TV's Friday Dead Zone

Friday, like Saturday, was once a haven for some of the best programming on television, featuring some of the most beloved shows of all time.Baby boomers will nostalgically recall ABC’s classic early-1970s kids lineup anchored by The Brady Bunch and capped off with Love, American Style. Soap lovers were glued to CBS’ combination of Dallas and Falcon Crest in the 1980s, which topped the ratings charts for most of the decade. ABC themed the night “TGIF” and populated it with entries like Full House and Family Matters for years. NBC introduced ultra-cool Miami Vice. And the masses were introduced to Fox’s The X-Files and CBS’ CSI on this evening.All is certainly not as it used to be. The X-Files morphed into a long-running Sunday staple, while CSI, of course, still airs on Thursday—two nights that are considerably more profitable from an ad revenue standpoint. CSI, in fact, was the last big Friday hit on any broadcast network, and that was nine years ago. “The audience is very aware that Friday and Saturday are no longer priorities for the networks,” explains Brad Adgate, svp of research at Horizon Media. “There are several ways to explain the ongoing audience erosion on Friday and the poor results on Saturday, but the main reason is the programming. It always comes down to the types of shows being offered.”Once upon a time, the end of the work week offered viewers a bounty of options. But, mirroring once robust and now virtually extinct Saturday (which at one time also housed the biggest hits on television: All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat and The Golden Girls), the landscape on Friday has been deteriorating for years, leading many to worry about the future of that evening as a source of original entertainment. (Cable networks are starting to make their mark on the night, but more on that later.) NBC has seen a spike in the ratings on Friday this season thanks to its recent coverage of the Winter Olympics, but ABC, CBS and Fox are all down year to year. CBS’ deteriorating combination of scripted dramas Ghost Whisperer, Medium and Numb3rs have dipped by an average of 19 percent in total viewers (from 9.7 million to 7.8 million) and 21 percent among adults 18-49 (from a 2.4 to a 1.9) based on live-plus-7-day ratings from Nielsen Media Research through March 22. ABC’s erosion—down 5 percent in total viewers to 5.4 million and 11 percent among adults 18-49 to a 1.6—is less severe, but Friday remains the second-lowest-rated night of the week (behind Saturday) for both networks. Friday, meanwhile, is the weakest link for Fox, with a 21 percent drop in total viewers to 4.4 million and a 12 percent dip among adults 18-49 to a 1.5.The CW actually has more pressing issues than Friday. But since Smallville moved from Thursday to Friday, the veteran drama has suffered double-digit losses. Even NBC’s canceled The Jay Leno Show dipped to its lowest ratings of the week on Friday.“Since the advent of people meters and the emphasis on adults 18-49, the audience advertisers covet is just not readily available on Friday or Saturday,” points out Jeff Bader, evp, planning, scheduling and distribution, ABC Entertainment Group. “Economically, it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to assemble an aggressive night of programming on both nights similar to earlier in the week simply because of the lack of target viewers and weaker advertiser support. The desirable audience is just not available.”“It’s a catch-22,” adds Adgate. “The more the networks shy away from both evenings, the less advertisers want to support it. And the absence of significant advertiser support doesn’t exactly give the broadcast networks an incentive to be more productive.”Some argue that weekend ratings are down in prime time because viewers are catching up with the shows they DVR’ed during the week. But the argument doesn’t really hold much water. For one, only 35 percent of homes in the country have DVRs, and for another, usage of the devices on Friday is second behind Saturday as the weakest among adults 18-49 for the week. DVD usage is slighter higher on both nights, but not enough to negatively impact the nights to this degree. “The last thing any of us want to do is abandon the evening,” notes Mitch Metcalf, evp, program planning and scheduling, NBC. “So, the challenge is to keep the night alive, while keeping the costs down. We need to find more creative cost-conscious ways to program Friday, while still trying to fuel some interest in Saturday.”One way is the use of less expensive international product like Canadian drama Flashpoint on CBS, which has been a modest success, and summer 2009 drama Mental on Fox, which was shot outside the U.S. Another is the current deal NBC has with DirecTV for family drama Friday Night Lights to spread the production costs. The next batch of 13 original episodes, which premiered on DirecTV last fall, returns to NBC on May 7 in a two-season (26-episode) renewal.