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Post by wildjackmonroe on May 30, 2015 3:00:55 GMT -5
We'll probably have to wait until they actually start running, but I'm interested to see which versions of some of these shows are airing when... and some of this looks like Eastern/Pacific repeating. Also I hope we get some Beat the Clock on this schedule in the near future. But I guess we'll have plenty of time for schedule additions and adjustments.
Buzzr Time Machine sounds like what Cartoon Network did before Boomerang became a channel. They used to have 3 hours of classic cartoons from the same year. Should be interesting and fun.
The E/I stuff... really, it's the only thing that sucks about these channels. Nothing is good on late Saturday mornings because of this. LOL.
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Post by ScottEC on May 30, 2015 7:00:01 GMT -5
Let's not forget the business side of this whole venture.
Classic TV thrives in broadcast. It seems that stations don't mind affiliating with networks that air programming from the 50s through the 80s. Buzzr's already averaging newer than the leading diginets, but that's besides the point.
Diginets are a cheap way, especially in Fremantle's case, to make money from direct response advertising, which also thrives on these networks. The reason for that is because many of these products are targeted towards the 50+ demo. That demo is more susceptible to make a phone call for this type of advertising than the lower third of the 18-49 demo. Direct response ads are also done on a barter system, to where Buzzr won't get paid until someone made a phone call from the unique number on the ad, even if they didn't make a purchase.
More importantly, it's not coincidental that Fremantle put out a press release assuring fans that they can upload all of the Fremantle stuff they want without consequence. They wanted people to know that uploading American Idol or The Price is Right is okay with Fremantle, because they call it loyalty. Well, that's what they said, but what was more important here is that they can claim copyright on those videos and place advertisements, similar to direct response, on user-generated Fremantle YouTube episodes and clips. Once someone watches an advertisement on a video of Beat the Clock, What's My Line? or Card Sharks, Fremantle gets money. They use YouTube's automated ID system to determine what is their's. So, Fremantle is not paying a dime while users' upload Fremantle content and Fremantle gets paid for it! Genius! So, what a better way to encourage hardcore game show fans to upload Fremantle content to YouTube than to launch a TV channel full of all of their stuff, many of which would otherwise collect dust.
It's full proof! It's their channel and their shows, so they aren't paying for licensing from a 3rd party for content. They're trying to get fans to upload the Buzzr stuff to YouTube, so while the direct response ads are making them money while that episode of Card Sharks airs, it'll make even more once it's on YouTube.
This Buzzr wasn't done for the kindness of the fans, it's a double whammy, and it's a win-win for them, and us. It was just done on the same medium that other classic TV networks thrived.
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Post by pzimm7778 on May 30, 2015 9:04:41 GMT -5
Similar to what I said a week or two ago, I think it will be a long, long time before Fremantle tries to add older Wheel of Fortune, Deal or No Deal, etc. That requires licensing them which means paying $ out you most likely aren't going to get much of a return on. If this were a cable network then yes. But with it being a digital subchannel reaching so few homes, they aren't going to spend a lot of money. That's not the model for these type of channels.
