When the US TV networks reveal their fall schedules next week, viewers can expect few, if any, serialized dramas on television.

Only a handful of shows (i.e. Heroes, Friday Night Lights) have survived like their predecessors of 24, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Lost. But, the rest have disappeared, never to be heard from again. Most of which were cancelled mid-season.

So what went wrong?

First, there were too many shows chasing too few viewers. Viewers are also pressed for time. Serialized dramas as a lot of viewers' time and if you miss an episode, you're lost. (No pun intended)

But one of the biggest reasons is that serialized dramas, like 24, don't do well in reruns. Closed-ended episodic series like House and CSI do very well. Most of the studios' profits come from reruns and syndication sales. The license fee for first-run episodes aren't usually enough to cover the cost of production.

One advantage to serialized dramas, however, is that when it becomes a hit, viewers get addicted. It's appointment television that can't be missed. In an age where appointment-based programming is slowly on it's way out, conventional broadcasters welcome it.

Full Story (Vancouver Sun)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:42 PM | Permalink

CBC series Little Mosque On The Prairie has signed a deal with French broadcasting giant, Canal Plus to distribute the show. It is the first international distribution deal for the show, about Muslims living in a small Canadian prairie town.

The show will get it's debut in France in July as well as French-speaking regions of Switzerland and Africa. While Canal Plus is a pay channel, the broadcaster plans to unscramble the show in order to attract more viewers due to racial tentions have surfaced in France over the past few years.

Mary Darling, of Westwind Pictures, the Toronto-based company that produces Little Mosque On The Prairie, says when international buyers view the show, they compliment it for it's success in breaking down cultural stereotypes.

On The Web:
Canal Plus Website (French)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:58 AM | Permalink

ABC announced Monday that is has renewed the addictive hit series Lost until May 2010, where the show will end.

There is a catch for fans of the show however. The next three seasons will be shortened to 16 episodes, beginning next February and it will air over consecutive weeks, no reruns.

This may be a problem for the show's Canadian carrier, CTV, however. Lost's season premiere in February 2010 will coincide with the network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In all likelyhood, CTV will probably air a marathon of the first three episodes after The Games. ABC will air it against NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics as well.

This is the first time a network announced the end of a top-rated series so far in advance.

Full Story (Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:47 AM | Permalink

Canadian specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand TV services experienced their highest revenue growth in 2006 than it has in the last 5 years. This according to a report released Wednesday by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC); Canada's broadcasting regulatory body.

A quick breakdown of the numbers:

Total revenues: $2.5 billion (up 12.5% from 2005)
including
Local advertising: $48 million
National advertising: $834 million
Other revenues: $35 million

$2 billion was earned by the 136 specialty TV services.
$482 million earned by pay TV, pay-per-view and video-on-demand

Total spending on Canadian programming: $880.6 million
News: $149 million
Sports: $221.2 million
Other information programming: $211.6 million
Drama: $162.3 million
Music and variety: $41.1 million
General interest: $61.1 million

These services spent nearly $300 million to acquire Canadian programs from independent producers.

Full Story (Playback Magazine)
Link to the CRTC report (CRTC Website; pdf)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 9:42 AM | Permalink