Local dramas struggling on Pay TV
Tangle's premiere last week on Showcase was modest at best. But local dramas screened on 'higher tier' channels are having a hard time.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription
Last week’s premiere of Tangle took a modest audience on the Showcase channel.
Disappointingly it didn’t make it onto the Top 100 shows on Pay Television. Last week the #1 show on Subscription TV was AFL: Live on the Couch at 95,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1.
Landing at #100 was Vantage Point on Showtime at 21,000.
That puts Tangle‘s premiere at 21,000 or below.
Whilst the Showcase Channel forms part of the Showtime Channel package there were Showtime movies that made the list: The Bank Job (41,000), Pineapple Express (34,000), Juno (32,000), The Love Guru (29,000), Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (27,000), and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (22,000).
Despite the good reviews for the show, it could take a while to build a loyal audience. It is not alone. Flagship series like Australia’s Next Top Model resonate well with Pay TV audiences, but neither 30 Seconds on the Comedy Channel or The Jesters on Movie Extra made the cut either.
Both channels are add-on packages on the Foxtel platform.
Pay television’s ‘drama’ channels are required to spend 10% of their budget on local production under government regulations.
Pay TV ratings are published each Monday in TV Tonight’s preceding ratings week thread.
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- Tagged with 30 Seconds, Australia's Next Top Model, Live on the Couch, Tangle, The Jesters
37 Responses
Foxtel is a total rip off.
Some pay through the nose, more dollars than cents i suppose.
Neon, some people are just plain nasty.
Why am i not surprised? What is it us Australian TV veiwers find hard about supporting local dramas? So 1.4 mill tune into flash forward, you all must really care about local content! And the fact that nearly 2 mill tuned in too hey hey over City homicide is disgraceful! Although on the flip side I am glad ratings were up this week for Packed to the Rafters. But what Tv veiwers need to understand is that if you dont watch and support these local dramas they will soon start dissapearing and all you will be left with is ammerican imports and trashy soaps! Its simple watch them or loose them!!
Tangle on the other hand is brillient, and its also far better than any idea comericial Tv could come up with. I find the terestrial dramas fairly bland and boring, with the exception of PTTR. Tangle is character based which is far better than any plot based drama in my opinion.
this channel should be a $5 add on and i would get it. I have no intesest in paying for b grade movies.
I doubt Tangle would have been made if left to FTA and going on it’s ratings it would probably not even last the 10 eps unless it was on SBS or ABC. I love the movie channels and in the last 6 months of so not rented a single DVD.
@Zakke: Gee, my haters here are tiresome.
Yes, I know it was made for pay TV. That was my entire point. The production company that made it may well have been financially better off collaborating with a FTA network, at least in part. That would help at all levels, including future DVD sales.
Oh, and I saw Love My Way alright. On the DVDs that I bought. I don’t watch Battlestar Galactica. And I still think Foxtel is incredibly bad value as a pay TV service. Which is an opinion I am entitled to have and express.
I’m not surprised Tangle isn’t rating very well. It’s OK but a bit over-rated. John Edwards seems to want to make the same show over & over again.
I don’t have the movie package (we prefer paying for sport) so I haven’t seen Tangle. If it was on a basic package I would have watched it. 30 seconds is ok, not brilliant, but at least it is Australian comedy. For a really funny comedy though, my favourite show on Foxtel is 30 Rock – brilliiantly funny, satirical, intelligent humour.
It really grates you, neon_kitten, that shows like tangle are not on FTA doesn’t it? But then you probably source and watch it for free, unlike other people who pay for there monthly foxtel subscription.
Well, guess what? Tangle was made specifically for Pay TV, and not FTA, ok? As were the following, Love My Way,Satisfaction,Dangerous,so stop coming on here and continually whinging and moaning about foxtel, and how much you hate it, and complaining about how some shows like the last 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica aired exclusively on sci-fi and not on FTA etc etc…..
this is where it will come in handy when TV starts to measure those who watched things back on PVR’s (IQ), i recorded Tangle last Thursday but just havent gotten around to watching it yet, i also recorded the first few eps of 30 seconds but gave up on that cos its not very good!
