Where Have All The Viewers Gone?

[Milton Bradley]

Where have all the viewers gone? - CNN.com

Quote by: article NEW YORK (AP) -- Maybe they're outside in the garden. They could be playing softball. Or perhaps they're just plain bored. In TV's worst spring in recent memory, a startling number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show. Everyone has a theory to explain the plummeting ratings: early Daylight Savings Time, more reruns, bad shows, more shows being recorded or downloaded or streamed. More bad news abounds. NBC set a record last month for its least-watched week during the past 20 years, and maybe ever -- then broke it a week later. This is the least popular season ever for CBS' "Survivor." ABC's "Lost" has lost nearly half its live audience -- more than 10 million people -- from the days it was a sensation. "The Sopranos" (a show that has earned broadcast-network-like ratings in the past) is ending on HBO, and the response is a collective yawn. Events like "American Idol" on Fox (which is owned by News Corp.) and "Dancing With the Stars" on ABC (owned by The Walt Disney Co.) are doing the most to prop up the industry. But still, in the six weeks after Daylight Savings Time started in early March, prime-time viewership for the four biggest broadcast networks was down to 37.6 million people, from 40.3 million during the same period in 2006, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It looks like the shift away from the big networks is gaining steam.


If you ask me, the brought it upon themselves with the prolific expansion of 'reality television", which we all know is usually scripted, and not based in reality at all.


Well, congratulations big networks, you have really got your finger on the pulse of the profit margin, unfortunately it looks it's going to cost you your audience.


What do you think, have they alienated you to the point where you have found other things to do?


If not, are they approaching that threshold?

[brien]

TV is now aimed at the leasst common denominator of an audience in terms of intelliegence. Those us us with halff a brain find it boring, banal, and at times, even moronic. I surf the channels looking for some originals such as:

The Twilight Zone
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Untouchables
The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show.
The Jack Benny Show
Sherlock Holmes
Dr WHo
Masterpeice Theater.

When I can't find them, I may switch to some sporting event, but that isn't too often either. After this, I head out to the den, or front porch, with a good book or my Gretch and a bud to entertain myself.

[Osborn F Enready]

Milton said: It looks like the shift away from the big networks is gaining steam. If you ask me, the brought it upon themselves with the prolific expansion of 'reality television", which we all know is usually scripted, and not based in reality at all. Well, congratulations big networks, you have really got your finger on the pulse of the profit margin, unfortunately it looks it's going to cost you your audience.

I agree.

Milton said: What do you think, have they alienated you to the point where you have found other things to do?

Yes, almost entirely.

Milton said: If not, are they approaching that threshold?

Yea, stepping through and over the threshold.

Brien said: TV is now aimed at the leasst common denominator of an audience in terms of intelliegence. Those us us with halff a brain find it boring, banal, and at times, even moronic.

I agree.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: brien After this, I head out to the den, or front porch, with a good book or my Gretch and a bud to entertain myself.

Heh, I didn't know you were "cool", man.


I must say, we gravitate towards different types of entertainment, but I have always liked Jack Benny. One of my all time favorite stand up comediens.

[Sonart]

Quote by: Milton Bradley If you ask me, the brought it upon themselves with the prolific expansion of 'reality television", which we all know is usually scripted, and not based in reality at all.

I suspect your answer is a glib projection of your personal tastes. To the contrary, the cable stations that are picking up viewers are crawling with "reality television". The Discover Channel, A&E, Bravo, Animal Planet, MTV, VH1, etc. etc. And as your article pointed out, the biggest show in all of television is a reality show... American Idol.

Quote by: brien TV is now aimed at the leasst common denominator of an audience in terms of intelliegence. Those us us with halff a brain find it boring, banal, and at times, even moronic. I surf the channels looking for some originals such as: The Twilight Zone Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Untouchables The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show. The Jack Benny Show Sherlock Holmes Dr WHo Masterpeice Theater.

Brien, none of these shows represent any 'Golden Age' of quality television and half of them I don't recall being all that great in the first place. The Untouchables? Jack Benny? Burns & Allen? Sure, they were popular in their day, but hardly high art. The answer to Milton's question is that with more and more targeted cable choices, the audience is becoming balkanized and dispersed. The SciFi channel has peeled off their segment, Disney, Cartoon Network and Nick have grabbed the kids, ESPN, Discovery, History and the Military channels have grabbed men, women have their channels, HBO and Showtime the folks who want un-censored adult drama, the 9 Encore channels offers a broad selection of movies any time of the day.

It's really not a huge mystery.

.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Sonart I suspect your answer is a glib projection of your personal tastes. To the contrary, the cable stations that are picking up viewers are crawling with "reality television". The Discover Channel, A&E, Bravo, Animal Planet, MTV, VH1, etc. etc. And as your article pointed out, the biggest show in all of television is a reality show... American Idol.

While I refuse to speak for everybody, in this instance it seems my voice is about 40 million strong.


P.S. This was about the major networks, not the competition on cable, and satellite.

[bishop]

i barely ever watch the major networks - can't even remember the last time that i did in fact. plus, i'm not much of a sports fan, and HATE their sitcoms/miniseries, so that's just another reason why i never watch them.

