SEINFELD on tbs and syndication

[eggsdannythomas]

With SEINFELD being on at least 3 times a day, I've noticed an annoying trend since summer.

It seems like I'm watching the same 20 episodes over and over. I'm not making this up, tbs and the syndicated version on my FOX station show the same episodes constantly.

Maybe 20 is an exageration, but with all the episodes they made, they sure aren't in sequence. Now that I think about it, it is the same 20 episodes! That might even be a conservative estimate.

I think it's because Warner Brothers is trying to get people to buy the box sets on DVD? If that's the case, SEINFELD is just a glorified infomercial.

Should we expect this on all reruns in the future of syndication? I always thought DVD box sets were for hard core fans. "Why would you buy the videos when the show is on everyday?" was what I used to think. With SEINFELD they have figured out how to answer that question.

If this is what they are doing they can f%ck themselves. I'm still not buying the DVD's.

 

[Slinky]

> It seems like I'm watching the same 20 episodes over and
> over. I'm not making this up, tbs and the syndicated
> version on my FOX station show the same episodes constantly.

This isn't new. Just ask any Simpsons fan. A couple years back, Fox Philadelphia had a rotation of about 60 Simpsons episodes. They played 2 a day, so you'd see the same show about once a month.

For the record, I watch Seinfeld pretty much every day on DC's Fox 5 and I haven't noticed a lot of repeats. They definitely have more than 20 in rotation. Perhaps it's just the fact that you're watching at least 3 episodes a day that's causing you to think they have less.

> I think it's because Warner Brothers is trying to get people
> to buy the box sets on DVD? If that's the case, SEINFELD is
> just a glorified infomercial.

No way. Syndication makes them a ton of money, and most people aren't going to buy the DVDs. No syndicator in their right mind would intentionally turn off the TV audience to sell DVDs. If they are limiting the episodes in syndication, it's because some episodes just aren't clicking with the audience anymore.

 

[BrettV]

Part of it is that the local syndication affiliates and TBS are not on the same schedule. All too often, a show may be seen on the local affiliate (generally FOX) and then show up the next week on TBS, or vice versa.

The local affiliates generally have a pretty good rotation, and for the most part will run at least full seasons in sequential order.

TBS, however, does seem to run the same episodes over and over again. Plus, the fact that the 6 and 6:30 airings seems to be on seperate rotations means that an episode shown at 6 could be seen in the 6:30 rotations a few weeks later...which is poor planning on TBS, IMO.

But, I think the biggest thing is if you watch both the local affiliate syndication episodes every night, as well as both TBS episodes every night, you will in fact see repeated episodes.

 

[wxctintern]

Full House, Roseanne, Golden Girls, and The Nanny

Full House on Nick-at-Nite and ABC Family are a few weeks apart.

In my area Roseanne airs on WB20, Nick-At-Nite, and Oxygen, but I can't remember how far apart the episodes are on each.

Lifetime used to air The Nanny and The Golden Girls 7 times a day each. A lot of times an episode would air at 9:30AM one day and air at 5:30PM the next.

 

[Markxxx]

> This isn't new. Just ask any Simpsons fan. A couple years
> back, Fox Philadelphia had a rotation of about 60 Simpsons
> episodes. They played 2 a day, so you'd see the same show
> about once a month.
>
Stations needn't buy the whole Simpsons package. (See <a target="_blank" href=http://snpp.com>SNPP.com</a>)

Because it's so large it is split and a station can choose to buy a package that includes certain season. With over 365 episodes, it does make sense not to air (or air as often) those episodes that already are out on DVD. <P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>

 

[nascar_red]

> TBS, however, does seem to run the same episodes over and
> over again. Plus, the fact that the 6 and 6:30 airings seems
> to be on seperate rotations means that an episode shown at 6
> could be seen in the 6:30 rotations a few weeks
> later...which is poor planning on TBS, IMO.

That's my biggest gripe. If you have back to back showings of Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Will & Grace, etc., why not show consecutive episodes rather than episode 26 at 6 and episode 62 at 6:30?

 

[rugrats1]

> If you have back to back showings
> of Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Will & Grace, etc., why not
> show consecutive episodes rather than episode 26 at 6 and
> episode 62 at 6:30?
>
Don't know why they did this, other than to show different "eras" of a series, instead of being stuck in the same "era" for several days.

This, of course, has been going on for many years -- in the early-1990s, WFTS ch.28 in Tampa Bay, while still a Fox affiliate, double-ran "Married With Children" and, I think, "Perfect Strangers". Very often, if the first episode in the double-run is a "To Be Continued", it continues the next day in that time slot, instead of coming up next. Very often, WFTS would show special dislaimers at the end of "To Be Continued" episodes, reminding viewers to tune in same time next day to see the conclusion.

