[mythtv-users] The Heidi Game: Why TV stays on the sports program

[Andre]

On 2 Nov 2011, at 21:21, Phil Bridges wrote:

> On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 5:15 PM, Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 10:03 AM, Phil Bridges <gravityhammer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 4:59 PM, Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 8:48 AM, Phil Bridges <gravityhammer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 3:37 PM, Brian J. Murrell <brian at interlinx.bc.ca> wrote:
>>>>>> On Wed, 2011-11-02 at 14:53 -0400, Phil Bridges wrote:
>>>>>>> "CBS enjoyed a 9.1 rating from 7:00-7:30 (New England at Pittsburgh),
>>>>>>> and 60 Minutes (airing 30 minutes late) averaged a 4.2 rating"
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> An unfair comparison for a number of reasons.  The first is that it's
>>>>>> not considering how many people didn't watch 60 Minutes when they found
>>>>>> out it was not on at 7PM when they expected it to be and just watched
>>>>>> their second choice show at that time and additionally chose not to
>>>>>> switch away from that program in mid-showing to catch 60 minutes late?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> The second problem is that you need to add the non-overlapping share
>>>>>> rating from all of 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and
>>>>>> whatever runs after that on a night where those shows are not running
>>>>>> late (for the same reason as above).
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> The reason you need to add the non-overlapping share ratings of all of
>>>>>> those programs is that all of those programs represent the viewers who
>>>>>> are being inconvenienced by the overrun.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> CBS simply needs to stop trying to have their cake and eat it too.
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> I guess you can try to explain to CBS how the football game wasn't
>>>>> twice as popular as 60 Minutes.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Don't get me wrong - I hate having to adjust my recordings on Sunday
>>>>> to run an extra hour, but I also realize that worrying about won't get
>>>>> me anywhere, and ranting on a DVR mailing list won't get me anywhere.
>>>>> 
>>>>> BTW, this past week, 60 Minutes had 18,558,000 viewers.  Last season,
>>>>> 60 Minutes averaged 13.36 million viewers per week.  I dare say 60
>>>>> minutes may regularly get more viewers when it follows football, which
>>>>> typically means it's delayed.
>>>> 
>>>> The interesting thing when looking at this whole debate from an
>>>> outsiders point of view is that I live in a Rugby, not Gridiron
>>>> playing nation.
>>>> 
>>>> Until comparitively recently rugby was strictly amateur. When it went
>>>> pro, it was largely funded by TV rights bidding, with Murdoch/Sky
>>>> being the major funder. Individual teams have corporate sponsorship,
>>>> but most of the money goes from TV companies to the Rugby Union and
>>>> then trickles down to various teams.
>>>> 
>>>> That being the case, the TV companies rule the game, when they are
>>>> played (to maximise global audience), where they are played (stadiums
>>>> with good TV facilities) and the length of the games.
>>>> 
>>>> Most games other than competition semi finals and finals have a set
>>>> time limit. If the game is a draw, the teams share the available
>>>> points. A game will never go over time to the extent that American
>>>> Football seems to.
>>>> 
>>>> If a player is injured, he is quickly assessed. If he can play on he
>>>> does, if he is badly injured, he goes off and a substitute goes on. If
>>>> he is in between he may be blood binned (ie goes off with a substitute
>>>> coming on for 10 minutes until he is patched up). Yes the clock stops
>>>> for some of these things, but the delays are not long.
>>>> 
>>>> There are no "time outs" - there are limited substitutions available
>>>> for tactcal (as opposed to injury) reasons.
>>>> 
>>>> The game keeps going, because that's the nature of the game and the
>>>> way TV companies want it.
>>>> 
>>>> So stop mucking about, play the game and get it finished!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> But how do you sell beer? :D
>> 
>> Half time you see a lot of people returning to their seats with enough
>> beer for the next 40 minutes.
>> 
>> personally i push pause and go to the fridge.
> 
> I was thinking about the thirsty people watching at home.  How are
> they going to know what sort of cheap rice-brewed swill they should
> buy? ;)

None, we have real ale here :-)

For the uninitiated and furriners:
http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=aboutale

Andre