GSN Ratings Tanking...

[Dbacksfan12]

According to this article from Multichannel News, GSN slid down to a 0.2 rating for Q3.

/Still beating ESPN Classic
//Its because they don't show Sports Challenge anymore.

[mmb5]

Oh cable ratings, please go to another significant digit.  You should not be able to claim 'a 100% increase in viewers' when you go from 0.1 to 0.2, when it was more likely you went from 1.4 to 1.6.


--Mike

[beatlefreak84]

You should not be able to claim 'a 100% increase in viewers' when you go from 0.1 to 0.2, when it was more likely you went from 1.4 to 1.6.

(Math Teacher Mode) Uh, methinks you meant "you went from 0.14 to 0.16," right?  (/Math Teacher Mode)  

ObGS:  Add 'em Up was a pricing game on TPIR that used math...which is probably why it was retired...

Anthony

[Chelsea Thrasher]

Clearly switching to a primetime lineup of 2nd-rate originals and newer reruns of shows that viewers didn't even care about the first time that much, that are rerun earlier in the same day to boot, isn't helping. The move on the part of most cable ops to move GSN to the digital tier also clearly has hurt the network.  Two of the network's problems may be fixable, the third - carriage - may be a tougher one to fix.

One immediate concern on the programming side is simply that primetime is most a rerun of afternoons/early evenings.  Who would want to watch something that just aired six hours ago? Secondary is the fact that nothing in primetime, outside perhaps the Monday poker/blackjack shows, is really that interesting:

Let's see, we have reruns of a GSN original that ceased production 4 years ago and that hasn't been a strong ratings draw since in Whammy, a 3rd-rate remake of a show that the public largely forgot about a long time ago (Chain Reaction), an original that while fairly solid probably just doesn't captivate the general public (That's the Question), reruns of a show that lost it's fad appeal in this country years ago and that goes through a rerun cycle quickly (Weakest Link), a show that while once a top performer for the network has had viewership erode and may be done production-wise (Lingo).  Then there's Flannel Feud.  A show that was a modest at best peformer in syndication.  And while it has the Feud name, it's also by and large the 2nd least popular rendition of the show after Louie's run on the show.  And with the way primetime is scheduled, it's intended to be the flagship of primetime.  And while an unoffensive way to spend a half hour, Karn's Feud probably shouldn't be a flagship *anything*.

Obviously, what they're doing now just isn't working, at all.  And it's probably not going to get any better unless GSN magically regains basic cable carriage in a majority of areas, which probably isn't happening.   Regardless of what GSN programs they may very well be locked into a limited audience due to the carriage program, which would suggest longterm either GSN going with an older-rerun heavy schedule and being content to be a niche network, or a *true* rebranding and refocusing of the network.  If Sony still held sole control of the network, the latter probably would have already happened, but Liberty Media (specifically Liberty Capital) owns the other half of the network, and a lot of articles over the years have mentioned the company's execs liking the game show focus of the network, which is probably why the network didn't become AXN years ago.

[uncamark]

And hey, how about that rename over at TVGC--uh, N?  Wasn't that a smash hit?

At this point, I would throw good sense to the winds and say that GSN just put anything from the library on, even the dubious stuff--it sure can't do worse than what they've got now.

[Eric Paddon]

It always amuses me how the longer GSN goes on, the more it makes me realize how silly it was for me to complain so much back in the days when the schedule still wasn't as good as it was pre-Dark Period (heck, we all agree that the Dark Period was a good thing now in that we got six months to see shows that have never been out of the vault since!) but still infinitely better than what it does now.    

For me, the last high point was 2002 when GSN had just added Marshall HSQ to the lineup and gave us a thrill of discovering an untapped trove of material from a rediscovered library that we honestly haven't seen happen since on a wide scale (only in one-shot things like ABC Password or Woolery WOF), and when B/W Overnight was going strong with the first and only airings GSN ever did of cigarette IGAS and TTTT shows.     And the sad thing is, we know that if ever a trove of lost game shows ever does get discovered, they're never going to find an outlet for airing like GSN once did for HSQ or before that with CBS TJW for a brief time.

[catnap1972]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'165450\' date=\'Oct 3 2007, 05:48 PM\']

At this point, I would throw good sense to the winds and say that GSN just put anything from the library on, even the dubious stuff--it sure can't do worse than what they've got now.
[/quote]

Heck, something in there may even click.

[TonicBH]

I swear they'd do fine with an hour each of MG, Dawson Feud and Millionaire, since those are their ratings grabbers.

Maybe move the originals to afternoon/morning slots, since they rarely do well in prime time...

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'TonicBH\' post=\'165510\' date=\'Oct 4 2007, 11:45 AM\']
I swear they'd do fine with an hour each of MG, Dawson Feud and Millionaire, since those are their ratings grabbers.

Maybe move the originals to afternoon/morning slots, since they rarely do well in prime time...
[/quote]

The problem there is that you put in prime time what you spend your most money on, so it has the best chance of possible return.

That's why, for all intents and purposes, most entertainment cable channels that aren't aimed at kids don't even bother programming first-run originals during the day--the audience is not there and the only alternative that would make any financial sense is running the same kind of court and talk shows that are already on the broadcast channels.  Running GSN originals first-run during the day amongst the scooter and diabetic supply per inquiry spots will not pay back the money spent on those shows.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'165516\' date=\'Oct 4 2007, 01:00 PM\']
The problem there is that you put in prime time what you spend your most money on, so it has the best chance of possible return.

That's why, for all intents and purposes, most entertainment cable channels that aren't aimed at kids don't even bother programming first-run originals during the day--the audience is not there and the only alternative that would make any financial sense is running the same kind of court and talk shows that are already on the broadcast channels.  Running GSN originals first-run during the day amongst the scooter and diabetic supply per inquiry spots will not pay back the money spent on those shows.
[/quote]
And yet, in terms of internet , that's seriously changing.

Michael Davies, last week at the AdWeek seminar, said that NBC's internet reruns get the heaviest play @ 11am-1pm.... overall internet usage drops in primetime because, wait for it, there is more competition!

I agree that Millionaire,Feud, and Match Game should be in prime....the originals should be in early prime, 5-8pm.... airing IGAS @ 11pm, to me, was dumb, even if it was 8pm West Coast.

[Joe Mello]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'165524\' date=\'Oct 4 2007, 01:18 PM\']Michael Davies, last week at the AdWeek seminar, said that NBC's internet reruns get the heaviest play @ 11am-1pm.... [/quote]
That makes sense, though.  People are on lunch breaks and are more likely to be at their computer than their television.

I was under the impression that IGAS was supposed to be more "adult" than the typical fare, and that's why it was on at 11.

[itiparanoid13]

I agree that Millionaire,Feud, and Match Game should be in prime....the originals should be in early prime, 5-8pm.... airing IGAS @ 11pm, to me, was dumb, even if it was 8pm West Coast.

I'm not saying you're wrong (because for this current batch of extremely cheap originals, you are dead on), but why do you think the originals back five years ago were getting really good ratings compared to now?  I mean obviously interest in the network has died significantly, but there has to be something that they aren't doing that they used to that worked.

My huge problem with the primetime schedule is that nothing feels primetime.  At least with the old lineup, yeah the originals didn't give away that much more than they do now, but they offered an off-chance of winning a lot and they at least felt primetime-y.  Now they feel like cheap daytime shows that they threw in primetime because they have nothing else, which is most likely the case.  I think if they could get the rights to at least some of syndie Millionaire and throw that in primetime, they could recover a bit.  Two years ago Millionaire was getting a .9 on the network, and it's down big time obviously.  They seem to be stuck in the low-money-easy-to-win game area.  Maybe one hard-to-win-bigger-money show could work somewhere.  Honestly, I'm giving it a few years before the network folds and they just do casual games online, as sad as it is to say.  Their new CEO, one of the heads of FUN Technologies, made me think that even more.

[Ian Wallis]

It always amuses me how the longer GSN goes on, the more it makes me realize how silly it was for me to complain so much back in the days when the schedule still wasn't as good as it was pre-Dark Period (heck, we all agree that the Dark Period was a good thing now in that we got six months to see shows that have never been out of the vault since!) but still infinitely better than what it does now.

 And the sad thing is, we know that if ever a trove of lost game shows ever does get discovered, they're never going to find an outlet for airing like GSN once did for HSQ or before that with CBS TJW for a brief time.

To me, the best years of the network were the first 5 years.  As a classic game show fan, we've really had nothing like it since.  I understand networks need original programming, but I still have warm memories of watching the network endlessly in its early days.

I think different shows could work here and there.  You need to "freshen" the schedule once in a while, and lately they've been rotating the mostly the same shows in and out.  Something from the vault might click.

/Did I just say Click?...

[Ian Wallis]

Honestly, I'm giving it a few years before the network folds and they just do casual games online, as sad as it is to say. Their new CEO, one of the heads of FUN Technologies, made me think that even more.

Hmmm...if that did happen, I wonder if anyone would ever try this again?....

[DjohnsonCB]

If GSN ever goes away, so does my digital cable box.  At least it'll shave about $25 off my cable bill.