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BSG Moving?

http://www.battlestargalacticasite.com/2006/10/bsg_to_nbc_can_it_survive.php

Not sure what all this means in the long run, but my immediate fear is the thought that NBC may try to "reign in" the writing staff and handing down lots of notes like TNT did with Crusade. Or maybe they won't since this show has 3.5 seasons produced and under it's belt.

-Haze
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Well, it is an NBC show, and lots of folks thought last year it would make the switch. It's doing well on SciFi channel, so I can't believe they would take it off there, perhaps just try and build more ratings with also showing it on NBC. Heroes is being played on SciFi Friday also.
 
NBC may try to "reign in" the writing staff and handing down lots of notes like TNT did with Crusade.
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Remember, though, that Crusade was a special case in terms of how egregious the "notes" were. TNT Atlanta was purposely trying to provoke JMS to the point that he would pull the show.
 
I get the impression from comments made that it's not uncommon, though. The bigger the network, the more meddling possibly. But maybe they'll have the sense not to mess with a hit. :rolleyes:

It's a great thing for the show, if it can keep its ratings high.

But if it just gets the same basic ratings it got at the Sci-Fi channel, wouldn't it be a flop on NBC? I just wonder how many more viewers they can expect (these days) simply moving it to network television.
 
But if it just gets the same basic ratings it got at the Sci-Fi channel, wouldn't it be a flop on NBC? I just wonder how many more viewers they can expect (these days) simply moving it to network television.
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Exactly, yes, SciFi Channels ratings are not big enough to allow it to survive on NBC.

I have fears for Heroes and how they'll handle it's ratings? It's on NBC on Mondays, and reairing on the SciFi Channel on Friday nights. I'd hate to see it cancelled because the ratings got split and diluted (Although Heroes has been picked up for the full season, now)
 
I get the impression from comments made that it's not uncommon, though. The bigger the network, the more meddling possibly. But maybe they'll have the sense not to mess with a hit. :rolleyes:
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Some notes are innevitable from any network and about any show. Generally the longer and better the track record (either because it has been a hit for them for a few years, or because the show is being run by Steven Boshco or somebody similar) the less they micromanage. One would think that a track record on another network would count, since it had done well enough to attrack their interest. However, with any given executive (or group of executives) you never really know what they might do.

The level of notes involved with Crusade, however, was *not* what anybody would ever expect in any circumstances, either in terms of the number of them or how horribly stupid they were on multiple levels. That's becaue in that case they (the network execs) actually were consciously trying to tick off the producer enough to make him cancel his own show rather than deal with them any more. When people bing up the fear of "notes like on Crusade" I think that it is important to remember that fact.
 
BSG hovers around an (adjusted) 1.8 rating on Sci-Fi. Heroes has done over a 10 rating on NBC for the first two episodes. And yes, that many more people could see BSG on NBC than did on Sci-Fi. 1) There are still plenty of people in this country who have neither cable nor satellite, some by choice, some because they aren't an option where they live. 2) Not everyone who has cable or satellite gets Sci-Fi. In some cases cable companies simply don't carry the channel, so it isn't an option, in other cases it is not part of the basic service - it is bundled with other channels for an extra fee and that turns people off. Also Sci-Fi tends to be one of the higher-numbered cable channels on most systems, and therefore gets less "flipping around the dial" traffic. (Most people who are start on channel 1 will hit something that looks like its worth watching before they get to channel 118 or wherever they've stuck SFC. So they don't snag a lot of viewers not already familiar with the channel.)

Since Universal/NBC has been doing well enough (between ad rates, overseas distribution and DVD revenues) to make it to a third season, it probably isn't costing them too much per episode. So it is worth a shot for NBC, especially if a lot of the cost is going to by paind Sci-Fi and not the broadcast network's coffers. (Yeah, they're corporate siblings and all that, which is one reason that Heroes is running on NBC, Sci-Fi and USA network, but each entity is responsible for its own budget, so BSG could be worth sticking in a slot NBC is losing anyway if the cost per ratings point is lower than whatever they're running now.)

I wouldn't worry about Heroes or "ratings dilution". It had the best debut for a new drama NBC has seen in years. People watching on Sci-Fi and USA are either watching for a second time or they're people who are already watching and or TiVoing two shows during the Heroes timeslot and therefore wouldn't be able to see it at all. I watched the first episode on USA because technical difficulties with the sound on the hi-def feed of my local NBC station screwed up my HD-DVR recording. But given the choice, I'd much rather watch in HD so I'll be sticking with NBC. (The mere fact its in HD will also likely draw more eyeballs to BSG in key markets.)