“Friday Night Lights was a show we did not want to let go of, but we knew it would never be a huge success from a ratings standpoint” says Metcalf. “So, we found a way to keep it afloat and will continue to look for ways to program Friday wisely [from a cost standpoint], but still aggressively.”ABC has generated some interest on Saturday in fourth quarter care of college football, but outside of veteran newsmagazine 20/20 at 10 p.m., it could be back to square one from 8-10 p.m. on Friday next season.“We have several scenarios floating in our heads, and we just launched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on the evening,” says Bader. “But, to be honest, our bigger concern at present is replacing Lost and finding a Wednesday sitcom anchor.”There was talk at one time of ABC trying to recreate its kids-driven comedy lineup from the late ’80s–early ’90s, but corporate cable cousin Disney Channel and Nickelodeon now have a lock among the target kids and tweens. “It’s called fragmentation, and it has taken its toll,” says Bader. “It is just not simple to target a certain demographic anymore.”Fox had some minor success last season when it featured game shows Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Don’t Forget the Lyrics. But replacing them last fall with sitcoms ’Til Death and Brothers and sophomore returnee Dollhouse was short-lived, and the network is filling the night at present with encores of House and a blend of new and old episodes of Kitchen Nightmares.“Friday is a definite challenge for many reasons,” says Preston Beckman, Fox’s evp, strategic program planning. “But until we stick with a specific strategy that the audience can become accustomed to, no one will benefit. Only CBS has managed to offer a consistent lineup of scripted dramas, but who knows how profitable they are at this point?” As the broadcast networks struggle to balance ratings with cost containment on Friday and Saturday, some cable networks are making headway with original content—the downside is they’re attracting older viewers that not every advertiser covets. USA Network, for instance, has generated interest on Friday with dramas including Monk, Psych and White Collar. Rebranded Syfy is on the charts at present care Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica. Even feel-good Hallmark Channel has aggressively scheduled 24 original movies to air on Saturday next season. “We saw an opportunity, and we went for it,” says Barbara Fisher, Hallmark Channel’s svp, original programming. “We knew there was an audience on Saturday not being satisfied by what was being offered elsewhere and welcomed a more seasoned age group.”As the upfront season edges closer, the broadcast networks are busily plotting their prime-time blueprints for the fall season. The good news for fans of Friday is that execs want to keep programming the night. But the reality remains that Sunday through Thursday will continue to attract the A-list product. “Nothing is etched in stone, but we are hoping to have one scripted drama on Friday next season,” says Fox’s Beckman. “And we do want to find a specific theme.”ABC has 23 scripted pilots in development and is not against considering something for Friday. CBS (which declined to comment for this story) is expected to freshen up its Friday drama slate with at least one new scripted series. NBC is hoping that its current lineup of Who Do You Think You Are? and the expanded edition of Dateline holds up. And The CW has renewed veteran Smallville for a 10th season and is expected to keep it on Friday.“Unfortunately, we have no expectations of cracking the top 10 or 20 on Friday,” acknowledges NBC’s Metcalf. “You can’t, after all, house a huge hit every night of the week. But there are still ways to program the night.” Lonely Saturday, meanwhile, will remain populated with college football on ABC and Fox’s long-running combination of Cops and America’s Most Wanted. CBS will likely keep drama repeats in the 8-10 p.m. block, leading into 48 Hours Mystery, while NBC is also expected to stick with repeats.“The last thing any of us want is to lose our grip on any night of the week,” says Bader. “From an ad revenue standpoint, we do realize that we cannot program Friday and Saturday as aggressively. But that doesn’t mean we have to totally give up either.”Here’s hoping…

Convergent TV

TV's Friday Dead Zone

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman