TV Guide Acquires TVShowsonDVD.com (1 Viewer)

[Heathen]

I would like to say Congrats to them as well, as they deserve it, but my concerns are about longevity, not quality. TV Guide has been going down the tank for years, and is just coming off the verge of oblivion, and is straddling the corner now as we speak. Life support for TV Guide isn't too far off, and with dwindling subscribers, dwindling fan base, and thus dwindling incoming dollars, TV Guide may not be around much longer, and I would hate that they drug down TVShowsonDVD.com with it. However, I wish them success, and maybe this is the starting point for a mild, but sustainable turnaround for them. I can only hope. Congrats again, and let's hope that it is long lived....

 

[Firebee]

Well said, Gord...put me in the list of fans who were concerned that the unique things that make your Web site great would disappear with TV Guide's purchase. So, I look forward to many more years of stories, alerts about my favorite shows coming to DVD and even more information on those shows. I confess that I'm a huge user of TV.com as well, which supplements the information that I get from TVShowsonDVD.com and HTF. Best of luck to you both.

Dan

 

[Joe Lugoff]

Maybe I'm too cynical, but that's better than being too naive. Once the corporations get hold of something, all that matters is the bottom line. What usually happens: For a while, they let the original owner (of whatever they bought) have some input -- then he starts to get on their nerves -- then they buy him out -- then the acquired business changes radically. Even Ted Turner had to leave Time Warner after they acquired Turner Broadcasting.

It might not happen in this case; but I still have that "sinking feeling."

 

[Michael Alden]

Hopefully Gord and Dave have something in writing which guarantees their continued involvement for a long time to come. If it's just "the word" of TV Guide, we know how much that's worth. Ask Ted Turner how much input he has these days. Or the guy who founded ESPN that got bought out for $250,000 and then booted a year after he started the network.

 

[Gord Lacey]

I think it's pretty clear that no one wants to see a rehash of the TVTome->TV.com transition, so what would you guys like to see added to the site? Do you want more information on TV shows (number of seasons, episode titles, cast information)? Do you want to see video clips from upcoming sets? Do you want more contests? Do you want interviews with people behind TV-DVD sets, producers, directors, writers, actors (all relating to DVD releases of course)? Do you want live chats with people connected with DVD releases (see previous list)?

One of the problems with TVTome was that it didn't have visible people connected to the content. You guys "know" Dave and I because we post news every day, and we post here and elsewhere. We ARE the site, at least the heart of it, and TV Guide knows this. The survey that was up on the site a few weeks ago (it was only there for 10-20 mins, enough time for 150 people to fill it out) was very flattering because the respondents made it clear what they liked about the site, and why they went there, and a lot of people cited Dave and I as a major contributing factor.

Anyway, back to my question from earlier - What type of new material do you want to see on the site? As for the concerns with us turning into something evil, please keep them coming (and feel free to email them to me directly on the site). All feedback is appreciated.

Gord
P.S. TV Guide wasn't the first company that came knocking to buy the site, but they were the one I felt was the best fit with my vision for the future of the site, and the information that we could share.

 

[Katherine_K]

So the things I like... I've always liked the release tracking features on the site. I find it really important to me that I am able to mark sets I want and see them on a list so that I don't forget that there is one out there about to come out that I wanted. This might sound minor but because I visit your site every day I find it incredibly helpful.

I like the ability to vote for sets that I want and to see the stats of what others want and what others have bought recently. Those are hardly scientific but seeing how far or how fast a set jumps to the top of that recently purchased list gives me a little sense of how well a particular series is doing.

I would be very sad to either see the list of "I want" or "I own" or the statistics page go away.

Now... of the things you've talked about. I think I like the idea of being able to know how long a series ran, the number of episodes per season, and maybe episode titles and their original air dates. I dont' think I need or ask for summaries but the lists are sometimes handy.

I generally use IMDB for casting information though I haven't liked their recent change of doing it just by episode credits because at least on that site it just gets you with the background players at the top of the list and the primary cast pretty far down the list. As a consumer I would probably find it useful know which seasons had major cast changes. The Cagney and Lacey thing is a good case in point. I didn't know the show well so it was basically only through reading your site that I started to understand the complicated casting. But I could definately see something like "Chris Noth (Mike Logan)'s last season). "Introduction of Catherine Bell (Sarah MacKenzie)" being good. Especially in releases were particular characters are important.

I'm not sure how much value I'd place in "what season do fans think this jumped the shark" because I've been in enough fandoms to think there are people who participate in such things just to talk about how a show went to pot after the pilot... X-Files is an example I can think of where I disliked season six and seven but began liking it again in eight and nine. Shows had weak seasons and shows had strong seasons.

