BuzzSugar

What's Up with All the Low TV Ratings?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 06:00:22 -0700

It's been a tough spring for television, with shows hitting their season-low ratings left and right. The latest casualty is "Heroes," which plunged to third place in its time slot this week with its worst ratings ever. "24" wasn't far off its own season low. And I've already told you about the ratings woes of NBC, whose Thursday lineup recently hit an all-time low. It's May Sweeps, also known as television's biggest month; this isn't supposed to be happening!

I still have a lot to learn about TV ratings, but I have a few guesses about why so many shows appear to be tanking right now. Here are my best bets:

It's hard to come back from a hiatus. Many of the shows that have recorded recent lows also took an extended break at some point during the season. "Heroes" hit a low with its first episode back from hiatus two weeks ago. "Ugly Betty" also hit a series low after its break this spring. The bad news is that repeats are unavoidable, as long as TV networks continue following the traditional path of producing 22 or 23 episodes to air over the course of a nine-month TV season. Maybe airing a whole season uninterrupted, like ABC will be doing with the next three seasons of "Lost," will change things. (It didn't help "24," but hey, that show has its own problems.)

Two more reasons, so read more

People watch TV differently these days. The companies that track TV ratings are just starting to understand the impact of DVRs and online TV on the way people watch. Many ratings reports account for people who watch a show they've recorded on the same day it airs - but not, say, if they record "Desperate Housewives" on Sunday and watch it on Tuesday. When Nielsen released a report on time-shifted shows, "Lost," "Friday Night Lights" and "The Office" were among those that gained the most - and all three have struggled in the ratings. The problem? Advertisers don't care about time-shifters, who often fast-forward through ads. And even if they were included, it still wouldn't account for people who watch episodes online or buy shows from iTunes.
Networks have lost our trust. This year has been a particularly vicious one for TV viewers, as many shows have been yanked with little warning and no closure. After "Six Degrees," "Day Break," "Kidnapped," "Vanished," "Studio 60" and so many others, why should we bother giving "The Black Donnellys" or "Drive" a shot? There are a few positive examples of shows that got full seasons ("Friday Night Lights") and even got renewed ("30 Rock") despite low ratings, but they're the exception.

Then again, it could also be that lame Daylight Savings Time excuse "American Idol" used earlier this spring, but ... well, I doubt it. Tell me: What do you think is behind the ratings woes?

NBC's Thursday Ratings Hit All-Time Low

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:00:57 -0700

I've always thought of NBC's Thursday night lineup as the most dominant group of shows on TV, from the Must See TV days with "Seinfeld" and "Friends" to the current Comedy Night Done Right block with "The Office" and "Scrubs." But something's gone horribly wrong: Last week's shows drew NBC's lowest Thursday ratings since at least 1987, according to Mediaweek.

I'm baffled, considering that last week was the first time all four comedies plus "ER" were all new since Feb. 21. Plus, ABC's Thursday series - "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy" - aired clip shows instead of new episodes.

"30 Rock" and "The Office" are two of the most acclaimed comedies on TV, and "Scrubs" and "My Name is Earl" have huge fan followings. Even "ER" - which I believe should have ended a while ago - was getting good ratings earlier this season, but last week it got trounced by "Shark."

Are people TiVoing the shows and waiting till the weekend to watch? Has there been some kind of massive revolt against NBC's comedies that I've missed? Or are the shows just simply not connecting with very many people? Whether you tune out NBC's lineup or watch it faithfully, tell me why below.

Source

JT Helps Slimey Awards Clean Up in the Ratings

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:04:43 -0700

Can you believe Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards have been around for 20 years? What's more, this year's ceremony, held Saturday night in Los Angeles, earned the highest ratings in KCA history, Reuters reports.

According to the Nielsen numbers, the program averaged more than 6.1 million viewers, a 3 percent increase over last year. But the increase in voting was even crazier: A total of 40.8 million votes were cast this year - via the Internet, mobile phones, and other methods - which is a whopping 54 percent more than in 2006.

