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Happened across an item on MultiChannel that GSN's average July prime time rating was 0.4, down from 0.5 in July, 2004. (In ratingsland "July, 2005" means June 27-July 31.)
Can't even remember what they were showing in July, 2004 except Millionaire. I assume the decrease mainly results from an understandable softening of Millionaire's household ratings after nearly two years of hard work on the network.
The MultiChannel item didn't give an average household total. Should get that from CableWorld later this month.
GSN has been bouncing along the 0.4 road in prime time since February, occasionally with worrisome dips in the household total. According to the network's press release, Amazing Race turned out some younger demos in its first week but didn't do much for the overall household rating. The Multichannel item seems to confirm this trend for all of July.
There certainly isn't any indication that Amazing Race has goosed the network's overall household ratings as Millionaire did when it arrived. Demos are a different matter.
By the way, ad-supported cable nearly doubled the audience share of the broadcast networks in July. That's why those network ratings look so pitiful right now, besides general decreases in TV viewing during the summer.
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As far as what was on last year, for the week of July 18-24, Millionaire was on at 8 every night except Saturday.
Sunday had WL and Greed from 9-mid.
Monday DED/Celeb Blackjack
Tuesday DED/Extreme Dodgeball
Wed, 2 hours of Average Joe
Thurs, DED and an hour of KvS;
Friday DED/Spy TV/Vegas Weddings
Saturday was Celeb Blackjack/Dodgeball/Spy TV/Vegas Weddings.
Don't think we can draw any conclusions there.
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The common denominator is Millionaire accounting for about one-third of prime time. So, yeah, the show's numbers probably have weakened a little after another year of hard use. I remember a post here or on the GSN board that Super Millionaire was pulling a 0.6.
While that's very good by GSN's overall standards, it's a comedown from the 0.7 season-to-date rating that MultiChannel published for plain old Millionaire in April. So Regis' numbers look like they're starting to give a little. Again, no real surprise. GSN works the show like a dray horse.
If GSN can maintain a 0.4 and attract some younger viewers in prime time with Amazing Race and the leadouts, that's okay. I like Amazing Race and I was secretly hoping that it would really drive the network's overall numbers and pull younger teevee-watchers for the advertisers. But one out of two ain't bad.
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Don't you folks think the problem is that Amazing Race airs every night? I mean it's gonna get ad nauseum before too long. If it was saved perhaps for the weekends or for a 3 day a week format even, it might enjoy more staying power.
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Aug 18 2005, 02:08 PM\']Don't you folks think the problem is that Amazing Race airs every night? I mean it's gonna get adnauseum before too long. If it was saved perhaps for the weekends or for a 3 day a week format even, it might enjoy more staying power.
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Hey broadcasting wannabe...
It's Ad Nauseum. Two words. Latin. Look it up.
You're welcome, Dingbat.
(to everyone else: No, I didn't have to, but since he got his garanimals in a twist once today, I thought , what the heck? It was worth it.)
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Since when did this become English 101? And, I'm no wannabe, chief. Check the site for samples at your own discretion to see I do posess some talent while being absent minded in other respects. Apologies though for the "butchering".
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Guys relax, my goodness! Who cares if the person spells something wrong? How can a little misspell tick you guys off that much. Just ignore it, move on with life! Much better things to do than yell at someone for their spelling. Man..
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Aug 18 2005, 04:12 PM\']It's Ad Nauseum. Two words. Latin. Look it up.
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Oh, give me a break, will ya? Why don't you just go join MENSA while you're at it?
What is it with all this crap? You're making CarShark's rants of months ago look good right now, and that's sad.
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[quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'Aug 18 2005, 04:36 PM\'][quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Aug 18 2005, 04:12 PM\']It's Ad Nauseum. Two words. Latin. Look it up.
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Oh, give me a break, will ya? Why don't you just go join MENSA while you're at it?
What is it with all this crap? You're making CarShark's rants of months ago look good right now, and that's sad.
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Reluctant as I've been to jump into the fray, I should point out that comparing a couple of factual, if (by the commenter's own admission) unnecessary, comments on spelling to a series of shrill, delusional and completely groundless accusations doesn't make you look good right now.
Enough... all of you.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Aug 18 2005, 03:12 PM\']It's Ad Nauseum. Two words. Latin. Look it up.
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Just one more thing: it's ad nauseam.
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And here's a lesson for the folks who can't tell the difference between "coincidence" and "irony":
Arguing continuously over the spelling of "ad nauseam": THAT'S irony. :)
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CableWorld just published GSN's average prime time household count in July: 253K. That's the best since January and a very nice bounceback from the network's grim 207K number in May. So Amazing Race does seem to be helping the network's overall household count as well as its demos. We'll see if the effects continue in August.
By the way, the 207K count in May and the 253K count in July both result in a 0.4 household rating based on GSN's 57-million household availability. But the numbers span almost the entire range of household counts covered by that 0.4.
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August of course will show the imapct (or lack off) the full summer line-up. Thanks for the info.
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I'll bet the numbers would go waaaay up if they could get the NFL primetime package on "The Network for Games."
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Funny you should mention the NFL package. OLN started running Survivor in July and got rewarded with a 249K average household count in prime time, just behind GSN on CableWorld's list. (Lance Armstrong also helped a lot.) That's either the highest-ever monthly average for OLN or real close. OLN also bought the NHL package and is rumored to be interested in the NFL and baseball. Comcast seems intent on making the network a real competitor to ESPN.
