Recession Television

With the impending doom that is Jay Leno taking over the 10 p.m. spot and reality TV becoming more of a primetime staple, network television continues to devolve to the lowest common denominator. Less original programs, more crapola. And we're just supposed to deal with it. Thanks, a lot dickweeds.

Access and reach of digital media, looser basic cable standards & practices as well as a wider dissemination of quality programming have all helped do a number on the old network dominance. While they haven't been left in the dust, they have certainly been beaten around quite a bit. As they deserve be. They can't keep up using an antiquated and ineffective ratings system as well as an ad model that can feel too intrusive (you don't think we see how bad and blatant your product placement is, but we do). That doesn't mean they should stop at least feigning interest in the average viewer. With a recession hanging over us like a pungent fart that isn't going away no matter how many windows are open, is this the time for networks to make a play and take back at least a shred of their dignity? Anywhoo, here's a few thoughts as to what those dirtbags can do to get off their ass and come back with. Afterall, America loves a comeback.

Saturday Night at the Fights
Yes, I know I'm biased when it comes to boxing, but the PPV model for big name fighters is so hit-or-miss (no pun intended). People who paid $50 for De La Hoya - Pacquaio last month were treated to an entire card that was uncompetitive with the first 3 fights only going a total of 5 rounds. Will people shell out $40 to watch Miguel Cotto in a warm-up fight? Probably not in this economy. But will they watch him in a free fight on network TV against a worthy, but unlikely victorious opponent? Of course. PPVs can still work, but they can't work in a silo. HBO's reach is too small and the sport isn't being exposed to the same broad audience that MLB, NBA or NFL are. Hell, the XFL even had bigger reach than boxing. Perhaps network can't live alone either, but be an integral cog in a 3 tier system.

Tier 1 - PPV
Only the biggest fights of the year get a PPV match (Unification fights, pound for pound champs, etc.).

Tier 2 - Network
Networks show championship fights in less popular weight classes (featherweight, cruiserweight, heavyweight) as well as warm-up fights for big-name champs in the major classes (welterweight, middleweight). Its also a perfect venue to introduce the rising stars as well as segue Olympic heroes into the pros. Oscar De La Hoya did a good job of this last year on HBO, creating both an original series (24/7) and having free fights against a known fighter to get people talking prior to Pacquaio (Oscar vs. Forbes).

This is a prime idea for folks like Viacom/Showtime to get a piece of this action from HBO and promote their own ShoBox PPV agenda.Viacom actually had a decent idea with the EliteXC programming, but they were in bed with the minor leagues.

Tier 3 - ESPN
Let the diehards have their weekly programming featuring pros at all levels and records. Those who are truly fans of the sport will stick with this.

If for no other reason, networks should consider it because of the cost. It's cheaper to produce one of these events and pay for a big name fighter than create some crappy mystery-drama that no one is watching.

Commercial free programming
Sure, it's gimmicky, but who cares. Solo sponsors and limited interruptions are sometimes used for for season premieres or truly big events. So what about if an entire network shifted its primetime ad model to deliver a block of programming with one sponsor? It will draw attention and show consumers that the network cares about entertaining first and selling second.

Go through the line
Yes, I did just throw out some incredibly lame dickfaced advertising speak. My apologies. However, terminology aside, wouldn't it be interesting if ABC partnered with a FunnyorDie.com or College Humor to continue an online show in primetime and vice-versa? Its storytelling at its best that helps create deeper characters, richer storylines and keep people's attention long enough without boring them. These sites have star power that can capture a TV audience as well as an online one. More importantly, its an opportunity for networks and digital media with huge fan bases to work together and create a farm system to nurture talent from within. Just as SNL moves cast members through their hallways and into movies, networks can spinoff the talent (with a built-in fanbase) from these shorter programs into their own shows.

Admittedly, its a tall order to ask people to go back and forth between mediums to stick with a story, but if the programming is good enough and the segments are taken out of the traditional 30 Minute format, it may be enough to keep people intrigued, which leads us to:

45 minute comedy
24 minutes never seems enough for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the 1 hour Office specials always had too much filler. Why not find that happy medium and give people a little bit more, but not too much that they tune out?