… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1455: A Win for Creative Folks

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Overnight ratings are not relevant in a world of “watch when you want” viewing.

Not all of us work in broadcast, but many of us have seen projects canceled when an initial showing didn’t generate immediate success.

Variety reports that NBC “just announced that it would stop the practice of issuing daily fast affiliate ratings reports altogether.”

Overnight ratings are not relevant in a world of “watch when you want” viewing. Quoting from the article:

“We didn’t come to this decision lightly, but believe it’s important to accurately reflect how the television business is changing and, specifically, how these early ratings numbers are no longer representative of the performance of a particular show or series,” wrote NBC’s Stuart Levine, another Variety alum who wrote plenty of ratings stories during his time here, and therefore knows the significance of ending those daily morning emails. “Long gone are the days when a vast majority of viewers watched their favorite shows in the exact timeslot in which they were scheduled.”

So much of the primetime strategy that we used to cover in the 1990s and 2000s was about those numbers, from scheduling big events vs. a rival’s important premiere, and earning the bragging rights that can be trumpeted in promos, at upfront presentations and yes, in those daily press releases. It was the game.

So many great shows or series with real potential were snuffed out because of those initial ratings, and often replaced by shows that performed even worse.

The entire article is worth reading. This appears to be the significant step toward recognizing the new world of how, and when, TV is viewed.