In the beginning, there were 2, or 3, or 4 channels of broadcast television.
And no VCRs. DVDs were a SF dream. If you wanted to watch a show, you had to plop your ass down in front of the TV (and your own rear end, too - if the ass didn't want to watch TV) at the scheduled time and actually WATCH the show.
Cable TV gave you a wider variety to choose from, but again, you had to schedule your viewing around the time the shows were on.
And then came VCRs. Suddenly you no longer needed to be in front of a TV to watch something, you could record and watch it later. Then we jump to TIVO and other such devices, and you needed them to help cull through all the stuff you might want to watch.
Now, it looks like the major broadcasters have caught on and are willing to sell you the shows directly.
My Way NewsWell, yay for them. Frankly there's little on prime-time I'd be willing to pay ten cents for, much less a buck. (Same thing with popular music these days, not much I care to listen to.)NEW YORK (AP) - CBS and NBC have announced deals to offer replays of prime-time programs for 99 cents per episode, shifting television toward a sales model that gained popularity with downloaded music.
CBS is teaming up with Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) and NBC with satellite operator DirecTV to offer the on-demand replays.
But it's good to see the broadcasters moving off their old model of layering in commercials to pay for programming. Maybe this'll be the start of a new trend, where programs that are worth paying for survive, while the ones that aren't - don't. I can't think how many times I've seen promising series die out midway through a season because they were pitted against a competitor's top-rated show and didn't get good enough ratings.
J.
Comments (11)
But Jerry! Without television commercials, how will we learn about all those new products that are coming out every day at your local insert-store-here?!
Think of the dramatic dampening effects this model could have on every other industry in America and the economy as a whole! We need a new catalyst for consumption!
Posted by rawb | November 8, 2005 11:21 AM
Posted on November 8, 2005 11:21
Rawb: Two words. "Product Placement"
Posted by James | November 8, 2005 12:31 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 12:31
They may go back to putting the ads IN the shows like in the old radio shows. Some of the segues were really clever and some were . . . well . . .you knew ther commercial was coming way before it started. Depended on the writers.
Posted by James | November 8, 2005 12:34 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 12:34
That Battlestar Galactica show kicks ass.
Posted by Bellman | November 8, 2005 2:21 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 14:21
Rawb:
It's simple - put out a decent show, and folks will watch it. Put out a dozen clones of last year's hit show, and nobody will bother watching.
Oh, and what James said.
J
Posted by JLawson | November 8, 2005 6:50 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 18:50
I can just see it now. "What do they burn in the engines on Battlestar Galactica? Blue Coal! Available from your local coal supplier!"
"Blue Coal" was a sponsor of the "Shadow" radio series in the '30s. And apparently there were a number of different colors of coal - detailed here - but the only one I've heard ads for is 'Blue Coal'.
J.
Posted by JLawson | November 8, 2005 6:55 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 18:55
Bellman:
Yep - though I've managed to miss all the shows this season, what with one thing and another going on...
J.
Posted by JLawson | November 8, 2005 6:56 PM
Posted on November 8, 2005 18:56
"The Truman Show" had some great examples of product placement imcorporated into the show, involving Truman without his knowledge (although he did at times look as though he thought the incidents were incongruous). Incidentally, something the movie didn't pursue, Truman would have had open-and-shut grounds for the world's biggest lawsuit... which would easily have soaked up every penny and more that the show ever brought in.
Posted by John C. | November 9, 2005 5:51 AM
Posted on November 9, 2005 05:51
Re: embedded radio commercials--yeah, sometimes the Johnson's Glo-Coat ad was the funniest routine in that week's "Fibber McGee and Molly" program. There's product placement already; they just want to shove new crap at you. Although I dunno: I think I might pay 99 cents each to get HOUSE and MONK without those damn annoying commercials and promos in the credits and those stupid little banners at the bottom of the screen.
Posted by LindaY | November 9, 2005 7:41 AM
Posted on November 9, 2005 07:41
It would have been interesting to follow what happened AFTER the Truman show ended.
As it is - if you want to see where a lot of it was filmed, you can go to Seaside, Florida. You can even live there, though being on the Gulf Coast I'd be a trifle worried about the occasional high wind... (And the real estate prices? Don't ask. Seriously. If you have to ask, you can't afford them.)
J.
Posted by JLawson | November 9, 2005 9:22 AM
Posted on November 9, 2005 09:22
Well, Linda, as Rawb says, how are we supposed to know about the stuff we're supposed to buy? (grin)
J.
Posted by JLawson | November 9, 2005 9:24 AM
Posted on November 9, 2005 09:24