[Slevin57]

I usually only watch the History Channel... Most of the other stuff doesn't interest me. I never get into series shows because my schedule is not repetitive enough that I could watch a majority of the season.

If I like a show, usually I wait until the season is over and aquire it by..uh..other means.

[phoenix_fire]

Most of what I watch these days is anime from the internet. I just have rabbit ears, so about the only things I ever watch on TV are The Simpsons, King of the Hill, South Park, and Frasier.

[fushigi]

Quote by: Sonart I suspect your answer is a glib projection of your personal tastes. To the contrary, the cable stations that are picking up viewers are crawling with "reality television". The Discover Channel, A&E, Bravo, Animal Planet, MTV, VH1, etc. etc. And as your article pointed out, the biggest show in all of television is a reality show... American Idol..

Still, clearly something big is happening this year--considering major network TV viewer numbers dropped by roughly 10%. I can certainly attest to the fact that Lost has gone steadily downhill since mid-Season II, but the other shows mentioned haven't lost any appeal IMO.

Certainly, increased internet use, TiVo, and home satellites couldn't have accounted for such a dramatic drop in one year. It must have something to do with viewer tastes changing.

Americans are a very finicky market--prone to massive, sudden changes in preference.

fushigi

[Chaossaber314]

Quality Programming really has gone down. The majority of the shows I watch are all based on Dish/Cable. Though, even those I catch up on with via downloads. I purchased the first 8 seasons of the Simpsons but managed to download the rest. I haven't actually seen a full new episode in a few years.

I am also a Lost-refugee. Though I continued to watch it into season 3 until they killed off my favorite character and I decided that was enough.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Slevin57 I usually only watch the History Channel... Most of the other stuff doesn't interest me. I never get into series shows because my schedule is not repetitive enough that I could watch a majority of the season. If I like a show, usually I wait until the season is over and aquire it by..uh..other means.

Just as a bit of advice, the History Chanell sucks. they revise a great deal of the crap they broadcast.


Need proof?


Watch the shows about Waco, or the Branch Davidians, and then take the resoective book out of the library. Compare.


These assholes are owned by the same people who pay the media to lie to us every day, so you can expect the message to be consistant.

[shawmutt]

I would point to the proliferation of broadband internet, the affordability of wireless home networks, and the fact that people are getting burned out on the 24 hour news networks.

I for one don't watch TV, two hours a week is stretching it and that's just to hang out with my wife. She watches less and less TV as well, the biggest hit coming when I installed wireless internet and got her a laptop. Computers are no longer delegated to a special room anymore.

[fushigi]

Quote by: shawmutt I would point to the proliferation of broadband internet, the affordability of wireless home networks, and the fact that people are getting burned out on the 24 hour news networks.

But all of these factors have existed for years. Why all the sudden this dramatic drop from 2006-07?

[Osborn F Enready]

Milton said: Just as a bit of advice, the History Chanell sucks. they revise a great deal of the crap they broadcast.

I agree.

Between the history channel, the military channel, and fox news, you have an entire propaganda campaign in a box built on nationalism and american elitism.

[Mr.Vicchio]

There are many factors involved with this.

The first and foremost being the rise of alternative means of entertainment.

You have the internet, which provides a smorgasboard of entertainment options.

Video games are eating away as well, and really hard into the 18-24 age group.

Then there are options like Netflix and Blockbuster online. Both of which allow viewers like my wife and I to watch House, or CSI when we want too, and without the pain of commercials.

TV is dead, long live TV.

[brien]

Sonart writes:

Sure, they were popular in their day, but hardly high art

Sonart, Are you seriously suggesting TV is high art???? Please, you appeared to be more intelligent to me. But heh, to each his own. TV is a f*cking escape for most people and most everything you find on it is mindless or banal. High art???, sure.. for a stoner maybe. Give me a break, and I don't mean Mc Donalds...

[brien]

I must say, we gravitate towards different types of entertainment, but I have always liked Jack Benny. One of my all time favorite stand up comediens

I really don't find much on TV at all. Some news, sports events, and some information. Otherwise, if you are looking for "high art" as perhaps Sonart is, I suggest turning the TV off and heading out to the museums, galleries, clubs and playhouses.

[CoffeeSaint]

Meh. Turned my satellite off a year ago, and haven't missed it. We rent movies and buy old seasons of good shows. I never would have seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer if we hadn't shut it off, and that would be a shame.

I tend to think that people are moving away from the big networks because we are feeling freer with our choices, and that's a culmination of a lot of different elements, including the dissatisfaction with our government, the rise of grass-roots movements, and, more specifically, the rise of good things to watch on other networks. The Sopranos and other HBO shows, and the popular cable network shows, weren't around 15 years ago, remember. Though I did like Not Necessarily The News.

[phoenix_fire]

It would be nice if our political system were opened up to such diversity as our entertainment options. The way it is these days, it's like getting the televangelist channel, that weird Mexican channel, and PBS with a very poor signal that fades out for four or more years at a time.