The beginning of the end for classic shows? (1 Viewer)

[ChadP2k]

Agreed, that kind of falls in my line with the F-Troop/Jeff Foxworthy Show deal though. If a short lived show can be released without remastering and all of that it stands to reason that it is a possible money maker for the studio, and because of the small # of eps is something they can put out and be done with quickly.

Also one thing I didn't mentioned the first time is this... you have two groups of people buying TV shows on DVD. You have the casual fan of one series who buys it, and then you have the general TV fan (like most of us) that buy multiple series. The releases might have slowed because the studios have caught onto the fact that you can only get so much money out of us tv enthusiasts in a year. I know there are many, many sets I have yet to pick up because they were coming out too quick. I guess they figure if they split the releases up more they'll sell more discs.

 

[Dorrie_W]

This is just my own theory. A lot of the people who would enjoy these shows are in their 50's and 60's. Not all of these people are on the Internet quite as much as us. These shows are not always heavily advertised on television, weekly circulars and at the display at the front of Walmart.

In the past year I have purchased Have Gun Will Travel, McCloud, McMillan and Wife and The Rockford Files for family members in their mid to late 50s to senior citzen age.

Now no one jump on me, I know that many people in this age range are internet savvy, my mom is 55 and she is on the net alot.

But my 65 year old aunt just learned how to check her lottery numbers on line a few months ago, and we just got to the Google search lesson.

So I'm just saying they should creatively market these shows to make sure people who might really want to buy them no they are available.

 

[MishaLauenstein]

Because it's better to have your show in the New Releases section on a day when the store is empty?

 

[MatthewA]

Me, too. I still haven't bought several TV show discs I wanted to buy. And I don't think the studios should release more than one or 2 TV show releases per week.

 

[Charles Ellis]

One bright spot is the use of independent labels like MPI, Anchor Bay, Rhino, Image, and S'more Entertainment. Through them many a classic series has been released, inlcuding some little-known gems from the past that are now available for discovery by a new generation. One-season wonders (Good Morning World, Lotsa Luck), cult classics (Dark Shadows, Sledge Hammer!), long-running successes (Three's Company, The Doris Day Show, , Doogie Howser, M.D.) and undisputed TV masterpieces (The Honeymooners, The Dick Van Dyke Show) have been released on DVD via such independent labels. And I do belive that from time to time the major studios will lease a title to an indie for DVD release. So, hope is there for more classic shows in the near future. It's a question of where to look for titles (producers, film libraries, etc.) and how to decide which are deserving of a release.

 

[MatthewA]

I would love to see independents get their hands on these shows, but I just worry that the studios will:

A) Charge an exorbitant licensing fee.

B) Send out the crappiest masters they can find.

 

[Michael Alden]

Add Critics Choice to the list. They did a nice job on Dangerous Assignment and word thru the grapevine is they have a big 6-season comedy classic in the works. Think along the lines of the very first successful rural sitcom.

 

[silverking]

I agree that the best way forward is the independents. I doubt if we would have got all 5 seasons of Combat had it been left to a major studio. MPI have also been doing a good job with 'The Rifleman' albeit not in season sets but have released 120 episodes to date. Likewise Critics Choice have put out Sgt Preston & Hopalong Cassidy, unlikely to be anybody's first choice of release but nevertheless two series which would never be considered by the majors.

As for baby boomers not being aware of releases, there is some truth in this.A recent discussion at my workplace with a couple of 'oldies' resulted in me advising them that 'Cheyenne S1' was available on DVD, a fact of which they were unaware & both have since purchased it.

I doubt that classic TV releases by the majors actually lose money, simply don't return the large income they would like. The comment that they just don't sell is unlikely.After all there is a huge market for old movies from every era on DVD and they continue to be released, often old 40's & 50's movies I'd long forgotten. Likewise look at the lucrative market of old 50's 60's 70's music on CD. You can obtain virtually anything (or so it seems) by even the most obscure artists, a lot of it licensed & put out by independent labels.Who buys this stuff if not the baby boomer generation.

As for not releasing classic TV sets this time of year as they would get 'swamped' by other releases, I'm not sure about this, I do know I would be delighted to find 'Have Gun Will Travel S4' in my Christmas stocking.!

 

[Charles Ellis]

Michael, this wouldn't be the show starring a 3-time Oscar winner and the former Walter Denton?

 

[Gary OS]

But wasn't that only a 4 season show? He mentioned a 6 season classic, so I'm not sure it could be what you are thinking of. But it'd be great if that were it!

