The major television networks have all announced their 2009-2010 season schedules, and there are quite a few surprises among them. The traditional method of predicting renewals and cancellations for TV shows based ratings didn’t work as low rated shows got renewed over higher rated ones. It's clear that other factors besides ratings now play a large role in determining a show’s fate. One of the most talked about pickups was NBC’s Chuck.
Why Chuck and Was Renewed and Other Shows Weren’t
When Ben Silverman took questions following NBC’s Upfront presentation, nearly 80% of them were about Chuck. Ultimately, Chuck’s audience engagement was what saved the show. NBC Entertainment Co-Chair Ben Silverman stated that the network was extremely impressed by the show’s passionate fan base, while a lack of passion from fans of Medium, and My Name Is Earl led to those shows being canceled: "the demand for Chuck that came out of the online community, the critical press and our advertising base made us have to pick up that show. The other shows had none of that attention or energy." Silverman also cited the broad critical acclaim the show has been getting. Several notable TV critics have actively been involved in the campaign to save the show, particularly the New Jersey Star-Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall, whom Ben Silverman specifically noted as instrumental in the show’s renewal during the question period.
Subway Sponsors Chuck in a Big Way
The impact of Chuck fans was felt by Subway as well. The sandwich giant approached NBC looking to make an investment in the show after getting noticeable sales and awareness increases due to a fan campaign to eat the chain’s footlong subs. As a result, Subway has signed a deal to sponsor the show as a whole, guaranteeing them large amounts of advertising (some have speculated that a character may actually end up working at Subway) to an audience which has already showed they are willing to listen. In return, NBC gets large amounts of money from Subway and the ability to use that sponsorship as leverage to increase the price of other advertisements airing during Chuck.
Product integration is crucial to Chuck’s viability as a series. NBC claims that DVR use generates 28% of the show’s viewers in the 18-49 demographic that advertisers most want to reach, however DVR users generally skip traditional advertisements, which means that those users will have to be reached through advertisements which take place within the show itself. Chuck’s viewers are also valuable because they have money, according to NBC the show’s average viewer makes over $75,000 dollars a year, an extremely attractive demographic for advertisers.
Cost a Factor in Renewal Decisions
One of the main factors in renewal decisions this season was the cost of each series. Across the board shows have had their budgets slashed, and the cost of Chuck was a factor in its renewal. Although Ben Silverman has stated that NBC did not ask for a budget cut, Warner Bros. Studios, which produces the show, did. A significant cost to any network picking up a show is the licence fee that they must pay the studio (Warner Bros in this case) which produces it. The WB decided to reduce the show’s overall budget so they could agree to a lower licence fee in exchange for the show’s renewal.
Chuck versus Heroes and Medium
Another method used to cut costs by NBC has been to limit most of its renewals to shorter seasons. Chuck had to accept a 13 episode order, while Heroes got 19, and Medium’s refusal to accept a 13 episode order led to the show being canceled from the network (in addition to its low audience engagement, see above). The idea behind reduced orders is that if a show fails to deliver solid ratings or other indicators of profit the network isn’t stuck having to buy a full 22 unprofitable episodes, but if ratings improve they can increase their order.
Chuck won’t air until 2010 after NBC broadcasts the Olympics, and it will air Monday’s at 8:00 p.m., the same slot Heroes will occupy during Winter 2009. While that means a long break for Chuck, it is possible that the show has actually been put in a better position than Heroes. By airing in the first part of the season, an extension of Heroes’ season to 22 episodes would be extremely difficult; the network would have to give Heroes another show’s scheduled airtime, something which the show would have to perform extremely well to do. Based on its current numbers this seems unlikely.
As a midseason replacement Chuck will have an easier time getting an order of the “back 9” episodes (for a total of the full 22). The show could simply be extended to run into the summer season, which is currently unscheduled and also less lucrative because fewer people watch TV during the summer. If Chuck’s numbers are “good” (but not necessarily great) during the winter and spring, the idea that it could continue to bring those numbers during the typically low-rated summer would be very attractive to NBC. Silverman acknowledged that NBC has actively considered airing the back nine episodes during the summer, and thinks that the show would do well with Friday Night Lights. NBC is also trying to prevent the show from losing visibility during its break, and Silverman said that they have “an incredible online plan” for the show.
All Ben Silverman quotes taken from Alan Sepinwall.
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