"The disconnect seems to be with teens who love to speculate and comment online but rarely turn it into direct viewing," added Cole, who advises networks and advertisers on the changing landscape. "Teens, while still interested in television, are less interested in television than any generation that has come before them."
Indeed, "Gossip Girl's" status at the bottom of the weekly Nielsen ratings chart belies the show's online activity, executives said. "When you look at all the ways people are getting 'Gossip Girl' episodes, whether on TV or TiVo or streaming or downloading it, clearly there's a very strong core group of viewers," Ostroff said. "Our job is to start getting the show broadened out a bit."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, January 27, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 31 words Type of Material: Correction
'Gossip Girl': Today's Calendar article about "Gossip Girl" says that the show's target demographic is teenagers. Its network, the CW, sells to advertisers who seek viewers in the 18-to-34 age range.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, February 03, 2008 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part E Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 31 words Type of Material: Correction
'Gossip Girl': Last Sunday's article about "Gossip Girl" said that the show's target demographic is teenagers. Its network, the CW, sells to advertisers who seek viewers in the 18-to-34 age range.
On the move
TO do so, the CW gathered the cast at a posh Hollywood club on a recent warm morning to shoot segments for the new campaign. The winsome young stars -- dressed in Chanel and other top labels -- lounged on a sea-green ottoman in an ornately gilded room, delivering lines written by the network's marketing staff. The group hadn't been together since production in New York shut down in December, and they giggled and bantered as producers conferred between shots.
"Save the energy for the takes, please!" shouted a harried director.
The material will be used in "Gossip Girl Revealed," a package of DVD-like extras such as outtakes and cast interviews that will be wrapped around the first few repeats. As part of the relaunch, the CW also moved the drama to a temporary Monday time slot from Wednesday nights to avoid competing with Fox's "American Idol."
"I think it's a fantastic idea," said Blake Lively, who plays Serena. "So much of our show has been based around the buzz -- it's kind of emulated what happens on the show with the text messaging and online, how these kids have become popular. And if you go away for a while, it's harder to come back and be the 'it' person in school or the 'it' show. So it's important to try to keep the buzz around it."
The success of the relaunch is also pivotal for the CW, a nascent network that was formed by the merger of the WB and UPN in 2006. This season marked the first in which the network aired its own programs, and executives did not hide their initial excitement about "Gossip Girl."
