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iTunes Credited with Boosting Primetime Ratings
grandgator writes "TV Week reports on NBC's claims that iTunes downloads are boosting ratings for their primetime shows. Citing one example 'NBC's "The Office" delivered a 5.1-its highest ratings ever-last Thursday among adults 18 to 49, a bump the network credits in large part to the show's popularity as an iPod download. Such a connection between podcast success and broadcast ratings success is particularly significant because the NBC data is among the first available evidence of what network executives have been gambling on when striking their new media deals-that the new video platforms are additive because they provide more entry points into a show for consumers.'"
The article must mean that the ratings have declined due to rampant piracy. Why would anyone watch something off the tv if they can pirate it from the iTunes online store.
Speaking of The Office (original version), and iTunes. Ricky Gervais has a podcast. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/rickygervais/
Although I'm fairly disappointed in the way Apple delivers their TV content (too small, can't burn to DVD, etc), iTunes is the reason I have started to tune into shows such as The Office.
Moreover, it's the only (legal) way I can watch Battlestar Galactica on a weekly basis.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
*Gasp* *Shock* *Horror* Do you really mean that if you give the viewers what they want, they will be happy? No way, I don't believe you!
How long will it now take before we start seeing iTunes Payola. Networks eager to get their shows on people's ipods will certainly be tempted to try to strike special deals to make their shows more easily obtainable. They may try to offer Apple cash, try to reduce the cost to consumers, or try to find ways to get their links on the front page. If it happens, can an individual state try to take action against the practice? This may turn out to be another interesting episode of the theatre of greed.
But all I can say is that it doesn't surprise me at all.
When the video is available from iTMS, it's uncoupled from the network schedule. You can send an episode to a friend as a gift. You can buy one show and see whether you want any more, and the critical thing is, you can watch it anytime you want. It's a whole new ball game.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Before, I had to watch TV for free on that terrifying screen that was so easy on my eyes. Now I can pay money to watch it on a tiny screen that I have to hold in a viewable position for 40 consecutive minutes.
No wonder video iPods are such a hit.
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Well, iTunes shows also lack commercials and also go online the very next day. But these are legal and download a hell of a lot faster then they would on BT.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
Um, it could be that some people believe in paying for something that isn't theirs, and that they may perceive IRC and Bittorrent to be stealing? I know, these wacky oldsters with their fax machines and hula hoops and libertarian ideas about property rights ...
The Independent: Reverend Spooner Arrested in Friar Tuck Incident - ISIHAC, Historical Headlines
...Fox would have pulled their collective heads out of their universal ass before they cancelled Arrested Development and podcasted it to supplement the ratings.
I suppose at its best, you could have a world where people get out of their cars, saving the air, and use the travel time on public transit to do their TV watching.
At its worst, there'll be alot of iPod video junkies strung out waiting for their next hit.
TV anywhere and everywhere, the new opiate for the masses.
I'm glad to see the success of The Office online. Overall, I suppose NBC (or whoever made the decision within NBC to iTunes-enable their primetime) should be congratulated for their forsight.
A few things I wonder about though:
1. now that NBC's taken this (presumably risky, in their minds) step in new-fangled distribution, and now that they've seen some early signs of success, will they now believe they invented this new medium and start demanding higher pricing, forced purchase of "blocks" of episodes, or -gasp- more DRM restrictions from Jobs & co?
2. Does anyone know the story behind NBC's decision to go iTunes in the first place? I'm just guessing here, but I'm thinking there was a rebel executive somewhere who had to do jump through hoops to convince management that this was a good choice. Of course, that just might be jaded old me predisposed to think the worst of labels and studios based on their traditional less-than-progressive stances on anything that challenges their conventional wisdom.
3. I wonder at what point is it financially worth it for a studio to produce a "TV" show and sell it exclusively off-air. For example, Arrested Development is one of the most brilliant shows to come on in years, but it's doing rather poorly in viewer ratings. Conceivably, if it sold on iTunes, and DVD & iTunes sales were strong enough, would a studio ever have enough balls to make a TV show that wasn't distributed on TV?
It should be obvious that distribution of a show, legal or otherwise, is going to get more people watching it. But no network exec would write a press release saying, "thanks to internet piracy, more people have heard of and are watching our show".
But now that iTunes is offering their shows (and paying them for every download) they're suddenly very keen to advertise the positive role that the internet can play in increasing exposure to their programmes.
Overall, though, it's definitely a good thing. Any press that demonstrates that internet downloads can benefit tv corporations as well as harming them increases the chance of a decent compromise between illegal file-sharing and drm'ed-to-the-gills restrictive legal downloads.
"TV Week reports on NBC's claims that iTunes downloads are boosting ratings for their primetime shows."
This comes after weeks long scandals by the TV networks that the iPod videos would ruin their ratings.
Well this is great, because MPAA and RIAA will finally acknowledge the need for legal instant internet movie downloads, and stop claiming that piracy costs them in the billions ignoring the promotion value! Not.
