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Audience anger: “Finish my show or tell me where it’s gone!”

In the second look at TV Tonight's Audience Inventory, Free to Air viewers are unhappy about shows not being completed, while Pay TV viewers want full access to FTA channels.

screamerThe first results published from TV Tonight‘s Audience Inventory on Programming triggered much debate. The story was picked up by News Limited newspapers, as well as in the UK and gathered further comment on radio and online.

Today the second results look at the most pressing issues in both Free to Air and Subscription Television. The responses follow over 800 completed surveys between August 21 -31.

FREE TO AIR
The biggest gripe in Free to Air television, according to the results, was a call to Complete a Series Once it Started. This was voted the Most Important issue by 66% of readers.

The complaint follows numerous shows being pulled off air, many never to be returned, and represents a diminishing contract between television networks and audiences.

“My biggest peev is shows being moved or taken off at a moments notice. In fact this infuriates me,” said one reader.

“Networks now have realised they have a vested interest in their shows not running to the Guide to trick people into missing the beginning of competitors shows,” said another.

Readers were angry about scheduling changes that left them confused and uninformed. Not only do they not know why a show has disappeared, but they felt uninformed about whether the show would return, and indeed where to source an answer.

These disappearing shows were only just ahead of Shows Starting / Finishing on Time at 63% followed by Programming Matching a Published Guide which ranked 53% as Very Important.

“It really irritates me that I get a TV guide for the week ahead and it is completely useless- it is rarely accurate for the next day’s programs, let alone the next week’s,” said one reader.

It was echoed by others: “The other problem is movies listed in the published newspaper guides get changed at the last minute which is really frustrating.”

With so many scheduling changes, many readers pointed to the need for EPGs to be both accurate and updated. In a digital age, readers said this was a critical issue.

“I don’t mind what time shows start, just as long as the times match to the EPG, and preferably other guides too,” said one reader.

Another added: “The weekly newspaper guide is unreliable (not the fault of the newspaper!), EPG is pretty hit and miss (ABC the best, SBS the worst, ie. they don’t have one, WIN and Southern Cross pretty terrible, TDT pretty good).”

Several complimented TEN’s EPG updating:

“TEN run their shows overtime very badly, but their EPG does reflect this, eg. 7:31-8:38, so at least their shows can be properly recorded, unlike Seven and Nine. GO is the absolute best thing Nine has done in a long time. ABC2 just plain rules, and has since I went digital in early ’07.”

Other viewers had given up on ‘appointment television’ altogether.

“I’d rather pay $50 for a box and watch when I want without ads than have to make an appointment with the tele to watch the drama stuff I enjoy,” said one.

Many admitted to illegal downloading, particularly for shows that weren’t fastracked.

Other top issues rated as Very Important included Fastracking (46%), Online Catch Ups (37%) and Banning Late Night Phone Sex Ads and Reducing On Screen Clutter (both 35%).

The question considered the least important was Overhauling Classifications (11%).

SUBSCRIPTION TV

In the Pay TV sector the biggest concern for viewers was Adding all Free to Air Channels (63%).

This follows satellite viewers in some cities still unable to see Channel Seven on the Foxtel platform. Other satellite viewers have also been unable to see ONE HD, ONE SD and GO!

“As a regional WA person, we don’t get ONE and GO! just yet. As far as I know, if you are a Foxtel Satellite subscriber in WA (in general) you don’t get the FTA channels – annoying,” complained one reader.

“Also FTA stations need to be available on satellite Foxtel, drop some of the crap stations noone watches between 170 and 180, and there you will have like 5 spots for free to air to be using,” said another.

One reader had a unique marketing idea: “Would love more multichannels, or one or more new FTA nets or low end Foxtel channels like in the UK where Sky offers a few of their channels for free to entice customers.”

Next issue of concern was More Diverse Packaging Options (53%).

“Pay TV should be cheaper, Foxtel is an overpriced Monopoly,” said one reader.

Another went further: “Foxtel is a rip off really and should introduce more individual packaging options. It should also get rid of the automated phone response that assumes your problems – and then they have the nerve to advertise ‘We’re always there when you need us’ showing a call centre person.”

Regional viewers also got in on the pricing issue.

“Austar prices need to come down. Pay TV networks need to go widescreen regardless of the amount of widescreen content. Austar needs better on-screen graphics. Networks need to make more shows available online,” said one.

Another agreed: “Austar forces me into certain packages and paying crazy amounts of money for channels I don’t want (mainly would buy for sport). If this ever, changed, I’d consider getting it.”

The next issues for Pay TV were Widescreen for All Channels (50%), Less Ads (44%), Adding New Channels (43%), and An Improved EPG (36%).

The least important issue was a call for an iPhone Application (13%).

One viewer seemed to sum up all the Pay issues in one response: “The main problem with Pay TV is the packaging of channels. The fact that you cant bundle say a movie pack with the sport pack is just stupid. The monthly magazine should be free, I thought they messed up when they sent me it for free in the first month! Seven’s digital channel launching, and Foxtel broadcasting its channels in widescreen are the most pressing issues involving television at the moment!”

TV Tonight‘s survey results are not presented as scientific evidence. A third and final report will follow soon.

31 Responses

  1. Remember when there used to be an anouncer like Peter Smith advising us at the end of a program, if the show was gonna be off next week but ” will return in two weeks time” or advising us that that was ” the last episode in the current series”. We don’t get that common curtesy anymore. Even If I know it’s the last episode, I’d like someone at the end just to say that. There is no etiquette in TV anymore.

  2. To Paul and D.No …
    **** the share holders, what about the damn viewers that they carry on about measuring all the time … all talk and no respect!
    If TV is not going to consider the viewers and allow them to warm to a show then it is time that they pack it in … Common Sense has nothing to do with it nor does it make it right that all they care about is this artificial “money” focus instead of a duty of care for the shows they buy and therefore deny to other networks who may actually schedule them better and get better ratings!
    No one actually watches the damn adds anyway and they need to get a grip on that reality and wake up to that!
    Jack!

  3. With regards to shows starting on time… When I moved to the US – it amazed me how you can flick through 200 channels at 7.59pm and 50 seconds and they are all showing end credits. Then boom at 8 exactly, every single network and cable net starts the next show. It was amazing. How do they time it so perfectly I wondered! Well, now I can give the answer I know!

    It’s mostly due to affiliates. Each network has 200+ affiliates that insert local ads after national ads and network promos (that the network runs) If networks don’t stick to exact times, affiliates do not know when to run ads and how many ads they can run. Affiliates have contracts with networks that they get exactly x amount of minutes of local ad time for themselves. And networks have to honour that and run to time exactly. They also have to hit certain exact times like 10pm for local news on Fox stations and 11pm for local news on ABC, CBS and NBC stations.

    So when you have 200 stations around the country all about to go live with local news at 11, the networks have to end their shows at 10.59pm and 59 seconds exactly. So running one show late, would just mean running the next late and the next one. And they can’t do that. So much like 6pm in Oz, where every station starts the news at the exact same time. That is why they then run late al night. If they had a 10.30pm local news – they would be forced to run to time. Or, sacrifice the next show.

  4. I brought a dual high def Bly Ray 500gb harddrive recorder two weeks ago and it’s the best thing I have ever done. I use u epg to record everything I want to watch. I am a fan of everything 7, but since GO started I like it’s Sunday line up including big bang, aliens and old Christine. I am looking forward for 7’s new channel. I hope they show Home and Away The Early Years again like they did from 1999 to 2001.

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