Marathon ratings

[BrandonFG]

This is slightly older news, but Broadcasting and Cable magazine reports that the Marathon actually did quite respectably during it's first week. I didn't see it on the B&C website, but here's what I did see:

The TPiR episode scored a 5.4 (#26 on the week), and actually won the first half hour, tying with "Dateline"...I'm guessing "Dateline" was looking for more online pervs that week. :-P

LMaD won the 8pm time slot with a 5.6 (#22 on the week), narrowly beating hour one of the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee, and convincingly beating "So You Think You Can Dance" and an "Office" marathon on NBC.

Also, D/ND finished #2 that week, right behind the original CSI.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'121990\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 06:41 AM\']
This is slightly older news, but Broadcasting and Cable magazine reports that the Marathon actually did quite respectably during it's first week. I didn't see it on the B&C website, but here's what I did see:

The TPiR episode scored a 5.4 (#26 on the week), and actually won the first half hour, tying with "Dateline"...I'm guessing "Dateline" was looking for more online pervs that week. :-P

LMaD won the 8pm time slot with a 5.6 (#22 on the week), narrowly beating hour one of the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee, and convincingly beating "So You Think You Can Dance" and an "Office" marathon on NBC.

Also, D/ND finished #2 that week, right behind the original CSI.
[/quote]

Actually, it hasn't done all that bad, considering that it's been put up against "Dance" all along (albeit the repeats before the live shows).  I don't think it's a surefire for mid-season renewal (and besides, the format can't carry itself through two sweeps periods), but CBS could do a lot worse ("Tuesday Night Book Club") for another show to join "Big Brother" and "Rock Star" as a summer fixture, particularly since the latter two don't start until July.

[WhammyPower]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'122016\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 02:37 PM\'] CBS could do a lot worse ("Tuesday Night Book Club") for another show to join "Big Brother" and "Rock Star" as a summer fixture, particularly since the latter two don't start until July. [/quote]
Big Brother starts tonight, in case you haven't heard the millions of advertisements.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' post=\'122017\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 02:54 PM\']
[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'122016\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 02:37 PM\'] CBS could do a lot worse ("Tuesday Night Book Club") for another show to join "Big Brother" and "Rock Star" as a summer fixture, particularly since the latter two don't start until July. [/quote]
Big Brother starts tonight, in case you haven't heard the millions of advertisements.
[/quote]

It does and it doesn't.  Tonight's just the selection special for the "All-Stars" gimmick.  They still don't move into the house and get down to business until around the 4th of July, IIRC.  Tonight's an aberration in the usual format.

[chris319]

I don't think it's a surefire for mid-season renewal

I have a suspicion that GSM is part of a bigger experiment on the part of CBS. I suspect they want to see which, if any, of these formats "sticks" and possibly go with it as a prime-time series. They've picked a Gen-X emcee as the common denominator, they have very wisely stuck to classic formats (having learnt a lesson from the CS 2001 disaster), and I bet they will be looking very, very closely at the demos. Why go through all of this? For the same reason game shows were attractive in daytime until the '90s, and the same reason Mr. PAX put game shows on his network a couple of years ago: cheap programming. All of these formats have proven track records in the U.S. from years (decades) gone by, and the success of DOND gives the networks even more impetus to jump on the game show bandwagon.

The big hitch in this experiment has been the use of celebrity players. Celebrities are for when a game show is on the skids. Leslie Nielsen and Tim Meadows had no business even being in the studio. My favorite of the formats thus far has been Let's Make A Deal. As others have observed, the missing element from GSM LMAD was the "real people" element -- the tension and drama that occur when real people are presented with real cash and prizes which they can take home or trade away. Still, this version of LMAD was a grand improvement over the Billy Bush version. Gone were Billy Bush, the cheesy prize walls and the audience full of day-hire extras.

