Why do the likes of E4 and Comedy Central repeat the same shows?

steelcityblues

I'm asking why these two channels in particular keep on showing time and time again, the same small group of US sitcoms in re-runs: Friends, Frasier, Scrubs, Two and Half Men, Sex and the City.

Don't get me wrong, I like most of those shows, but they are missing out on so many classics: Seinfeld, Cheers, Roseanne, All in the Family, MASH, Newhart, etc that would be welcome additions to these channels.

I don't know if its a laziness in part of the schedulers - or whether the rights for all of the above were simply too expensive - but these channels need to be shaken up a bit.

amacachi

Seinfeld, Cheers, Roseanne, All in the Family, MASH, Newhart

I've only ever seen an episode or two of Seinfeld and thought it was piss-poor. Apparently it suffers from a reverse "Simpsons did it" affliction. Don't think it was ever that big in the UK anyway.
Cheers was always on Channel 4 til recently enough.
Roseanne wasn't much good at all.
AITF is a little "old".
MASH used to be constantly on Comedy Central. Haven't noticed it in a while though or anywhere else so I assume no-one watched it.
Newhard I've never heard of:o


Rights cost different amounts for different shows obviously and having had MASH for at least 5 years, for example, I assume the sums didn't work out. There's only so many shows each channel can afford and getting a "new" one is a risk, I assume when rights are up for renewal the Channel knows what the limit is on what it's worth paying.

steelcityblues

amacachi wrote: »

Newhard I've never heard of:o

Newhart, centred around Bob Newhart, as an author moving from NYC to rural Vermont. His humour was very deadpan, and the sitcom was less syrupy compared to others from the 80s. Underrated, but it definitely gets more re-runs in the States.

I understand with Seinfeld that certain people will be bigger fans of it than others, but it was arguably one of the most popular of the 90s. It gets little respect in the re-runs over here.

AITF is repeated regularly to this day in the US, but maybe some of the references have dated, alright.

I'm really surprised that Cheers is hardly on these days, though.

amacachi

steelcityblues wrote: »

Newhart, centred around Bob Newhart, as an author moving from NYC to rural Vermont. His humour was very deadpan, and the sitcom was less syrupy compared to others from the 80s. Underrated, but it definitely gets more re-runs in the States.

I understand with Seinfeld that certain people will be bigger fans of it than others, but it was arguably one of the most popular of the 90s. It gets little respect in the re-runs over here.

AITF is repeated regularly to this day in the US, but maybe some of the references have dated, alright.

I'm really surprised that Cheers is hardly on these days, though.

I don't remember anyone giving much of a ****e about Seinfeld at the time. It's got a decent cult following but mainly those would be people who wouldn't have Sky. :pac:

I remember Channel 4 showed 2-4 episodes of Cheers a day, it was ridiculous. While it's fairly funny I can't imagine myself leaving it on if it were on telly now.

starviewadams

Because the majority of casual TV viewers are complete idiots who will happily watch any old guff thats put in front of them,including endless repeats of crappy shows like the ones you listed above that are repeated ad nauseam on the likes of E4 and Comedy Central.The reason they keep repeating them is because people continue to watch them.

3e used to show Seinfeld at 2 or 3am a few months back,and MASH is shown on Comedy Central Extra most days too.Haven't seen Roseanne,Cheers or AITF on in quite a while though.

steelcityblues

amacachi wrote: »

I don't remember anyone giving much of a ****e about Seinfeld at the time. It's got a decent cult following but mainly those would be people who wouldn't have Sky. :pac:

I remember Channel 4 showed 2-4 episodes of Cheers a day, it was ridiculous. While it's fairly funny I can't imagine myself leaving it on if it were on telly now.

Cult following? 20 million plus watched it for several seasons. Even if you didn't like it, you are being ignorant there.

The other sitcoms I listed were very popular and award winning too, so I am always surprised to never really see them in re-runs in UK/Ireland.

Dman001

E4 and Comedy Central are very much "Student" channels, who grew up in the Friends, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men generation. So they are constantly repeated by the channels as young people love them.

Cicero

Coz discontinued series can be syndicated round the world to far more TV channels than ones currently in production..it's all about the contract drawn up from the outset...once the series is canceled, a lot more TV stations can and do take it on than when in production...

amacachi

steelcityblues wrote: »

Cult following? 20 million plus watched it for several seasons. Even if you didn't like it, you are being ignorant there.

The other sitcoms I listed were very popular and award winning too, so I am always surprised to never really see them in re-runs in UK/Ireland.

20 million watched it in the UK while it was on?

steelcityblues

amacachi wrote: »

20 million watched it in the UK while it was on?

http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1994.htm

amacachi

steelcityblues wrote: »

http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1994.htm

Exactly, but we're talking about channels on this side of the pond.

ixoy

I imagine "Seinfeld" might be too expensive for what only get a small audience. It was never popular in the UK or Ireland (despite it being very good). I mean if Larry David can make hundreds of millions from it based on syndication rights, it can't be that cheap.

busyliving

Seinfeld is the greatest comedy ever...

3rd Rock from the Sun should be considered as well, great show that is rarely on TV

Frankie Lee

I wish Married With Children was on telly around the clock again.

steelcityblues

amacachi wrote: »

20 million watched it in the UK while it was on?

That is not the point. The shows that get the biggest ratings on UK TV are home produced anyway (Eastenders, X Factor, Coronation Street), and are on terrestrial anyway.

Digital TV channels should be about having more diversity in their programming, not repeating the same stuff that was already shown on terrestrial.

steelcityblues

Frankie Lee wrote: »

I wish Married With Children was on telly around the clock again.

