[opendtv] Celebrating the loss of their audience?
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 09:18:58 -0400
Viewership of the Emmy Awards has been declining precipitously in
recent years, as is documented in the following Broadcasting and
Cable story. Yesterday afternoon I heard a report on a network news
segment, on the radio, with a possible explanation.
According to the reporter, and the B&C story as well, the awards have
become a celebration for content that is now only seen by subscribers
to multichannel services. The reporter noted that only about 30% of
U.S. homes subscribe to HBO, which walked off with the lion's share
of the statues. he then conjectured that the reason for the decline
in the Enny ratings may have something to do with the reality that
more than two thirds of the audience may have lost interest, since
they do not get to see the shows that are winning the Emmy awards (He
did NOT mention that many of these shows are available to
non-subscribers on DVD).
This seems to be a powerful validation of the positions that I have
been supporting, relative to the decline in network viewing, and the
flight of quality content to premium distribution.
Regards
Craig
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA454406?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP
Emmy Viewership Down Sharply
By Allison Romano -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/20/2004 2:45:00 PM
Cable's -- make that Home Box Office's -- coronation at the 56th
Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday night on ABC was the most-watched event
in prime time among the key 18-49 demographic, but the star-studded
event drew a much smaller TV crowd than in recent years.
The award show attracted a 4.7 rating in 18-49s and 14.0 million
viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen data, down from a 7.0
rating in 18-49s and 17.7 million viewers last year, when Fox aired
the Emmys, and off considerably from an average 19.8 million viewers
for the 2002 telecast on NBC.
This year's three-hour telecast--it ran over by only a minute or
two--did capture the largest audience in five of six half-hour blocks
Sunday night. The sixth was a repeat of CBS' Cold Case at 8-8:30,
which drew 15.2 million viewers compared to 12.6 million watching the
Emmys on ABC.
The CBS drama went cold itself in the second part of the hour,
though, and the Emmys continued to build. The awards peaked at
9:30-10 with 14.9 million viewers.
ABC's pre-Emmy red carpet show drew 6 million oglers and a 1.7
rating in adults 18 to 49 years old. E! Entertainment Television's
red carpet special--hosted by The View's Star Jones this year after
Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa defected to TV Guide Channel--posted
a 1.9 rating, even with the 2003 show. E!'s six-hour countdown
special averaged a 0.5 rating, up slightly from the year before.
With the Emmys on ABC, the other networks largely counterprogrammed
with theatricals or repeats.
NBC and Fox opted for movies, with Titanic on NBC and Speed on Fox,
while CBS aired repeats of Cold Case, CSI: Miami and Without a Trace
(all three pulled in impressive numbers, averaging more than 10
million viewers).
,The WB played more aggressively with fresh fare, but its shows
suffered. Jack & Bobby recorded 3 million viewers and a 1.5 rating in
the WB's 12-34 year old target demo, down from 4.6 million viewers
and a 2.3 in 12-34s for its Sept. 12 debut.
Charmed fared better, with 4.6 million viewers and a 2.3 in 12-34s,
down from 5.2 million viewers and a 2.8 in the demo.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
