88 replies to this topic

[Trini Girl]

The show is premiering September 20th in its regular timeslot at 9pm.

There will also be rebroadcasts of the episodes the following Saturday nights.

And according to this article, the Pilot will be air the following week on several cable channels:

Continuing the campaign after the premiere, the first episode of “The Event” will be repeated on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. on six of NBC Universal’s cable channels, steering viewers to the second episode of the series, which will start at 9 p.m. on NBC.

The channels involved in the so-called roadblock are three popular ones — Syfy, Oxygen and Bravo — and smaller channels, Sleuth, Chiller and Universal HD. The company’s biggest cable channel, USA, will replay the first episode during the weekend.

[Raider One]

Just in case you're wondering about the ratings:Nielsen TV By The Numbers-overnight has The Event premier at 3.7 for the important 18-49 demographic with a 9 share and 11.19 million viewers. Chase, in comparison, which got enormous ad blitz on the TV screen and on-lilne, received a 2.5 (18-49) 7 share and 7.94 Million viewers. Castle got 2.8/8/11.17 Million. Hawaii Five-O: 3.8/10/13.83 Million. http://tvbythenumber...ii-five-0/64332

Edited by Raider One, Sep 21, 2010 @ 11:13 AM.

[dives]

The real test is going to be next week's numbers, and next month's. I'm surprised that in the demo it got a 3.7 when Hawaii 5-0 (which I thought was going to smash everyone) got a 3.8. It'd be interesting to see the half-hour numbers too.

[Raider One]

Plus all of these guys are going up against Monday Night Football for about 4 months. They all should pray for boring games and/or weak schedules. But with DVR we can do football and The Event and it even gets credit for DVR business.

It'll be interesting to see which show gets moved to another night or time slot first. But you're right, the acid test is the next couple of shows: hope the writers are up to the task of grabbing a core audience fast which identifies with good characters. The core audience will watch to the bitter end..

[Brandon]

Ratings took a bit of a tumble this week:

On NBC, "The Event" averaged 8.98 million viewers and a 2,9 demo rating, down steeply from 11.2 million and a 3.7 demo in last week's Fast Nationals.

[dives]

Not great, but not entirely unexpected (to me), and also not the end of the world. I think word on the pilot was mixed. I was amazed it got a 3.7 in the demo at all! However, Hawaii 5-0 dropped 10% this week, so most new shows aren't doing all that excellently.

The 19% drop in the demo is the most cause for worry, but I don't really know how anyone goes about solving that. If it can consistently keep above a 3 I think it should be okay. I don't really know what NBC would put on in lieu of The Event, however, even if ratings were abysmal.

Edited by dives, Sep 28, 2010 @ 2:13 PM.

[Xenith]

Well NBC's ploy to re-air the Event premiere on their affiliate networks (Bravo/SciFi/Oxygen) at 8PM Monday looks like it was a massive success....

Is there any place that would have those numbers? I'd be curious just how many people checked it out on them compared to how many then stayed away from the new episode. Wonder if NBC have better off to have let those people miss the first (mostly slow) episode and just let people turn into 2nd (more action, more plot, slightly less jumbled) ep?

[MichaelFi]

While week-three of lead-out The Event continues to build, a deteriorating 7.46 million viewers (#3) and a 2.4/ 6 among adults 18-49 (#3) is a definite concern. Take a look at the three-week track:

The Event (NBC)
9/20/10 – Viewers: 10.88 million; A18-49: 3.6/ 9
9/27/10 – Viewers: 9.06 million; A18-49: 2.9/ 7
10/04/10 – Viewers: 7.46 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 6

If the bleeding continues, chances are The Event will be short-lived.

http://pifeedback.co...451/m/942109523

[Rickster]

Is there any place that would have those numbers? I'd be curious just how many people checked it out on them compared to how many then stayed away from the new episode. Wonder if NBC have better off to have let those people miss the first (mostly slow) episode and just let people turn into 2nd (more action, more plot, slightly less jumbled) ep?

Speaking for myself, I was sucked into this show by seeing the re-airing of Episode 2 last weekend on NBC. Watched Episode 3 last night and I think I am hooked. Still have not seen the pilot, and stuff I had seen prior to the show airing made me think this was not for me.

