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Pick the Fasttracking hit

Is The Blacklist the only new show that has worked when fasttracked in its debut season?

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2014-09-30_0928Today I find myself wondering if we would view The Blacklist‘s launch last year as a fast-tracking success.

It launched to 1.6m a year ago and was regularly above 1.2m viewers -never dropping below 1m viewers.

But today Seven CEO Tim Worner tells Fairfax, “That whole fast-tracking, I can’t think of a show that’s been fast-tracked that’s actually worked.

“We were the first ones to do it and I can’t think of anyone it’s worked for.”

This season The Blacklist returned to 1.05m viewers, dominating its timeslot. But is has since dropped to as low as 593,000, a number that can’t be blamed on fasttracking but the later timeslot and the crummy lead in from The Big Adventure.

Seven has long held the view that new, lesser-known titles don’t fasttrack as well as established shows (yet it still holds off Downton Abbey because older viewers are less likely to download it illegally).

Back in 2008 when he was Head of Programming, Worner told TV Tonight, “Obviously it doesn’t hurt getting the shows here and getting them on as quickly as possible before they can be accessed elsewhere,” he said. “But as to how much it is as an assistance to a show, I think the jury’s out on that.”

Fairfax today also cites the views of other network programmers including Nine’s Andrew Backwell, “It depends on the show, but we believe a mix is the best way to go.” Nine is fasttracking Gotham but holding back Forever and Stalker (despite Fairfax reporting some months ago the latter would be fasttracked).

TEN spokesman Neil Shoebridge agreed “every show has to be considered on its individual merits” but said some shows had “worked very well for Network TEN and for other broadcasters.” Scorpion is arguably their most successful current title, but there is a shopping list of others that have not fired, including the acclaimed Homeland.

Foxtel’s view is largely similar to Seven, with less enthusiasm to fasttrack new titles, with a few exceptions such as Outlander. It is holding back buzz-worthy series The Flash and Jane the Virgin. Foxtel’s Ross Crowley discussed current strategy in some length with TV Tonight recently.

So aside from Blacklist, are there any other shows in their very first season pulled good fasttracking numbers?

20 Responses

  1. Under the Dome season 1 was fast tracked to Ten and was relatively successful – consistently #1 in it’s time slot with YOY audience growth for that time slot….shame S2 didn’t continue and got moved

  2. I think the buzz on popular shows help them rate, when they are fast tracked there hasn’t been enough time for the general public to know about them. In the past first seasons of shows like Desperate Housewives. Lost , Prison Break and Heroes were succesful, starting here in early Feb, because there was so much excitement and buzz about them. Also the reason The Blacklist has been the only succesful fast track is becuase Seven had a prominent ad campagn before it stated, giving viewers time to look forward to it.

  4. The other reason fasttracking doesn’t work is they show the first 9 or 13 eps then go on Christmas break then people either download or just give up on it.

  5. The other problem no one has brought up yet is that half the time these shows aren’t truly fast-tracked. They’re a week or two behind the US, which is far too long, so of course people aren’t going to wait. They’ve been conditioned by the networks not to bother with them.
    It’s staggering how much the networks are clueless to the current environment. Especially Foxtel, who has the ability to fast track anything and everything but choose not to. To what end? And then they all complain about piracy. They can’t have it both ways.
    Oh, and I know plenty of older viewers who don’t wait for Seven to show Downton Abbey. My parents, both in the 60s, hate waiting for shows, the erratic scheduling and times and are now demanding to get shows from me. Many of their friends are doing the same. So the idea that fast tracking is just for younger viewers is becoming less true.

  6. Starting a show on time has nothing to do with its success?
    e.g. Last night we PVRd Resurrection as it started somewhere around 9pm, whereas we either watched NCIS and missed half of Resurrection, or v v.
    This nonsense of staggered start-times is helping no one. Together with crappy presentation and excessive commercials – over 20mins/hr now with 2, 3 or 4 promos in every break – FTA TV in Oz is unwatchable.

  7. Seven and Nine especially seem to be in the dark ages in terms of what viewers do – expecting viewers to stay on their channel all night by having unuser-friendly starting and finishing times or misleading times that intentionally inflict the show before onto a viewer.

    If they could all get back to the concept of regular “junction times” where viewers could easily switch between the majority of channels and watch what they chose to on time, then perhaps more people might stay watching free to air TV rather than switching it off altogether.

