"F*** IT, WE'LL DO IT LIVE"

It's no secret that the media landscape is changing. Sitting and watching television programs in real time is declining thanks to the internet, DVR, and smartphones/tablets. Much of the target market for   programs (young adults) do not prescribe to the typical "let's sit down and watch tv together" type of thing. Sure, we have our few select shows that force us to congregate around the tv (cough cough sporting events, American Horror Story, and How to Get Away with Murder), but we typically create our own tv schedule around our "hectic lives" and indulge in binge watching. 

Sidebar: Yesterday, I watched five episodes from Season 3 of Parks and Rec because I could. Thank you, Netflix. Today, I congregated around the tv to watch the Eagles game with some goldfish and mango slices, so there isn't much co-viewing going on. 

This spurred a huge shift in the television landscape. Enter Netflix and online streaming. Also, to mimic our binge-watching habits, things like TLC Bride Day plays nothing but Say Yes to the Dress on Fridays. Let's not forget USA's Law and Order: SVU marathons that occur at least four times in a given week. You sit down for one, you get up after six.

Networks have adjusted, however, and it's been really intriguing to see how they're trying to overcome these challenges. How do you garner big ratings when most programs can be watched with fewer commercials at a more convenient time online? For me, leading the way are Discovery and NBC and their creative live events.

Yes, I have interned for both companies. Yes, I am slightly biased. Yes, you're going to have to get over it.

Discovery was a trailblazer, thanks to Nik Wallenda. His Skywire Live was HUGE. Wallenda's journey across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope with no safety net induced so many uncomfortable feelings. It was shown on a 10 second delay, because the possibility of his death was so high. 

The program which aired on June 23, 2013 peaked at 13 million viewers, making it the highest rated live program in the company's history. Viewers in over 170 countries tuned in to the live event. It wasn't just a ratings success either. The internet was buzzing as 2.1 million tuned in to the online stream. Twitter nearly exploded with 40,000 tweets per minute. The show occupied 715 of the TV-related social media traffic that day holding seven of the trending topics worldwide.

Why did it work you ask? BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE DIED. LIKE FALLEN TO HIS DEATH. Fear of heights is widely experienced and this triggers all of those feels. Also, what's the point of watching it if you know that he survived? God, humans are sick. Watching live is the only way to fully experience the gut wrenching anxiety and fear. Plus, if everyone's tweeting about a program, you can bet my FOMO is going to kick in and I'm going to have to tune in. All hail peer pressure and group think, man. 

Wallenda's Grand Canyon trick made it nearly impossible for Discovery to not want more. Tonight, we get to live through the complete puke-inducing event again! This time, he's in Chicago. This time, he's walking over a city scape. THIS TIME, HE IS BLINDFOLDED. I'm already nauseous. I'm already sweating. I'm already wickedly excited. 

Let's ease your stomach by talking about NBC Universal's attempt to capitalize on live events. In 2012, the conglomerate announced it was going to recreate The Sound of Music. It wasn't going to be any special, however. The production was going to be live, vulnerable to all types of snafus. 

While the casting of Carrie Underwood undoubtedly drew in scores of viewers, the idea of live theater on television was enticing and intriguing. How were they going to transition between locations and scenes? What if there was an issue with a mic? What if someone forgets their line? So many concerns, so many reasons to tune in and see if it all worked. Plus, The Sound of Music is one of those classic musicals that families watch together, especially around the holidays. The viewing was a family affair. 

Whether you liked it or not, over 18.5 million people were just as curious. Ratings wise, the program was an enormous success. Critics were less enthusiastic, but their assaults were mainly on casting, not on production quality. The event garnered 449,000 tweets and occupied most of the trending topics. 

Hoping to capitalize once again, NBC announced less than a month later that they were going to adapt Peter Pan in the same way. It's set to air the first week of December and I'm eager, again, to see if things will fall apart. Also, much like my curiosity about Carrie Underwood, I have one eyebrow raised at the choice in casting. Allison Williams from Girls is Peter Pan. Interesting choice- I wonder if her daddy Brian Williams had anything to do with it. More exciting for me, though, is Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. I think he's going to carry the production, besides, of course, the incredible camera angles, extensive set, and.... FLYING via wires. Look! We've come full circle!

More Sharks!

I have been extremely lazy today, like uncharacteristically lazy. It's Wednesday, so I'm done class by 11am and have nothing to do until American Horror Story at 10, maybe Modern Family at 9 depending on my mood. I figured- let's blog again! But, I had no idea what to talk about... until I scrolled through Hollywood Reporter (I am such a good TV kid) and saw that ABC ORDERED A SHARK TANK SPIN OFF. I obviously tweeted about it immediately after and now I'm blogging. I am so not 2000 and late, Fergi. 

I watched what felt like 50000 episodes of Shark Tank this weekend during fall break, so this news is especially exciting and timely. My parents like it, I like it, and it's not going to make anyone feel weird afterwards like Law and Order SVU does to my parents. Plus, the concept is brilliant. Let's have all these rich people who made their own money through their own hard work listen to these creative people tirelessly pitch their company or product and then not only give them advice that's actually applicable but (here's the kicker) they can choose to invest THEIR OWN HARD EARNED CASH in these Joe and Suzys from Middle America. It's basically America and patriotism and the American dream wrapped into one wonderful show. 

The show has been a pretty big success story for ABC too. It got shuffled around to different timeslots, but it has since found it's home on Friday nights. And it's been kicking it since, bringing in over 7 million viewers each episode last season. The Live+7 ratings almost hit 8 million. I watch it mostly when it reruns on CNBC, but still. 

Each episode, they include a snap-in that features a product or company from a previous episode. I forget what they call it, but it's basically a "where are they now" type of thing. Most of the time, it's my favorite part of the show because it proves just how influential these deals are and HOW WONDERFULLY POTENT JUST BEING FEATURED ON A TELEVISION SHOW IS FOR YOUR COMPANY. These people are so grateful for their time on Shark Tank and the deals they've made, it's incredible. Plus, it reassures you that the investor is actually involved and it's not a ploy for television. Granted, they're probably not involved in day-to-day stuff, but they're the sort of silent hand pushing these people to greater success. 

Now, the world will become a better place because this snap-in is becoming it's own show!!!!!! ABC ordered ten- yes ten- hour-long episodes of what they're calling "Beyond the Tank". The program will be produced by the same team behind Shark Tank, including Sony and Mark Burnett, so the cohesion with Shark Tank and it's brand will be on point. Unfortunately, we can't plan a viewing party yet, as there has been no word on when the show will premiere. 

Either way, I'm eating an extra KitKat tonight in celebration.

How to Get Away with COMPLETELY DOMINATING MY LIFE

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not usually one for watching live television while I'm at school. Between extracurriculars and homework, I can't always get everything finished to sit down and watch a show when episodes air. Prior to this fall, there was one exception: American Horror Story. You can't watch that show alone in your room on your own time, you have to watch it in a group in the dark and scream your face off. But now, AHS has some pretty great company. 

Bow your head in respect, because How to Get Away with Murder is Shonda Rhymes's latest gift to humankind. If you don't know who Shonda Rhymes is, you can leave promptly. 

For those of you familiar with Shonda's work, you know that she loves wild plot twists, cliffhangers, strong female leads, and sex lots and lots of sex. Shonda's shows get away with all the sex on network television because they air after 9:00pm. HTGAWM airs at 10, so you know there's gonna be lots of steamy scenes. Also, high five to ABC for putting this directly after Scandal's timeslot. Scandal's audience couldn't say no to this program so hello more viewers!

The series premiere drew about 14 million viewers and rated 3.8 among the 18-49 demographic. The Live+7 rating landed at 6.1, showing DVRs across America have Murder queued up to be watched before the next episode. Over 7 million more people watched it after seven days of playback, which is HUGE. The second episode saw a small drop, bringing in a 3.2 in the demographic and moving up to a 5.5 after a week. Episode three brought in 10.8 million viewers with a 3.1 rating. The latest episode garnered 9.79 million viewers, pulling in a 2.8 in the demographic. The Live+7 ratings haven't been released for the last two episodes, but I expect them to be quite large. Let's remember what I said earlier- most people in the 18-49 demographic lead busy lives (or like to go to bed early), so DVR is where it's at. Also not included, as far as I know, is the amount of views online. Insert argument here about how stupid and outdated ratings are these days. 

I tried to find some information about whether the show has been trending on Twitter during airtime and the internet lead me to this TIME article, which expresses the show's internet presence. Interestingly enough, there hasn't been any promoted hashtag, so fans have been split on the social networking sites. Some (around 100,000) used #HowToGetAwayWithMurder while others (50,000) shortened it to #HTGAWM.