I'm sure Nick owes a lot of this unprecedented enthusiasm to Justin Timberlake, who was an incredibly charismatic host, willing both to show off his talent and poke fun at himself. (He was forced to give up his Best Burp title.)

In case you didn't get enough of him at the Kids Choice Awards, you can still catch JT on tour: He just added 15 more dates to his FutureSex/LoveShow. To see the new tour dates, read more

August 6: Memphis, TN - FedExForum
August 7: Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center
August 10: Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
August 13: East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
August 15: New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
August 18: Montreal - Bell Centre
August 20: Toronto - Air Canada Centre
August 25: Winnipeg - MTS Centre

September 1: Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay
September 5: Vancouver - GM Place
September 7: Portland, OR - Rose Garden
September 8: Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
September 10: Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
September 12: San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
September 16: Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center

Source

"American Idol": No Match for Daylight

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:50:12 -0700

I mentioned earlier today that about 30 million people watched the "American Idol" performances this week. That's a lot of people, but it's significantly smaller than the number that watched the top 12 singers perform last year.

To what do we owe the 15 percent drop? According to a story in Variety today, it's the sun's fault. The story blames "Idol"'s decline on the earlier start to Daylight Savings Time this year.

So what they're saying is, all those people out frolicking in the early evening light on Tuesday couldn't bear to bring themselves inside and sit down in front of the stuffy ol' boob tube for the biggest television event of the week. It's not that this is a pretty uninspiring top 12 that some have called the worst set of finalists ever. It's the weather! *forehead slap* Silly me! I'm glad I've got that straightened out.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Monday Night TV Ratings Shocker!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:46:58 -0800

So in the battle between superheroes and super agents, who won the most viewers last night? Did Jack Bauer's tense hour make people tune in to "24", or did special powers vault "Heroes" into first place? The answer just may surprise you, so read more

Surprise!

The show that actually got the most viewers was "Two and a Half Men." Yes, really. The Charlie Sheen comedy claimed 16.1 million TV sets, while "Heroes" and "24" were battling to a draw, earning 14.8 million and 14.4 million viewers, respectively. Crazy!

Granted, a lot of people care more about the 18-34 demographic, and if you only look at that number, "Heroes" won the night. But still, I had no idea Charlie Sheen still had that many fans. Did you?

"The Apprentice" Premiere Tanks

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:38:37 -0800

Donald Trump made headlines recently by fighting with Rosie O'Donnell and shaming Miss USA, but all that publicity still couldn't get anyone excited about the premiere of "The Apprentice: Los Angeles."

Sunday night's episode was the series' worst premiere ever. It got whupped in the ratings by "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" on ABC and "Without a Trace" on CBS. Perhaps worst of all, it lost 20 percent of the audience that tuned in earlier for "Grease: You're the One That I Want".

Apparently not even adding Ivanka - and throwing in that twist where the losing team sleeps in tents - could get people buzzing about the new season. What happened? Did Trump's bizarre bickering with Rosie turn people off? Or are we just finally sick of looking at his hair?

Buzz In: How Many Hours of TV Do You Watch Per Day?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

When I asked my co-workers to guess how many hours of TV the average American watches per day, most guessed in the 2-3 range. I have to admit - I thought I watched a lot more TV than the average bear, but as it turns out, the rest of the country is just as glued to the tube as I am. According to a recent report on Nielson ratings, the average American watches 4 hours and 49 minutes a day!

Maybe it's just me, but this sounds like a lot. 'Fess up - how many hours of TV do you usually watch per day?

Link Time! Simon Baker Scores Surfer Role

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:40 -0800

Simon Baker attached to surfing drama Breath - Coming Soon
Eddie Murphy to star in R-rated animal comedy The Misadventures of Fluffy - Movieline
Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Capitalism: A Love Story both left off of Oscar documentary shortlist - Cinematical
Get a look at next week's annual Slapsgiving on How I Met Your Mother - PopWatch
All Songs Considered: The 50 most important recordings of the decade - NPR
Susan Boyle breaks Amazon's record for global CD pre-orders - Lifeline Live
Could Lost's Nestor Carbonell be Khan in the Star Trek sequel? - Moviefone
True Blood's Stephen Moyer signs on for thriller The Caller - MTV Movies Blog
Remember Chandler's awkward relationship with Thanksgiving? Share your own stories with Très - TrèsSugar
Interpol is prepping an album for next year - Pitchfork

An Open Letter to Breaking Dawn's Screenwriter

Buzz Community — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

This post comes from the group The Books of Twilight from member Audreystar.

