Were The Networks Wrong To "Abandon" Saturday Nights??

[LKellerIII]

I suspect a number of people on this board are the average 33-year-old of 40 years ago... I wouldn't have a problem with it if it weren't for a) everyone else having a problem with it despite being told the same things over and over (because people can't just be not reading the thread, right?) and b) the implication that people today live much different lives than at any other time and place in the television era. I did bring up some reasons why that might be the case, but not all of it fits together, though we do seem to be working more total hours...

40 years ago, I was 21, single, and rarely home on Saturday nights. IIRC, there was a lot of good programming, but since this was the pre-VCR era, it was programming that I did not see.

There are so many more choices now - not only at home with DVRs, video rentals, streaming,etc. - but more things for people to do out in the world. At least here in the San Francisco Bay Area, there has been an explosion in the number of trendy restaurants, bars, and venues in which to hear music. So there are more reasons to be out of the house on a Friday or Saturday night. I'll concede that we may be a special case, brecause of all the affluence and "high-tech" money here. But nevertheless, it's got to be a factor.

 

[justpassingthough]

I suspect a number of people on this board are the average 33-year-old of 40 years ago... I wouldn't have a problem with it if it weren't for a) everyone else having a problem with it despite being told the same things over and over (because people can't just be not reading the thread, right?) and b) the implication that people today live much different lives than at any other time and place in the television era. I did bring up some reasons why that might be the case, but not all of it fits together, though we do seem to be working more total hours...

This is not an implication that the average 33 year old lives differently now than 40 years ago. Its fact. In the 1950s, the average age for marriage was 18 for women, and 19 for men. Today, it is 27 for women and 28 for men. Not to mention, there are now more single than married people in the United States for the first time ever. If you don't think these demographic shifts don't have huge repercussions for society and the way that people socialize, then you aren't very in tune with society. Forty years ago, people stayed at home on Saturday and watched tv because they were single income families with little disposable income and usually several children. I'm 32, single and childless- forty years ago, my grandparents were married for 14 years, had six children and lived on one income. They were normal back then, they would be an anomaly now.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Ever think that the viewership on Saturdays has gone down because of the crap the Nets program? I would bet viewership would go back up if Saturday night programing once again raised to the quality of...(and he named several hit shows that were broadcast on Saturday nights in the 1970's)

Actually, that's my opinion.

Good mass-appeal shows can work, even on Saturdays. These days, they may need more promotion that in the past, but I still think it can be done.

 

[TheBigA]

Ever think that the viewership on Saturdays has gone down because of the crap the Nets program?

No. If they put great programming on Saturday nights, I'll watch it some other time, not live.

Nets only get credit if it's watched within 3 days of live broadcast. Chances are I wouldn't get to it until Wednesday, which is outside their window.

So there's absolutely no reason for the nets to invest a lot of money in Saturday night. And we definitely won't be going back to Carol Burnett or 50s-style variety shows. The toothpaste has long since left the tube.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

I suspect a number of people on this board are the average 33-year-old of 40 years ago... I wouldn't have a problem with it if it weren't for a) everyone else having a problem with it despite being told the same things over and over (because people can't just be not reading the thread, right?) and b) the implication that people today live much different lives than at any other time and place in the television era. I did bring up some reasons why that might be the case, but not all of it fits together, though we do seem to be working more total hours...

This is not an implication that the average 33 year old lives differently now than 40 years ago. Its fact. In the 1950s, the average age for marriage was 18 for women, and 19 for men. Today, it is 27 for women and 28 for men. Not to mention, there are now more single than married people in the United States for the first time ever. If you don't think these demographic shifts don't have huge repercussions for society and the way that people socialize, then you aren't very in tune with society. Forty years ago, people stayed at home on Saturday and watched tv because they were single income families with little disposable income and usually several children. I'm 32, single and childless- forty years ago, my grandparents were married for 14 years, had six children and lived on one income. They were normal back then, they would be an anomaly now.

also an increasing number of childless couples, families having fewer kids, birth control, the birth rate is also declining and families at home on Saturday evenings have cable, DVDs, or streaming services for family entertainment, they don't need to rely on the networks

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Ever think that the viewership on Saturdays has gone down because of the crap the Nets program? I would bet viewership would go back up if Saturday night programing once again raised to the quality of...(and he named several hit shows that were broadcast on Saturday nights in the 1970's)

Actually, that's my opinion.

Good mass-appeal shows can work, even on Saturdays. These days, they may need more promotion that in the past, but I still think it can be done.

people were just DVR them and watch them days later

 

[K6JHU]

I'm one of those who save my Netflix DVD for Saturday night since there is nothing on.

 

[LKellerIII]

I'm one of those who save my Netflix DVD for Saturday night since there is nothing on.

Same here - or DVRed shows from the previous week I haven't yet seen. I typically end up picking programs to delete from my DVR because it's getting full, and I just don't have the time to watch all of the shows I like.

If they ran good programming on Saturday night, it would just be more TV I would never get around to watching. And even at my advanced age, I still go out on Saturday night from time to time.

 

[michael hagerty]

And here's the Catch-22 for them about DVRs. While the nets are happy to have viewing however they can get it, they know that 18-49 year olds generally work, and have limited TV viewing hours.