Wonder how that bet between Rich Cronin and the president of OLN is going.
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[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Aug 29 2005, 08:34 AM\']OLN also bought the NHL package and is rumored to be interested in the NFL and baseball. Comcast seems intent on making the network a real competitor to ESPN.
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IMO, buying the NHL was a mistake--ratings were already horrible...and I don't expect much of an increase after these highly paid athletes were crying and whining for a year.
I doubt they'll be able to strip away the NFL package from FOX, CBS, or ESPN....and they have their own sports channel, "Comcast Sports Net", though I'm not sure how many systems thats on right now.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Aug 29 2005, 04:14 PM\']I doubt they'll be able to strip away the NFL package from FOX, CBS, or ESPN....and they have their own sports channel, "Comcast Sports Net", though I'm not sure how many systems thats on right now.
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Comcast Sportsnet isn't one channel -- it's a group of regional sports networks, similar to Fox Sports Net albeit with fewer channels comprising the group. (IIRC, there are CSNs in Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC/Baltimore, and Sacramento.) Turning OLN into a sports network would give Comcast a national sports outlet, like Disney/ABC has with ESPN.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Aug 29 2005, 01:14 PM\']IMO, buying the NHL was a mistake--ratings were already horrible...and I don't expect much of an increase after these highly paid athletes were crying and whining for a year.
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With apologies for the threadjack, I will, once again, point out that said athletes were completely willing to play under the terms of the current CBA while this was ironed out, and that it was the owners doing the majority of the crying and whining. And that the owners more or less acheived a Humiliating Total Victory in this whole thing.
Not to suggest that there isn't blame to be laid at the feet of both sides of the issue, or that this will turn out to be a genius investment that will launch the NHL past Driving In A Counterclockwise Circle, but if you are gonna have an opinion, at least try to make it an informed one.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Aug 29 2005, 03:14 PM\']I doubt they'll be able to strip away the NFL package from FOX, CBS, or ESPN....and they have their own sports channel, "Comcast Sports Net", though I'm not sure how many systems thats on right now.
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Just for clarification--FOX (NFC games), CBS (AFC games), ESPN (Monday nights) and NBC (Sunday nights) are the NFL rightholders starting in 2006 (through at least 2011). The NFL was also planning on putting together a separate Thursday/Saturday night package for Comcast, USA, TNT and its own NFL Network to bid on, although whether that comes to fruition or not remains to be seen. But Comcast only fits in the bidding for the new package, not stripping away the current rights.
Doug
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The fate of that Thursday/Saturday package probably depends on how much the NFL wants to boost its own network. They've got to put some live games on the network to get people to watch, because highlights and old games and football chitchat aren't going to generate spectacular numbers.
My guess is that Comcast or anybody else will really have to blow the windows out with an enormous bid to get those games. Comcast willingly overpaid for the NHL, so they may be the most likely candidate to blast away for the NFL.
I also expect Comcast to do some kind of deal for baseball. They're already involved (in a sometimes legally tangled way) with the Orioles and other teams. I've seen lots of Internet speculation that Comcast's interest in baseball is complicating the sport's current renewal talks with ESPN.
EDIT: To get back on-topic, GSN is also benefitting from ad-supported cable's usual summer boost (http://\"http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001020637\"). I won't repeat the cliche about a rising tide. But GSN isn't just relying on cable's summer magic. After all, the network's numbers hurtled off a very steep cliff two summers ago. Programming matters (duh).
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[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Aug 30 2005, 08:52 AM\'] and football chitchat aren't going to generate spectacular numbers. [/quote]
If chitchat doesn't generate spectacular numbers, why are shows such as "Cold Pizza" and "PTI" popular?
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If the NFL network is content with the numbers that not-ready-for-prime-time shows like Cold Pizza and PTI get, then they can program football chitchat all day long.
But I think they're looking for bigger numbers than those. Which means live games in prime time. So, yes, I do think it will take a very large bid to knock that Thursday/Saturday package (if it comes about at all) loose from the NFL's own network.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Aug 30 2005, 01:05 PM\']If chitchat doesn't generate spectacular numbers, why are shows such as "Cold Pizza" and "PTI" popular?
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It's all in the presentation. You know something's working when you're drawing better ratings than your network's signature show (see PTI's entry on Wikipedia for the proof).
ObPTI: Louie Anderson is still hosting the Feud?!! What year does Tony Kornheiser think this is?
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[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Aug 30 2005, 04:33 PM\']ObPTI: Louie Anderson is still hosting the Feud?!! What year does Tony Kornheiser think this is?
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Don't encourage Henke's "sigs". :)
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Real quick: To complicate everything else, the Philadelphia and Washington/Baltimore (and perhaps the Sacramento) Comcast SportsNet channels are also FSN affiliates (Chicago isn't, because despite all logic FSN Chicago is still in operation)--the Philly and Washington editions of CSN's "SportsNite" air on FCS Atlantic.
And last I saw, "CP" wasn't doing all that well--but for some reason it stays on the air and gets a new logo, theme, titles and graphics package this week, along with a new voice-over giving Dana Jacobson top billing over Jay Crawford, the only original cast member still around. And the theme was the best thing I liked about the show. :)
Da da da DAH DAH DAAAAA....