Gary "CC did do a really nice job on 'Dangerous Assignment'" O.

P.S. Never mind, I know what you are thinking of, and it does line up (6 seasons). I just misread you.

 

[Bob Hug]

I have both volumes of "Dangerous Assignment" and season 2 of "Sergeant Preston" and have really been pleased with this company's line of licensed classic TV releases. Their public domain line leaves a little to be desired but they do have some rarities there, as well, much like Alpha Video. If the rumours about the rural series are true, count me in. It's great to see Critics Choice among those independents willing to take a chance on vintage shows.

 

[Gary OS]

Yea, I have the Preston sets from CC as well, and they are great. So it looks like Critics Choice can do a good job, and I'd love to see THE REAL MCCOYS. Of course, I would also love to see OUR MISS BROOKS, which is what I was originally thinking when I misread Charles' post. But McCoys would be a pleasant surprise if they can pull it off.

Gary "now if only Universal would get off their butt and release the rest of LITB..." O.

 

[Michael Alden]

Yes indeedy Luke!

 

[Bob Gu]

THE REAL McCOYS is a show I would never have thought to seek out, but now that I know it may come out I'll probably get it. I remember liking the cast and watching the show with the family, and being sad when Kathleen Nolan left the show.

I agree with silverking,that the majors have not lost any money on classic TV. TV on DVD is the fastest growing segment in the DVD market. It's up 20% from last year, 3 billion dollars in sales, 18% of the total US DVD market of 16 billion dollars.(In the United Kingdom, TV on DVD accounts for 34% of all DVD sales.) TV on DVD is expected to grow to over 4 billion dollars in sales in 2009. To maintain that growth, classic TV will be part of the mix.

The 'baby boomer' population is not a dwindling audience, it's an expanding one. According to a VARIETY article from last year: "Woman and older consumers make up a disproportionately large slice of TV disc buyers, with the sector credited for broadening the demographics of the DVD market".

SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON is a good example of how well classic TV is doing on DVD. The Preston release was originally sold only thru Critic's Choice and deepdiscountdvd. The first week amazon.com started selling Preston,the Amazon sales figure was around #7,000. Today, Preston, S-1 and S-2 are at #20,000 and #30,000 or so. When you consider that Amazon lists around 70,000 DVD titles, I think those numbers are quite good for pretty obscure show, not sold in stores.

 

[Gary OS]

More excellent points, Bob Gu. I'm in complete agreement. Hey, if a studio is in the business of making money, then they should be making money on these classics. Just because the overall profit won't be as high from releasing LEAVE IT TO BEAVER as it is from releasing BUFFY (two different studios, I know) doesn't mean LITB isn't profitable! It is! If you make a dollar then it's made a profit! And the bigger point is that the shows aren't making studios anything when they just sit in the warehouses collecting dust. It only makes sense to at least get some profit from them while the gettin's good (as the old saying goes). I can tell you this much. If a studio like Universal sits on their collective assets for too much longer then shows like LITB that could have at least made them some profit will indeed disappear from the public consciousness and then they really won't be able to release it and make a profit. Every day they delay is a potential loss when it comes to the older classics, IMHO.

Gary "I'd love to hear from Gord on this thread..." O.

 

[JeffWld]

This is especially true given the fact that most studios have withdrawn a large portion of their back libraries from the syndication market due to the shift in purchasing strategies by station groups.

 

[marcSo]

Wow it has been awhile since we have heard of any new release info on some 50's or 60's shows.I believe GET SMART was the last one to be announced and even before that there wasn't much.over the last several months.I am down to purchasing about one classic 50's 60's show about every 6 or 7 weeks.And that timeframe will get even longer if some annoucements aren't made soon.Oh well I will just keep the money in my pocket.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I've been checking "tvshowsondvd.com" for new announcements two or three times a day for the past two years. I'm just about ready to quit -- the reason being that there hasn't been an announcement for an older show in quite a while now. It seems the companies aren't interested in anything older than 1990. :frowning:

 

[Michael Alden]

I do the same thing and it really does seem like months since there has been any worthwhile announcement. I agree that it appears that the golden era has ended. We've gotten a few goodies but look at how many classics are still to be released.

 

[Phyll]

I was really looking forward to the Fugitive coming out on dvd but I guess I should just give up. What a bummer. I guess I will just be that much richer and those companies will be that much poorer. I will hug my video tapes a lot harder now. And count me in as another defector from this forum because of the lack of news coming out lately. I think I will just be depressed now. Thank you and good night.