The DVR replay has to happen within 3 days for them to get credit. And the replay of that recorded show would likely be at a time when there's another one of their shows they'd like you to watch. So adding shows to your DVR queue is actually counter-productive for them.

 

[TheBigA]

The DVR replay has to happen within 3 days for them to get credit. And the replay of that recorded show would likely be at a time when there's another one of their shows they'd like you to watch.

What we see is that more than half of the DVR plays of shows takes place on the weekend. Perhaps this is why NBC did replays of its popular reality show The Voice on Sunday nights. It was obviously cheaper than doing a fresh show too. But it acted as a set-up and promotional tool for the live shows on Monday & Tuesday.

 

[Morgan Wick]

Don't forget that networks only care if you watch the commercials, too.

 

[justpassingthough]

The DVR replay has to happen within 3 days for them to get credit. And the replay of that recorded show would likely be at a time when there's another one of their shows they'd like you to watch.

What we see is that more than half of the DVR plays of shows takes place on the weekend. Perhaps this is why NBC did replays of its popular reality show The Voice on Sunday nights. It was obviously cheaper than doing a fresh show too. But it acted as a set-up and promotional tool for the live shows on Monday & Tuesday.

I don't know if the point you were trying to make is that people are watching TV on the weekend, but they're time shifting, and if given great programming, they may tune in on Saturday night. However, the time shifting basically means that people are watching 60 different shows over the course of two days and aren't watching anything in aggregate numbers that would justify the expensive of producing another night of programming.

 

[michael hagerty]

The DVR replay has to happen within 3 days for them to get credit. And the replay of that recorded show would likely be at a time when there's another one of their shows they'd like you to watch.

What we see is that more than half of the DVR plays of shows takes place on the weekend. Perhaps this is why NBC did replays of its popular reality show The Voice on Sunday nights. It was obviously cheaper than doing a fresh show too. But it acted as a set-up and promotional tool for the live shows on Monday & Tuesday.

I don't know if the point you were trying to make is that people are watching TV on the weekend, but they're time shifting, and if given great programming, they may tune in on Saturday night. However, the time shifting basically means that people are watching 60 different shows over the course of two days and aren't watching anything in aggregate numbers that would justify the expensive of producing another night of programming.

Minor point: "On the weekend" doesn't necessarily mean in prime time. They have all day Saturday and Sunday.

 

[TheBigA]

However, the time shifting basically means that people are watching 60 different shows over the course of two days and aren't watching anything in aggregate numbers that would justify the expensive of producing another night of programming.

Well, actually they're watching in numbers that justifies the expense of doing reality shows. But there is less money for scripted dramas and the kinds of shows people remember from the past.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I saw where the movie Saige Paints the Sky was available on DVD at Wal Mart now. Is it possible that the company that produced the movie and/or Wal Mart bought the time to promote it?

 

[ixnay]

Sorry if this has been asked on this thread, but since CBS is *no longer* sister to Paramount, the Eye has nothing to lose by "reclaiming" Saturday night. Why doesn't it?

ixnay

 

[LKellerIII]

Sorry if this has been asked on this thread, but since CBS is *no longer* sister to Paramount, the Eye has nothing to lose by "reclaiming" Saturday night. Why doesn't it?

ixnay

If you'll read some of the previous postings, your answer to that will be provided. In a changed world in which people in the desirable demographic have a lot of free time and disposable income for outside (the home) entertainment, and not enough time to watch all the shows they DVR on the other 6 days, it makes no economic sense for any of the networks to produce shows for Saturday night. Whether any network does or does not own a movie studio has nothing to do with it

 

[michael hagerty]

What Llew said.

And I picked up a vibe from a couple of comments that suggests a misconception, so I'll clear it up:

There is no such thing as "a commercial on network TV in prime time costs at least [blank]."

Commercial rates are based on audience projections. The smaller the audience, the lower the ad rate. And if you actually have significantly fewer people than your projection, you owe the advertiser a partial refund based on the shortfall or free "make-good" advertising...time you could actually be selling for money.

It's not a case of "Why waste a show by putting it on when fewer people are watching?"...it's if a show costs x to produce but you can only make a quarter of x, you don't do it.

Taking a show that already paid for itself earlier in the week and wringing a few more bucks out of it on Saturday night is a smart business move.

 

[BMR]

Don't most European countries have more vacation time, both during the day and throughout the year?

Generally, yes. European nations typically have government-specified benefits which include time off: vacations (typically in August), maternity leave (for both husbands and wives) and working hours (Bavaria, Germany for instance typically works a half-day Friday).

And France has a 35 hour week. The UK, however, works longer hours than most european countries http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/dec/08/europe-working-hours

BTW the UK's saturday night was a bit of a wasteland until fairly recently. it's only when X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Britain's got talent launched that ratings began to improve

 

[TheBigA]

BTW the UK's saturday night was a bit of a wasteland until fairly recently. it's only when X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Britain's got talent launched that ratings began to improve

Keep in mind those are reality shows, which are cheap to produce. If they weren't such ratings hits here, they'd be prime candidates for Saturday nights here too. But they make more money airing during the week. As others in this thread have said, no one will put a hit show in Saturday because it'll make more money on another night.