Looking for any edge it can get, ABC is cutting the number of commercials it would normally run in the first episodes of its new series such as "Cougar Town," "The Middle," "FlashForward" and "Eastwick." (For more on ABC's strategy, please see our story in today's Los Angeles Times.)
Gone will be the first commercial break, meaning one less opportunity for viewers to check out the competition (except, of course, for those rude viewers who don't wait for the commercials to channel surf).
"You hope the longer you keep them at the start of the show, the more likely they are to stick to it," said Jeff Bader, ABC Entertainment's executive vice president and scheduling guru.
via LA Times
smart i will watch to many commericals
I do hope it works, I wish ABC would find a hit or two on its new batch of shows
::sings “Surfing, USA” while zoom-clicking the remote::
Be nice if the networks in general made all their shows lose the commercial break permanently but, alas, I suspect it will not be so.
::checks mute button — still works::
It’s a good first week strategy.
I think that the other networks would be wise to pick up on Fox’s Glee strategy and tease its best new series in May. ABC could have done that with FF, Modern Family and Cougar Town, easily. It requires a little bit of planning as you’d need to know before the upfronts what would be picked up, but it would have three advantages:
1) You get your show out there before the September crush of everybody trying everything.
2) You can promote these shows when you actually have viewers watching the promos, instead of during the dead months of August and early September.
3) If it’s really good, you can create more buzz over the summer based on repeat views. Show the pilot in May, then repeat the hell out of it over the summer.
I think that’s a really smart strategy. And unless a show really turns you off within the first few minutes it should succeed.
I wonder how they’ll figure out if this strategy worked … or that they just lost a lot of money for nothing.
CBS did this tonight with the first commercial breaks for both How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally on Purpose not until 9 minutes into the show. This doesn’t appear to be unique to ABC.
nice I find commercials pretty annoying. This will definitely keep my interest. I’ll be watching on wednesday
8:00 Old Christine
8:30 Gary Unmarried
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Cougar Town
10:00 Nip/Tuck
If The Middle is good I my switch channels and check that out on 9/30.