Enough logistics and numbers, let's talk about the actual show and why I love it. 
First reason: the characters. We've got diversity people! White dudes, white chicks, black dudes, black chicks, gay dudes, straight dudes, biracial couples. Thus far- no lesbians, but Shonda's probably planning something wild for us. 
Second reason: it's bold. The storytelling technique is unlike anything I've ever watched (although I do believe other shows have tried to do it). It is completely nonlinear. We go back to go forward and have flashes of the present. It's jumbled and confusing, but one of my favorite things is being able to connect the dots. The "ah-ha" moments where you point at the screen and your jaw drops in shock are the best. It's also a pat on the back in that I'm like "oh yeah, I caught that connection, high five!". Also this nonlinear stuff encourages cliffhangers and there are few things I love more than being abandoned at the end of an episode yearning for more to bite into. 
Third reason: SO MANY OITNB FRIENDS. And by so many, I mean two. This reason is stupid, but it makes me grin. Matt McGorry, who plays the ever-so-wonderful Officer Bennett on Orange is the New Black is one of the supporting characters. I love him and seeing him play the stereotypical douche makes my heart flutter. Also making an appearance is Alysia Reiner who was (is?) Natalie Figueroa on OITNB, but showed up as a District Attorney in Murder's fourth episode. IMDB says she was in the premiere as well, but I don't remember that. My guess is she doesn't return, mainly because those are the only two episodes listed on her IMDB page, whereas Viola Davis has 15 episodes listed.
And finally, 
Number four: my friends watch it and last week it became a co-viewing extravaganza. Spending time watching tv with friends is my happy place.

So now, my life is consumed by television Wednesday & Thursdays from 10-11pm. Please do not bother me and please ignore all screaming/gasps/weird faces&raised eyebrows.

Commitment and I Clash Again

I apologize... mainly to my professor who told us we should be writing blog posts for class twice a week. Things have gotten overwhelming. I had pink eye, then I had a lot of personal strife, then it was my birthday, and soon comes Fall Break. BUT I promise you one amazing post in the near future about the new show that clogs my brain with so much excitement and wonder. How to Get Away with Murder is getting away with sucking the life out of me and completely dominating 65% of the thoughts that pass through my mind. I will put those thoughts into eloquent and witty sentences for your viewing pleasure when my life takes a chill for a half of a second. 

Philly Phriday: Flashback Friday, Banyan Productions

I didn't forget this Friday! YAY.

I am 95% sure that Banyan Productions has since dissolved (their imdb page hasn't seen any additions since 2011), but they were pretty potent in the cable world in the early 2000s. Case in point: TRADING SPACES. The show that put TLC on the map. The show my family tried to get on for years. The most amazing home makeover show ever. Let us never forget Hildi the most insane designer on the face of the earth.

Trading Spaces ran for eight seasons, a total of 362 episodes, between 2000 and 2008. It was a a huge success, especially after Banyan took over as the show's production company in the second season (it also bombed once Bayan ended it's involvement in 2007). It was the top cable show on Saturday nights and get this- they aired a special in October 2003 on a Sunday night and it drew 9.1 million viewers. NINE POINT ONE. It rated higher than NBC and ABC that night, which blows my mind. Things started to go south, though, when other networks caught onto the format. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stole carpenter Ty Peddington from the show and took over the home makeover space.

Before Trading Spaces came into the picture, Banyan and TLC combined to produce Wedding Story. Over 480 episodes aired and the 2003 Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing.  All I remember is watching this show on repeat. It was like makeover story, baby story, wedding story all day every day. And apparently I wasn't the only one that loved it.

The combined success of Trading Spaces and Wedding Story gave Banyan major credit in the cable industry, which landed them a spot on Real Screen Magazine's Top 100 Production Companies Worldwide list in 2006 and 2007.

Unfortunately, Banyan's fallen off the grid and I'm almost certain that they've combined with another company or moved elsewhere under a different name. The internet offers no clarification, but my last internship manager mentioned that they weren't around anymore when I asked about companies I should apply to for the spring semester.

I Suck at Commitment and So Does Sugar Bear

I was on the blogging train, doing a consistent job. Then this week my commitment faltered at the hands of my groggy and snotty gross sickened face. That said, I'm canceling this week's Philly Phriday because my OCD won't allow one to come after the other. It'll throw off the look of everything. PLUS. There was an absolutely earth shattering statement released today. Ready?


Can you possibly handle it?


I am sad to announce that Mama June and Sugar Bear of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo have separated.

Mama June released this statement to TMZ: "Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship.  We are taking things day by day but regardless of what happens the girls will always be our #1 priority.  We want to thank ya'll for your support."

I'm heartbroken and quite interested to see how the folks over at TLC handle this. Season four ended with Anna's wedding in mid-August and there has been no word from TLC execs about a fifth season. Ratings have declined, so there is fear that the show is on its way out. Mama June did, however, say "Don't worry we'll be back" in a video that was posted on the show's Facebook page to promote the Season 4 finale. 

I mean, consistently recording ratings of 1.1 to 1.8 isn't all that bad for the network, especially since Thursday nights bring tough competition. Plus, Long Island Medium barely rates over a 1.6 these days anyway. 

