the somewhat soft season premiere of NBC's "America's Got Talent" is any indication, even summer reality staples won't be the salve the networks need.

Through the first four weeks of summer, the Big Four were down 9% in total viewers, 15% in adults 18-49 and an even steeper 18% in adults 18-34, according to Nielsen.

The week of June 15-21 was particularly brutal to the nets, as big-ratings events like the NBA Finals had drawn to a close and no new programming made much noise. ABC was hit particularly hard: It wound up with its lowest weekly average on record -- a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49, which put it in sixth place behind even USA Network and Univision (which is believed to be another first).

CBS is managing to weather the storm better than the others, and was up year-to-year among total viewers, while Fox, ABC and NBC slipped by 20% or more. The Eye isn't burning up the charts, but as the owner of the most consistent year-round sked, and shows that repeat pretty well, it's benefiting in the summer even without much original fare.

On the flip side, cable is riding high, accounting for five out of the week's top 20 programs -- compared with just two in the same frame last year.

At USA, hot new "Royal Pains" and returnee "Burn Notice" have beat out scripted repeats on ABC, NBC and CBS in their Thursday night slots.

The cabler is also solid on Sundays with dramas "In Plain Sight" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." And even its Monday night "WWE Raw" showcase has cracked the overall primetime top 10.

Over at ABC Family, the second season launch of "American Teenager" gave the net a record audience last week. "The Closer" continues to perform well for TNT, while that channel's Jada Pinkett Smith medical drama "Hawthorne" has fared reasonably well in its first two outings. And "True Blood" is up from its first-season performance, making paybox HBO more of a summer player than last year.

Even unscripted cable is performing strong: Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey" was powerful, while Discovery's "Deadliest Catch" tied for No. 1 in its slot recently.

Then there's that "Jon & Kate" phenomenon.

TLC posted the biggest primetime audience in its history last Monday, as "Jon & Kate Plus 8" averaged a whopping 10.6 million viewers -- making it the most-watched episode of an unscripted cable series ever. The heavily hyped episode, in which Jon and Kate Gosselin confirmed they had filed for divorce, also gave the net its best-ever adults 18-49 and 18-34 numbers.

The networks aren't entirely in the dumps: Fox has been helped a touch by "So You Think You Can Dance," which posted the top two slots among the 18-49 crowd -- but the net's week-long win was still a measly 1.7 in the demo, barely above second-place CBS, while NBC tied with USA and Univision for third place. (At netlet CW isn't even on anyone's radar in the summer, falling below 1 million viewers for the first time.)

It's the same old story of collapse and erosion every summer, and yet the networks seem to be at a loss to do anything about it.

Part of it is beyond their control: Cable has loaded up the summer with strong, original scripted fare. And DVR usage is cutting into ratings on summer broadcast repeats, which are performing worse than ever -- including procedurals, which used to still at least pop a decent number in reruns.

But the networks aren't doing themselves any favors by airing so many repeats. About the only encores working for the broadcasters right now are comedies: CBS' Monday sked, and Fox's Sunday night animated entries.

And if that's not primetime poison, this is: The nets also plopped a lot of "summer burnoff" on their skeds, airing original episodes of shows that viewers had already rejected ("Kings," "Pushing Daisies," "The Chopping Block," "Surviving Suburbia"). If they already shunned them in strong timeslots, what makes the nets think auds will search them out when transferred to low-profile Friday and Saturday slots in the summer?

Low-cost international acquisitions like "The Listener" and "Diamonds" may be giving the nets some original programming, but it's not the kind of fare that is going to make any noise for the nets.

The broadcasters still have a few rounds of ammunition left: "Big Brother" at CBS and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" at ABC. But both of those aging franchises aren't exactly the kind of fresh blood they need, or the kind of shows that are now exciting viewers over on cable.

If the networks are aware of the thumping they're receiving, they're not showing it. Despite the fact that several cable shows are in the top 10, and that USA has even reached parity in primetime with the broadcasters, they refuse to admit it. The nets continue to send out press releases claiming victory in a timeslot where they're actually in second, or even third, place because of cable.

In other words, if they're not careful, the broadcasters could wind up just like "Jon & Kate" -- divorced from reality.

[abb]

"By the end of this decade or shortly thereafter, television networks as we know them today will cease to exist. They will be just another url on the world wide web competing against millions of others."

"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."

Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer and commentator

[abb]

ping

[abb]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-tmz28-2009jun28,0,3577013.story?page=1
Michael Jackson may be turning point for TMZ

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1586605.html
By the book: Introducing our summer series

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE55O5E220090625
With economy uncertain, TV ad deals at standstill

[abb]

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108782
Buyers Market: Upfront Could OK 4Q Ad Flexibility

[abb]

http://industry.bnet.com/media/10002861/upfront-update-it-might-happen-soon-or-not/
Upfront Update: It Might Happen Soon ... or Not

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-tc-biz-tech-thistv-0615-0628sbjun28,0,2073102.story
MGM looks to cash in on vintage TV shows

[wally_bert]

http://tvjobs.com/cgi-bin/layoffs_newsroom_shutdowns.cgi

[Recon Dad]

At USA, hot new “Royal Pains” and returnee “Burn Notice” have beat out scripted repeats on ABC, NBC and CBS in their Thursday night slots.

