Kimiakane

My home is not a Nielsen family (although I desperately wish we were) and I am a strong believer that it is incredibly inaccurate when deciding what "America is watching." I suppose when x-million viewers tuned in to a show, this is an estimate based on what the Nielsen families were watching, correct?

Now that TV shows on DVD are becoming more and more popular, I wonder if there is still a need for me to program my DVR for the shows we watch? On too many occasions, an excellent series begins and my husband and I really begin getting involved with the series, only to have it cancelled after a few months. I have done some blind buys on some series we never watched (such as 24, ALIAS, THE TICK, etc.) and have been pleasantly surprised with our purchases! Maybe this is the best way to watch TV?

My point with this post is...does it matter to any TV series if we watch or not when you're not a Nielsen family? No one knows if you tune in, no one seems to care about fan campaigns to save a show anymore (witness the recent failure to save ANGEL), so why should we watch TV series with 15 minutes of commercials per hour (even if you can fast forward through them) when you can just wait for them to hit DVD sets?

I thought this might make for an interesting discussion...

DeanoBKN

Speaking of the ratings, how do you know if what your watching is being checked?

Shannon Nutt

I've often wondered about this as well...so many people are waiting for the DVDs now, TV ratings may not properly reflect a series popularity anymore.

The release of FAMILY GUY on DVD was so popular that FOX is bringing the show back on the air. And I don't think 24 (which barely got renewed after its first season) would be nearly as popular as it is now if it were not for FOX's brilliant move of releasing season one before season two came on the air.

My question is a little different though...

When will the DVD releases of TV shows become so popular (and I think we're reaching that point now) where a studio decides to release a season of the show FIRST on DVD - or better yet, make a TV show EXCLUSIVELY for DVD?

xraybies

I'm specificly not watching 24 and Alias this season because I know they will be released on DVD soon after the season is over and I much prefer the experience on my projector with 5.1 sound rather than my 15 yr old 30" TV since I don't have HD yet.

layth1

I prefer watching TV shows on DVD cause they're more involving that way. There's no commercials inturupting the flow of the show. And if there's a cliff hanger, unless it's a season finale you can watch the rest of it stright away.

calhoun07

I could see this MAYBE happening for an established series. Maybe throw in a bonus disc into a set of "unreleased" episodes made for DVD only, or perhaps an extra season of a cancelled show that already has a fan based following. But can you honestly think this would be a good move for either the producer of the show or the consumer?

Let's say Angel continued as a series on DVD only. A six disc box set would be unbearably expensive for the casual viewer to buy. The show no longer made any money off of advertising revenue, and since it's direct to DVD, it probably won't be shown on the WB in the near future so syndication of this extra season is probably a null issue as well, unless the producers are able to strike a deal with a network. The burden of carrying the cost of this extra season would be placed on the shoulders of the buying public, meaning 40.00 for a set isn't going to cover it any more. Maybe 200.00 or more per set. Angel isn't a cheap show to produce, and to make 22 DVD only episodes isn't likely.

Nor would it be likely for a new show to come to DVD exclusively. Advertising revenue aside, the show hasn't gained any popularity. Who is going to buy it? It might suck, and it's going to be more expensive than an average set anyway. It's not like a direct to DVD movie that shoots a 90 minute movie and can reduce the costs so the DVD can be affordable and the company can still make money. You're talking about a show with 20+ hours of footage and nobody knows how the show will do? I don't think we will see direct to DVD shows anytime soon. At least not in season sets.

pawdog

It absolutley does not matter what you watch if you are not a nielson family. One neilson family is responsible for something like 96 thousand households. I got a nielson diary last summer one week in July in the middle of rerun season. I mostly wrote DVD viewing for most of the time slots. Except for the shows I like and wanted to support I put them down whether I got to watch them or not.