GSN Ratings Facts and Figures

[Matt Ottinger]

I wasa little surprised that there wasn't more discussion of the GSN article in USA TODAY on Thursday, since it had ratings info that we usually like to discuss.  Two highlights:

According to their own figures, GSN's average prime time viewership has increased steadily from 96,000 households in 1999 up to 233,000 households in 2003.  The article points out that top cable networks like Lifetime and TNT boast an average prime time viewership of 1.5 million households.

\"GSN has more than tripled its reach, to 51 million cable homes, since 1999, but it still ranks 46th out of 61 cable networks.\"  I'm not sure what \"out of 61\" means, since there are a lot more than 61 cable networks out there, but it would seem to me that 46th in the cable universe isn't really all that bad for a niche service that doesn't have the backing of a cable giant, is typically relegated to the digital tiers and is less than a decade old.

[clemon79]

doesn't have the backing of a cable giant

And that's interesting to consider. We keep bandying about the idea of a competitor opening up a rival network...what do you suppose the odds are of one of the media conglomerates making Sony an offer they can't refuse?

[Matt Ottinger]

Hey, the quote box looks cool!

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2003, 08:49 AM\'] Hey, the quote box looks cool! [/quote]

Damn sight better than the one at the old homestead, anyhow.

Except I AM finding that it quotes the entirety of the previous message automatically. I'm thinking it might be good to find out where that setting is, so we can tell people how to turn it off, because I'm gonna snap if I start seeing entire long messages quoted for two-line replies.

[Starkman]

can you link this article since i dont get USA today

but based on what you quoted it seems that we will see many more originals and less pickups of old shows, and if they do pick up old shows they will probs be along the lines of the modern shows (which isnt nesscarely a bad thing, wouldnt mind seeing street smarts again) and less an effort to bring scrabble or $ale into  the fold.

What I really wanna see are the figures for their originals/new pickups.

I find it hard to believe that FoF draws more than WT despite their scheduling suggesting just that, also id like to see how lingo and whammy are doing as opposed to Cram since while cram has it's merits (although that new dark set is a MISTAKE!) i would caution against going down that road too far since that demo is known to be flighty and have shows that boom and crash quickly. also id be intrested to see if they have plans to syndie some originals like they did with hollywood showdown (still second to RR in terms of best GSN original IMHO).  why? i wonder if GSN's profitability will come from being a test production house for new shows before they go syndie or if they will make it on their own, also if there will be any more docs like they did on larsen (the rise fall and rise of jack barry maybe?)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 16 2003, 08:50 AM\'] I'm thinking it might be good to find out where that setting is, so we can tell people how to turn it off. [/quote]
 Okay, I see how it works now. Pay attention, folks, if you don't know yet:

If you click the \"Quote\" box next to a post, you are replying to a post, but it will put the ENTIRETY of that message in the \"Original Post To Quote\" box, below. We should then edit that box down to only include the relevant part of the quote (just like proper USENet etiquette, right?), and it will tack on the Quote tag for the top.

And if you don't want to quote a given post, but add to the thread, the Add Reply button at the bottom of the thread is what you want.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled GSN ratings thread.

[Matt Ottinger]

The online link for the USA TODAY story:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/ne...game-show_x.htm

[GS Warehouse]

Just like ezBoard, this one also allows you to preview your messages before they are actually posted.  Nothing like crash courses.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled GSN ratings thread.

Going back to Matt's original post about \"out of 61\", that likely means the basic cable nets i.e. not including HBO, Showtime, and its spinoff channels.  There also may be a minimum amount of households a cable channel needs to reach that GSN just crossed since Rich Cronin moved in.

ObPremiumNetworks: HBO is probably already kicking the collective backsides of the broadcast nets so far this summer season, and the season premiere of Sex and the City is still six days away!