Well, I can give my testimonial. I'm in a professional school in a different country than the US, so I can't really watch US TV shows. However, I downloaded shows like Lost and The Office from iTunes and have fell in love with them. I wish Apple would put you on an auto-purchase thing where it would download the next show as soon as its ready. I don't even know what night or day of the week these shows play.
Are you sure? I can download through bittorrent at about 1.3MBytes/s and most content servers max out at 500KBytes/s.
Saying that, I would be happy paying for TV shows/Films if the quality is high and the DRM is acceptable, but no such service exists (I pay for all my music at emusic.com which has no DRM and the bitrates are fair), until then I will download my TV shows for free.
"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
...someone needs to add "Firefly" to iTunes, pronto.
Libertarians support government-enforced monopolies restricting certain forms of speech for corporate profit? Interesting.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
"ITunes is one way to bring fresh eyeballs to the network, he said, in particular the younger demo that uses video iPods."
Don't you find it especially intimidating TV execs when they refer to people as eyeballs?
I am so sick of Fox being the network where great shows go to die.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
I have yet to buy an iPod video yet, and I won't till they get the Daily Show on iTunes. However, I won't pay $1.99 per episode to get it, but I would LOVE for some type of subscription service, ie for somewhere less than $100 per year I could get that show delivered to me automatically on my iPod. It would be awesome for commuters if they could get up in the morning, grab their iPod from it's dock and take the train/bus/whatever and watch the previous nights Daily Show.
Pipedreams I guess....
Monstar L
Okay now this makes absolutely no sense at all. Downloading tv-shows from Bittorrent declined the ratings, but downloading from iTunes actually increases ratings?
How are those two different? (aside from the money factor)
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I keep pinching myself in utter disbelief that the furture has come where a-la-carte programming would be real. Now it is and I can watch my favorite shows anywhere I want. iTunes is a direct download service with no viruses, dead torrent links, tracker downtime, RIAA threats, slow downloads, or any bothersome thing like that. Video quality is so nice on my 17" CRT monitor that it's just like watching a TV rip but better quality since there's no logo's anywhere or scrolling text, or weather updates or any crap like that. I tell ya, I wouldn't have it any other way. Freedom from commericals, folks. It's the read deal and I couldn't be any happier. NBC/ABC has all the good shows anyway like Lost, BSG, Monk, and The Office so we're not missing much from the other loser networks that refuse to join up with iTunes. That free Monk episode and SNL skit was just the icing on the cake.
/hugs Steve Jobs. =)....
As for buying all episodes on iTunes, that would be a mistake. I plan on buying Monk on DVD & ripping it so I can watch it again (some for the first time) on my PC. Too much glare watching it on an iPod but for long road trips life without it would be unbarable. But from time to time, like an SNL skit for example, it can't be beat.
You mean it has nothing to do with being in a better time slot? I think putting it on Thursday nights has more to do with the ratings increase than anything...
One man's Funny is another man's Offtopic.
It's not that different: if everyone did that, commercial TV would either die or find alternatives, such as product placements, adverts spliced more closely into the shows or going subscription-based. We have another alternative here (UK) of state-funded, advert-free TV.
That said, it is clearly more wrong to illegaly download copies of shows, when there is a legal alternative which provides the makers of the show with income, than it is to skip the adverts electronically. At present, advertisers know that most people don't watch the adverts very much anyway, which is why they go out of their way to make them grab attention - loud, bright, odd, funny etc.
Oops, actually that's the rating in the 18-49 demographic - so 5.1% of 18 - 49 year olds watched the show. You also get household ratings, which just tell you what percentage of households watched a show. So while a show may get a household rating of 3, it might get a 18-49 of 5 - meaning that the show is more popular among people 18 - 49 than against the population in general.
18-49 is considered a good demographic to target - as they do most of the spending.
At some point, somewhere, the entire internet will be found to be illegal.
No, it isn't for morons. It is for people who don't steal and (far more importantly) people who don't have time to waste looking for a bit torrent link that works and is offering something of quality.
The other Friday I missed Battlestar Galactica. Sure, I could have done what I used to do was the fuck around with BT to get it. Instead though, I just threw them 2 bucks, which for a guy with a job is nothing, and got a good quality version without any hassle.
Hell, the reason why I will pay for a TV show is the same reason why I will pay for a videogame. First, I don't want to be a douche and not give the people who made it their due. Second, it is just a hell of a lot easier to simply buy what you want then to screw around trying to download it.
At this point, the only thing I am waiting for now is for all TV programming to be offered free, any time, but with commercials. It is down right archaic that I need to be in front of the television at a certain time to watch a show. I should be able to watch it whenever I damn well please with commercials. Just disable the fastforward function while viewing commercials and you have something as good as normal TV.
PMPs finally make it possible for me to come in the next day and say, "hey, you've got to watch this clip from last night's Office." I would certainly get more people to start watching the show by actually showing them part of the show than by possibly injuring someone with my horrible Dwight impersonation.
Is something burning?
Oh, it's my karma.