Enjoyed that one. Al Bundy - the greatest shoe salesman ever known.

amacachi

steelcityblues wrote: »

That is not the point. The shows that get the biggest ratings on UK TV are home produced anyway (Eastenders, X Factor, Coronation Street), and are on terrestrial anyway.

Digital TV channels should be about having more diversity in their programming, not repeating the same stuff that was already shown on terrestrial.

Well it is kinda relevant. If it had been more popular there'd be a much greater demand for it in syndication. What I was saying about it having a "cult" following here; in my age group anyone who likes it are the kind of people who will have all complete series in their possession in one form or another.

S.M.B.

Does anyone have any idea what prices we're talking about when it comes to syndication?

Say the new Comedy Central Friends deal. I'd love to know the value of E4s previous contract compared to Comedy Centrals new one. To be honest I've no idea what type figures would be involved in a syndication deal. It surely can't be THAT much?

amacachi

S.M.B. wrote: »

Does anyone have any idea what prices we're talking about when it comes to syndication?

Say the new Comedy Central Friends deal. I'd love to know the value of E4s previous contract compared to Comedy Centrals new one. To be honest I've no idea what type figures would be involved in a syndication deal. It surely can't be THAT much?

Jerry Seinfeld still makes 10s of millions a year from the syndication rights for Seinfeld. It can be THAT much. :pac:

S.M.B.

Well I know there's massive money to be made from it. Selling a 7 season TV show to multiple markets on a yearly basis is going to bring in a tidy sum of money. And as someone said earlier, Seinfeld is probably at the upper margins in terms of cost.

But I'd love to get an indication of how much it would cost for say RTE to show an entire run of That 70's show? And how much that would be per episode? And how that figure is actually calculated?

Surely someone has to know these details.

Mc Love

Mash is always on Comedy Central Xtra

hangon

Friends moving from E4 to CC is like losing a channel as E4 used to be its repeat *Home*
many examples of this (should G.O.L.D be renamed again to only fools and horse's?)
UPC need to add or at least jiggle around channels about every two years even with the max pack there is just not enough channels when a channel just keeps repeating.
There is a dispute in the US ATM about the Simpsoms,Fox want the people behind the voices to take a hugh pay cut........blah blah blah.
Fox are threatening to start a 24 hr simpsons cable channel.

onemorechance

amacachi wrote: »

I've only ever seen an episode or two of Seinfeld and thought it was piss-poor. Apparently it suffers from a reverse "Simpsons did it" affliction.

You should definetly give Seinfeld another chance! I remember when it came out first and it seemed that Kramer was the funniest! Then years later I watched them all and George is the best character in that show! He is one of the greatest characters ever created! I think that in every show that each character has a story, sometimes interwined, but nearly always George's stories are the best! Seinfeld himself, not so funny or interesting, he's just often jsut the tie between the others. Kramer is quirky and definetly often funny, Elaine also, but maybe less so, but George Costanza is the best!

Arianna_26

steelcityblues wrote: »

I'm asking why these two channels in particular keep on showing time and time again, the same small group of US sitcoms in re-runs: Friends, Frasier, Scrubs, Two and Half Men, Sex and the City.

Don't get me wrong, I like most of those shows, but they are missing out on so many classics: Seinfeld, Cheers, Roseanne, All in the Family, MASH, Newhart, etc that would be welcome additions to these channels.

I don't know if its a laziness in part of the schedulers - or whether the rights for all of the above were simply too expensive - but these channels need to be shaken up a bit.

I think they picked the shows they thought would draw the most viewers because they don't have the money to commission other shows.

And so they are trying to make the most of the shows they do have by showing them in a loop.

JP Liz V1

busyliving wrote: »

Seinfeld is the most overrated comedy ever greatest comedy ever...
3rd Rock from the Sun should be considered as well, great show that is rarely on TV

FYP

It is a shame a show like Community (barely shown on Viva and 3e) cant find a decent home over here

iguana

S.M.B. wrote: »

But I'd love to get an indication of how much it would cost for say RTE to show an entire run of That 70's show? And how much that would be per episode? And how that figure is actually calculated?

That 70s Show is always on 3e.

ejmaztec

They should dig up some antiques:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075584/

"Soap"


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090525/

"Sledge Hammer"


I saw some of these on video tapes a few years ago, and think they might still be appreciated.

Soap was a general piss-take of tv soap-operas, and Sledge Hammer was about a non PC cop and his undying love for his gun.

The BBC seems to be the only bunch that airs old crocks from decades ago, but stuff from the US disappears without trace.

S.M.B.

iguana wrote: »

That 70s Show is always on 3e.

Any idea how much it costs though?

And do 3e pay a premium for exclusivity on that 70's show.

So many questions.....

ejmaztec

S.M.B. wrote: »

Any idea how much it costs though?

And do 3e pay a premium for exclusivity on that 70's show.

So many questions.....

I doubt that 3e pays a premium for anything. It's probably got an annual budget of €10.

iguana

Irish channels usually get foreign shows for a much lower fee than UK channels as our audience is comparatively tiny. It's why RTÉ will never be included in Sky packages in the UK despite the fact that the ex-pat/descendant community there is big enough to watch it. If they ever do broadcast in the UK they will then have to pay a massive premium for US imports.

unreggd

E4 repeat the same EPISODES in the same day, wtf!

I woke up early n watched for a while. Just got home an hour ago and the same shows are looped again

McLoughlin

Some older T shows aren't available because of poor quality and rights issues thats why you see more modern series repeated endlessly.

afatbollix

Cause its cheap

You can show top gear or friends at reported £500 a showing

Top gear on Dave can get over a million viewers Same with friends

It can cost about 100k a esp for a new show so why pay 100k when you can get the same viewers as £500

More profit = happy CEO.


Did you know that top gear is the most watched show on Setanta after they brought it in.