Sometimes convention is just inertia. Something’s done a certain way just because that’s the way everyone else is doing it. And that’s an opportunity for a business willing to go against the grain.
Example: TBS’ use of “stacks” of programs (mentioned in this article). Running blocks of the same show helps the network stand out among the hundreds of cable channels out there.
On Mondays, for example, TBS fills the three-hour prime-time block from 8 to 11 p.m. with six reruns of “Family Guy.” On Tuesdays, it repeats the pattern with “The Office.” Wednesday is Tyler Perry night, with three hours of original comedies from that producer, who has a large following among black viewers.
“We kind of fly against the convention of traditional television,” Mr. Koonin said. “We don’t program horizontally, looking for shows that flow into one another. We program vertical stacks of programs.”
Clever. Anyone who’s sat down with a DVD of Family Guy, Mad Men, or Lost knows that watching multiple episodes in a row leads to a different type of viewing experience. We’ve all got that one friend who disappears for an entire weekend when a new season of 24 comes out on DVD.
So while every other networks assumes there’s just one “right” way to program, TBS has ignored convention and reached out to a different kind of viewer. Great example of zagging when everyone else is zigging. It’s working too: TBS is the No. 1 cable channel among viewers ages 18 to 34.
Josh
on 19 Apr 10I’m not sure that TBS is the originator of this type of programming.
Nickelodeon (and Nick at Night) used to run “Block Parties” every Summer in which they’d show nightly blocks (4-6 episodes, iirc) of shows like “I Love Lucy,” and “Dick van Dyke” ... they were doing that at least 9 or 10 years ago.
And another Turner network, TNT, shows mini-marathons of Law and Order every week (NBC’s USA might do that same thing with Law and Order). Spike has shown mini-marathons of CSI for a few years, as well.
In other words, TBS might be zagging right along with everyone else. ;)
EH
on 19 Apr 10A nice example of unintended consequences when their motivation was likely just to cut down their syndication payments. More episodes of fewer shows = a better deal.
Problem is, it damages the TV ecosystem by reducing the blocks to only the most popular shows, which I’m guessing will lead to people getting sick of Law & Order (if that’s even possible).
“We kind of fly against the convention of traditional television,” Mr. Koonin said. “We don’t program horizontally, looking for shows that flow into one another. We program vertical stacks of programs.”
No, they’re just programming the same thing over and over for a few hours. It’s not vertical nor horizontal, it’s just identical. What block does their Office block run into? Same as it ever was.
Alex M
on 19 Apr 10I’d rather them try and produce a sitcom every week. Much more satisfying. I’m sick of paying for reruns.
Tyler Hurst
on 19 Apr 10Makes me feel nostalgic, but that feeling recedes after a while. TBS is perfect for a rainy day.
Benjy
on 19 Apr 10So which night will be Conan Night?
Chad
on 19 Apr 10That is awesome. That’s the only way I watch TV anymore—several episodes at a time (or just rent a whole season at a time and do a super marathon!).
If you like the TV show 24, you have GOT to watch it back to back. It is truly unlike watching a show at a time (and far better!).
Greg Gauthier
on 19 Apr 10I am curious to see what either broadcast or cable plans to do about the growing cadre of viewers like myself, who don’t even own a TV.
For television/movie viewing, its all selective, and its all online streaming/downloading. Even sports is the same, for me, via MLB.com.
Frankly, I don’t have time to sit through six-hour blocks of anything, even if it is Tyler Perry.
Deltaplan
on 20 Apr 10In France, almost all american series that are programmed in prime time (or later in the night) are “stacked” like this, on every channel, with generally at least 3, sometimes 4 episodes in a row.
I think one of the reason is that the channels use these series to compete with movies that the other channels are programming at the same time. So they need so “stack” episodes to match the length.
Another good reason for that is that the series are arriving a bit late in France, for dubbing reasons among other things, and the channels are rushing to be able to program all the episodes of a season before the DVD become available.
A major drawback of this, is when the “stack” of episodes has to cope with regulations that forbid the channels to program fictions that are too violent or erotic before 10pm. In such a case, it generally means that they have to put 2 “family-friendly” episodes first, then a more “adult” one afterwards. There comes the problem : the contents of the episodes of the season may not match this pattern, which leads to a choice between plague and cholera : either censor out parts of the two first episodes, or simply change the order the episodes are broadcasted, to program the less violent ones first, and a more violent afterwards (which is what they do all the time with series with slightly independent episodes like Law and Order, CSI or House MD…)
Brian
on 20 Apr 10I miss the days of endless Seinfeld re-runs. 30 minutes a day is not enough.
joelle
on 20 Apr 10This is a great example of “zagging” http://www.butchbakery.com/
me
on 20 Apr 10shut the fuck up
Pat
on 20 Apr 10Another perhaps more extreme example of stacking is the way that HBO programs Bill Maher’s show. (I know there are a lot of Bill Maher haters out there, bear with me if you are one!)
It seems to me that he produces about one new show a week. And at least in my area, that show gets replayed on one of HBO’s three channels every night, multiple times. It’s the same show. Every night. Repeatedly. For a week.
I don’t know if this is to do with some crazy local contract nonsense or what, but I will say this—I’m now hooked on Bill Maher’s show. And I’m definitely not someone who is into TV. But I could always find the show with zero effort. So now I’ve become an actual fan, and I know when the “new” show is going live, follow him on Facebook, look out for live shows, etc.
This discussion is closed.