TLC and Authentic Entertainment are currently shooting the fifth season. We know this because TLC EVP Howard Lee tweeted a picture of June from her younger years with the caption "June's gonna kill me. Working on new season & saw this pic of her in her younger years! Have to share" on September 8th. Honey Boo Boo is Lee's brainchild, he developed it and brought it to air, so he has a hand in a lot of the production still. 

To add to the drama, internet trollers found an online dating profile that supposedly is owned and operated by Sugar Bear, who claims he is single. It's an interesting screen shot from the website plentyoffish.com. I searched his username (georgiafighter31054) but nothing came up, so clearly TLC (or Sugar Bear) jumped on it as soon as the information started circulating. 

I've got one eyebrow raised because I have a hint of skepticism floating around my brain. I'm thrown by the fact that Mama June went to TMZ first to release the statement of their separation. If you wanted to cause the biggest stir and garner the most attention, you'd head to TMZ. The news is already trending on Facebook. Twitter's calmed down a bit and Buzzfeed has yet to write their own quirky coverage. If this was something serious and more private, the couple (I hope) would have handed it over to the PR and Talent teams at TLC. This wouldn't be the first time celebrities used break-up rumors and the internet to attract more and more publicity. The whole Solange-JayZ-Beyonce-elevator fiasco was apparently all a hoax to boost her record sales. 

There are, obviously, more reasons to believe that this is actually the real deal. There is no premiere date for the fifth season. If this was a stunt, the breakup would have been kept secret until there was a premiere date, that way articles reporting on the break up would also allude to the new season. Free publicity, guaranteed to get internet traffic. Also, I find it hard to imagine Mama June being okay with lying, even if producers suggested it. The whole show succeeds because they're an authentic family. The only thing they've purchased as a family with the money from the show is a new car, the rest is in college funds for the girls. 

Either way, it's going to be a tough time for my girl June these next few weeks and my thoughts are with her and her family. No one deserves to have their whole life thrown into a tizzy over someone's selfishness. 

Philly Phriday: ShootersTV

Happy Friday! This week's feature is on ShootersTV, an off shoot of ShootersINC, that is housed on Walnut Street.

Shooters's biggest contribution to cable in has been one of the Food Network's standouts, Restaurant: Impossible. The series is currently in its ninth season, it still falls behind cult favorite Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives which is in its 17th season, but there have been no signs that the show is nearing an end. In 2013, according to Futon Critic, Restaurant: Impossible averaged 1,600,000 viewers in the second quarter with a rating of  0.679 among adults 18-49. It was the fifth top performer for the network. 

To put things into perspective... Keeping Up with the Kardashians recorded an average of 2,448,000 viewers. And (my favorite) Naked and Afraid averaged 2,931,000 viewers.

The show follows Chef Robert Irvine as he renovates restaurants that are financially going under and disappointing customers. It's an intriguing show mainly because Irvine does EVERYTHING. He fixes the menu, fixes the ambiance, fixes the kitchen, and sometimes even becomes a family counselor. It's a multi-layered show, but at the end of it, families and restaurants are saved. I'm a little turned off by Irvine's over the top behavior. He's intimidating, but I guess Gordon Ramsey paved the way for Chefs to be allowed and sometimes expected to act like drill sergeants. Anything less than that isn't worth putting on television.

Shooters has other shows on their resume, but few have survived more than a season. They worked with Discovery Channel to produce Bar Hunters in 2013. The show followed individuals that yearned to open their "dream bar", but there's been no word since the premiere season ended about the show's fate. I'm no expert, but I don't understand how Bar Hunters fits into Discovery's lineup. Bar Hunters's seems like a better fit for Destination America. I wonder if it was originally developed for Destination America and stolen by older-brother network, Discovery. This type of trading happens often in large companies like Discovery Communications. 

Fun Fact! John and Kate Plus 8 was originally developed for Discovery Health but TLC snatched it up for it's own programming because it rated so well. From there, it became a huge hit, as Kate is now signed on for more 1-hour specials on the network.

Shooters and Food Network's, Food Feud never gained any momentum either. It's been in limbo since it's original air date in 2010.  I wonder if Food Network approached Shooters with this program, or if Shooters pitched it to Food Network. I bring this up because I see this fitting Destination America's programming more, too. If Food Feud was the brainchild of the development people at Shooters, I bet they pitched it to DA, and I want to know why it wasn't picked up. Food Feud is all about putting local favorites against one another. The first episode was Geno's vs. Pat's. What's more Americana then that?

I emailed people at Shooters in hopes of getting more information about them. (i.e. what they're working on now) but I haven't gotten any response. So if you work at Shooters and are reading this.. hey, email me back cause that would be sweet. thanks.