Season Two: Ratings Predictions/Discussion

[hercthx]

I didn't produce the other ratings on the list. I don't know where they came from. It's possible the other HH ratings on the list are coverage area ratings. My rating was a Total U.S. rating consistent with what TV by the Numbers posts. The coverage area rating for Visitation was 1.2.

those other numbers were from squall28 over at syfy. someone here asked if there was a breakdown of all the eps in one place somewhere and if they could be posted here, i saw squalls numbers on the syfy ratings thread and copied them over here, all he had for visitation was the 1.6 number i saw that your number was more exact with 1.605 so i added it to the list. calculated the new averages and voila! ahh i see, so you are saying that squalls hh numbers differ from yours, thanks for pointing that out I thought you guys had the same source. by saying mediasavants return i was only refering to the visitation numbers. the rest as I have stated in my post was sourced from squall28 at syfy. i'll edit the post to reflect the 1.2 return

[Deevil]

All the Stargate's have been syndicated. It's part of the business plan. As for interest level, you'd need to know how many stations have picked it up compared to other Stargates and what time periods it tends to be put in.

Stargates are distributed via barter syndication. The stations don't have to pay for it. They get it for free with the ability to sell half the advertising time locally. MGM sells the other half of the time to national advertisers.

I know Stargate has always been in syndication in local markets. Most shows will be. It's just that having it in syndication will add to the revenue MGM gets, which is potentially a bonus for the show. I clearly worded my post wrong.

Cheers!

[MediaSavant]

I know Stargate has always been in syndication in local markets. Most shows will be. It's just that having it in syndication will add to the revenue MGM gets, which is potentially a bonus for the show. I clearly worded my post wrong.

It adds to the revenue, but like everything else associated with the show, it's not as much as Stargate shows have gotten in the past.

[Deevil]

It adds to the revenue, but like everything else associated with the show, it's not as much as Stargate shows have gotten in the past.

That can be true for spin-offs at times. For example, Grey's Anatomy still rates and gets more $'s then Private Practice. Hell, at one point PP was potentially gonna get canceled because it wasn't doing so well.

Spin-offs don't have to be more successful then their parent show.

[Alexandria7]

What's showing in syndication is a year old.

Most people don't even know it's showing because it is getting lousy timeslots.

It won't impact Syfy's ratings.

I agree. I'll also add that the channels airing the syndicated shows aren't very reliable at showing them. Those shows can be trumped at any time for something deemed more important by the network.

[Skydiver]

Also, barter syndication would seem to be a bad deal for a station the lower the ratings a show gets, if its a show that brings a lot of eyeballs then its much easier to give away potential revenue from advertising but putting a low rated show on just seems like a lose-lose.

not always. Most network affiliates only have a few hours that are 'free' for them to air what they want. wee hours of the morning, talk shows/game shows in the late AM and early afternoon (before the morning shows, then between the morning show and soaps, then between the soaps and evening news, then between the news and prime time, after the late shows. they'll also have a few hours weekend mornings, MAYBE weekend afternoons when there are no sports (IIRC, that's about 2-3 weekends a year, if that many) and then late night weekends...hardly prime real estate.)

They use syndie shows as fillers. When we aired Oprah, in its prime no less, the average ad rate was 50 bucks a spot. Few hundred bucks a day. chump change to a station.

My point is, when the shows are already airing in crap timeslots where you're happy to get any rating at all, local stations aren't going to cancel a syndicated show cause it's underperforming.

When negotiations are made, the seller tells the local stations 'this show in the timeslot you have open, should get a ......' and they base that projection on the show's past performance. if both parties are happy with the numbers, it's a win/win.

Of course, shows that performed better first run will, theoretically, perform better in syndie. And the better they performed first run, the better timeslot the studios can demand. However, if a local station is simply looking for something to fill an hour and are given something to air that's practically free, they'll take it.

[Deevil]

Of course, shows that performed better first run will, theoretically, perform better in syndie. And the better they performed first run, the better timeslot the studios can demand. However, if a local station is simply looking for something to fill an hour and are given something to air that's practically free, they'll take it.

Airing something is much better then dead air in the end.

****

When SG1 and SGA were in syndie like this they were airing in much the same timeslots. Just because they were rating better on Skiffy doesn't mean they could demand a better timeslot with the local networks.

In the end, syndie is just some more money in MGM's coffers. Whether or not it's enough to help MGM's decision to whack down the licensing fees (if needed) we'll never really know. But it is some revenue.

[JohnDuh]

You can disagree, but ratings aren't the be all and end all of a television show continuing. We, the fans, often latch on to them as a lynch pin simply because that is the majority of the information we have on hand. It does not mean execs just look at the average numbers (or even the brak downs) and make the decision solely for that reason.

I didn't say ratings. I said "numbers". I said numbers we don't see. We do see the ratings. And yes, its only about the numbers and what they can make from it - its business.

[Derocalypse]

Show Patrol of Chicagonow.com is reporting that Sanctuary is getting a season 4 on SYFY. If thats true then that is great news.

[JackHarkness_Hot]

My 2 cents on the syndication matter -

Having SGU S1 shown via syndication will not affect the ratings on SGU S2.
It will not be a bargaining chip either for SGU to get S3.

Why do I say that? The season they have given to local networks to broadcast is a year old, it doesn't make a difference to SGU, MGM get "royalties" (and passed on to some actors) from any profit made by the local network and the closed captioning company. It's filler for local networks on their daytime schedule, where most people are either out shopping or at work. Therefore the revenue will be minute compared to the primetime ad revenue stream. If MGM can get a show syndicated and make any revenue it's good, but it's hardly going to be a stellar amount.

[Deevil]

I didn't say ratings. I said "numbers". I said numbers we don't see. We do see the ratings. And yes, its only about the numbers and what they can make from it - its business.

What does 'numbers' even mean mate? That term is so beyond vague that it can mean anything from somebody's age to their paycheck.

[MediaSavant]

When SG1 and SGA were in syndie like this they were airing in much the same timeslots. Just because they were rating better on Skiffy doesn't mean they could demand a better timeslot with the local networks.

It's going to vary by market. People here live in different places. I live in the New York market. I can't recall what timeslots SGA got, but SG-1 had good timeslots when it first aired in syndication. At the time, it was only on Showtime first-run and only about 18% of the population gets Showtime. SG-1 was running around 7PM on Saturdays on our local station, not 1AM on Sundays the way SGU does.

SG-1 had pretty good ratings in syndication when it started.

[MediaSavant]

Related to ratings and cable survival:

http://www.mediapost.com/publication...201&nid=121697

"Is there a new cable program viewership threshold when it comes to what new programs survive --- or are canceled?"

[UAGoalieGuy]

Related to ratings and cable survival:

http://www.mediapost.com/publication...201&nid=121697

"Is there a new cable program viewership threshold when it comes to what new programs survive --- or are canceled?"

So after reading that article, there may be a better chance for renewal of SGU for at least one more season then cancellation at this point.

[reddevil18]

So after reading that article, there may be a better chance for renewal of SGU for at least one more season then cancellation at this point.

That was talking about new shows. The way I interpreted it, networks might give a struggling show a second season, because it'd be easier for them to start work than developing a new show. And the show might yet rebound. But with SGU, we're talking a third season. The show declined drastically from the first season. And SyFy already has A LOT of shows in development, some far along, some actually ready to premiere. SGU is in a tough spot. I'd be very surprised to see it renewed.