Sound The Trumpets - Tv Explodes Into Real-time Viewing

The Sunday Age

Sunday September 24, 2006

JOHN BAILEY

Suddenly, we're in the same TV club as the Americans and Brits - watching the same episode at the same time. John Bailey reports on a small-screen revolution.

WHEN the new US series Jericho screened in Australia on Thursday, it wasn't just the show's post-nuclear apocalypse storyline that had network executives on the edge of their seats. The premiere also marked an Australian television first: billed as a "global simultaneous event", the series' first episode played in Australia only eight hours after screening in the US, Canada and Britain.

New series typically screen in Australia months after they're launched in the US, allowing local networks time to determine whether a show will attract enough audiences to prove a ratings winner. With Jericho, however, the Ten Network is running blind. Should the test go wrong, Ten could find itself sitting on a costly bomb of its own.

Media buyer Harold Mitchell said Channel Ten took a large punt on the "simultaneous" broadcast, rather than waiting for the program to prove itself in America. He said shows that fail in America rarely succeed here.

"It is so competitive now to achieve suburb ratings that they have had to take this unusual step," Mr Mitchell said. "It becomes a risk in the unlikely event that it fails in America because word travels very quickly, so that is the risk and reward."

So far, the experiment has delivered positive results. 1.22 million Australian viewers tuned in for Jericho's first episode, making it the fourth highest-rating show for the night (after Seven's news, comedy My Name is Earl and Seven's Home and Away).

Mitchell predicted that following Jericho's success, other networks will start to do the same. "We will see more of it in the future," he said. "It was a good move by Channel Ten. It's aggressive front-line marketing."

After the program's initial screening, Ten's chief programming officer David Mott was "delighted with the result", going on to say that the global launch combined with the show's content "clearly struck a chord with audiences here and overseas".

In the US, Jericho attracted 11.4 million viewers, putting it in second position after Dancing with the Stars.

If all goes well, the strategy of simultaneously launching a new program may become more common. For some time networks have been battling the increasing numbers of viewers who are turning to alternative sources for their TV content. Many programs can be downloaded illegally from the internet or purchased on sites such as eBay well before they receive a local release.

While downloading a television show can take hours or even days, some fans find this more tolerable than waiting the months it can take for an international program to air locally. Viewers have also been disappointed by erratic programming or episodes which screen out of order.

Networks have responded to this by offering exclusive online content for successful shows, such as Lost and Prison Break. Viewers can already watch a sneak peek for Nine's much-anticipated new series Rome, or install a program that delivers Desperate Housewives episodes updates directly onto their computer desktops.

In the US, some networks even allow full episodes of new programs to be viewed online. The pilot of NBC's Heroes, for instance, is available on yahoo.com, but due to licensing restrictions cannot be watched outside of the US.

Mott has said that illegal downloads have not been a prime factor in new strategies. "A very small audience access these shows ahead of time, by downloading. That's not our chief concern." What does concern him is the way the internet has allowed storylines and plot twists to be revealed well ahead of their Australian screening.

And there's more on the way

? SHARK A new drama featuring veteran actor James Woods as an ego-driven defence lawyer who suffers a crisis of conscience and switches sides to the overworked, underpaid office of state prosecutors. Woods' performance has been praised, but the show's storylines have been criticised for their lightweight nature.

? SIX DEGREES Taking the popular notion that we're all connected in some tenuous way, this series is a gentle romantic comedy following a loosely linked group of New Yorkers. The premise might be cutesy, but it's been feel-good enough to rate well so far.

? SMITH Something of a risk, Smith follows the exploits of a gang of high-profile thieves as they execute their impressive heists. Ray Liotta leads a strong cast, but the morally bankrupt nature of the cast of characters could test viewers' sympathies.

? KIDNAPPED Jeremy Sisto plays a professional in kidnap recovery, tracking down abductors and their victims, aided by his lovely assistant. A tightly scripted mystery drama that nonetheless failed to draw its expected audience during its first showing.

? STUDIO 60 ON SUNSET STRIP Hollywood Reporter has called this comedy "the most exciting new show of the season", citing its witty dialogue and clever set-ups as sure-fire winners. It's based on a has-been duo called in to revive a flagging comedy sketch show.

© 2006 The Sunday Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home