All the 'good' shows on the same night.

[RNMOM]

Can anyone help me understand why the networks keep doing this??? I mean, if one network has success with a program the others will take their best shows and put them against it on the same night and time. For example, Grey's Anatomy was doing great on Sunday but they moved it opposite CSI on Thurs. so you have to watch one or the other. If they left it alone on Sunday the audience would be bigger for both programs and it would be a win/win for everyone. Instead, they battle over viewers on one night. Why is this??? Thurs. has always been jam packed with good shows and I can't record anymore so I miss one or the other. Thankfully I can get a lot of programs on line now but I would prefer having one or two shows each night to watch instead.

The networks have been doing this for years and years.

Another pet peeve of mine is the way they show the episodes now. It used to be they ran them once through and then repeated them in order during the spring/summer. Now if you miss them you don't get a second chance and it takes from Sept to May to catch them. You think it will be on one week and no...it is taking two or three weeks off only to come back during sweeps month. It is so hard to figure out when programs are on and if they are new or not. They show a repeat of a program that was originally shown only 6-8 weeks before. How dumb is that? I really hate how they program things anymore.

 

[Robinrs]

It's a fight for the audience, and they put their heavy hitters against other heavy hitters to make the numbers. It's a competitive business... dog eat dog.

It's also the reason my DVR is 95% full!!

The amount of shows they produce is totally financially based. Years ago it was the norm to put 13 shows in the can with every contract. That is not the case anymore. Producing a show is expensive and if it's cancelled they have to find another place to place their product. Unlike years ago they have lots of alternatives (less lucrative but good choices) to go to.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am not much of a TV watcher, Cordia, but what little I do watch is usually on one of our TIVO's, recorded because I have several searches in them to record key word shows. So no help from me here.

Really just wanted to stop and say hello, hope all is well. And Robin too.

 

[ajk912]

Omg, I hear you! I refuse to get TIVO because I already pay $85 a month (and that's even with a $15 a month 6 month bill credit for threatening to switch to Verizon) to Comcast for internet/tv. I don't want to push the bill to $100 a month again to add on tivo. I already pay Comcast ENOUGH!!! But it seems to me that the networks are forcing us to get TIVO because they pit all the good shows against each other Office/Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays, etc. But doesn't that seem counterproductive? Because the tivo people just skip the commercials..so they aren't watching the show in real time for ratings or watching the advertising.

 

[englishteacha]

It really bugs us that all the shows begin and end at the same time. CSI, Survivor, Amazing Race, Bones...everything has season finales right now. Do people not watch TV in summer??
We have a DVR, but before that, I video taped some of my favorite shows because they were on at the same time as DH's. Now it's almost impossible to find a VCR.

 

[momof1princess]

i have the same problem, and it's really irritating-i have to choose between castle and csi: miami on monday nights and they're BOTH great shows, but since ABC requires a download to view their shows online, i watch castle when it comes on and watch csi: miami online. abc has so many awful shows (let's face it, grey's and ugly betty prop up the network), you'd think they could find another timeslot for castle.

 

[Robinrs]

I am not much of a TV watcher, Cordia, but what little I do watch is usually on one of our TIVO's, recorded because I have several searches in them to record key word shows. So no help from me here.

Really just wanted to stop and say hello, hope all is well. And Robin too.

Hi, Dan!!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

CSI vs Supernatural in this corner

 

[MichelleVW]

We couldn't live without our DVR. We're too busy to be tied down to a tv schedule and also it seems like the dogs will start barking at a pivotal moment and without the dvr we would miss alot of stuff!!

 

[C.Ann]

I'm lucky enough here that I have two televsions - each with a VCR hooked up to it.. There's never a night/day when I want to watch 3 things at the same time, so it works out okay for me..

Sorry your favorite shows are all appearing at the same time.. I can see where that would be annoying..

 

[SwedishMeatball]

The same reason there is always a BK across the street from a McD's. It's all about competition.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I generally don't bother with the networks any more - and I don't have premium channels, either.

With periodic exceptions like Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice (whose blasted idea was it to start both season finales at the same time last weekend, anyway?), I could be perfectly happy with USA, Bravo, Food Network, Nick at Nite, and TVLand. The first three air original programming, plus USA has House, Law & Order: SVU, and NCIS (including the network-aired episode from just a couple of weeks earlier, but only once). In addition, all three REPEAT their original programming, sometimes ad nauseum... said the woman paying half-attention to yet another repeat of The Real Housewives..."

