[quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'252638\' date=\'Dec 16 2010, 05:42 PM\']So, "In The Biz" type-people, is this change due to a healthier GSN, or a weaker infomercial market?[/quote]
There seems to be a slow move, at least amongst the cable networks, away from infomercials as a revenue source. Hallmark Channel, for example, has gone entirely infomercial-free within the last few months. Other networks seem to be experimenting with reducing the infomercial offerings as well.
The prolonged recession has resulted in viewers having 1)a far shorter patience for sitting through program-length commercials in the first place, and 2)a substantially lower willingness to buy products offered in said commercials. Less money spent on the products means less money in the company's pockets, which means less money in the station's pockets. Double bonus: Infomercials have also suffered due to the wide-scale proliferation of both DVRs and Electronic Program Guides, which allow viewers to easily skip past stations offering infomercials. In the past, one of their main sources of viewers (and customers) was people who either channel surfed onto an infomercial or left the TV on that station after the end of normal programming.
Plus, from the network side, infomercials also ding the ratings of the shows that follow them on the schedule. Family Feud with Richard Dawson, for example, has had times where it's struggled to draw 75,000 viewers as the lead-off at 9a, a sad sight lower than in just about any other slot. Even the Combs-hosted version could draw 100K at 10a. Those dinged ratings mean a hard time selling ad slots - typically speaking to fill those lower-tier ad slots you have to accept cheap spots from direct response companies.
The combined effects means it now makes more financial sense for GSN to run normal programming at 8AM - and if the results are positive, other slots could follow.