 

[Tom_Desmond]

> Stations needn't buy the whole Simpsons package. (See
> SNPP.com)
>
> Because it's so large it is split and a station can choose
> to buy a package that includes certain season. With over 365
> episodes, it does make sense not to air (or air as often)
> those episodes that already are out on DVD.

Take what you read on that website with a grain of salt -- I just read through their explanations of "barter" and "cash plus barter" syndication contracts, and have to note that they have some of their facts wrong.

Notably, "The Simpsons" was originally offered under a cash plus barter contract, not a barter contract, as that website states. They are correct in noting that "The Simpsons" is now being sold on a cash basis.

Their explanation of "cash plus barter" contracts was wrong -- under this arrangement, every syndicated episode does contain barter commercials (not just the episodes running on certain days, as they claim), but the station also has to pay a cash license fee for each episode run, as well. Typically, the syndicator will take less time for bartered commercials under this arrangement than with a full barter (no cash) syndication arrangement.

Now, back to the original discussion...

 

[RobertMoore]

> I think it's because Warner Brothers is trying to get people
> to buy the box sets on DVD? If that's the case, SEINFELD is
> just a glorified infomercial.

Actually, Sony owns the syndication and DVD rights to "Seinfeld."

 

[ccmfan]

Re: The Cosby Show

> Lifetime used to air The Nanny and The Golden Girls 7 times
> a day each. A lot of times an episode would air at 9:30AM
> one day and air at 5:30PM the next.
>

I haven't noticed too closely lately, but it used to be that Nick at Nite would carry two episodes of The Cosby Show at 11 PM to midnight Central time one day and then show the same episodes again the next day from 8 to 9 PM.

 

[Markxxx]

> > Stations needn't buy the whole Simpsons package. (See
> > SNPP.com)
> >
> > Because it's so large it is split and a station can choose
>
> > to buy a package that includes certain season. With over
> 365
> > episodes, it does make sense not to air (or air as often)
> > those episodes that already are out on DVD.
>
> Take what you read on that website with a grain of salt -- I
> just read through their explanations of "barter" and "cash
> plus barter" syndication contracts, and have to note that
> they have some of their facts wrong.
>
> Notably, "The Simpsons" was originally offered under a cash
> plus barter contract, not a barter contract, as that website
> states. They are correct in noting that "The Simpsons" is
> now being sold on a cash basis.
>
> Their explanation of "cash plus barter" contracts was wrong
> -- under this arrangement, every syndicated episode does
> contain barter commercials (not just the episodes running on
> certain days, as they claim), but the station also has to
> pay a cash license fee for each episode run, as well.
> Typically, the syndicator will take less time for bartered
> commercials under this arrangement than with a full barter
> (no cash) syndication arrangement.
>
> Now, back to the original discussion...
>
That may be wrong but stations do not need to buy the whole series. They may buy only portions of it. Just because one thing is not correct doesn't negate this point.

Most recently I have done some analyst work for WCIU and I found they can pick up certain episodes alone (other series not just Simpsons if they want to run specials. I know from analysis of other stations I have worked with that The Simpsons can be sold in seasons.

 

[Markxxx]

> > If you have back to back showings
> > of Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Will & Grace, etc., why not
>
> > show consecutive episodes rather than episode 26 at 6 and
> > episode 62 at 6:30?
> >
> Don't know why they did this, other than to show different
> "eras" of a series, instead of being stuck in the same "era"
> for several days.
>
> This, of course, has been going on for many years -- in the
> early-1990s, WFTS ch.28 in Tampa Bay, while still a Fox
> affiliate, double-ran "Married With Children" and, I think,
> "Perfect Strangers". Very often, if the first episode in the
> double-run is a "To Be Continued", it continues the next day
> in that time slot, instead of coming up next. Very often,
> WFTS would show special dislaimers at the end of "To Be
> Continued" episodes, reminding viewers to tune in same time
> next day to see the conclusion.
>

I work in Six Sigman and have completed data for some stations. While not these reruns we have found that NOT doing consecutive shows, maxes revenue. Remember it is not important anymore to make money. You must make the MAXIMUM revenue for each episode.

If you make $100 profit for an episode where you could have made $101 this is considered a failure.

Many people have "eras" of shows they do not like. One I noticed was the era in Friends during the second year while Rachel and Ross were together. If someone watches a double back to back run and sees it is in that era he will tune out for the entire hour. If he sees the first run is from an era of Friends he likes he will more than likely (the percentage was around 54%) still tune in to the era he dislikes.

So you see by spliting the time frame it increases the viewing percentage. This is especially valid in long running series