  8. Even when a show is fasttracked, many people will still download, simply to avoid having to rely on the unreliable FTA Networks.

    They have erratic scheduling and irregular timeslots.

  9. US shows don’t rate as well because of the scheduling.

    They premiere a new show at 8.41 the next week its at 9.17 and the week after its not on because its lost some audience (I wonder why).

    I’m not going to deal with the erratic scheduling. I’ll get the show from another source.

    I hardly watch anything on FTA in Australia and not many of my friends/family do either.

    The networks are really killing themselves and won’t be around in the current format in 5-10 years time.

    I really don’t understand why advertisers let them get away with it because FTA TV in Australia is the worst in the world.

  12. Pertinax’s reply is full of misinformation

    Heroes season 1 was never fast tracked, it premiered in early 2007.

    Arrow is not an AV15+ nor a very violent series, hence why Nine aired it at 8:30 Wednesdays during the first season.

    Both are good series. The Flash is also quite well done. Viewers are just tired of networks treating them like rubbish. I am watching shows like Gotham and Arrow via other means, gave up on FTA years ago

  13. @Pertinax

    There are viewers this time of year that have an appetite for drama but some networks are holding onto the shows they want to watch and not fast tracking them. Some networks only fast track less popular shows to support their argument not to fast track. Its the networks killing off the shows people like because of the way they treat them.

    I disagree with your homeland argument. I stopped watching homeland in s2 not because it was fast tracked but because the direction the show was taking was rubbish and I simply didn’t want to watch it anymore. It was the fact that it was fast tracked that I continued to watch it for a few more episodes than would have otherwise.

  14. It was actually the second season of Heroes that was fast tracked. And the drop in ratings corresponded to a drop in quality.

    I wonder how Downton does in NZ, where is seems to be fast tracked. I know the DVD is available there soon.

  15. Seven has many dramas that are not being fast tracked. In their upfronts their schedule for next year appeared to be full of reality rubbish. So who knows where they are going to fit all that drama they are holding onto for next year and not fast tracking when they plan to air two hours of reality rubbish per night.

  16. The first season of Heroes was the first fast-tracked show and it worked really well for the first block of eps, then collapsed rapidly.

    By not fast tracking The Walking Dead, FX was able to capitalise on the big season on season rises in the US and screen a lot of eps in a short time to good numbers.

    The time of year and viewers lack of enthusiasm for dramas at the moment is a factor for The Blacklist, as well as the late irregular timeslots and poor lead in.

    Homeland lost half its audience being fast-tracked. Though the S1 ratings were a one off and very high for a cable drama due it pairing well with The New Girl as a lead in and getting a lot of buzz because they started before other new shows got a look in.

    Arrow wasn’t fast tracked and did poorly. Though being a genre show that has to screen after 9:30pm due to the violence meant it was never going to generate big…

  17. If I recall correctly fast tracking the first season of Grimm on FOX8 pulled good numbers and ultimately successive seasons. As FX didn’t launch until Walking Dead was a couple of seasons in it couldn’t be fast tracked but now it is one of the highest rating shows of the week on STV. I can’t recall the first season figures of other fast tracked series off the top of my head.

  18. I’m sorry but the “holding off Downton Abbey because older generation doesn’t download” argument is bull, all it takes is a grandchild or a younger co-worker to download it. It’s a tired argument enough, get with it Seven.

  19. I think it’s so easy to get shows through other ways now that a large number of people have stopped the whole idea of appointment television and they want to avoid ads. For Foxtel with iq it’s a good idea as it makes things easier.

  20. Maybe fast-tracking would work a little better for them if they played the shows on time and on schedule. The viewing habits have changed so dramatically, most people will watch in their own comfortable time instead of sitting around at the scheduled 8:30pm time but having a show come on at 8:47pm.

    Also, sticking to one particular day and stop moving shows around.

    The Flash is surprisingly fantastic. Even another new one Constantine is great, and it’s only 2 episodes in.

    Frankly, they’re losing (or already lost) the fight towards the generation that are tech-savvy with obtaining shows from elsewhere.

    A partial solution? Make more local high quality content. The only way we can watch local stuff is via Australian TV as it’s first shown here. Plus it supports the Australian industry.

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