" Although I'm fairly disappointed in the way Apple delivers their TV content (too small, can't burn to DVD, etc)"
While I'm not going to disagree with you about the DVD aspect (this bit me in the ass yesterday as I was trying to get a few friends to watch BSG on my Mac -- my screen is almost as big as my TV -- but in the wrong room).
BUT it actually seems pretty decent to me. While watching the Resurrection Ship PtII episode -- I ended up seeing details that I didn't earlier (such as the cy-clones floating into space as their ship was disintegrating around them -- in the hotel room I originally watched it I just saw debris). Yeah it's Lossy (and so is DVD...but less so), but it scales pretty well. Personally I'm amazed at how much quality they can pack into a 'too small' package...then again, I just ordered BSG Season 1 on DVD and will probably do so for 2 as soon as that's over.
Finally, Appointment Viewing is Dead! iTunes and Tivo and PVR's have killed it.
Part of the reason series like BSG are so good, is because the writers know that the don't have clean up the story in the last ten minutes. In fact the last ten minutes become a good time to "frack-up" everything we've come to know and trust.
This is a boring sig
The 3 factors that are different from iTunes and usenet/BT are:
1. Cost. Xvids are free. iPod format (what are they, Quicktime?) are $2 per ep
2. Quality. Xvids are 480p or 720p. iPod format is like 240p?
3. Choice. usenet/BT has just about anything on it includign HBO and SHOWTIME shows. iTunes has limited selection of NBC and ABC shows.
If iTunes wre cheaper, say, $20/month flat fee unltd downloads (a la Netflix) and had a wide range of shows, would anyone bother to watch live?
Hell, why do people watch live NOW? Why not just DVR it?
This works for books as well. Eric Flint and other authors reported increased sales after they had some books released for free on the Baen Free Library.
Including paper copies of the same novels they'd released as free eBooks!
There have been several comments here I want to address:
We taped The Office last week but the tape ran out halfway through. So the next day I check on iTunes and sure enough, there was the episode. $2 and a few minutes later it was playing on my TV (and it looked great).
I guess I could have searched for a clean copy of it on IRC or BT, but I value my time pretty highly. To be a better value than $2, I would pretty much have to find it the instant I started looking. That's both a) pretty unlikely and b) exactly what happened on iTunes anyway.
TV shows on iTunes were definitely worth it for me. I can't say I'll be buying every show--more likely I'll just use it when I miss a show I wanted to see. For the cost of a Coke and candy bar I'll now be able to get it easily.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
ABC has done "catch up" episodes for Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Lost. These should be free downloads on iTunes to snag more viewers.
I kicked myself for a year because I never started watching Lost. When I subscribed to NetFlix, the first thing I got was Lost season 1. I finished around Christmas, got a video iPod for Christmas, then the first thing I bought on iTunes was all of the season 2 episodes so far ($18?). I actually watched them all on my 42" HDTV with my iPod. Quality wasn't much worse than my analog TV channels (a little artifacting in dark scenes). I finally caught up, so now I can watch the first run episodes in HD, so I won't be buying them on iTunes (unless I forget to DVR them).
ABC (and Disney and ESPN) and NBC are aligned with Apple/iTunes. CBS has gone with Google. Fox is just sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Where is 24, Arrested Development, etc.?
I DVR everything I watch (dual tuner Motorola HDTV DVR box with Comcast digital cable). I also have a TV tuner on my computer and the software where I can record TV shows then convert them to iPod video format. I haven't tried the DVD rippers/re-encoders yet.
I don't have a problem with $2 per episode because I don't intend to ever use iTunes as my primary way of watching a TV series -- I see using it to (a) catch up with shows I haven't been watching, (b) try out new shows by picking popular episodes, (c) be able to buy a show that I missed for some reason.
IMO, iTunes would be selling movies if it wasn't for the fact that an iPod will only show about 2 hours of video on a fresh charge. People would be pissed if they bought a movie that they couldn't watch on a single charge. Unfortunately, this just means my 30GB video iPod will be obsolete when they release one with a longer battery life.
You can use a $10 camcorder video cable to watch iPod videos on TV, but you have to ignore the cable's color coding.
For $300, Apple should include a video cable and a wall charger.
Kudos for Google to support iPod downloads on Google Video (the free ones at least).
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness
The success of the Office on iTunes is probably because it can be enjoyed even if you watch only a few minutes at at time. You don't need to sit through the entire show to enjoy it. You can just watch a few minutes.
And that probably suits the mobile nature of iPod viewing.
And it might be a good show to buy if you want to show off your new iPod to friends because you can always find a good little short scene that you can show whenever someone is asking about the video capabilities of your new iPod. And this probably matters quite a bit at the moment. Most of the 8 million videos that Steve Jobs claimed were sold are probably bought by people who bought just one episode to check out what it's all about.
The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
I'll tell you what I just want some "Doctor Who." I get sick and tired of downloading them from through Bit Torrent. I am an American and I want me some real BBC content and not this watered down BBC America rubbish!!!!
"Help me Obi-/.-Kenobi,your my only hope!" -$