Dear Ms. Rosenberg,

First let me say that I thought you did an impeccable job at screenwriting Twilight from Stephenie Meyer's novel. From what I can see you did a great job on New Moon as well. I can only assume that Eclipse will be no different. You have proven yourself a competent and talented screenwriter. Hell, you write episodes of Dexter for goodness sake! Your ability is not in question.

I am here to discuss Breaking Dawn. This will be the ultimate test of your career. If you can manage to pull a workable movie out of that piece of literature you should (hands down) win the Academy Award in screenwriting. Everyone seems to be wondering who will be chosen to direct Breaking Dawn because they believe that is (ultimately) the person who will sink or swim in making a film work on the last book. I beg to differ. This all lies with you and that is quite a big burden to bear. The world is on your shoulders. The movie will make a ton of money so Summit can't be THAT concerned with the script. But I know you aren't a writer to please all the people who will watch anything with Robert Pattinson in it. You actually care about putting out quality work.

To read the rest of the letter (WARNING: Breaking Dawn spoilers ahead!), just .

So here are my questions. How are you honestly going to manage to write the birth scene and still maintain a PG-13 rating? How are you going to write for Renesmee and her not look like a freak of nature? Regarding Renesmee, the hardest challenge will be for the casting directors/CGI geniuses. They have a daunting and hard and impossible job. The honeymoon scene is what everyone will be flocking to the cinema to see (the rabid fans I mean) and I am sure Mrs. Prude Meyer will be ALL OVER the writing and filming of that. Look I know she didn't write the books for a mature audience and is trying to keep it morally sound. But this is the last movie and we have to have more than just a fade to black. But I know it won't happen because SM wouldn't even let the first kiss scene stay the way Catherine had it (i.e., steamy). I find it rather hypocritical that SM has an issue with a tasteful sex scene however has ZERO problem with blood and gore which Breaking Dawn the novel is filled to the brim with. You want to see Edward and Bella consummate their relationship. . . sorry, you aren't gonna get it. But if you are excited to see Edward rip Bella's belly open with his sharp vampire teeth, well you are in luck.

And don't even get me started on how you are going to work out the awful anti-climatic ending. This is going to be the last film in the series and as a talented screenwriter you know you can't end it that way. Sure, if this were an indie film you could get away with it. But, it isn't.

So in conclusion, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers while dealing with this huge predicament and the test of your career. You will deserve a Pulitzer if you can pull this off.

Best regards,
Audreystar

(Please note: I have no clue if she has even been signed as the screenwriter for the fourth film).

There's lots of fun stuff going on in our community - join it, check it out, share your stories and posts in the great groups and maybe we'll feature them here on BuzzSugar!

Do You Still Follow TV Shows When They Switch Networks?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:30:44 -0800

It's official: Southland is saved! TNT issued a press release this morning announcing that the cable network is resuscitating the cancelled NBC cop drama starting in January.

While this is obviously good news for Benjamin McKenzie fans, I'm still approaching it with moderate skepticism. The series may be alive and kicking, but if the numbers from other swapped shows are any indication, Southland may be in for a struggle. Take, Project Runway: After moving from Bravo to Lifetime, it took off like ratings gangbusters, but has since faced a decline. Or there's my favorite old-school example: Roswell. It used to air on the WB (in its pre-CW days), but after it failed there, it got bounced around to UPN - where it was cancelled again.

Obviously some viewers drop off when a show changes channels, but what about you - do you still follow TV shows when they go under a new network? Or do you lose interest?

Photos courtesy of NBC