TV Ratings Struggle: How ABC Became the New NBC

[irehtman]

ABC has problems with its own shows right now.

[TMC]

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...se-altogether/

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...r/#entry105504

I'm actually pretty sure that ABC, not NBC, is the lowest rated of the "big four" networks, partially because NBC is buoyed by ratings blockbusters like Sunday Night Football and The Voice. At the same time, ABC's "hit" series like Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor have been progressively dropping, and their midseason replacement series have premiered to nones of people watching. I'd be more worried about the future of ABC, not NBC.

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...r/#entry105507

ABC or Disney better get rid of Paul Lee. He certainly isn't doing the network any favors in terms of finding shows that the viewers will find compelling, and will return to week in and week out. And ABC is my favorite of the big four. I hate to see it not doing well. I grew up with ABC.

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...r/#entry105509

I'm still happy to see shows like Grey's Anatomy getting 3.0 in its 11th or so season? That being said the network seems to have NO plans beyond Modern Family and a few other hits. The network needs some new energy flowing.

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...r/#entry105510

I understand where people may get the idea that NBC is crap and will govaway. NBC seems to allow their own talent to make jabs and use self deprecating humor about the networks bottom line, reputation and past ratings woes. The most frequent offenders are the late night hosts and their shows: Jay Leno when he was on the Tonight Show did it for years (well before the Conan fiasco), Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers both do it, Saturday Night Live does it and when 30 Rock aired it was constantly making fun at the corporate culture of GE and later Kabletown.

Speaking of the corporate culture it's also allowed NBCUniversals cable channels. Kathy Griffin talks trash about Bravo where she makes fun of the SVP and current late night host Andy Cohen along with all the other programming on the network. On the E! network Chelsea Handler constantly talks about how stupid E! programming is and the Kardashians on her show. A second show on E! I think takes it a step further is The Soup which regularly plays clips from The Kardashians, E! News and The Today Show (mainly from the fourth hour). Like Chelsea, Joel McHale mocks the networks budget which is well deserved because his show is just filmed in front of a chroma key wall.

One of the most recent jokes and the best that I can remember was when Jimmy Fallon hosted Saturday Night Live this season. The sketch was Family Feud, led by Kenan Thompson doing his clueless Steve Harvey impression. It was Team NBC being led by Justin Timberlake, playing Jimmy Fallon, versus Team CBS, led by Jimmy Fallon playing Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper. The only jab that was made at NBC was when Steve mentioned what charity the teams would be playing for CBS for the Red Cross and NBC for the NBCUniversal company.

Despite NBCUniversal being so open and allowing of self deprecating humor it appears to me that this does not happen at all on the other networks like ABC and CBS. I will say though Fox does allow itself to be mocked through Family Guy in the occasional episode that I have seen.

Like many of you said before if any of the big four networks were to die I think it would be ABC. From the outside it appears to me that Disney does not take the ownership of the network seriously and doesn't realize that sometimes you would have to spend more to make a profit, much like what happened to NBC during the last years of GE ownership.

ABC has only has Good Morning America and out of all of primetime the only hit is Scandal. They seem to be stubborn and think that filling up two nights of valuable real estate with season 18 Dancing With the Stars and 18 seasons of the Bachelor thinking they will once again be hits, news flash their viewers are dropping and the ones who still watch are the diehard fans (NBC will have a similar problem if they keep airing two seasons of The Voice a year.)

[TMC]

Originally Posted by irehtman

ABC has problems with its own shows right now.

With all due respect, that's pretty much the most if not the whole point regarding what's wrong w/ ABC this moment!

[noveel]

none of the Big 4, or even CW or MYNETWORKTV are going away any time soon

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http://www.adweek.com/news/televisio...d-games-156630

That timeslot has become a “dead zone” after the failures of “Lucky 7,” “Killer Women” and “Mind Games.”
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#v2oPc1Y5zppxjQYc.99

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...ey-exec-687567

http://adage.com/article/media/abc-a...roblem/292404/

Advertisers are complaining that ABC is too reliant on female shows, including aging dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy."
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#jYpqUJLzag7JT4fI.99

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.p...se-altogether/

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%...a1myQnG0AEG3qQ

Paul Lee Seals New Contract as ABC Entertainment Group Chief
by Cynthia Littleton

There’s bound to be a lot of movement inside the Disney/ABC Television
Group in the coming year as Ben Sherwood takes the reins from outgoing
president Anne Sweeney. But one thing that won’t change in the near
future is the leadership of ABC Entertainment Group.

Paul Lee has sealed a multi-year deal to remain president of the
group, which encompasses the entertainment operations of ABC network,
the ABC Studios production division and entertainment fare for Disney
syndication and ABC Daytime. His contract renewal talks were under way
well before Sweeney’s plan to step down in January was announced last
month.