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Post by thekid965 on May 30, 2015 9:21:45 GMT -5
All over-the-air channels (including digital subchannels) are required to devote three hours a week to it, regardless of what they air for all the other hours. GSN is strictly cable and thus exempt. For those who came in late, a clarification: Per the Broadcasting Act of 1990, all full-power and Class A OTA stations are required by federal law to broadcast a minimum of three hours per week of "educational" children's programming, none of which can air any earlier than 7 AM and none later than 10 PM. How those three hours are apportioned is up to the individual channels/networks; many dump it all into a block of programming on Saturday and/or Sunday morning, as it appears Buzzr will do, while others go for an hour each morning of the week. Since 2004, such programs have been obligated to display an onscreen "E/I" bug (for "Educational/Informative") for the duration of its running time. The major broadcast networks provide their own "E/I" blocks to affiliates, which air at times that were traditionally given over to childrens' programming (cartoons and such) anyway, such as Saturday mornings. Smaller networks and syndicated stations often purchase such shows from a distributor, which offers them as groups. PBS, naturally, being built largely on being an educational programming service, had nothing to worry about with the Act, as approximately half of its networked output was already "E/I" anyway and this continues to be the case today. Networks that operate largely as digital subchannels—your Me-TVs, your Thises, your Live Well Networks, and now you can add Buzzr to that list—are not exempt from this rule, and often provide "E/I" shows as part of their regular national schedule, thus saving member stations the additional headache of having to program such blocks for each individual subchannel, which can get quite complex if there are multiple channels on a tier. And yes, cable networks are exempt from the Act, though some do provide an "E/I" block anyway on a strictly voluntary basis. The requirements for a program to be considered "E/I" are somewhat strict, but enforcement is lax enough to where something like Saved By the Bell, which airs in a block Sunday mornings on Me-TV, can fall under that umbrella. In the past, stations were able to get away with passing off Little House on the Prarie as "E/I" due to its "faithful" re-creation of small-town life during the Western expansion of the late 19th century. Surely, if Buzzr had access to Sony shows, old reruns of Wheel 2000 [1], Jep!, and even Joker! Joker! Joker! could qualify as "E/I" programming if stuff like that did. [1] This despite the fact that "WHEEL 2000 IS NEW NEW NEW!!!" And anyone reading this who is a veteran of the old alt.tv.game-shows days will undoubtedly crack a nostalgic grimace upon reading that. |
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Post by caseyabell on May 30, 2015 12:54:53 GMT -5
I have to disagree at least partly with the argument that Buzzr is all about YouTube and that ratings for the TV subchannel don't mean squat. This strikes me as bass ackward. If Fremantle only wanted to make money off YouTube, they would just create an all-YouTube operation. They've already posted an extensive library of original YouTube shorts of classic formats. Not to mention that a huge number of videos of Fremantle shows are already in place on YouTube. So why bother with TV at all if it's simply about monetizing videos? In fact, the reverse seems to be true. Buzzr folks have talked publicly about using their new YouTube versions of classic formats on the TV subchannel in an effort to attract younger demos. I think that Fremantle wants to grow Buzzr TV into something at least a little like MeTV or Antenna, subchannels that have gotten more than decent ratings when they're available on cable systems. As the linked story from TV News Check notes, these established subchannels have occasionally gotten better ratings than top cable networks, when they're widely available on cable systems in a market. To be blunt, I really believe that Buzzr wants to be at least competitive with GSN. I know, the pundits at BuzzerBlog (and elsewhere) have laughed at this idea, saying that Buzzr can only expect an audience at 50K or so at best, nowhere near GSN's current total day average of almost 300K. I've been a little scornful of the possibilities of a real competition with GSN myself. And for now the pundits are right. Buzzr launches as a sparsely distributed over-the-air subchannel with apparently few (if any) slots on cable systems. But if Buzzr really wants to compete with GSN - and I think they do - they're going to have to program some game shows with less than three or four or five decades of dust on them. The market for that material - a small niche within the already small niche of game shows - is just too limited. This means spending for more recent shows and (gasp) originals that might get cable operators at least mildly interested in carrying the subchannel. In other words, they're going to have to be more like GSN in order to grow like GSN has grown. |
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Post by dare2be on May 30, 2015 13:16:06 GMT -5
I watch OTA channels, but only because I am close enough to the transmitters to use a rabbit-ears antenna and I can connect it to my satellite receiver so that the OTA channels are seamlessly integrated into my DVR guide and can be just as easily scheduled/searched for recording just as the rest of my satellite channels are.
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Post by dare2be on May 30, 2015 13:22:08 GMT -5
Regarding educational programming, that's one thing I like about game shows (at least the more cerebral word/trivia games like Pyramid, Password and Blockbusters)...they are educational but fun.
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Post by Mandoli on May 30, 2015 13:29:11 GMT -5
And for now the pundits are right. Buzzr launches as a sparsely distributed over-the-air subchannel with apparently few (if any) slots on cable systems. But if Buzzr really wants to compete with GSN - and I think they do - they're going to have to program some game shows with less than three or four or five decades of dust on them. The market for that material - a small niche within the already small niche of game shows - is just too limited. This means spending for more recent shows and (gasp) originals that might get cable operators at least mildly interested in carrying the network. ... As long as they can find shows that aren't repeated all over other television stations. Let's say Buzzr wants to air modern-day Feud. They don't have to cave into what the ratings say elsewhere and air Harvey. They can show O'Hurley if they want - just to shake up what's out there. |
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Post by ScottEC on May 30, 2015 14:00:55 GMT -5
No doubt ratings play very largely in the success of the channel. The business I mentioned of the channel only handles some of the purpose of launching the channel. Casey, I think you've explained much of the other purposes for the channel. Rightfully so, if Buzzr wanted YouTube bucks, it'd be cheaper for them to do it. Along with ad money from both the network and YouTube, good distribution, local ratings from cable distribution, the network will expand and become a competitive broadcast network. Looking at a MeTV, classic TV performs better in primetime than the new original programming on TV Land. More so, if Buzzr became competitive with Game Show Network, it would take a much more sizable amount of distribution.
Right now, the FOX O&Os are a fine stepping stone, but a long way, and a couple more good contracts to go before they're reaching "competitve" level. That's going to be the job for the Buzzr team at Fremantle. Make a good, solid schedule and show the network as worthy to other station groups. It can be done.
The one think I can't seem to agree with is the fact that Buzzr needs newer content, at least right away. If Buzzr wanted to be a cable channel relying on original programming, they'd be a cable channel. Classic TV has thrived in broadcast television, and that's why they've launched this channel, here, rather than on cable and satellite. MeTV, Antenna, Cozi, and the bunch have some, but not a substantially larger amount of programming that originally aired in the 80s. I will say that if Buzzr keeps their lineup primarily 70s, 80s, and newer, they'll maintain better ratings, than the 50s and 60s shows will get them. They may try, regardless, airing some of their shows from the 2000s decades. I would assume that'd be first tried in primetime. The biggest uphill battle for Buzzr is going to be attracting the 18-49 demo with that YouTube block. I'm all for Buzzr trying it, but getting enough of them to tune in to the channel may take some effort. I think adding the block of YouTube games will help them distribute too. Some station groups may like that idea, others, maybe not so much, seeing the broader success of classic content on their station, rather than newer content. Not sure how station groups think.
Buzzr can certainly be financially profitable without original programming, and I'm sure they want to go the route of original programming. It's tough to launch a diginet for a niche audience, but this is the place to do it, with little risk. I think they'll do just fine. I'm already jumping the gun since they haven't debuted yet.
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Post by Mandoli on May 30, 2015 14:17:03 GMT -5
The one think I can't seem to agree with is the fact that Buzzr needs newer content, at least right away. I'm agreeing with this statement. They can see what the ratings/demographics are when the channel launches, and then do what MeTV does at some point down the road - switch out programming after a while. Shows that haven't been seen in a while are popped into the schedule, while others get a breather as they get taken off. Stuff like that would help, in the sense that not everything has to be rerun abuse after a while. |
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Post by caseyabell on May 30, 2015 14:58:00 GMT -5