Burn Notice is a really good show with a great cast.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

If CBS think that “Big Brother” is going to be their summer-time salvation, they are deluding themselves.

One of the dumbest, most boring shows on TV.

[bert]

.....Burn Notice is a really good show with a great cast....

Royal Pains is also good, portraying a good guy who inadvertently went to war with the establishment and serndiptously wound up in medical heaven.

I am a great believer in serendipity and perhaps that is why the appeal.

[wally_bert]

Burn Notice gets better and better.

[AD from SpringBay]

In other words, if they're not careful, the broadcasters could wind up just like "Jon & Kate" -- divorced from reality.

That's a good line. The news divisions are already there.

[Jack Deth]

Hi, Recon Dad:

Most all of the shows I’m looking forward to this summer are
not on the Big Three or HBO.

Sci-Fi Channel’s ‘Eureka’ has been consistently entertaining and good for three seasons. Solid science fiction witing that does not insult the intelligence and a great cast has made this show on of Sci-Fi’s unsung success stories.

‘Burn Notice’ flat out rocks! Bruce Campbell has found his niche and there’s nothing wrong with Gabrielle Anwar’s proclivity for firearms and explosives!

‘Royal Pains’ hasn’t won me over yet, but I’ll give it a few more episodes.

Looking forward to the second seasons of Joss Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’. Good cast and an excellent story that demands constant attention. Also, ABC’s ‘Castle’, which is written to former Whedon alum, Nathan Fillion’s strengths.

Jack.

[La Lydia]

According to Nielsen, in last month's May sweep, Univision

* was the #1 network on Friday nights, broadcast or cable, among Adults 18-34,Persons 12-34; and the #3 network, broadcast or cable, among Adults 18-49 (beating NBC, FOX, and CW) and #4 network, broadcast or cable, among Total Viewers 2+ (beating FOX and CW)

* ranked as the #4 network among all Adults 18-34 and all Persons 12-34, beating NBC and CW

* ranked as the #5 network among all Total Viewers 2+ and Adults 18-49

* out-delivered at least one or more of the English-language broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX) on nearly six out of seven nights (85% of the time or 23 out of 27 nights) among Adults 18-34

* out-delivered at least one or more of the English-language broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX) on one out of three nights (41% of the time or 11 out of 27 nights) among Adults 18-49.

This May, the most-watched station in the country was is once again Univision`s Los Angeles flagship station KMEX among Adults 18-49, regardless of language.

* Univision`s KMEX in Los Angeles and WXTV in New York once again win the #1 and #2 early evening local newscast rankings among Adults 18-49 in the entire country, regardless of language.

* Univision stations ranked #1 in primetime in the following markets:

* Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento

* Adults 18-49: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and Dallas

* Persons 12-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento

* Total Viewers 2+: Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston

Univision`s early evening local newscast averaged higher viewership than ABC, CBS and NBC`s local newscasts combined among Adults 18-34, regardless of language, in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas,andPhoenix.

* Univision stations delivered the #1 11pm (10pm Central) late local news, regardless of language, in the following markets:

* Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento

* Adults 18-49: Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix

* Adults 25-54: Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix

[abb]

This article is about ten days old, but is very important. Advertising totes the freight for the big four. Money is definitely pinching.

Which is very, very good news!

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-upfront18-2009jun18,0,7105520.story

Ad rate stalemate freezes usually hot TV network sales time
Advertisers want TV broadcasters, including ABC, CBS and NBC, to cut prices as much as 15% compared with 2008. Disagreement is delaying the start of the so-called upfront market.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upfront

[Hardastarboard]

Jeffrey Donovan is also an incredibly gifted actor. The guy regularly does as many as three distinct characters in one episode, and NAILS them. The guy is awesome.

[odin2008]

Hot girl with guns and C-4... What’s not to like.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Commercials! It may just be my impression, but they are just so many of them. I sometimes for fun count the number of commercials in a break. I have counted as high as 12! Six minutes of 30 second spots. I should point out that the sound is off.

In this they are like policticians. Higher taxes more money, more commercials, more money. The truth is just the opposite.

I have access to over 200 channels via my cable provider, and I swear there are hours and hours there is nothing on I wish to watch. (This is actually good as it gives me time to do more important things).

Television viewing is a habit. They are helping me break the habit.

I am old enough to remember “must see TV”. Shows it seems like everyone in the nation watched each week and then discussed the next day at work. Are there any must see TV shows on today? Not for me. If I miss an episode of a show I know that it will appear three, four, five or a dozen more times in the next six months. Who cares anymore.

[sergeantdave]

Reading the line-up, it looks like 90% of the TV offerings are for ditzy liberal women, bed-wetting college kids and losers with the attention span of a nit.

And to realize these morons can vote is depressing.

[Paladin2]

"Burn Notice is a really good show with a great cast"

I, too, like Burn Notice, but have only seen it on my computer from their website.

[swatbuznik]

Burn Notice is a really good show with a great cast.

Yes, you've got to love Bruce Campbell!