Regards,

Joe
 
Oh no. Apart from my concerns about what would happen to BSG itself on NBC, I get atrocious reception on NBC. The station is more static than not, but I've never really had to worry about it before. Hopefully SciFi would still be airing it, they've got precious little content of their own.
 
As the show tanked on NBC, and ratings have been going down on SCI FI, I don't see why NBC would want it. I wonder if it's more pie-in-the-sky rumors.
 
As the show tanked on NBC, and ratings have been going down on SCI FI, I don't see why NBC would want it. I wonder if it's more pie-in-the-sky rumors.
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The show has never been on NBC, so hasn't tanked yet.

Ratings are dropping on SciFi Channel? It's onlly aired one night (Last Friday) since last season earlier in the year?
 
I get atrocious reception on NBC. The station is more static than not, but I've never really had to worry about it before. Hopefully SciFi would still be airing it, they've got precious little content of their own.
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I'm confused. If you can get Sci-Fi, you have either cable or satellite. If you're getting your local NBC affiliate via cable or satellite, you should have an excellent signal - it isn't like it is subject to the kind of interference an over-the-air signal is. Cable and satellite aren't affected by things like high buildings, power lines or the quality of your antenna. Am I missing something?

Regards,

Joe
 
1) There are still plenty of people in this country who have neither cable nor satellite, some by choice, some because they aren't an option where they live.
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Do you think those same people will latch onto BSG, if say, it moves to NBC at the season break? I wonder how much sense the show will make to new viewers if they are trying to pick it up 3.5 seasons in.

I guess they could air the special they did recently that gives an overview, but I think some aspects like the Six that appears in Baltar's head, would throw a lot of new viewers off, or the fact that there are human looking Cylons as well as metal ones walking around.

-Haze
 
Ratings are dropping on SciFi Channel? It's onlly aired one night (Last Friday) since last season earlier in the year?
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Is Ant talking about the same show? :)

I just checked the S2 ratings for the U.S. Sci-Fi Channel. The highest-rated episode was the season premiere, which pulled a 2.6 rating. (2.6% of all U.S. households with television watched the show.) The following week it droppedto a 2.0, but that was essentially the average rating for the rest of the year. The lowest-rated was "The Captain's Hand" in February 2006 - it drew a 1.7 rating. Week to week the show mostly occupied the narrow range of 1.8 to 2.0. Ratings for the last 4 episodes of the season were 1.7, 1.8, 1.8, and 1.9. The over-all average for the season was 1.965. Even backing out the first episode's 2.6 the average only drops to 1.931. There is no trend of "dropping ratings" visible from S2 and that's what NBC would have based its decision on. (And, as you noted, the show has never aired on NBC, so it could hardly have "bombed" there.)

Regards,

Joe
 
Maybe he got confused by Stargate Sg-1? I think it had syndicated reruns on NBC for a short period of time years ago.
 
Technically, it DID air on NBC. If I am remembering right, they aired the mini series around the time season one started airing on SciFi. However, it was shown on a Saturday afternoon. So it really wasn't anything more than an afterthought to them.
 
Do you think those same people will latch onto BSG, if say, it moves to NBC at the season break? I wonder how much sense the show will make to new viewers if they are trying to pick it up 3.5 seasons in.
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There are plenty of people who discovered B5 with season 2, 3 or even 4 and who were able to pick up the story as they went along. And Six living in Baltar's head was no more or less clear in the mini-series than in the episodes. People will pick up on that as well.

Regards,

Joe
 
Ausiello had this in his weekly TVGuide.com column.


Question: Since you are the all-knowing, all-wise one in regards to all things Battlestar Galactica, is there any truth to the rumor circulating the Web that BSG will move to NBC?— Lynn

Ausiello: None whatsoever. The show's publicist and I had a good laugh over that one.
 
Alright, i'm glad to hear that.

As for my bad reception on NBC, I don't know why. The rent for my apartment includes cable TV from comcast up to channel 78. NBC is the worst offender but all the channels under channel 10 look horrible from both cable outlets in my apartment. ESPN also looks like crap, but I'm not too concerned with that.
 
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