Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 189

[OT] Ratings of B5:LOTR

Well... maybe it's best to let Dylan Neal (David Martel) to explain everything. This is news from B5lr.com

-------------
January 26

Here is an important message that Dylan Neal (David Martel) posted to the B5lr.com site.

In regard to the ratings, well this has been the source of my silence. I have trouble not speaking my mind and this often gets me into trouble. I am not at liberty to divulge everything that I know at this point and obviously I am not eager to anger anybody at the network or the studio. However, some of you have been doing some stellar snooping and are obviously getting a clearer picture of where we stand. I want to make it very clear here that I am not divulging anything that has not already been ascertained by others and posted here and elsewhere. I just feel that since you've already learned many things, as loyal fans and devotees you are entitled to a little confirmation of the facts.

Basically we got destroyed by the football game. I guess this shouldn't be too much of a shock considering many of you here stated you would watch the game over the movie if you had to choose, and if die-hard fans are saying that, how could we expect the 'regular' viewing public to do any differently. When the numbers are released I think you will find quite a difference between the East coast where the game was opposite us, and the West where the game was over by airtime. Indeed as one of you already posted, San Diego garnered a 3.2; this is no where near the national numbers. I'm not saying anything that hasn't already been discovered since it's been posted here that we didn't reach at the minimum a 2.6.

What can I say, I'm as disappointed as all of you. It seems that despite SCI FI's admiral publicity campaign, they simply picked the absolute worst night to air the movie. I think they would have had better luck throwing a dart at a calendar than picking the 19th. I don't know whether the network was aware of the game when it first decided on the 19th, but that game was the highest rated game in over FIVE years!

Now where do we go from here? I am not saying that all is lost by any means! The network is aware of all of this and if I know Doug Netter, he is pitching statistics right left and center in an attempt to make sure the network and studio see the clear picture here. When all the numbers are released I think there will be some good things in there along with the bad. There are many ways to break down Nielsen stats, and I'm sure that is what the network is doing right now.

I think Antony had a good idea in asking all of you to voice your support for a series at SCI FI's website. As I said in my last post, B5 for whatever reason has and may continue to be 'the little engine that could', that uphill struggle aint over, and anything you do to be heard as fans can't hurt.

If I could make a little request here, when speaking of this information, try not to make it sound like somehow I spilled the beans or that I'm the source of all these stats. I'm simply confirming what you already know and felt obliged to 'speak amongst friends' if you will. I just don't want it getting back to the network or the studio that I somehow sabatoged them. I know that maybe I'm sticking my neck out here a little, but I felt you guys were worth it, and well I am who I am.

Silence is not a death knell as some have surmised, some things just need to be worked out in due time. We all want Rangers to go, and I thank you again for all your support, even your criticisms. I've had a good chuckle over many of the posts, isn't controversy fun?!

Heads up everyone, the battle's just begun.

Fondly, Dylan
-----------------

Looks like we have another battle ahead of us. First for B5: ItF, now for B5:LoTR... beaten by a football game... bah!

__________________
Mauri "Darkblade" Majanoja

Mission designer - [url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/babylon"]The Babylon Project[/url]

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Finland
Posts: 599

[OT] Ratings of B5:LOTR

Well... maybe it's best to let Dylan Neal (David Martel) to explain everything. This is news from B5lr.com

-------------
January 26

Here is an important message that Dylan Neal (David Martel) posted to the B5lr.com site.

In regard to the ratings, well this has been the source of my silence. I have trouble not speaking my mind and this often gets me into trouble. I am not at liberty to divulge everything that I know at this point and obviously I am not eager to anger anybody at the network or the studio. However, some of you have been doing some stellar snooping and are obviously getting a clearer picture of where we stand. I want to make it very clear here that I am not divulging anything that has not already been ascertained by others and posted here and elsewhere. I just feel that since you've already learned many things, as loyal fans and devotees you are entitled to a little confirmation of the facts.

