[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jun 7 2004, 10:36 AM\']I'm no expert on TV outside the U.S. so I'm not sure which countries have TV supported by advertising and which have government-funded TV (which includes a license fee on receivers). Perhaps broadcasters outside the U.S. don't have to pander quite so much to the 18 to 25 demographic and are thus in a better position to run game shows with their traditionally older demographics?[/quote]
Well, the demographic targeting is becoming just as prominent in Britain. The commercial channels go after young demos with the same gusto as U.S. commercial braodcasters and even the BBC has been accused by some of pandering to young demos in their programming decisions. (They've also started a satellite/digital channel called BBC3 which is out-and-out aimed at the 18-to-34s and in some cases has been pulling worse numbers than BBC4, the cultural programming sat/digital channel that was not expected to set the world on fire.)
And in some ways the doors are starting to close. There seems to be fewer game shows in the midday time slot BBC1 used to give to them, with various how-to and makeover shows taking their place. A game show may get the 6 p.m. slot on BBC2 that "The Simpsons" reruns have vacated (they're going to Channel 4 this fall, probably in the same slot). ITV has held back on game shows in the 5 p.m. slot that they counterprogrammed "Neighbours" on BBC1. "Countdown" got moved back to earlier in the afternoon on C4 and is saddled with "Test the Nation," which seems to be a weaker companion piece than "Fifteen-to-One."
But on the other hand, Channel 5 found enough success with "Brainteaser," a live show with an interactive element, that they now have a similar show called "Memory Bank" on the daytime lineup. And since there is the seeming gentleman's agreement not to put big guns against ITV's prime time soaps "Emmerdale" and "Coronation Street," so more modest programming gets put into those slots on BBC1, like the long-running panel quiz "A Question of Sport" (over 30 years and counting).
Still, on Saturday nights, which is still a big deal in the UK, "WWTBAM" is showing signs of wear and any other non-lottery game show doesn't seem to be popular unless it has more of the feel of a variety show, like Ant and Dec's "Saturday Night Takeaway," but that's been pretty much true as far back as when Brucie was doing "The Generation Game."
