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Should TV Networks Put Pilots Online For Judgement Like Amazon Is Doing?
An anonymous reader writes "EW debates how broadcasters might (and might not) benefit from letting the Internet help decide which of their pilots get series orders (like Amazon is doing with their new original content efforts). If NBC had posted its pilots online, would we have been spared 'Animal Practice'? It's an interesting idea, but not without faults: 'According to Nielsen’s research, the vast majority of TV viewing is still on a traditional set. Having pilots judged by online viewers would give networks a skewed sense of what might work in the fall — the entire broadcast schedule might be nothing but sci-fi shows, tween-lit adaptions and whatever Joss Whedon wants to do ... "If something isn’t picked up, for whatever reason, but people really liked it, that could be a problem," one network insider said. "Or if people hated something, and we pick it up — again, for whatever reason — you’re starting off on a bad note." ... Noted a major network programming researcher: "Great pilots don’t always make great television series." Conversely, if you’re a network executive, you usually don’t need millions of people to tell you a show sucks."
Internet may give you a skewed audience, but there's nothing saying you couldn't just create a large base set of pilots, show all the pilots during a set of "Preview Weeks!" at the beginning of the year, or over the summer, and then pick up those ones that poll well or reasonably for the fall semester.
Because they don't offer a product he wants.
If HBO would offer an rss feed to torrents of Game Of Thrones that they approve of, I would pay far out the ass. I will pay slightly less for HBO go without cable, and nothing at all for HBO on cable.
I'm paying for HBO on cable because I am willing to pay for what they offer, but I still get their stuff via SickBeard and watch it off my NAS because it's way more convenient. Something for them to think about.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...