Basically we got destroyed by the football game. I guess this shouldn't be too much of a shock considering many of you here stated you would watch the game over the movie if you had to choose, and if die-hard fans are saying that, how could we expect the 'regular' viewing public to do any differently. When the numbers are released I think you will find quite a difference between the East coast where the game was opposite us, and the West where the game was over by airtime. Indeed as one of you already posted, San Diego garnered a 3.2; this is no where near the national numbers. I'm not saying anything that hasn't already been discovered since it's been posted here that we didn't reach at the minimum a 2.6.

What can I say, I'm as disappointed as all of you. It seems that despite SCI FI's admiral publicity campaign, they simply picked the absolute worst night to air the movie. I think they would have had better luck throwing a dart at a calendar than picking the 19th. I don't know whether the network was aware of the game when it first decided on the 19th, but that game was the highest rated game in over FIVE years!

Now where do we go from here? I am not saying that all is lost by any means! The network is aware of all of this and if I know Doug Netter, he is pitching statistics right left and center in an attempt to make sure the network and studio see the clear picture here. When all the numbers are released I think there will be some good things in there along with the bad. There are many ways to break down Nielsen stats, and I'm sure that is what the network is doing right now.

I think Antony had a good idea in asking all of you to voice your support for a series at SCI FI's website. As I said in my last post, B5 for whatever reason has and may continue to be 'the little engine that could', that uphill struggle aint over, and anything you do to be heard as fans can't hurt.

If I could make a little request here, when speaking of this information, try not to make it sound like somehow I spilled the beans or that I'm the source of all these stats. I'm simply confirming what you already know and felt obliged to 'speak amongst friends' if you will. I just don't want it getting back to the network or the studio that I somehow sabatoged them. I know that maybe I'm sticking my neck out here a little, but I felt you guys were worth it, and well I am who I am.

Silence is not a death knell as some have surmised, some things just need to be worked out in due time. We all want Rangers to go, and I thank you again for all your support, even your criticisms. I've had a good chuckle over many of the posts, isn't controversy fun?!

Heads up everyone, the battle's just begun.

Fondly, Dylan
-----------------

Looks like we have another battle ahead of us. First for B5: ItF, now for B5:LoTR... beaten by a football game... bah!

__________________
Mauri "Darkblade" Majanoja

"Damn it people, I'm the official party pooper, not a mission designer!"

Mission designer - [url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/babylon"]Freespace 2 : The Babylon Project[/url]

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 31

This is old news already. This is what JMS had to say about the matter:

quote:

---

What I've learned over the years is that no matter what one does, there will be
a certain percentage who love it uncritically, an equal (but often much louder)
percentage who hate it uncritically, with the majority somewhere in the middle.
The thing you have to do is make sure the number stays more in the middle or
leaning toward liking something than not.
And adding it all up, it seems to have done the job. It's been overall far
more positive than negative. Criticism? Sure. That's what a pilot is *for*,
to find out what does and doesn't work. You try ****. You experiment. Some
will like it, some won't, which is all to the good.

The fulcrum on which all this now rests is the ratings, which have gotten kinda
weirdly skewed.

We heard what we initially thought were disappointing figures, that we'd done a
1.7 when SFC was hoping for a 2.6 or better. It kind of puzzled everybody
because the B5 audience is generally pretty reliable.

It became even *more* puzzling when the more detailed figures came in, showing
that by quarter-hours, the show *gained viewers* and did not lose them.
Meaning folks who came on the show by accident, stayed to watch. It should
have been much higher than it was.

Then the final market-by-marked figures came in from the studio, and we had our
mystery resolved.

The east coast ratings got hammered by the football game, which was the highest
rated such game in something like 5 years. The B5 male demos are pretty much
the same as for sports, and we lost heavily to football. So there we did not
do well.

By contrast, on the west coast, where the show aired *after* the game had
finished, we not only met but *exceeded* SFC's expectations, getting a 3.2 or
3.6 in many markets, which is actually pretty unheard of for a basic cable
network.

The problem is that the average, 1.7, is still what's used for advertising. So
we have to see if SFC will look past the show getting hammered by a big
football event on the East Coast to look at the West Coast figures and see that
there is, indeed, a market.

