Aussie "Letters & Numbers" (Countdown) Axed

[pownster]

In was is very sad news (and clearly distressing for some), the Australian version of Countdown (Letters and Numbers) has just aired its last episodes after nearly 2 years on the air. This humble, but mind-bending quiz show has been testing the brains of , and has been a breath of fresh air in a world of dumbed-down game show offerings over recent years. But alas, the network which produces the show, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), have chosen to replace the locally-produced version with episodes from the British version instead in the same timeslot.

An article can be found here about the axing.

Axed: Letters and Numbers (TV Tonight)

I am truly going to miss this show - farewell Richard Moorcroft, David Astle and in particular Lily Serna (who fortunately has scored herself another show on the network).

[WarioBarker]

Often the show is in the top 3 nightly shows for SBS. On Thursday it pulled 130,000 viewers. For some time[, it] has been produced in-house by rights-holder SBS, bringing down the cost of the show even more.

Popular, intellectual, low-cost, and done in-house -- all positives in anyone's book. So why was it canned...?

“SBS has made a decision to rest Letters and Numbers and develop other programs so we can continue to offer new, great content to our audiences.”

You know, Letters and Numbers fills both of those things -- new episodes with great, stimulating content that audiences clearly loved.

axing a local product for a cheaper import.

Of course. Sure, I've never really watched that much Countdown or Letters and Numbers, but I respect the format's longevity and intellectual gift to society (a gift that America squandered when they tried importing it in 1990). Part of me says "It's still Countdown, shut up.", but another says "SBS canned a show catered to Australians and replaced it with the version catered to Brits; there's going to be at least a small cultural hurdle."

I don't think SBS made the right decision, really.

[MikeK]

Often the show is in the top 3 nightly shows for SBS. On Thursday it pulled 130,000 viewers. For some time[, it] has been produced in-house by rights-holder SBS, bringing down the cost of the show even more.

Popular, intellectual, low-cost, and done in-house -- all positives in anyone's book. So why was it canned...?

130,000 viewers != popular

Why was it canned?

axing a local product for a [size="5"]cheaper[/size] import.

Why lookie there.  That's why it was canned.

Part of me says "It's still Countdown, shut up.", but another says "SBS canned a show catered to Australians and replaced it with the version catered to Brits; there's going to be at least a small cultural hurdle."

Huh?  It's all The Queen's English.  So the accent is a little different.

I don't think SBS made the right decision, really.

The Benfield has SPOKENNNNNN!!!!!!  How dare we forget your mantra, Dan, "Game shows good, everything else bad."

[TLEberle]

The Benfield has SPOKEN!  How dare we forget your mantra, Dan, "Game shows good, everything else bad."

Somewhere in all this, there's macro potential.

[BrandonFG]

Often the show is in the top 3 nightly shows for SBS. On Thursday it pulled 130,000 viewers. For some time[, it] has been produced in-house by rights-holder SBS, bringing down the cost of the show even more.

Popular, intellectual, low-cost, and done in-house -- all positives in anyone's book. So why was it canned...?

Just for shiggles, I looked up "SBS", "ratings", and "Australia". There were shows that got 700-800,000 viewers. I don't think 130K is that popular. I'd guess it's along the lines of a 1.5-2.0 in U.S. syndication. Enough to renew, but if it's not making waves either, then it can be canned just as easily.

[TLEberle]

Just for shiggles, I looked up "SBS", "ratings", and "Australia". There were shows that got 700-800,000 viewers. I don't think 130K is that popular. I'd guess it's along the lines of a 1.5-2.0 in U.S. syndication. Enough to renew, but if it's not making waves either, then it can be canned just as easily.

Australia's population is about 22 million, so 220,000 would be a single point. So they're barely pulling a hash at that level.

Yes, it is a fun game. That doesn't elevate it to be worshipped like a golden calf.

[J.R.]

Can't say I'm that surprised. Doesn't the UK version bring mediocre ratings too?

[clemon79]

Popular, intellectual, low-cost, and done in-house -- all positives in anyone's book. So why was it canned...?

If ever anyone has sufficient spare time to write up a Dan Benfield Drinking Game, and they decide to go through with it instead of dedicating that time to a more worthy pursuit, such as figuring out how to capture the gaseous expulsions of the North African lemur, the tried-and-true "complaining a show he likes was canned unjustly without entertaining that just maybe it was in fact a ratings issue" simply MUST be on the menu.

[TLEberle]

If ever anyone has sufficient spare time to write up a Dan Benfield Drinking Game, and they decide to go through with it instead of dedicating that time to a more worthy pursuit, such as figuring out how to capture the gaseous expulsions of the North African lemur, the tried-and-true "complaining a show he likes was canned unjustly without entertaining that just maybe it was in fact a ratings issue" simply MUST be on the menu.

I don't mention this as frequently as I might because it happens so often, but more often than not every time that Dan decides to hork up something onto the boards, there are so many things wrong in a single post that I manage to mark off an entire line on my Benfield Bingo card. It is in fact a rarity when I can only manage four in a row.

[PYLdude]

such as figuring out how to capture the gaseous expulsions of the North African lemur

Hold an empty glass jar up near its bunghole and hope not to get hit with the spreaded muck.

Oh, wait, that's "how to collect a stool sample from a hippopotamus during mating season". Nevermind.

/I would feel bad for the person who would ever have that responsibility...and I'm sure at least one person in the world does
//...would that be the one pursuit, perhaps, that would be less worthy than creating Dan Benfield: The Drinking Game?
///I don't know what the hell I was thinking...if you want to, just delete it or tell me to

[PYLdude]

And to try and steer this back on topic...

has there ever been any sort of push to try and get the UK Countdown to air on American television? By that I mean either in reruns or in first-run, not the attempts at it that were thought of for American TV.

[clemon79]

my Benfield Bingo card.

This has to happen.

/but it won't be by me
//because I just finished feeding my lemur chili

[MikeK]

my Benfield Bingo card.

This has to happen.

Since the gauntlet was thrown...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/hmtriplecrown/benfieldbingo.jpg

Extra fun challenge:  See if you can fill up every square!

[J.R.]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/hmtriplecrown/benfieldbingo.jpg

Epic win.

[clemon79]

Since the gauntlet was thrown...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/hmtriplecrown/benfieldbingo.jpg

Masterful. Simply friggin' masterful.

I'm trying to come up with a way to shorten "joins in on joke to try to deflect that he is in fact the butt of it" to replace the "Move One Space" square. "Joins in on joke he is butt of in attempt to deflect?" Does that fit?