Seeing it on GSM convinced me that Card Sharks is a natural for the next Harrah's live show.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'122033\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 04:50 PM\']

I don't think it's a surefire for mid-season renewal

I have a suspicion that GSM is part of a bigger experiment on the part of CBS. I suspect they want to see which, if any, of these formats "sticks" and possibly go with it as a prime-time series. They've picked a Gen-X emcee as the common denominator, they have very wisely stuck to classic formats (having learnt a lesson from the CS 2001 disaster), and I bet they will be looking very, very closely at the demos. Why go through all of this? For the same reason game shows were attractive in daytime until the '90s, and the same reason Mr. PAX put game shows on his network a couple of years ago: cheap programming. All of these formats have proven track records in the U.S. from years (decades) gone by, and the success of DOND gives the networks even more impetus to jump on the game show bandwagon.
[/quote]

You may have something there.

Although the original UK "GSM" was conceived as a 50th anniversary tribute to ITV game shows, two of the shows re-created for that series have returned to the air over there--"TPIR"'s back on ITV as a weekday strip, with the camping up that has gathered criticism in this forum.  "Bullseye" (not the B&E show, but a quiz-meets-darts show) has returned as a first-run daily series on Challenge, their GSN.  The rumor is that "Family Fortunes (Feud)" is returning later this year, although that show's had more comebacks than Cher over there.

Could something similar happen in the U.S.?  Wouldn't complain.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'122024\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 04:30 PM\']
It does and it doesn't.  Tonight's just the selection special for the "All-Stars" gimmick.  They still don't move into the house and get down to business until around the 4th of July, IIRC.  Tonight's an aberration in the usual format.
[/quote]

To be exact, July 6th.

[itiparanoid13]

Oh this is definitely not planned as a longterm series.  I have heard from many close sources that Fremantle is looking for a partner for Family Feud in syndication.  To me, these are all pilots to see which works the best.  I do know that Fremantle is already thinking about one or two in particular.  They were looking into them even before Game Show Marathon was scheduled to begin.

[chris319]

I have heard from many close sources that Fremantle is looking for a partner for Family Feud in syndication.

That doesn't make sense. If FF is successful, what do they need a partner for? If it's unsuccessful, how are they going to get a prospective partner interested?

I do know that Fremantle is already thinking about one or two in particular. They were looking into them even before Game Show Marathon was scheduled to begin.

Fremantle can think all they want. In this case it's CBS they have to persuade.

[ChuckNet]

Personally, I think a US version of Temptation would make a nice companion show for FF...God knows a $otC revival has been long overdue on American shores, that horrible 97 Robin Leach pilot notwithstanding.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'itiparanoid13\' post=\'122122\' date=\'Jun 22 2006, 11:15 AM\']
Oh this is definitely not planned as a longterm series.  I have heard from many close sources that Fremantle is looking for a partner for Family Feud in syndication.  To me, these are all pilots to see which works the best.  I do know that Fremantle is already thinking about one or two in particular.  They were looking into them even before Game Show Marathon was scheduled to begin.
[/quote]

Don't they already have Tribune Entertainment handling the syndication and ad sales?  I know that the Tribune Co. has been having its problems of late, but last I heard the syndication division's still in business and handling both "Feud" and the "American Idol Rewind" syndication re-package for the fall.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'122262\' date=\'Jun 23 2006, 11:39 AM\']Don't they already have Tribune Entertainment handling the syndication and ad sales?  I know that the Tribune Co. has been having its problems of late, but last I heard the syndication division's still in business and handling both "Feud" and the "American Idol Rewind" syndication re-package for the fall.[/quote]
This just crossed the wire: Tribune has acquired the off-network syndication rights to Two and a Half Men, effective fall 2007.

ObGS: Charlie Sheen shares a network with that Barker guy.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'122033\' date=\'Jun 21 2006, 04:50 PM\']
 For the same reason game shows were attractive in daytime until the '90s, and the same reason Mr. PAX put game shows on his network a couple of years ago: cheap programming.
[/quote]

Over the last year or so, it may have become even CHEAPER programming...


Anybody know how much GSM and DoND get in revenue for those cell-phone text message contests?  

I am almost willing to bet that those contests alone easily pay for the home viewer prizes and a modest percentage of the shows budget (10-20%???).  Can anyone confirm/deny this?