May sweeps is officially a disaster, and Variety has a follow-up: “The writers strike, along with the rising popularity of DVRs and the increased availability of programming on multiple platforms, conspired to make this season the lowest-rated on record for the broadcasters,” says the trade mag. The top five broadcast networks are down 10 percent in the 18-49 demographic. “The strike made this year an anomaly,” said Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Liguori. “But we all should look at what happened to those viewership levels and be shocked into being more aggressive about our thinking. No one knows what will happen with summer viewing and into the fall.”
Great quote. Great advice. Because this is most likely not a fluke.
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