TiVo killed the rerun

Great news from the LA Times regarding sweeping changes in the way networks are phasing out reruns. TV execs have often claimed that TiVo had the potential to drastically alter their universe (which is automatically seen as a bad thing) and this looks like the first real change, aside from increased product placements to combat fast-fowarding through ads. Apparently, a sizable number of PVR owners are impacting their bottom line as their recorders automatically pass over old episodes. Aside from TiVos, they're also finding big drops in audience numbers during the summer rerun season, as viewers either flock to cable shows or the internet or just turn it off.

Without reruns, networks are trying out new shows in the same slot, or repeating the previous week's episode in a new slot in case you missed it (long a staple of cable TV). Smaller networks like the WB and Fox are promising to change the schedules to new shows this Summer instead of waiting until the Fall season. There's also the lucrative DVD market that is saturated with pretty much every show ever made, and reruns would cut into that business.

It's not all TiVo's fault by any stretch, but things are definitely changing in TV land.

Comments

[Joost Schuur]

TiVo Community has a nice thread on encore presentations of TV episodes within the same week. The WB started the trend on network (non-cable) TV with their 'Easy View' showings on the weekends, but Fox are really going big this summer, with reruns of practically their entire new summer season lineup later in the week.

[surfmonkey89]

Networks are missing the point.

The reason pay cable programs the way they do is because they're on a subscription model.

Many, many people watch at most 2-3 series but pay month to month because of the overlap.

For example, I watch the Sopranos and Six Feet Under. HBO schedules things such that Six Feet Under starts right around Sopranos ends, so I keep paying.

If they aired both at the same time of year I could cancel during the months I don't watch anything. If everyone did this it would cost HBO huge money.

Another reason to space out programming is to give users the impression that they're watching more than they actually are. I watch basically one series on HBO at a time, but they've spaced things out such that there's one going every month.

Of course, there's also the fact that network programming sucks, but that's a topic for another time.

[frank]

Misleading pvrblog article! TiVo plays a very small role in the new schedule changes.

Broadcast channels are losing (not 'loosing') ground to cable channels, who built their viewership by airing new programs in times that networks aired reruns (read: summer).

Surfmonkey's comments are good, but it has nothing to do with the subscription model. The point about airing different shows in the same slot, while maintaining year-round programming is a good one.

[Joe]

I don't understand why everyone thinks TiVo's impact is so huge. How many people really own a TiVo and use it consistently? I only know one person who owns and uses TiVo. However, most everyone I knows has cable. It's a good thing that the network channels are realizing that stale content will no longer provide stable set of viewers. They should be thankful that the viewers put up with it for so long.

[Jim]

Most people I know have TIVO or some other DVR and the PTB estimates that by years end over 24 million homes will have one. The great thing is many shows are replayed overnight so if I want to watch something else or capture something else in the same timeslot... I can. I can't remember the last time I watched live TV. If I sit down to watch something live I will pause it for 10- 15 minutes just so I can skip commercials. I guess we are a little more technical in Texas than where Joe is from.