S10: Critique & Contemplation

[smurf]

Yes, but it seems to me when SG1 and SGA ratings fall even a tad everyone gets all excited. I mean 1.6 - 1.8 - 2 it doesn't seem that significant to me.

Plus I would assume at least 50-60% of the people with boxes(Neilson that is) would tune in to a popular show. Or am I way off here?

The drop from 2.0 to 1.6 may not appear large when you think of it just as .4 but you have to look at it as 0.4 of 2 which means 20% of the audience just went walkies.

The highest rating shows, currently either Grey's Anatomy or CSI, gains a rating of about 24.5. So for them a .4 loss is counts as less than 2% of the audience.

[pattirose]

OK, that makes sense. I wrongly assumed that "hit" network shows had far higher ratings. It's also really sad that programming decisions are made by what 5000 US families choose to watch.
I know I'm off topic so I'll leave now.

[david2708]

Wasn't Enterprise cancelled with an average audience of about 4 million in the end? It premiered with about 12 million in the beginning.
It kinda shows just what a small niche franchise Gate actually is when 2 millin is considered good.

[Crow T. Robot]

Hmmm......

I went over to the news thread and saw MGM is looking at launching its own cable network.

Am I the only one that’s thinking MGM wouldn’t lower it fees to Sci Fi for another season, talk of them possibly making the next two movies in the series, and launch of this future cable network is interesting? I wonder if MGM has plans to remove the middle men and literally reboot the franchise based off of the movie series?

Two movies, launching of a cable network, rebooting the series with characters from the original movie—The time table is about right if you start adding it up.

[Crow T. Robot]

The drop from 2.0 to 1.6 may not appear large when you think of it just as .4 but you have to look at it as 0.4 of 2 which means 20% of the audience just went walkies.

The highest rating shows, currently either Grey's Anatomy or CSI, gains a rating of about 24.5. So for them a .4 loss is counts as less than 2% of the audience.

Aren’t their fees involved in that too?

I can’t remember exactly how it works but wouldn’t Sci Fi would have promised advertisers certain numbers say a 1.8 and a demographic in certain age groups like male 18-34. When the show does not deliver those numbers Sci Fi owes the advertisers fees because the show didn’t deliver the numbers. So a 25% in the ratings is a significant and VERY expense drop for a series like SG.

[kazzyk]

Speaking of ratings--what are the ratings for the last ep? Or a better question--how come they are not out yet?
Any Ideas?

[smurf]

Aren’t their fees involved in that too?

I can’t remember exactly how it works but wouldn’t Sci Fi would have promised advertisers certain numbers say a 1.8 and a demographic in certain age groups like male 18-34. When the show does not deliver those numbers Sci Fi owes the advertisers fees because the show didn’t deliver the numbers. So a 25% in the ratings is a significant and VERY expense drop for a series like SG.

Someone else will have to confirm, but I'd be surprised if they can make a promise. It wouldn't make very good business sense since television/movie success is pretty much a game of chance (although you can load the dice in your favour). They'd have probably said; this is what we are charging now because previously the spot has received these ratings, and we don't see any reason for it not to continue that way.
Otherwise the networks would never get the opportunity to shuffle their schedules, or try new stuff in a tricky timeslot, because they'd be locked into the promise of X show at Y time.

Advertising slots are also a case of supply and demand (less so for Sci Fi Channel by the sound of it ). If the advertising agency believes a show/time will remain a good bet they'll buy early to avoid price rises when the show becomes a ratings monster. Of course that also works the other way, if the slots are not completely sold then they'll pick it up cheaper.

Here's a question for people still watching; How many of the adverts shown during Stargate are repeated within the hour or two hour period?