It's in the hands of the TV gods from this point on.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

---

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 397

This is old news already. This is what JMS had to say about the matter:

quote:

---

What I've learned over the years is that no matter what one does, there will be
a certain percentage who love it uncritically, an equal (but often much louder)
percentage who hate it uncritically, with the majority somewhere in the middle.
The thing you have to do is make sure the number stays more in the middle or
leaning toward liking something than not.
And adding it all up, it seems to have done the job. It's been overall far
more positive than negative. Criticism? Sure. That's what a pilot is *for*,
to find out what does and doesn't work. You try ****. You experiment. Some
will like it, some won't, which is all to the good.

The fulcrum on which all this now rests is the ratings, which have gotten kinda
weirdly skewed.

We heard what we initially thought were disappointing figures, that we'd done a
1.7 when SFC was hoping for a 2.6 or better. It kind of puzzled everybody
because the B5 audience is generally pretty reliable.

It became even *more* puzzling when the more detailed figures came in, showing
that by quarter-hours, the show *gained viewers* and did not lose them.
Meaning folks who came on the show by accident, stayed to watch. It should
have been much higher than it was.

Then the final market-by-marked figures came in from the studio, and we had our
mystery resolved.

The east coast ratings got hammered by the football game, which was the highest
rated such game in something like 5 years. The B5 male demos are pretty much
the same as for sports, and we lost heavily to football. So there we did not
do well.

By contrast, on the west coast, where the show aired *after* the game had
finished, we not only met but *exceeded* SFC's expectations, getting a 3.2 or
3.6 in many markets, which is actually pretty unheard of for a basic cable
network.

The problem is that the average, 1.7, is still what's used for advertising. So
we have to see if SFC will look past the show getting hammered by a big
football event on the East Coast to look at the West Coast figures and see that
there is, indeed, a market.

It's in the hands of the TV gods from this point on.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

---

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 118

Simple and elegant solution;

Start advertising again, and run the movie at a later date. Note that superbowl sunday is proly a BAD time (though this year, i'd ditch the superbowl in a heartbeat to get another look at B5:LotR.)

I desparately wanna see another series rise from this.

__________________
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. -Psalm 144:1

May He be with our troops, as they defend others' right to freedom.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 118

Simple and elegant solution;

Start advertising again, and run the movie at a later date. Note that superbowl sunday is proly a BAD time (though this year, i'd ditch the superbowl in a heartbeat to get another look at B5:LotR.)

I desparately wanna see another series rise from this.

__________________
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. -Psalm 144:1

May He be with our troops, as they defend others' right to freedom.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 1901

I heard something that Netter was currently arguing the numbers (and not just overalls, specific numbers) with Sci-Fi executives (maybe there in JMS' post?).

Anyways, I have hope that Sci-Fi isn't stupid and that they knew that no matter what they ran that day (even if what they were showing was "perfect" in a theoretical sense) it wouldn't grab good ratings in the face of the highest rated sports event in a couple of years.

The fact that B5: LOTR got what it did IS impressive.

__________________
- The Babylon Project Team

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: The Cold Northland!
Posts: 8392

I heard something that Netter was currently arguing the numbers (and not just overalls, specific numbers) with Sci-Fi executives (maybe there in JMS' post?).

Anyways, I have hope that Sci-Fi isn't stupid and that they knew that no matter what they ran that day (even if what they were showing was "perfect" in a theoretical sense) it wouldn't grab good ratings in the face of the highest rated sports event in a couple of years.

The fact that B5: LOTR got what it did IS impressive.

__________________
- IceFire
Volition Watch Project Manager
[url=http://www.volitionwatch.com]Volition Watch[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater]BlackWater Operations[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/babylon]The Babylon Project[/url], [url=http://terra.sourceforge.net]Machina Terra[/url], [url=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/ott/]Over The Top[/url]

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 2894

Specifically, the fact that it gained viewers who 'stumbled by' ...

And ok, dude, Super Bowl. I'd tape LotR and watch it since my team's in it...sorry.

__________________
[url="http://www.dopefish.com"]swim...swim...hungry...[/url]

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 2894

Specifically, the fact that it gained viewers who 'stumbled by' ...

And ok, dude, Super Bowl. I'd tape LotR and watch it since my team's in it...sorry.

__________________
[url="http://www.dopefish.com"]swim...swim...hungry...[/url]

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