First, there's a whole lot of difference between old TV shows in general and old TV game shows. GSN has run old game shows for a long time. They get modest overall ratings and demos just this side of death. Sorry for the blunt language, but it's true. If old game shows were such a surefire hit - or even a modest hit or any kind of hit at all - the nostalgia cable nets and classic TV subchannels would be all over them. Those operations have seen the numbers from GSN and have passed on the "opportunity." Instead, they've stuck with old sitcoms and dramas that have far broader appeal. As I said before, old game shows remain a small sub-niche within the already small niche of game shows. I know this isn't welcome news around here, but sometimes I have to see what's in front of my nose. Game show freaks like us always tend to overestimate the popularity of game shows in general and old game shows in particular. (I'm echoing BuzzerBlog's Facebook comments on Buzzr TV, which is rare for me but when they're right, they're right.) Anyway, the beta Titan TV site has a Buzzr schedule up, with detailed descriptions of all the shows on subchannel 9.3. Just use the forward arrow key to reach June 1 at 7:00 AM. There seem to be slight differences from the schedule leaked on Game Show Forum. Not huge differences, though. I think Press Your Luck at 8:00 PM is a typo. It's probably LMAD, Match Game, Tattletales in prime time, as Game Show Forum listed. A really offbeat feature of the Titan TV schedule for Buzzr is that Wayne Brady (  ) is listed as host of the Let's Make a Deal eps. I have to believe this is a typo, because Monty is all over the Buzzr Facebook and Twitter sites, with Wayne nowhere to be seen. Dawson is listed as the host for all the Family Feud eps, Perry for all the Card Sharks eps, Cullen for all the Blockbusters eps, and Rayburn for all the Match Game eps. In other words, there don't seem to be varied versions of the shows. The graveyard shift also looks to be the black and white versions of the shows - WML, IGAS and TTTT - not any of the newer remakes. This really is a very old schedule, with much more age on it than GSN's launch schedule in 1994. Who knows if the schedule is accurate or not? We'll see soon enough. Game Show Forum reports that Buzzr has already soft-launched on a Los Angeles subchannel with a repeating Perry Card Sharks ep. |
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Post by wildjackmonroe on May 30, 2015 16:29:20 GMT -5
Nothing on my TiVo guide still right now. Just "to be announced." Guess it's a matter of waiting now. I'll have to set up some manual recordings in the meantime so I won't miss anything.
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Post by ScottEC on May 30, 2015 20:44:17 GMT -5
If the schedule on Titan TV is correct, then the schedule would reflect a 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM block repeated from 3:00 PM until 9:00 PM. What was leaked, and supposedly verified by Buzzerblog from Fremantle, makes more sense. We'll just have to wait and find out. I'm not too worried about the launch time, just when our local here will turn the channel (29.4) on.
It is hard to accept how niche old games are, because people, including myself to some degree, want to believe everyone in the world loves game shows, but that's the way it is.
Also, several folks around the country have reported soft-launches or testing in their areas. I've counted 5 different markets at the moment, with another 12 to go.
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Post by WarioSajak on May 30, 2015 21:55:50 GMT -5
The requirements for a program to be considered "E/I" are somewhat strict, but enforcement is lax enough to where [...] stations were able to get away with passing off Little House on the Prarie as "E/I" due to its "faithful" re-creation of small-town life during the Western expansion of the late 19th century. Yeah, sure. The only thing that series was really "faithful" to was Michael Landon's ego.  [1] This despite the fact that "WHEEL 2000 IS NEW NEW NEW!!!" And anyone reading this who is a veteran of the old alt.tv.game-shows days will undoubtedly crack a nostalgic grimace upon reading that. Or those who've looked through the huge ATGS archives for research. (See example at left.) |
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Post by caseyabell on May 31, 2015 18:32:00 GMT -5
The Titan TV schedule just has a typo at 8:00 PM. The leaked schedule on Game Show Forum looks to be correct. I do tend to think the Titan schedule is right about the hosts, though, with the obvious exception of Wayne Brady.
Speaking of Wayne, somebody posted a small sliver of Buzzr's soft launch on YouTube. The soft launch in the poster's market is a repeating ep of Super Password. The commercial break had a promo for the black and white overnight shows, plus a snippet of conversation between Monty and Wayne. I posted the video on Game Show Follies, so I might as well post it here...
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) is listed as host of the Let's Make a Deal eps. I have to believe this is a typo, because Monty is all over the Buzzr Facebook and Twitter sites, with Wayne nowhere to be seen. Dawson is listed as the host for all the Family Feud eps, Perry for all the Card Sharks eps, Cullen for all the Blockbusters eps, and Rayburn for all the Match Game eps. In other words, there don't seem to be varied versions of the shows. The graveyard shift also looks to be the black and white versions of the shows - WML, IGAS and TTTT - not any of the newer remakes. This really is a very old schedule, with much more age on it than GSN's launch schedule in 1994.
