Network Programing: We drive its success

By Eric Ivanov on 08/12/2009

It's no secret that ratings decide the success of TV Shows. If viewers don't watch the show they aren't going to tune in just to watch the commercials. TV is a business and commercials are what bring in the big bucks. Most people flip the channels and marvel at the type of programming that the networks put on their stations. Shows that are cheap to produce and net a large audience are the ones that win out over other costly and more dramatic shows. We flip through the channels and stop on a show like America's Got Talent and ask, "Why is this crap even on TV?" The answer is simple: We drive the success of the show, as we watch it and marvel at its ability to attract an audience.

TV shows like Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, The Real World, Deal or No Deal and America's Got Talent take the prime time TV slots because they attract a large audience and are quick and cheap to produce. We watch the shows and the networks make money. Every now and again there is a show that comes to a major network. It is often called a "bold" show because it has a very low life expectancy. They are often dramas that would usually be seen on specialized channels like HBO and Showtime. NBC's Kings was one such show. It was slowly killed by the lack of viewers and moved to a weekend time slot-- its first step to cancellation. Despite what seemed like a small and very devoted following, a second season was not ordered because other reality shows produced a greater profit.

AMC's Breaking Bad did just that and is now on its third season-- two seasons more than most experts gave it. People who watch these more specialized channels are more likely to like the content that it hosts and advertisers are able to better target their audiences. The major networks like FOX, ABC, and NBC are channels that go for big massive audiences all across that nation. The major networks achieve their profit from the money they raise. The more people that watch the show, the more seasons the show will have.

Just look at Survivor as it moves into its seventeenth season. If it's risky, chances are it will fail to succeed on the big networks. Some of the time these shows take off.

We drive the content that is put on. Some people say it is the fault of the networks for putting on senseless, mind numbing programs, but they watch it because "it's the only thing on." You have a choice! You decide what is put on TV. If you want quality over slapstick stupidity, tell them that and use the remote to change the channel. It really isn't that hard to change the networks minds. We drive a shows success. Hate it? Then change it! Like it? Then watch it!

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