Aussie TV Networks Get A Clue
Story Submitted By: Bronzethumb (from Australia) (SoSF Fan & Contributor)
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Channel Seven will be broadcasting the second season of Heroes and the third season of Prison Break closer to their U.S. air dates, as opposed to the half-year wait it normally is. According to Seven’s head of Production and Programming, Tim Worner, this is being done to combat the growing amount of people who prefer to download the shows when they air in the U.S. rather than wait for broadcast in Oz.
“We’ll be running these shows as close to their US telecast dates as practically possible,” Worner says. “Sure, we have to change the way we take delivery of the materials but it’s more than that - we have to change the way we think and the way we sell these shows.”
Another Aussie network, Network Ten, tried this last year when it aired Jericho less than a day after it’s initial U.S. broadcast, however this did not continue through the entire season and the series has since been dropped from the network before the entire season could air.
The full article (most of it concerns a new character on Prison Break) can be found HERE.
Well I suppose they’re in a bit of a bind. With high-speed internet access, you can wait 6-12 months for a show, or just download it, minus commercials, in HD, for nothing - hours or less after the initial broadcast.
Dun’t take a rocket scientist to work that out…
Its more than that. When it comes to TV in OZ, they tend to pay very little attention to the viewer. Thus most show are shown out of order and at odd times / days making it very difficult for the audience to actually get into the show. Moreover, there is the idea here that networks in OZ will get the shows that are on in the US. That is not always the case. Who for example, would wait 2 -3 years for Alias with no conformation that it would ever be shown here. (Australia is only now getting the last series of Alias). The Cable networks have been faster off the mark than the commercial networks are are showing programmes which are both closer to the US and which have not aired in Australia. So they have pulled some of the audience away. We also have DVD sales which have shows come out before the commercial networks even promote them.
The problem is, at least in Australia, that there is this continuing idea of “Distance” which has always separated it from other western nations. Most of the networks, and this is also true of Telecommunications, continue to force out dated concepts on its audience as it is unable to get access to anything better. The audience on the other hand finds alternative ways of engagement either by Cable, DVD or BT Airlines. It is more than time Networks realised that a/ viewing habits have changed. b/ that audiences have the ability to view shows in different forms. c/ that networks need to pay more attention to audience satisfaction that revenue.
Sorry long winded comment, but it’s my job (I teach Media Studies at University)