Comments for Internet Fandom: Still Not Ready for Primetime

Internet Fandom: Still Not Ready for Primetime

2008-03-22T03:50:51Z

It was just a couple of days ago that CBS VP and Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Keane used fan-favorite "Jericho" as an example of why television networks should potentially begin to include web viewership in ratings numbers. As we wrote, Keane pointed out that "the online viewers of one episode [of 'Jericho'] boosted the ratings from 4.2 to 5.1 - nearly a whole percentage point." But the large web following wasn't enough to keep "Jericho" on the air -- today CBS axed the show.

]]> This is not the first time that "Jericho" has been canceled. After CBS first pulled the plug on it a year ago, incensed fans were able save the show from permanent cancellation because of a passionate online campaign, which famously culminated with fans sending 40,000 pounds of nuts to CBS. But as we've increasingly been finding out, a fervid online fanbase doesn't necessarily translate into a large following on the tube.

Last month we reported that web-to-TV drama "Quarterlife" had a less than stellar network TV debut. After the first episode drew disappointing Nielsen numbers, NBC canceled the show and moved the remaining episodes to cable channel Bravo.

So why doesn't a lage online following mean success offline? I can think of two reason. First, many media consumers on the Internet are just that, media consumers on the Internet. Yeah, they want more episodes of their favorite shows, but they want to keep consuming that content their way: via the web on sites like YouTube or BitTorrent. Which until online video monetization is figured out, may not really be feasible (a single episode of a scripted drama like "Jericho" can cost in the millions of dollars to produce).

Second, and perhaps more significantly, social networking tools have provided a means for people to organize more quickly and effectively around a shared passion than we've seen in the past. We noted last month that Facebook has been used to organize large political rallies and successful online fund drives, and we saw the same phenomenon in this year's US presidential elections. Specifically, Ron Paul supporters were able to use the web to effectively organize around their candidate and dominate coverage on online social media sites like Digg and YouTube, as well as raise a ton of money. But just like with the TV shows, that online movement didn't translate to offline support.

Simply, online tools have provided a way for a small group of impassioned people to make a lot of noise.

What do you think? Are there any other reasons why strong online numbers haven't translated well to the TV? Do you think Internet fandom will ever be ready for primetime? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Comment from Morgan on 2008-03-21

2008-03-22T04:07:49Z

They gave us a shot, I remember the CBS lady saying that the ratings would have to significantly improve to keep it on. Probably more of a shot than was deserved, oh well.

Comment from Homebizseo.com on 2008-03-21

2008-03-22T04:47:03Z

The internet fan base should also be watching the program. The networks should simulcast and have forums for fans to discuss the show. The networks are out of touch with most fans.

Comment from Jane on 2008-03-21

2008-03-22T04:59:08Z

It doesn't matter how many of us watched on TV because of the network's stupid dependence on Nielsen's. The truth is that CBS has no idea how many people actually watched each episode and neither does Nielsen.

Comment from terocious on 2008-03-21

2008-03-22T05:09:58Z

I could have gotten a hundred people to try the show if they did not have a nielsen box they did not count. If they tried it and liked it then 7 eps was not enough for them to get the word out to more people. (One of which might be nielsen viewer.)

The only way small groups of people on the web would make a lot of noise would be if the web was a small place which it isn't.

Comment from Duncan on 2008-03-21

2008-03-22T06:20:29Z

To be fair I don't think Jericho completely failed. CBS failed in the way it handled the show, from poor time slots, lack of marketing etc... Worse still the first three episodes of the current series were on BitTorrent before S02E01 even aired. Jericho's viewers got very use to watching the show online/ via download and this hurt ratings as well. As other commenters have said, a lot of the problem is Nielsen, not viewship.

Here's hoping that SciFi or another network picks it up, one of the few shows I watch these days.

Comment from David Dworsky on 2008-03-22

2008-03-22T13:24:12Z

When will we stop talking about internet content as one thing and TV content as something totally different? People like to watch quality video - it doesn't matter if they use a Mac Book Pro or a Sony Bravia screen. The distribution channel is one thing and the content is another.

To have a rating system that's only based on TV viewers is plain stupid. Some people like to watch on their computer, some like to sit in the TV sofa, some like to use the ipod, some use Youtube - it's the choice of the individual.

To separate the content as TV- versus Internet-video is just an old habit from a business that haven't been fast enough to embrace new technology. It's like saying that the text in a newspaper is more worth than the same text on the newspaper website. Internet fandom is primetime (or at least it should be).

Comment from Darren on 2008-03-22

2008-03-22T18:06:33Z

just another example of old media not understanding that they could of made a bundle via new media distribution.

I think they have also failed to realize that the dvd sales could still be huge for this.

I think TV networks that have something like this should just other it out to the other networks to see if anyone else wants to pick it up and continue to make it.

damn shame, just finished the first season in the UK and was looking forward to the second. I hope they end it well.