 

[bicker]

Can anyone help me understand why the networks keep doing this??? I mean, if one network has success with a program the others will take their best shows and put them against it on the same night and time.

They're not actually going after each other, but rather going after the big money. The fact is that advertising is worth more on certain nights -- it is, as you would expect, the money that the networks are going after. For example, folks who spend money based on watching commercials barely watch television on Saturday nights, anymore, so why put any great shows on Saturday nights? By contrast, Thursday night is not only a popular night for such people to watch television, but it also is a great time to present advertising, since it is just before the weekend, when a lot of people are more likely to make purchases. Sunday, although it is not as well-placed as Thursday is, with regard to setting folks up to make purchases, but it is the most watched night of the week. And so on...

Do keep in mind that all four networks are going to present programming 8PM to 10PM every night, no matter what. They're not going to leave dead air, eh?

For example, Grey's Anatomy was doing great on Sunday but they moved it opposite CSI on Thurs. so you have to watch one or the other.

Big win for ABC on that one. They moved their most popular show from a lucrative time slot to a very lucrative time slot. Definately a good move on ABC's part.

If they left it alone on Sunday the audience would be bigger for both programs and it would be a win/win for everyone.

No, ABC would have lost out on some additional revenue that way. And they made room for Brothers and Sisters, which is doing well in that time slot. Yes, a big win for ABC.

CBS has had similar successes on Tuesday, at least after 9PM, especially since Lost was bumped to Wednesday. And of course, CBS owns Friday night, though that's pretty miniscule consolation.

Thurs. has always been jam packed with good shows and I can't record anymore so I miss one or the other.

I have a dual-tuner HD DVR. If it gets really bad, I would consider getting another DVR, with two more tuners. Either that or catching a third show in the same time slot in reruns, or on DVD.

Another pet peeve of mine is the way they show the episodes now. It used to be they ran them once through and then repeated them in order during the spring/summer.

That's not actually the case. Shows always paused for the holidays in December. Beyond that, there are 39 weeks between the beginning of the television season and the end of the television season, but most shows get 22-24 episode orders for the year. That's only down from about 23-25 average back in 1980, so not a big difference. The math is simple: Back in 1980 they had to have 15 weeks of reruns spread between September and May; now they have to have 16 weeks of reruns. Again, not a big difference.

Let's take The Cosby Show for an example. In 1985, they showed episodes like this:
(late) September = 1
October = 5
November = 3 (one rerun/preemption in November)
December = 2 (two reruns/preemptions in December)
January = 4 (one rerun/preemption in January)
February = 4
March = 2 (two reruns/preemptions in March)
April = 2 (two rerun/preemptions in April)
May = 2 (one rerun/preemption early in May)

Now if you miss them you don't get a second chance and it takes from Sept to May to catch them.

Again, nothing has really changed much in this regard.

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[TwinsinCA]

It used to be that if you missed a show you'd have to hope you catch the repeat. Now you can watch it for free online on the network's website (not EVERY show works that way, but most everything I watch on ABC and NBC does), download it from iTunes, or get the DVD in the fall. I would rather have the options we have now. Now if I miss something I don't care so much. I know I can catch it later.

 

[RNMOM]

Bicker, you seem to have a lot of the inside knowledge of the way the networks do things.

I do beg to differ about the reruns....there are a number of programs that only run for short periods through the year and they are often put on during the summer. For example, America's got talent. I know there are a bunch more but not every program gets a run through reruns.

We also don't want to pay for DVR or Tivo and it is so annoying to try to catch past episodes. I will do it occassionally but there are other things I'd rather be doing than watching TV episodes on my PC.

All I'm suggesting is that the way they toss the episodes around it makes it really hard to establish a following. How many times have you tried to follow a new show only to find the time and day has been changed? For example, House. It has been moved from Mon. to Tue. and back again. Sometimes it has been on at 8 and now at 9. There may be lots of reasons to want to put all your programs on the same night but if you have the very best show on Monday or Tuesday and many people watch it you will make money on advertising. As the show gains popularity you can charge more for those commercials but if you put it against another big show you have to share those dollars. Makes sense to me.