0/5

Fast-tracking back on track

With Terra Nova on the way, Aussie networks appear to be lifting their game in order to thwart piracy.

Aussie networks appear to be resuming fast-tracking of international shows in a bid to offset piracy.

TEN will launch new dino-series Terra Nova within a week of its US premiere. This follows the announcement that Glee‘s new season would air just hours after its US launch.

The Queensland-produced show will air at 8:30pm Sunday October 2nd. That pits it against Underbelly, the slot that unnerved The Slap.

Terra Nova is a big event piece of television with amazing special effects,” TEN program chief David Mott told the Herald Sun.

“It is a very different space to Underbelly, in our view.”

Next week Nine swoops on the new-look Two and a Half Men just hours after its US premiere. Similarly, ABC1 is already screening Doctor Who within a week of its international debut. Foxtel has also had Torchwood on air withing 24 hours.

Seven is getting close to The Amazing Race (US), but will Nine match it with Survivor?

And what of Downton Abbey’s second season, about to premiere in the UK? The final season of Desperate Housewives is another that will be hard to keep under wraps.

43 Responses

  1. I actually think TEN made a wrong decision in pitting Terra Nova up against Underbelly and that other high rating show on 7. No-one that watches Underbelly is going to switch to Terra Nova. Stupid decision.

    Cannot wait for NCIS – is that being fast tracked? Also can’t wait for The Slap.

  2. if it doesnt cost any more then why on earth dont they air them here ASAP to stop people pirating?
    they just lazily choose to air popular shows months after the US
    has any channel given a reason as to why they do it?
    just seems completely stupid to me…

  3. @Belinda – good point, altho’ it depends a bit on which state you live in. Singapore race starts at 8pm WST and 10pm EST, most others earlier, Abu Dhabi at 9pm/midnight and Brazil at midnight/3am.

  4. So that means that the channels will be taking new shows out of schedule, then off air even quicker. High concept showa such as Person of Interest, Awake and Alcatraz should all be brilliantly written and acted shows, but will not be watched in australia, simply because one must keep their brain active while watching…shame

  5. I have a question David, does it cost the networks more money to fast track shows? Surely it’s in everyone’s best interest to fast track popular shows to stop people downloading.

  6. I guess they better hope the ABC doesn’t put something on to tempt me away from Terra Nova. I’ll admit I hate things to be Sunday on Ten because I can never commit to anything on that day. That’s why I prefer weekdays. I guess we’ll see and at least there’s only 13 intermittent episodes.

  7. I have a theory about piracy, if you make CD’s and DVD’s cheap enough you wipe out piracy quickly. Why go to the bother of downloading music for a CD album when you can buy a legal version from Amazon UK for a little over 3 or 4 pounds when the same thing here is Twenty odd dollars and the same with DVD’s for example the complete 7 series of “Monarch of the Glen” is something like $300.00 here in Australia, through Amazon around 47.00 pound.
    You only have to look at the buying frenzy at DVD sales. I am an a film projectionist so I take a very dim view of downloaded films etc as they do deprive me of work, whichever way you look it is theft. Pure and simple. As I am working a few nights I record a lot of TV shows and after I watch them I delete them, I do not put them onto a DVD for later viewing as most things are repeated anyway.

  8. I think Eleven will Fast-Track Supernatural, its usual 8:30 monday slot is taken up by Simpsons repeats so it would be a smart move since Smallville is moving to 9:30 mondays. SN starts in the US September 23rd so 11 could very well air it on the 26th with the tenth season of supernatural. hopefully they do, they did fast-track a number of shows this year… something GO hasn’t done this year – V Diaries was but a month late at least in the end.

  9. I agree with David Mott in that I don’t think there will be a lot of overlap between audiences for this and UB. However, I echo Craig’s comment about it occasionally clashing with the F1. Might have to catch-up when that happens or maybe this will be as bad as Primeval and I’ll just not watch it. If the writing and acting aren’t up to scratch, I won’t be tuning in, no matter how good the CGI is.

    @Justin – heh, if you reckon the CGI was that bad, I recommend that you don’t watch any of the millions of dinosaur fighting shows on US cable networks – you’ll want to poke your eyes out.

Leave a Reply