And that, fellow viewers, is a huge problem for those acronymic "legacy" networks. One, it undercuts executives' argument to advertisers that broadcast still delivers the most bang for the buck of any media (negotiations for the sale of bulk ad time next TV season are taking place right now, an inconvenient moment to be sure from the networks' standpoint). Also, the broadcasters' economic model, as it currently stands, is simply unsustainable compared with that of their chief competitors, cable networks. More about that in a minute.
This doesn't necessarily mean that viewers won't come back in greater numbers once the networks roll out their new shows come fall (although given the production interruptions caused by the strike, the number of series premieres will be reduced, which may also weaken ratings). And it's true that the importance of sweeps has been naturally diminishing in recent seasons as Nielsen has refined its measurement techniques.
Still, the May results delivered a jolt to the system. Ratings slipped during the strike as networks ran out of fresh episodes. No surprise there. But conventional wisdom held that viewers would trickle back as their favorite shows returned to the schedule.
For the most part, though, that didn't happen. Even big hits like "Idol" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" sank to their lowest numbers in years. In one typically sobering statistic, ABC lost more than one-fifth of its core young-adult viewers in May. Yes, strike delays may have played a role; "Lost" won't air its season finale until this Thursday, for instance, so its numbers won't count in either the sweep or regular-season tallies. But all the other networks logged double-digit sweep declines, even Fox.
Clearly, something happened. Where'd those viewers go?
Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling chief, said he was always pessimistic about audiences beating a path back to network series post-strike, even though his employer has the most cause to celebrate of any broadcast outlet this year. When the medical drama "House" prepared to return in late April, Beckman said, he warned the producers that "the season's over." Viewers had simply dropped the habit of watching network series, he reasoned.
"I'm a believer in [the theory], 'Give me an excuse to stop watching your show,' " Beckman told me.
