TV shows with international audience priority

Page 1 of 3123>
April 14th, 2015 at 8:29:11 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Movies like "Transformers: Age of Extinction" which made $301m in China eclipsing the $245m in Northern America box office. Other films like "Interstella" which has made $122m in China are getting close to the North American boxoffice. Other films like Pacific Rim seem to be made primarily for the Asian boxoffice.



Kristin Kreuk, the charming Canadian actress is obviously about half Chinese. Even by the standards of the CW network, her new show is getting horrible ratings, The second season barely broke a million viewers. Unlike Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project the critical reviews are also bad. But surprisingly it has been renewed for a fourth season, even before the third season premiered.

I think TV is now moving in the same direction as movies. The decision to keep a series on broadcast is now being dictated by the aftermarket in other countries.

While the foreign market has always been significant for TV series, as even I Love Lucy plays endlessly around the world. But I think this idea is relatively new about keeping a show on the air based pm it's international audience. I have to wonder if "The Mindy Project" with it's very low ratings is on the air because of the resale in India.
April 14th, 2015 at 8:56:13 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
I finally saw Pacific Rim on HBO last week
and it was awful. I FF'd thru most of it,
it was that bad. I liked Godzilla much
better.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
April 14th, 2015 at 9:14:13 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18633
Quote: Pacomartin
I have to wonder if "The Mindy Project" with it's very low ratings is on the air because of the resale in India.


Definitely some logic to that idea.
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
April 15th, 2015 at 2:56:13 AM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Pacomartin


I think TV is now moving in the same direction as movies. The decision to keep a series on broadcast is now being dictated by the aftermarket in other countries.

While the foreign market has always been significant for TV series, as even I Love Lucy plays endlessly around the world. But I think this idea is relatively new about keeping a show on the air based pm it's international audience. I have to wonder if "The Mindy Project" with it's very low ratings is on the air because of the resale in India.


29 years ago "Baywatch" was canceled then brought back based on overseas demand. It became profitable here after it stuck around a little longer, though I have yet to watch one episode.

The market in the USA these days is probably so fragmented that this becomes a viable strategy. The water cooler show thing is never coming back, so have to find a way to make the cash. I can see some international markets, particularly Asian, who still think "if it is on American TV it must be good so lets watch it" same as Americans always thought all Japanese cars were high quality.
The President is a fink.
April 15th, 2015 at 10:05:30 AM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
Yep, Baywatch was huge in the UK...
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
April 16th, 2015 at 8:49:18 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: AZDuffman
The market in the USA these days is probably so fragmented that this becomes a viable strategy. The water cooler show thing is never coming back, so have to find a way to make the cash. I can see some international markets, particularly Asian, who still think "if it is on American TV it must be good so lets watch it" same as Americans always thought all Japanese cars were high quality.


The economics is somewhat elusive.

The cable show Art's and Entertainment began a series tow years called "Bate's Motel" which is a prequel to the Psycho movie starring two well regarded young actors Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore. The first season it had 2.75 million total viewers. 2.3 million for the second season and 1.8 million for the third season. Those numbers are fairly high for a cable show, where A&E gets $1 million per month for every penny that it can raise it's subscription fee to 100 million cable, satellite, plus Verizon and AT&T. They will have 30 episodes this May. Even if ratings drop below 1 million viewers, I can see them pushing on to get 50 episodes to have a product to sell to streaming services for binge watching. Because it is a thriller, it's appeal to audiences that speak little English should be reasonable.

But Beauty and the Beast is already down to 800,000 average viewers in it's second season. The network only has advertising money, and a little re-transmission fee from cable and satellite companies. The rush to renew the show for not just one , but two seasons seems risky. I don't think there are any other Northern American TV shows with a pretty half Chinese woman in a starring role, but it seems like they are risking a lot on future earnings.

Of course if you can get 1% of the Chinese nation to watch a TV show, that is 13.4 million viewers (more than all but a few hit TV shows in northern America) . A number of actors of Chinese ethnicity have played in US TV shows for decades, but they are usually character actors, and not the glamorous lead.

April 16th, 2015 at 12:18:07 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
I wonder if reruns of Kung Fu ever played
well in China.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
April 16th, 2015 at 12:25:54 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Pacomartin
The economics is somewhat elusive.

The cable show Art's and Entertainment began a series tow years called "Bate's Motel" which is a prequel to the Psycho movie starring two well regarded young actors Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore. The first season it had 2.75 million total viewers. 2.3 million for the second season and 1.8 million for the third season. Those numbers are fairly high for a cable show, where A&E gets $1 million per month for every penny that it can raise it's subscription fee to 100 million cable, satellite, plus Verizon and AT&T. They will have 30 episodes this May. Even if ratings drop below 1 million viewers, I can see them pushing on to get 50 episodes to have a product to sell to streaming services for binge watching. Because it is a thriller, it's appeal to audiences that speak little English should be reasonable.


Life and times change. Fragmentation is here. Producers are going to have to find a way to get a few million here and another 30 million is several other markets. Let that cobble together a market, then live on Netflix. Days of "Seinfeld" and "L.A. Law" getting killer audiences are gone forever.

On the bottom side are Youtubers and indie "channels" that are stream-only. Many are quite good. They get a small income but they live off of it. Viewers get fewer commercials. Meanwhile the top is cut right off as it will be hard to pay the cast $1MM each when you are getting just 10MM an episode on first-run.
The President is a fink.
April 16th, 2015 at 1:08:58 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
I have to wonder if "The Mindy Project" with it's very low ratings is on the air because of the resale in India.


No need to keep it on the air in America for that, Just keep selling it to India.

Some series don't travel at all. "Seinfeld" was never popular in Mexico. I recall watching about 5 minutes of a dubbed episode and didn't laugh once. When I read the subtitles (mostly I ignore them, but I can't see word or phrase and not read it), they mostly seemed to belong to a different show.

Overall few US sitcoms are ever shown in Mexico for the local market, dubbed or otherwise. Mostly they exist on cable. To give you an idea, when "Back to the Future" premiered, many people here remarked on the casting of Michael J. Fox in the lead, as he was, obviously, completely unknown. This was at a time when he co-starred in "Family Ties."
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
April 16th, 2015 at 1:24:46 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: AZDuffman
Meanwhile the top is cut right off as it will be hard to pay the cast $1MM each when you are getting just 10MM an episode on first-run.


I don't think any TV show earns $10 million in it's first airing. I suppose it depends on if you are talking 30 minutes or 60 minutes. TBBT was earning $344,827 for a 30 second spot, and I doubt they can get more than 16 commercials into a half hour show. NBC's sophomore series "The Blacklist" was probably the highest advertising price for a one hour scripted show at $282,975 for a 30 second spot.

Partly the reason that the stars of TBBT can be paid $1 million apiece, is that the show brings up the ratings of whatever sitcom is shown after it. So a show like "The Millers" is a huge hit, but it tanks and is cancelled when they try to move it to another time slot Right now "The Odd couple" is the second most popular sitcom on broadcast, but much of that depends on it following TBBT.

The other reason, of course, is that syndication rights have proven that the each new episode will generate huge revenue for decades.

Eric McCormack, after being the lead on the hugely popular Will and Grace did two series for TNT, one of which lasted 13 episodes, and the second for 39 episodes.Of course, he may have been paid very well for doing those shows, possibly as well as he did for Will and Grace.
Page 1 of 3123>