[Antar Bolaeisk]

Fringe returns from it's Christmas break* on the 21st with it's latest show airing in the dreaded Friday hell slot of despondence and doom (note the episode title).


*Now with added Christopher Lloyd!





Apologies for making this thread so early, I just couldn't resist the poll option!

[GSPfan]

I'm cherrishing every minute of this show. It will be taken from us like every other great show. I would pray to a fictional God to keep this show on tv.

[Richard Dower]

Yup...it's a great Friday for the next few weeks :-)

Fringe, Smallville and Spartacus....woo!

[cuppa]

cool marty ,,88 knots ahead

[Tar.Aldarion]

didnt realise there was a forum for this, what an amazing show!

[Richard Dower]

Just finished watching it, very good...but not awesome. Observer-centric episode. Christopher Lloyd was superb, also that ep. confirmed a spoiler about Peter and an upciming plotline, Spoiler: Altlivia is preggo with Peter's child!

That'll send Olivia over the edge!, so what are the observers saying?...when the time comes Walter will let Peter die?, to redress the balance?, is Peter gonna power the machine to close the rifts?

Solid ep. all round - Fringe Friday rocks!

[boneyarsebogman]

Fringe reminds me of a Rube Goldberg machine.



Events knocking against events, causing other events. It was quite mesmerizing seeing them unfold.

I presume the Observers meant that he was willing to leave the milk in there, despite someone else drinking it.

As much as I hate to ask, Richard, but what were the ratings. Did Fringe beat the Friday curse?

[Elohim]

Thought it really lacked the pace and tension that the previous few eps have had which is a pity. I suppose it's now obvious that it's building up to a finale where Walter will have to make a choice on Peter.

Christopher Lloyd was absolutely excellent though, doesn't seem to have aged a bit!

Did the observer really have to steal that car to crash into the cop car? Could lead to a bad spiral for the poor guy who owns it, ya think he'd have learned his lesson.

My tv was stolen last week so couldn't help with the ratings this week! Hopefully by next week i'll be contributing again
Don't know why they can't at least count Hulu in on the ratings, great quality and loads of ads.

[Richard Dower]

Fringe did awesome for Friday, a 1.9A 18-49, it all depends now IF it can maintain those numbers: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...ieres-up/79750

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Perhaps the poll could have done with a "just what the hell is going on" option.

Again it was another great episode but it left so many damn questions most pressingly did Peter get Fauxlivia knocked up and to a lesser extent what do the observers want. Christopher Lloyd was brilliant and the scenes with him and Walter were fantastic.

Originally Posted by Elohim

My tv was stolen last week so couldn't help with the ratings this week! Hopefully by next week i'll be contributing again
Don't know why they can't at least count Hulu in on the ratings, great quality and loads of ads.

Unless you're in a Nielsen house then your direct viewing won't matter a damn unfortunately.

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Some Violet Sedan Chair for you

And some more

Apparently these records were randomly sitting in stores across America for ages.

[expectationlost]

why did walter save the girl?

[Elohim]

Originally Posted by Antar Bolaeisk

Unless you're in a Nielsen house then your direct viewing won't matter a damn unfortunately.

What determines whether the house is counted in the ratings or not? Don't get how ya become "a nielsen house", can ya explain please?
(I know Nielsen are the ratings etc)

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Originally Posted by Elohim

What determines whether the house is counted in the ratings or not? Don't get how ya become "a nielsen house", can ya explain please?
(I know Nielsen are the ratings etc)

From Wikipedia:

Nielsen television ratings are gathered in one of two ways:
Viewer "diaries", in which a target audience self-records its viewing or listening habits. By targeting various demographics, the assembled statistical models provide a rendering of the audiences of any given show, network, and programming hour.
A more technologically sophisticated system uses Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes. These devices gather the viewing habits of the home and transmit the information nightly to Nielsen through a "Home Unit" connected to a phone line. The technology-based home unit system is meant to allow market researchers to study television viewing habits on a minute to minute basis, seeing the exact moment viewers change channels or turn off their TV. In addition to set meters, individual viewer reporting devices, such as people meters, have allowed the company to separate household viewing information into various demographic groups, but so far Nielsen has refused to change its distribution of data of ethnic groups into subgroups, which could give more targeted information to networks and advertisers.

Changing systems of viewing have impacted Nielsen's methods of market research. In 2005, Nielsen began measuring the usage of digital video recordings such as TiVo. Initial results indicate that time-shifted viewing will have a significant impact on television ratings. The networks are not yet figuring these new results into their ad rates due to the resistance of advertisers.

Unless you're involved with one of the above your direct viewership wouldn't seem to make a difference.

There are things you can do though:

How To Save Fringe

If there is one point that is becoming rapidly salient in today's ratings market, it is how Nielsen sometimes gets it wrong. The fact is, with sweeps coming to an end Fringe failed the test for retaining its space as a lucrative prime-time marketing billboard. Whether you believe the Nielsen system makes sense or not, there is only one way to insure a future for Fringe: make the network and the advertisers believe through other means that Fringe is a worthwhile market on Friday. Add value to Friday night, and Fringe has a chance. In order to do this, the Fringe fandom is going to need to assist FOX in their marketing efforts - the social way.

Here's my theory: Fringe fans are LOST fans, at least a large percentage. LOST fans did more grass roots promotion for that show than any other show in history - they can do it again. In order to save Fringe, fans need to talk about the show. The LOST fans that remain need to exercise their veteran fandom skills to create the kind of grassroots marketing LOST enjoyed for so long. The reality is, sending FOX stuff, or creating petitions, or whatever, is not going to move the needle on the ratings. When Jericho was renewed, it was done on the contingency that the fans who got behind the mailings show that kind of support in promoting the return of the show. They missed that point. Jericho got renewed, and the fandom largely sunk back into their lazy-boys and re-crossed their fingers.

The way to show FOX Fringe is worth saving, in my opinion, is to ramp up your patronage of their message boards, support the great blogs like Fringetelevision and Fringe Bloggers by using social bookmarking elements like Twitter, Stumbleupon, Facebook, etc., to spread awareness of their astute observations and news pieces - and most importantly, just talk about the show, and do it where you know FOX will see it. Let them know you are out there. When you talk about Fringe, you are marketing the show. In this day and age, it's entirely possible for a fandom to compensate for a network's lack of marketing. If presidential elections can be won through Social Media, television shows can be renewed. Good luck Fringe. The fans have your back.

[abelard]

I never picked up on the added layer of significance of the episode being called Firefly :/

I'm very scared for Fringe.