Fremantle Working On Project For Classic Games?

[chad1m]

I noticed an interesting little piece of information in a recent Broadcasting & Cable article detailing an interview with Fremantle CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz. It talks about the company's involvement with game shows from the G-T library, and then this is noted:

Fremantle also is mining the company’s vast Goodson-Todman game show library. GSN has the rights to air a few titles, but Frot-Coutaz’s team is working on a separate project to make classics available to viewers.

(The article also says Trebek Double Dare comes from the 50s, but that could simply be a typo.) But, anyway, could this "separate project" be the biggest reason for the large disappearance of Fremantle owned programs from GSN at the end of the month?

[TroubadourNando]

Intriguing.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'209764\' date=\'Mar 7 2009, 10:28 PM\'] But, anyway, could this "separate project" be the biggest reason for the large disappearance of Fremantle owned programs from GSN at the end of the month?[/quote]
Hard to say what the reasons are, much less which ones are bigger than others, but certainly all the evidence points to GSN no longer having a blanket agreement with Fremantle to air whatever (non-TPIR) program they want.

My personal guess is that GSN didn't want the whole library this time around.  They bought rights to the shows that work for them (Match Game, Feud and various Passwords) and left the others behind.  Fremantle would then have all this product, and certainly no other interested cable outlet, so why not give the internet a go?

[Johnissoevil]

Intriguing.  And those who hate the credit crunches will get to see their favorite G-T shows unaltered.

/Not that I give a damn about the credits

[Craig Karlberg]

If Hulu can package full episodes of shows online, I don't see why GSN wouldn't do the same.  The Internet may be the next big thing as far as game shows go.  All it takles is some wheeling & dealing & a little patience, next thing you'll know, we have our own little GSN on the Web.  Definitely intriguing & very much worth investigating.

[chris319]

Cecile never saw a single episode of a G-T show while the company was still owned by M.G., for whatever that's worth.

[Jimmy Owen]

[quote name=\'Johnissoevil\' post=\'209775\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 03:31 AM\']
Intriguing.  And those who hate the credit crunches will get to see their favorite G-T shows unaltered.

/Not that I give a damn about the credits
[/quote]


Well, you should.  The people on those credits contributed quite a bit towards making the show.  However, I would guess most people who "want to see the credits" actually want to hear the theme song play out.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'209779\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 05:40 AM\']If Hulu can package full episodes of shows online, I don't see why GSN wouldn't do the same.  [/quote]
I realize most of you understand this better than Craig does, but it bears re-emphasizing that this would be a Fremantle project, not a GSN one.  As such, yes, I'd have to think that they would be complete, unadulterated episodes.  What's more, there probably wouldn't be a restriction on running the episodes with cigarette sponsors, something GSN was loathe to do in the last few years.  Heck, for most of those old shows, they could even leave in the original commercials.

Also, it might not be a Hulu model.  Maybe it'll be more of an iTunes thing, charging 99 cents to download an episode.  Lots of possibilities, and it sounds like they're really just starting to think about it.  Still, if they could get something to work, this could be the greatest thing for fans of the classics since GSN itself.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'209779\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 05:40 AM\']
If Hulu can package full episodes of shows online, I don't see why GSN wouldn't do the same.  The Internet may be the next big thing as far as game shows go.  All it takles is some wheeling & dealing & a little patience, next thing you'll know, we have our own little GSN on the Web.  Definitely intriguing & very much worth investigating.
[/quote]


Not only the internet, but theres always a possibility (albeit miniscule) that Fremantle could be wanting to pitch some of their archives to the handful of new 'niche' networks that are appearing on local "over-the-air" digital subchannels, such as Retro TV.  Or what's to say that they would create their own subchannel network, combning their other programming entities (Baywatch, Idol Rewind,...)

The ratings that these subchannels will be pulling in for such retreads like Emergency, Mr. Ed and Alias Smith & Jones will be on par with Now You See It or Body Language reruns on the same channel.  Plus much of the G-T celebrity shows could compliment some of those other non-gamers as the celebs that are playing are from the same era.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'209784\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 08:12 AM\']
However, I would guess most people who "want to see the credits" actually want to hear the theme song play out.
[/quote]
And to hear Johnny Olson tell us to stay tuned next for Love For Life....even though it isn't really next.

[bandit_bobby]

I'm really hoping for an online network, too.

[calliaume]

Quite a few years ago -- I want to say 1996 -- some company (in Canada?) got ahold of the GSN feeds and broadcast them over the internet (probably through Real Media, or whatever it was called at the time).  The technology wasn't there at that point, nor were the computers ready (it took about an hour to watch a Card Sharks episode).  But it was something for those of us who didn't have GSN (I didn't until four years later).

I'd have to say if I were Fremantle, I'd go with the iTunes model rather than Hulu.  We're the target audience (more or less), and we'd probably all drop a little money a week for shows.  Many of the shows that run full episodes on line (excepting You Tube) are either on DVD or run on the air, so they're promoting something from which they can make money.  I don't see advertisers flocking to advertise for the 200 or so people who will want to watch an episode of Now You See It.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209792\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 08:14 AM\']
We're the target audience (more or less), and we'd probably all drop a little money a week for shows.[/quote]
If there's no DRM? Sure.

[DYosua]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' post=\'209792\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 11:14 AM\']
Quite a few years ago -- I want to say 1996 -- some company (in Canada?) got ahold of the GSN feeds and broadcast them over the internet (probably through Real Media, or whatever it was called at the time).  The technology wasn't there at that point, nor were the computers ready (it took about an hour to watch a Card Sharks episode).  But it was something for those of us who didn't have GSN (I didn't until four years later).
[/quote]
If I remember correctly, it was through Microsoft NetShow.  The feed started out about 3 minutes behind the C-Band feed we received, and with all the buffering it had to do it did take a long time to see anything, even through our relatively-new cable Internet connection.  I think the picture was rather small too - something like 160x120.

[Neumms]

Has GSN ever done anything with cable systems' on-demand? It seems like a reasonable idea for them or Fremantle, although I suppose if the consideration set is "Password Plus" or "Spring Break Babes in Heat '09," it might not work.