While many shows embrace a fan’s ability to catch-up on episodes on-line, the producer of ABC’s hit comedy “Modern Family” wishes his show would be removed from the Internet.
Steven Levitan said that he’s lobbied the network to remove his series from its on-line, streaming content, saying that people should have to watch the show a regular ad-supported TV. Levitan contends that the two million people watching the show on-line aren’t “fully monetized.”
Levitan made the remarks during the ABC portion of the TCA Fall press tour.
“I’ve asked very specifically to use our show for a test market,” Levitan said. “We’re making it far too easy to watch it on other mediums and not getting proper credit for it. If we weren’t on Hulu and ABC.com, why don’t we try that? … I’ve actively lobbied to look at the big picture.”
Between online viewership and DVR viewing, he said, “we could be a Top 3 show if you add all that in.”
“The idea isn’t to remove ways for viewers to find the show,” he added, “but to see what [would happen to the ratings].”
The idea that pulling a show from on-line will equal higher ratings has been tried before. The CW removed “Gossip Girl” from its streaming site last year and found no growth in ratings. Instead it encountered fan outrage and eventually added the show back to its streaming content site.
You may ask why we’re bringing you this news about a comedy series on the Slice of SciFi web site. We bring this as part of the business behind show business and to alert you that this could be a story to watch. We’ll be interested to see what could happen if ABC complies with the request and if the ratings for “Modern Family” improved.
I love the smell of antiquated marketing plans in the morning. They smell like... rotting.
“The idea isn’t to remove ways for viewers to find the show,” he added, “but to see what [would happen to the ratings].”
What would happen to the ratings is that they'd lose viewers who could no longer find the show when and how they want to watch it. Or the online viewership would turn to illegal, not-even-slightly-monetized methods instead of Hulu or ABC.com.
Oh, Mr. Levitan, I know that change can be difficult and scary. But this is the internet age, and you're just going to have to get used to the fact that more and more viewers are watching shows online at their own convenience. At least on the streaming sites people can't skip advertising the way they can with DVRs.
Didn't watch the show before. Certainly won't be watching it now.
I am not the least bit interested in watching this show, and certainly won't now. I say BOYCOTT if he is successful in pulling it offline. These show execs have to learn now to handle the modern age of television viewing, and the faster they get a clue, the better!
We are already planning to ditch cable at our house in the next month! I'm tired of paying for crap I don't watch, and being treated badly by cable companies, networks, advertisers, and the industry in general!
Well it is also time for the ratings count to get into the modern age. What he is saying that commercially sponsored programs count only the live viewings, surely you have seen that here on this site before, DVR is counted very little as a lot of people fast forward through the commercials like I do. In fact I DVR every show that has a commercial in them just so I can skip them. He is hoping to get people to watch it live so he gets higher ratings so ABC can get sponsors so the show stays on the air.
It will not work I am sure but I understand. Ths thing fo us to do is to write the sponsors of the shows we like and tell them that we appreciate their support of the show and they should cound our DVR or On-line vote as well as buying their poduct if we use it and also letting them know. Remebmer the sponsor wants name recogntion and sales, this is a 3 way partnership/game that is played.
Honestly, I had to do a search and figure out what show this was. That's how not on my radar it is... after looking it up I recall the ads for it during "Castle", but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head who stars in it, or what it's about. I know more about "The Gates" than "Modern Family".
If he's so worried about cancellation that grasping at flying bits of internet to save his show, maybe ABC should let it go now and save themselves the trouble, especially since it seems that eventually streaming on demand to set-top boxes (like Netflix currently does) could be the next logical step. And if they'd front-load the episode with 6 minutes of commercials then gave me my shows uninterrupted, I could go for that. You pull shows offline, to cut off that potential market. Not smart.
I don't even care enough to start a dead pool on the show
I will say that given the general state of television entertainment these days, I still love DirecTV, and to be honest, I haven't had any of the premium/pay cable channels in 5 years, and I don't really miss them that much. I take a peek during the freeview weeks, and I realized that I don't have that much interest in watching the movies anymore, and that surprised me... that I'd rather buy, rent or stream a DVD than wait for it to show up on HBO/Showtime and the like.
But I love their 101 Network. I watched "Smith" all over again, and they were running "Deadwood", and just started with S1 of "Being Human", and now the full series of "The Wire"... all episodes commercial-free. That's a refreshing option.
May it never be seen, or even spoken of on the internet ever again.
Let him keep his show from being DVR'd...
My kids can't really imagine what it was like to not be able to pause TV,
And this guy's TV show is called MODERN Family!
I'm actually a fan of the show, but I'll admit I only started watching it because Ed O'Neill is in it. After hearing this, I think I may just turn it off. I like the show, but it's nothing I can't live without.
That show is just a watered down rip off of Arrested Development anyway.
http://popbytes.com/img/arrested-new.jpg
http://site.shopbizshop.com/images/arresteddevelopmentposter01o27.jpg
http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/modern-family-season-2-poster.jpg
Same font and everything! Great job abc. Lucky your audience to stupid to remember.