Comment from fanshawe on 2008-03-22

2008-03-22T20:46:21Z

Making a lot of noise does count for a lot in itself. It's free promo of a very genuine kind. It may not translate into instant numbers, especially on the scale primetime demands, but it generates new viewers who wouldn't ordinarily tune in on CBS at that time and much better DVD sales down the road. (DVD sales turned Firefly into a movie, remember?)

This may not be good enough for CBS at this point, but it's the way things will work a few years from now.

Comment from useful on 2008-03-22

2008-03-23T06:13:41Z

Part of the problem is that the show seems geared towards an audience born after 1980. A large majority of people under 28 consume online content and if their eyeballs dont count shows will continue to move towards older age groups and the 1980 group will move more and more away from television.

The networks are just killing themselves.

Comment from Gwen on 2008-03-22

2008-03-23T06:59:48Z

It was confirmed on Friday evening (3/21), on Shaun o'Mac's radio broadcast, that the show’s production company will be trying to find another home for Jericho. Most likely they will be looking at cable networks.

Gwen
http://www.jericho-kansas.com

Comment from Vectorpedia on 2008-03-23

2008-03-23T14:20:41Z

CBS should be looking at more of the internet viewing statistics.........I believe the rest of the media is paying attention.

Comment from Dan Mosqueda on 2008-03-24

2008-03-24T13:14:33Z

I worked for about 5 years in advertising. I don't think anyone has cracked the code on why a given show becomes a break-away hit. It just happens. There are so many variables, including time slot, genre, quality, and the list goes on.

I recall trying to work hard at specifically build up our female audience on one radio network by encouraging a specific female-oriented show. The show didn't make it, but we did see a bump up in the numbers of female listeners overall. We don't know if the show helped, or was it the campaign?

More cynically, I tend to think a show like Jericho appealed to the wrong audience for Hollywood, that is it provided thought-provoking content which tended to make a more liberal stance by politicians seem like a poor choice, even though the show tries to make references to Halliburton and a jack-booted military. In the end, it shows how its characters had to really think about the US Constitution and the core values under which the US was founded, regardless of one's political persuasion. See http://danmosqueda.blogspot.com/2008/03/cbss-jericho-constitutional-dilemma.html for an example of how thought-provoking Jericho really was.

Comment from SaveJake on 2008-03-24

2008-03-24T14:04:14Z

Thank you Dan, I agree.
I also believe that 700,000 online viewers are much stronger numbers than those of Nielson. There are 12,000 Nielson boxes in homes and about 25,000 write-in households. The truth is they speak for millions of people. You will see it doesn't matter what is being shown at 10PM on Tuesday night of your local network...As long as you're a Nielsen, if the TV with the box is turned to a certain channel at that time that's the network that gets your vote! Whether it's a local news update or voting numbers coming in it is counted towards the program that should have aired in that timeslot. The majority of Americans are not Nielsens...Therefore we do not count in any way.

Comment from ProgGrrl on 2008-03-24

2008-03-24T14:12:26Z

I feel the issue here is the quality of the product, not the internet. SNAKES ON A PLANE was one of the best film titles to head down the pipeline in a gazillion years; the internet noticed right away and let their imagination run wild. Yet the final product...well, it sucked. JERICHO turned out to have the not-big-enough-for-network ratings afterall, despite the very eager defense by internet fandom. QUARTERLIFE was not any sort of internet sensation before making the jump - it had good timing, coming along during a moment in the WGA strike when NBC was starving for new material. Not sure why anyone expected it to suddenly be a TV hit if viewers could already watch it online, with little effort, any time day or night.

Where in your arguement is there room for the extremely successful online/viral marketing of LOST, CLOVERFIELD, HEROES, and an immense number of music concerts and live events?

Another factor: illegal downloading of products, which is doubtlessly eating into the results of all these campaigns.

In the political arena, again I'm not sure a marginal candidate like Paul is the best example. Howard Dean, who was much more successful during 2004 until the infamous scream, already proved what online campaigning can achieve. And that was just the beginning.

Comment from Hessie Jones on 2008-03-25

2008-03-25T19:33:15Z

The networks have to realize that reach on TV cannot be measured in isolation especially these days when consumers have other formats that they're viewing shows, whether it be downloaded or streamed directly from the web. Hello! the world of IPTV is coming! Neilson Ratings is not the be-all end-all. Move with the times and listen to your users and measure success based on where your users are consuming your programs.

Comment from dmitri on 2008-03-25

2008-03-25T19:51:17Z

Look at Prison break. An hour after the show, there are about 10-20K hits on each torrent site to download that episode(1 hour!!)
It's incredible.
Futurama was similar in the sense that more people were watching it online than on TV,TV show producers failed to see the loyalty and canceled the show,just to meet with 10s of thousands of emails to the network