I agree with all of that, but I do think a large part of recent 'save [insert title]' campaigns and their prevalence on the internet is because of the MPAA/FACT squeals about copyrighted material.
The more the MPAA/FACT shriek about loss of revenue in insanely exaggerated figures, the more viewers equate that in personal terms to DVD sales/buying merch/watching a block of ads on their local channel and feel empowered and important when the REAL figure is much less than MPAA/FACT quotes and much more than viewers generate.
Result? The liars lead the deluded, and you've got the execs & producers in the middle trying to make money from reselling, syndication and format rights. Imo, shows only get cancelled if the commission point hasn't got enough customers to sell the series onto after the season midway point. Fan-centred Save Our Show campaigns are always focused on the commission point. Which is ridiculous as they wanted the show to succeed as much as the fans did/do, it's just their customers don't want to buy it! And the commission point's customers AREN'T viewers.
Viewers think they are. Viewers think they are, because they're bombarded every 5mins with how evil and costly their torrenting habits are; how important viewing figures/ratings are; the relevance of demographics, reach and penetration etc.
Imo, Save Our Show campaigns are a symptom of disinformation and bluster that attempts to personalise and individualise a wholly inter-corporate business model. They're the Little Man getting it wrong because This Is The Internet, and the Little Man is always right.
Sorry, Save Our Show campaigns annoy me. They're the Jehovah's Witnesses of fandom living as far as I'm concerned.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-04-19 01:26 am (UTC)The more the MPAA/FACT shriek about loss of revenue in insanely exaggerated figures, the more viewers equate that in personal terms to DVD sales/buying merch/watching a block of ads on their local channel and feel empowered and important when the REAL figure is much less than MPAA/FACT quotes and much more than viewers generate.
Result? The liars lead the deluded, and you've got the execs & producers in the middle trying to make money from reselling, syndication and format rights. Imo, shows only get cancelled if the commission point hasn't got enough customers to sell the series onto after the season midway point. Fan-centred Save Our Show campaigns are always focused on the commission point. Which is ridiculous as they wanted the show to succeed as much as the fans did/do, it's just their customers don't want to buy it! And the commission point's customers AREN'T viewers.
Viewers think they are. Viewers think they are, because they're bombarded every 5mins with how evil and costly their torrenting habits are; how important viewing figures/ratings are; the relevance of demographics, reach and penetration etc.
Imo, Save Our Show campaigns are a symptom of disinformation and bluster that attempts to personalise and individualise a wholly inter-corporate business model. They're the Little Man getting it wrong because This Is The Internet, and the Little Man is always right.
Sorry, Save Our Show campaigns annoy me. They're the Jehovah's Witnesses of fandom living as far as I'm concerned.