Remember When We "Binged" Broadcast?

Sitting in front of one network for several hours may not constitute a program binge but it could be considered a platform binge couldn39t it And when the content on that platform features dozens of wellproduced nonrepetitive commercials throughout those hours perhaps starting in early fringe and continuing into late night that39s a win for advertisers isn39t it I am not prepared to predict that ads interrupting original streaming shows will prove to be as easy to take as they are on broadcast which is built to accommodate them Only time will tell For now I find them especially jarring on Prime Video especially when watching foreignlanguage series one of the most enticing features on any streaming platformI felt a rush of nostalgia when I first saw the old TV Guide ad pictured above which reminded me of countless nights enjoying several hours of entertainment while seated in front of one quotchannelquot How well I remember that Tuesday night lineup on ABC amp8230 and so many other nightly network schedules from the 3970s and 3980s and even the 3990s amp8230 from ABC39s Friday The Brady Bunch The Partridge Family Room 222 The Odd Couple Love American Style to CBS39 Saturday All in the Family MASH The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Bob Newhart Show The Carol Burnett Show to NBC39s MustSee Thursday The Cosby Show Family Ties Cheers Wings Hill Street BluesOf course some shows slid out of those lineups especially on NBC39s Thursday which was eventually home to Friends Mad About You Frasier Seinfeld and ER among others But that39s not the point Millions of people sat glued to one network for entire evenings and in hindsight it39s not difficult to understand why Broadcast comedies and dramas were developed not to garner critical acclaim and win awards but to entice and entertain people and by extension provide invaluable showplaces for advertisers Yes there were fewer viewing choices but even during the early decades of cable television a Friends Seinfeld Murder She Wrote Golden Girls or American Idol could grab people and hold millions of themAnd to return to the ad above and others like it there were places primarily the onceubiquitous TV Guide where program and schedule advertisements made a real impact They didn39t just promote lineups and crosspromote shows they made people feel like they were being invited to share a communal experience Coming upon ads like those when TV Guide arrived in the mail could generate enthusiasm days before the shows aired As with broadcast television TV Guide isn39t what it used to be But what print publication is Perhaps that39s another column for another timeDo we see such impactful TV advertisements today in print or online even though there are more television programs available for consumption on more platforms than ever before Not that I39ve noticed If you39ve noticed I would like to hear about themPrimetime promotion was one thing daytime quite another I vividly recall ABC Daytime39s onair promotional strategies in the 3970s and 3980s when the network39s skilled marketing team frequently highlighted all three of its thenredhot hourlong dramas in the same spots They weren39t about watching All My Children One Life to Live or legendary powerhouse General Hospital which I was told long ago by sales executives once made so much money for ABC that it funded the network39s primetime development Rather those flashy commercials were about watching all three shows all the time Or repeatedly bingeing the network39s afternoon lineup if you will This was before the arrival of the VCRIf such allinclusive commercial spots have returned beyond the likes of those basic promos for Chicago Wednesdays on NBC and FBI Tuesdays on CBS I am not aware of them But I am very aware of CBS39 increasingly clever promotions of its Thursday night lineup Back in the 3980s 3990s and early 2000s who could have imagined that CBS would have the MustSee lineup of the night if not the week on Thursdays Stars from shows on that night from Young Sheldon to Ghosts to So Help Me Todd and the upcoming Elsbeth are often seen cross promoting each other39s series It39s fun and I can39t imagine that it is not effectiveCan streamers accomplish the same thing with stars from their shows For now with only those bizarre Paramount mountain spots to go by I39ll say no Given the way people watch them though there wouldn39t be much point anyway But broadcast needs all the help it can get Going forward maybe it can benefit from simple successes of its pastMeanwhile I39m happier bingeing a platform than a streaming series because more often than not the latter is an eight or tenhour movie that could have been told in much less time amp8230 or via weekly installments that keep me engaged for weeks or months What39s the rush anywayPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Remember When We "Binged" Broadcast?

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Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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Remember When We "Binged" Broadcast?

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