[MichaelFi]

Without the necessary lead-in support, week four of The Event lost more steam, with 6.45 million viewers (#3) and a 2.2/ 5 in the demo (#2) from 9-10 p.m. In just three weeks, The Event has dipped by a hefty 4.43 million viewers and 39 percent among adults 18-49 from its debut on Sept. 20. Take a look at the four-week track:

The Event (NBC) – 9 p.m.
9/20/10 – Viewers: 10.88 million; A18-49: 3.6/ 9
9/27/10 – Viewers: 9.06 million; A18-49: 2.9/ 7
10/04/10 – Viewers: 7.56 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 6
10/11/10 – Viewers: 6.45 million; A18-49: 2.2/ 5

Although The Event avoids the listing of losers for still building by double-digits from Chuck, more erosion next week will be unforgivable.

http://pifeedback.co...451/m/592104723

[dives]

Hmm. I think the problem with The Event is not that people aren't watching it-- it's that people aren't watching it live. I believe I read a report yesterday on TVBythenumbers that says it has the biggest DVR gain. Which...is not helpful to anyone if the show survives on advertising. I don't really know what NBC can do to fix that; there's no big reality show to help with the lead-in, and it shouldn't be paired with Chuck IMO since the two shows are stylistically and tonally different.

Well, the real problem is that it's on NBC, which is a shambles regardless of how good or bad The Event is.

Edited by dives, Oct 12, 2010 @ 11:36 AM.

[MichaelFi]

I doubt that's the problem- the problem is that FEWER people are watching it live each week, which suggests that people are sampling it and deciding they didn't like it.
By the way, is this the report you read?
http://tvbythenumber...-rankings/67519
Note that it's from week one, when the ratings were great.

Edited by MichaelFi, Oct 12, 2010 @ 3:17 PM.

[dives]

I would agree with you if this was a procedural, but imo, with serialized shows, part of it's that some people watching think "Oh, crap, I don't have time to keep up with this...I'll just DVR it and watch all the episodes when I have the time," and some people thinking "Oh, this looks complicated, they'll probably just cancel it so I might as well not even bother." Sure that suggests that The Event isn't so compelling that everyone HAS to sit in front of the TV at 9/8c every Monday to see it, and I'm sure that there are people who are getting fed up with it for various reasons and not watching. But...lemme put it this way, people seem to LOVE Fringe, and that's getting, what, 7-9m viewers? Better than The Event, sure, but hardly a hit. And it constantly gets a bump from DVR viewings.

I guess I just think the idea of "if people like it, they'll watch it live" doesn't apply to serialized shows these days, unless serialized shows are inherently not as liked as procedurals or something-- I can't think of any serialized show on the air that could be considered a hit ratings-wise, and I don't think it's because there are no good ones on the air, because there are. Maybe Glee at a stretch.

I swear they was using data from week three...I need to look it up, but you're probably right.

Edited by dives, Oct 12, 2010 @ 10:09 PM.

[MichaelFi]

But...lemme put it this way, people seem to LOVE Fringe, and that's getting, what, 7-9m viewers? Better than The Event, sure, but hardly a hit. And it constantly gets a bump from DVR viewings.

Fringe is getting 5-6 million viewers- it's doing worse than the Event.
The problem with your argument is the "people seem to LOVE" part. That's entirely anecdotal evidence. More to the point, Fringe's ratings aren't constantly decreasing. The Event's ratings are getting less and less each week- that's exactly what happened to Flashforward last year, and the consensus is that people really DID reject Flashforward.
(Personally, I think the flashbacks are driving people away. I've heard numerous people complain about them.)

[dives]

Well...yes. It is anecdotal, in the same way that any conjecture about why people aren't watching The Event is going to have some bit of anecdotal evidence. My point was that there aren't any serialized shows on TV that are as successful as procedural shows, so high numbers for the premiere and subsequent lowering numbers don't only equal tons of people who watched the premiere saying "Oh, I hate this show, I won't watch anymore." It assumes that Nielsen ratings are an accurate gauge of how many people are watching a show, which imo they aren't. There's a million different reasons for people not watching a show live, and liking/not liking is just one of them. I, for instance, like Lie to Me but I can't watch two things at the same time.

I'm not saying "Oh, these ratings are TOTALLY wrong, everyone loves The Event, they're just not watching it live" cause that would be dumb. Of course it's not a hit. I'm only saying "I think people are sort of lukewarm on it, so they're hedging their bets to see if it gets renewed or listening to other people's opinions, and the ratings aren't catching these hedge-betters."

I am concerned about the fact that it hasn't stabilized, because I like to see stories finished. But I don't see any changes they could make that would bring people back to it, to be honest, even if it does become an excellent show. People will still think "Oh, I'm so behind, though. I'll just wait till the DVDs are out."

Edited by dives, Oct 12, 2010 @ 11:36 PM.

[firestarter]

Apparently, DVRing isn't the death knell to advertisers that it was thought to be at the beginning--about half of DVR viewers still watch the commercials. (Sorry I can't quote the source on that--it was linked in the House ratings forum last year.) So DVR numbers are counting for something for advertiser-supported TV. Not sure if that helps The Event much, because it seems to be losing viewers every week in all measures--live, live+DVR, the key demos. Personally, I really wanted to like the show but I've given up--frustrated by the bad writing choices.

[thuganomics85]

I tell you what isn't a good idea in my opinion: when watching Law & Order this Wed, I saw two commercials for The Event. Both were focused solely on Sean and Leila, their "love", and Sean's quest to find Leila. No mention of the much more interesting Sophie and the others plot, no mention of the President or Sterling, or really, anything that is more interesting then that silly love story. Had I not been watching already, I would have just assumed that this show was all about those two lovebirds, and probably wouldn't have tuned in.

Now, I actually don't flatout hate the Sean/Leila story, but this really shouldn't be the focal point of the show and it's advertising. If they keep going this route, I won't be surprised if it keeps losing viewers.

[NolieBlue]

I agree that the Sean/Leila story is not the strongest. I'm much more interested in the president and that side of the story.

[Raider One]

(Personally, I think the flashbacks are driving people away. I've heard numerous people complain about them.)

You bet, during the last show there was the ridiculous '12 year' flashback which made the point that the couple was really, really in love way back then. A pitiful piece of time-filling fluff. But I'm still watching and DVRing, hoping for something to justify the mystery.

[Arynm]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a full season pickup!

I read the press release and I believe that the DVR numbers plus the fact that NBC has licensing fees from over 200 territories worldwide is the reason we got a full season. It certainly isn't the ratings!

ETA: I'm sure more than one man is watching this.

Edited by Arynm, Oct 18, 2010 @ 5:29 PM.

[pigsfeet1]

I'm sure more than one man is watching this.

Raises hand here. I like it, "24" in it's better days it's not, but i'll stick it out, plus, Sarah Roemer & Taylor Cole (as someone posted on the thread for last weeks episode) make their part of the show (Sean/Leila/Vicki) much worth it, ok, i'm being shallow. Underwood/Ivanek/Innes speak for themselves.

Mostly, I watch the episodes online, I know they don't pay much attention to that (as far as I know), but i'm sure a big numbers of online viewers may have NBC's attention too (this seems like a show that would do well on NBC.com, etc.).

[MichaelFi]

I read the press release and I believe that the DVR numbers plus the fact that NBC has licensing fees from over 200 territories worldwide is the reason we got a full season. It certainly isn't the ratings!

And I believe that NBC has nothing better- they also gave a full season to LOLA, even though it's not even getting a 2.0 in the demo.

Edited by MichaelFi, Oct 18, 2010 @ 7:34 PM.

[thuganomics85]

Sarah Roemer & Taylor Cole (as someone posted on the thread for last weeks episode) make their part of the show (Sean/Leila/Vicki) much worth it, ok, i'm being shallow.

Heh, that's was probably me. I'm sure I posted that last episode. What can I say?

I'm glad enough it got a full season pick-up. It can be silly as hell, but I'm not watching anything else right now, and I'm curious to see if they can get their act together. There are a few intriguing ideas, plus one hell of a cast, and I don't want to give up yet. That said, I'm prepared for the worse.

[MichaelFi]

9:00 p.m.
NBC – The Event
Viewers: 6.41 million (#3), A18-49: 2.2/ 6 (#3)
9:30 p.m.
NBC – The Event
Viewers: 6.34 million (#3), A18-49: 2.1/ 5 (#3)

http://pifeedback.co...451/m/921102923
That's about the same as last week, which isn't bad.

[thuganomics85]

Hey, remember when I complained over them showing previews of just Sean/Leila last week? TPTB must have sensed it somehow because while watching Law & Order tonight, they had previews again, and this time it was all about the President, Sophia, the conflict, and all the sci-fi elements, and not a peep about the romance. Much better ad. Good for them!

[Katiki]

My friends and I have been recording The Event and waiting to see how it pans out before we get involved. We don't want to be left hanging if it gets cancelled, and we don't want to be strung along if it turns out to be like Lost. (You know, ask seven questions before you half-answer one. Stop teasing me and tell me the damn story!)

(Personally, I think the flashbacks are driving people away. I've heard numerous people complain about them.)

I think Lost has turned me off flashbacks forever. I stopped watching Fringe because I hate being flashed all over the place. Unless flashbacks (or forwards or sideways) are used judiciously, all they do is break up the story by bouncing the viewer around.

Anyway, reading the ratings and comments here doesn't really inspire me to invest in the show. The previews were intriguing, and we were hoping it would be the new 24.

I'm only saying "I think people are sort of lukewarm on it, so they're hedging their bets to see if it gets renewed or listening to other people's opinions, and the ratings aren't catching these hedge-betters."

Yep, that certainly sums up my position. The point you were making about serials being problematic, dives, is certainly spot-on from my POV. I think the networks have only themselves to blame because they keep burning their viewers by cancelling series without letting them wrap up the story or letting the writers run amok with no real plan to wrap up the story. They have a name for it at TVTropes: Chris Carter Effect. Apparently, the fans of the X-Files analyzed every clue for years trying to figure out the Big Plot. And then when the X-Files was finally cancelled leaving many of the threads they had been diligently following flapping in the wind, Carter admitted there was no Big Plot, he was just making it up as he went along and all those "clues" didn't actually mean anything. And the fear the show won't survive long enough for the story to be told is called the Firefly Effect. So viewers are justifiably wary.

So, I don't know. I guess we'll keep taping it for a while longer and see what happens. At least we know they have a full season pick-up, but that might only mean we have a whole season to become involved in the show before they burn us.

Edited by Katiki, Oct 21, 2010 @ 12:37 AM.

[RabidStoat]

Having suffered through Persons Unknown this summer, this show looks fricking brilliant by comparison! I, as a viewer, now have such very low expectations. If you do not stab me in the eyeballs, I will generally watch.

[MichaelFi]

Over at NBC, particularly concerning was week six of The Event at a series-low 5.93 million viewers and a 2.0/ 5 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m., which was barely above lead-in Chuck (Viewers: 5.39 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5 at 8 p.m.). Chase at 10 p.m., meanwhile, remained out of the competitive loop with a typically last-place finish in both total viewers (4.91 million) and the demo (1.3/ 4). NBC may want to reconsider the full season episode orders for The Event and Chase.

http://pifeedback.co...451/m/702106033

[Rickster]

Now, I actually don't flatout hate the Sean/Leila story, but this really shouldn't be the focal point of the show and it's advertising. If they keep going this route, I won't be surprised if it keeps losing viewers.

My guess is that NBC figures they're got the sci-fi audience already. Would there be anyone into SF who isn't aware of the show? They're trying to suck in non SF viewers who will come for the relationship drama but stay for the rest. Not to say that this will work.

The huge problem with serialized dramas is that pretty much you're never going to build audience from the premiere or first couple of episodes. You only lose viewers who find out the show is not for them, and potential new viewers figure it's not worth the effort to try to catch up with the plot. The question is where does the core audience flatten out and is it enough to keep the show on the air.

Edited by Rickster, Oct 27, 2010 @ 9:40 AM.

[MichaelFi]

Next was now officially failing The Event, which dipped to 5.52 million viewers (#3) and a fourth-place 1.7/ 4 among adults 18-49, followed by also recent entry Chase at just 4.54 million viewers (#3) and a 1.2/ 3 in the demo (#3) at 10 p.m. Although The Event and Chase were both renewed for the remainder of the season, NBC could always reverse its decision.

http://pifeedback.co...451/m/911103433
Lie to Me beat the Event in the demo for the first time. And the Event's ratings are now worse than Chuck's usual ratings in the demo. It looks like this will be the Event's only season.

Edited by MichaelFi, Nov 9, 2010 @ 11:51 AM.