[Skydiver]

ad prices are a balancing act.

you can't promise that a show will do well but you can GUESS how it will do based on previous ratings

now, if a show used to pull a 1.8-2.2, then you will charge the advertisors rates based on that.

now, theoretially, if the show underperforms and does a 1.3-1.6, you advertisors can come to you and say 'dude, i overpaid. you need to make it up to me' whereas if the show does a 2.3-2.8 the network can't go to the advertisors and say 'dude, you underpaid, gimme more money'

what the networks can do however is to up the ad rates for that show in the next quarter

when i used to work for a local tv station, we were an nbc affiliate. your run of the mill prime time show had a rate of 200-400 dollars for the highest paid spots (like someone said, supply and demand. if the highest priced spot that we had wanting the time was for 100 dollars, that's what it went for...and there are times of the year that are slumps. end of the month/end of the quarter are horribly busy times while the first of the month/first of the quarter is usually a lot easier) however ER and the rest of thursday night had a rate of 1000 dollars a spot...and rarely dropped lower unless we had weeks of re-runs

supply and demand.

adn sometimes teh networks screw up. several yaers ago, rememer when the pretender and profiler got cancelled for Arena Football??? we went from 100+ a spot to literally not being able to give them away because the ratings sucked so much. Literally couldn't fillthe time, clients REFUSED to be in the football

[Crow T. Robot]

Thanks Sky.

I wonder if it’s possible this huge 25-30% ratings drop took Sci Fi by surprise? They gambled on the assumption the Gates could hold their audience on Friday nights and lost. Now advertisers are coming back demanding a refunds for the 1st half of the year because the Gates didn’t deliver anywhere near the numbers they delivered last year which would add significantly to an already cost heavy 10 year old show.

[Skydiver]

it's possible.

I don't know how their contracts are written. the advertisors may not be guaranteed exposure (and if you look at some of the crud advertised in the show, you'll know what i mean, a lot of it is junk) thus the fall in ratings means nothing mroe than 'yeah, don't wanna be in THAT show again'

personally, i think skiffy wanted to can it once they had thier records and nothing short of the show pulling a constant 2.0 (which it's never done) was gonna save it. they havethier record, now they can get rid of it and move onto pirating another show, as in their habit

way back when scifi 'saved' teh show i wondered if it would really save it or if we'd regret it - given their track record of heavy meddling.

it is just a business, and quite a cut throat one at that, doesn't mean taht it doesn't suck to see a show that you ilke treated like so much garbage

[JessM]

i thought it was Vala's unending quest to get in daniel's pants?

LOL...sadly you may be right on that one.

[JessM]

Hmmm......

I went over to the news thread and saw MGM is looking at launching its own cable network.

Am I the only one that’s thinking MGM wouldn’t lower it fees to Sci Fi for another season, talk of them possibly making the next two movies in the series, and launch of this future cable network is interesting? I wonder if MGM has plans to remove the middle men and literally reboot the franchise based off of the movie series?

Two movies, launching of a cable network, rebooting the series with characters from the original movie—The time table is about right if you start adding it up.

I saw that and I thought it was interesting as well. Looked like people over there were counting it as some hope that they'd get a season 11 on MGM's own network. Then it had me wondering if the show would actually follow the same tired recipe of these past two seasons if this actually happened.

I actually think it would be interesting to see a rebooted series with characters from the original movie. If SciFi doesn't have any say in it, hopefully it won't be *quite* as bad as S1 and 2 of "Stargate Command."

[ReganX]

Looked like people over there were counting it as some hope that they'd get a season 11 on MGM's own network.

Wouldn't the clause about them not being able to air the show on any US channel without the Sci-Fi channel's permission still apply?

[MediaSavant]

it's possible.

I don't know how their contracts are written. the advertisors may not be guaranteed exposure (and if you look at some of the crud advertised in the show, you'll know what i mean, a lot of it is junk) thus the fall in ratings means nothing mroe than 'yeah, don't wanna be in THAT show again'

I think every deal between the national advertisers and network is slightly different. But "upfront" advertisers get a guarantee of ratings delivery. If the ratings don't deliver, they owe makegoods--free spots to make up for the shortfall.

[MediaSavant]

Speaking of ratings--what are the ratings for the last ep? Or a better question--how come they are not out yet?
Any Ideas?

I can only tell you that Gateworld has had them for many days. I can't tell you why they haven't published them.

SG-1 was up slightly. Atlantis was the same.