I really want to see Tangle, but don’t subscribe to the movie channels so I miss out. Oh well.
30 Seconds is a bit of a slow burn too… didn’t like the first ep, but have seriously enjoyed the lest few.
Russell is on the money though… the behind the scenes genre is fast being over used.
Tangle has also been on On Demand.
Tangle was awesome, but I agree if Foxtel want lots of people watching they would put the show on Arena. They obviously want these shows on Showcase to justify paying for the better packages
If you’re in the minority stephen then so am I. I agree with you. I like that Foxtel has shows that couldn’t survive on lowest common denominator Free to Air; that’s why I fork out the bucks for it.
i thought tangle was actually pretty good. great script and even better cast. i think its definitely a slow burner though and should build as the season progresses. shame not more people tuned into it.
See – there’s just no way I’d be forking out for movie channels, I don’t have the time or attention span and if they want to bury these niche dramas on niche channels then they get what they deserve!
As for 30 Seconds, I haven’t watched it – primarily because the previews make it seem completely unfunny and the comedy channel is not that bad at promoting their shows (they have really good spots at the moment for Everybody Hates Chris and Malcolm in the Middle)
The Jesters is great, best local comedy this year.
30 Seconds is ok, but still better than any comedy on the 7, 9 or 10.
However with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better (mockumentary on comedy show production) coming soon I think the behind the scenes media thing might have run it’s course.
I thought Tangle was excellent, but definitely dark and a slow burn, so it was never going to be Packed to the Rafters.
I might obviously be in the minority looking at ratings but personally I much prefer my comedy to be Jesters over Hey Hey and my drama Tangle over Rescue Special Ops. I hope Foxtel holds it’s nerve and doesn’t just go for the obvious.
I think it’s worth noting that none of these hi-brow dramas draw particularly large numbers. Although of high quality, they have less mainstream appeal.
Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Dexter, even the massive True Blood – none of Showcases acclaimed dramas made the top 100. It’s not just original Australian productions.
@ Jules: Showcase and Showtime are not part of Foxtel. They are a completely separate company. They fund and produce their own programming. Theya re not going to give away their programming for free (or even sell it) to Foxtel to put on Fox8 or W. Their whole business model is $15 a month subscriptions that people pay to get the suite of Showtime/ Showcase channels.
Jules, Comedy Channel is not on basic tier.
And as per my review I am loving what I have seen of Tangle so far.
30 Seconds is great, another quality Denton product.
Ouch, Expensive production, expensive and huge billboard advertising, and less viewers than a D-grade AFL game gets on a rainy Saturday.
Perhaps they should start thinking about on-selling shows like this to free-to-air where people might actually see them…
No sympathy from me here – if Foxtel are serious about growing an audience for their Australian shows, they must put them on more ‘friendly’, ie non-premium, channels. Put Tangle on Arena or W. 30 Seconds is a terribly unfunny show, but at least you don’t have to pay extra to see it.
Tangle was ordinary. Didn’t bother watching the second episode. Justine Clarke’s character of the suburban mum communicating with the Russian cosmonaut made me absolutely cringe.
It’s a shame because it’s a brilliant show.
I didn’t watch this either. Seemed a bit too heavy in the promos. The Jesters is one of the best local comedies in years. Can see the ABC re-broadcasting this in their Wed night slot.
I had trouble betting into the show in the first epidsode and almost left it, but I stayed for the second and loved it.
I watch Tangle and it was not what I was expecing, it’s got the feel of ‘Love My Way’ but that might just be the local cast. With just 10 eps I’ll keep watching to see how it develops.
Not seen Jesters or 30 Seconds yet.