Disney topper Bob Iger has said that he tabbed ABC News prez Sherwood
as Sweeney’s logical successor as soon as Sweeney let her intentions
be known to him last summer. But Iger has also voiced his support for
Lee despite ABC’s rocky performance with new programs during the past
two seasons.

Lee has been at the helm of ABC since July 2010. He came to the
Alphabet after a successful six-year run at the ABC Family cabler, and
before that he ran the BBC America cabler in its startup phase.

ABC declined comment on Lee’s deal.

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http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/abc-...time-14-years/

ABC has finished first in the demo the past five weeks.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#jdDPvihmSEFmMEep.99

[TMC]

http://uproxx.com/tv/2015/05/heres-w...on-television/

By Dustin Rowles • 05.08.15

Among the prized 18-49 demographic, ABC was the No. 1 network on television last week, according to Nielsen ratings. The network is quietly enjoying a great season, and it’s doing so without the benefit of the NFL, without a singing competition, and in spite of the dwindling ratings of Dancing with the Stars. Typically, a strong season in the ratings means a network has more freedom when it comes to programming; they can ditch the low-rated fare and rely on their anchor series to carry them another season while they continue to rotate in new series.

When a network is riding high, they often shed their lowest performers and rely on their anchor series to allow them time to develop new shows. Look at NBC: They’ve basically built their lineup around NFL Sunday Night Football, The Blacklist and The Voice, and instead of being patient with new shows, they throw them against the wall to see what sticks (and since Bob Greenblatt took over as president, they’ve greenlit more than 20 sitcoms, and none of them have yet been picked up for a third season, although Undateable might break that streak).

Fox is the trigger happiest of all networks, one that’s been canceling series too soon for over a decade (Enlisted, Surviving Jack, Ben and Kate, to name a few recent examples), and it’s gotten to the point with Fox that no one wants to get invested with a series because they can’t trust that it will come back. It’s practically the “Canceled Too Soon” network. Meanwhile, CBS is consistent, but all they really have are a gaggle of procedurals, laugh track sitcoms and Survivor (its best “procedural,” Person of Interest, made the mistake of serializing, i.e., becoming an interesting show, and now it’s on the brink of cancellation, as well).

In its upfront announcements last night, ABC did something exceptional for a network in its situation. Instead of relying on its hit shows to carry next year while they develop a lot of new series that might or might not work, ABC decided to do something novel: It renewed all their quality series, regardless of ratings. Yes, they dropped Forever and Resurrection (because they weren’t good), and Cristela (which has a small but passionate following, but not real critical support), but they surprised a lot of people by sticking with all of their “good” shows, despite tepid ratings.

That meant the beloved Galavant, the well-liked Fresh off the Boat, the critically well-received, but dismally-rated American Crime, and their bubble show, Agent Carter, will all get second seasons. Even Secrets and Lies got renewed, and I’ve barely even heard of that series, although it now has my attention (Revenge was canceled last week, but I think everyone — including the cast on that show — knew the series had run its course). Unlike Fox, which renewed New Girl, despite miserable ratings because it has little else, ABC wasn’t in a position where they had to pick up these low-rated series, either. They had the Chevy Chase/Beverly D’Angelo series and another Marvel spin-off they could have run with, but they declined in both cases in favor of giving these other series time to find an audience.

ABC is suddenly a network we can rely upon not to cancel promising series. That means more than you might think. It’s difficult to get too invested in a series if we aren’t confident it will stick around. ABC, in fact, has a remarkable run of consistency: Besides freshman series Blackish and How to Get Away from Murder getting picked up for another season, Grey’s Anatomy is going into its 12th season, Castle is going into its eighth, Modern Family and The Middle are going into their seventh, Scandal and Once Upon a Time are going into their fifth seasons, The Goldbergs and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D are getting third seasons (despite being on the bubble their first years). As important, they don’t move shows around on the schedule too much. Once Upon a Time anchors Sunday, Castle and Dancing with the Stars are Monday mainstays, Marvel gets Tuesday, the family sitcoms dominate Wednesday, and Shonda Rhimes gets Thursday all to herself. Those are nights you can count on.

Network television may be losing its relevance and its ratings, but ABC has made a nice little niche for itself with Marvel series the geeks will talk about, Shonda Rhimes shows that dominate Twitter on Thursdays, and comfortable family sitcoms that get consistent ratings on Wednesday. The network has an identity, it has consistency, and we can rely upon it, which is not only why it’s getting the best 18-49 ratings, it’s why it’s the best broadcast network on television in 2015.