[Fedya]

Chris Lemon wrote:

Okay, I see how it works now. Pay attention, folks, if you don't know yet:

detailed instructions deleted

Thank you for the instructions, since I looked through the \"Help\" section and couldn't find this anywhere.  I think I'll just stick to the cutting and pasting of text though.  

Getting back to GSN's ratings, I'd argue to whomever asked why FoF gets better ratings than WT is that the former appeals in some way to the segment of today's youth who want to see people shaft each other (which I guess is the target demo), while WT doesn't really seem to be targeted at any demo and has a rather plodding format.

I hate FoF too, and wish that it didn't get better ratings.  But as some here are wont to say, we're not the target demo.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2003, 10:39 AM\']\"GSN has more than tripled its reach, to 51 million cable homes, since 1999, but it still ranks 46th out of 61 cable networks.\"  I'm not sure what \"out of 61\" means, since there are a lot more than 61 cable networks out there, but it would seem to me that 46th in the cable universe isn't really all that bad for a niche service that doesn't have the backing of a cable giant, is typically relegated to the digital tiers and is less than a decade old.[/quote]
We tend to forget that GSN has been half-owned by a cable giant for the last two years--Liberty Media.  Here's proof:

AOL Time Warner Inc.--owns 4%    
Corus Entertainment Inc.--18%        
Court TV (75.3 million homes)--50%        
Discovery Communications, Inc.--owns 50%
Discovery Channel (86.5M homes)  
The Learning Channel (84.7M)  
Animal Planet (81.3M)
Travel Channel (70.5M)  
Discovery Health Channel (42.5M)  
Discovery Digital (only aggregate figure given)    
    Discovery Times  
    Discovery Home & Leisure  
    Discovery Kids  
    The Science Channel  
    Discovery Wings  
    Discovery en Español  
International Discovery and Animal Planet Networks  
Discovery.com, Inc. Online 1995          
DMX MUSIC, Inc.--owns 56%        
E! Entertainment Television (80.3M homes)--owns 10%
style. (24.9M)          
Game Show Network (50.5M)--owns 50%
Hallmark Entertainment Investments Co.--owns 18%        
International Channel (12.4M)--owns 90%
Canales ñ (940K homes)          
Jupiter Programming Co., Ltd. (Japan)--owns 50%
(various Japanese cable channels)        
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions--owns 67% (that's right, the PBS \"NewsHour\" people)        
The News Corporation Limited (Fox)--owns 18%        
Pramer S.C.A. (Argentina)--owns 100%
(various cable channels)        
The Premium Movie Partnership (Australia)--owns 20% (Australian Showtime and Encore)        
QVC, Inc.--owns 42%
QVC  (75.8M homes)  
International QVC channels
iQVC Online        
Starz Encore Group LLC--owns 100%
Encore (21.3M homes)  
MOVIEplex (5.4)  
Thematic Multiplex (over 100 million *combined*)
    Love Stories
    Westerns
    Mystery
    Action
    True Stories
    WAM! America’s Kidz Network
STARZ! (13M homes)  
  STARZ! Theater    
  BLACK STARZ!    
  STARZ! Family    
  STARZ! Cinema    
Torneos y Competencias, S.A.--owns 54%
USA Interactive, Inc.--owns 20% (Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, CitySearch--the part of USA still controlled by Barry Diller)      
Viacom Inc.--owns less than 1%        
Vivendi Universal, S.A.--owns 3%

And that's not even getting into Liberty's cable, satellite and interactive holdings.  You also have to note that at one time Liberty owned major portions of Fox Sports Net, FX, Fox Family and BET.

Finally, it was Liberty that brought Rich Cronin into GSN to preside over what has essentially and unarguably been the most successful two years in GSN's history in almost every way, shape and form--a success the network would probably not have enjoyed under Sony ownership alone (and those of us who suffered \"Extreme Gong\" and \"Burt Luddin\" will not take that era back for anything).

[tomarkenfan77]

I was wondering how press your luck measures up?