I think I wish I had a better sense for DVD marketing trends. Maybe a Frequently Asked Questions about what makes some series more likely to come out on DVD and some less. I know there are some factors that help... SciFi, one shot seasons, currently airing and use of cross promotion for a newly airing season. After all I wouldn't have a billion sets to buy in October/November if that wasn't when the next seasons started airing.

I'd honestly love to see more DVD reviews, especially of first seasons. I have bought dvds based on your reviews where I was on the fense. With other shows that I don't feel like I can just talk to lots of people about them your reviews are almost like sharing excitement with a friend over some gem I've discovered. Your MI-5 reviews come to mind.

Hmmm what else.... there are a number of shows on the top ten unreleased series list right now that have hold ups. It would be nice to see articles explaining why say... Batman is a troubled release. I think we all know these things here but I have friends who read your site who don't read forums like this.

Anyway... that's probably more than I intended to say.

 

[Derek Miner]

I've always enjoyed behind-the-scenes type material, and I would certainly be interested in reading about how studios go about finding material, remastering, and producing DVD sets.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Oh yeah! That's something that I've been wanting to do for awhile. I'd like to track the process of getting a TV show released on DVD, from storing it in the vaults to it appearing on the shelf. I'd like to talk to each person along the way and find out exactly what they're involved in. *I* want to know the process, and I'm sure tons of other people do. It's an idea I plan on pitching to the TV Guide people, and hopefully it'll get done.

Gord

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Congrats to both Gord and Dave ! I dont mind the aquisition at all, I dont even mind new style content added to the site.As long as the news items are delivered in the same style.

 

[AnthonyC]

I'd like to see fan reviews as well, perhaps moderated if possible to eliminate useless "This is teh best show ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111" type reviews.

Chats/interviews would be fantastic too, especially those focused on one (or few) specific series/set(s), and one thing I'd like to see is TV Guide using their name and notoriety to possibly even push stars/producers to actively campaign for DVD releases and strengthen fanbases and whatnot for the site. A few fans trying to get Amazing Race on DVD is nice, but it'd be even nicer to hear it coming from Phil Keoghan.

And having TV Guide be a middleman for fan questions/comments/complaints/requests to the studios would be fantastic, although really just an extension of what the site is now.

 

[Steve Meil]

It sounds like the all mighty dollar has won out again!

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I don't blame them one bit for selling out -- I'd have done exactly the same thing, as would 99.99% of us. But this idea that the website will maintain its integrity is totally laughable. Oh, it will for a while. But let's reopen this thread a year from now and review the situation.

 

[Michael Alden]

I don't need information on series length, casts, etc. That stuff is all readily available in a half dozen television encyclopedias as well as on line at classic tv archive and epguides. You can pick up Total Television or Complete Directory to Prime Time Shows and find all of that out in 30 seconds. Give us the info we can't get so easily elsewhere.

What I would like is some honest input from the studios regarding shows they own that they haven't released, as in what they are thinking about regarding certain shows. Not the usual, it's not on our schedule for release crap they usually hand out. They know full well what they are planning to do well in advance of them announcing it. And if there are shows they have considered and rejected for whatever reasons, it would be nice to know that as well. It would certainly help those of us that are wondering which tapes to transfer and which ones to hold off on. Saying that a show has rights issues is not giving away a fatal secret. But it would help explain things.

 

[Steve...O]

Gord,

Congratulations. As for what I would like to see...it would be more interviews with those producing sets to give consumers a feel about all the issues that surround their release, including those that cause problems (music rights, production costs, etc.).

This could be a valuable tool that could help the studios explain why certain shows don't get released or are "one and done". While I certainly don't expect these folks to share proprietary information it would seem that it would do both the studio and consumers some good to share some insight about marketplace realities. Conversely an interviewer such as yourself who is tuned into consumer demand can relay some of the concerns/questions that consumers have. Hopefully these interviews will be with not only the majors, but also with the independents (Shout, MPI, etc.) that have put out some realy good product.

What I would not like to see are gimmicky things like trivia about a particular series or fluff public relations pieces about actors, etc. Such content would, in my opinion, dilute a wonderful resource.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Gord Lacey]

That's one of the reasons I joined TV Guide - they already have a site for that. Looking at the TVTome-TV.com scenario, they joined a company that didn't cover TV, so they turned a site that was built around episode guides into a site that serves up everything related to TV, and many people hated the change. We're a site dedicated to TV-on-DVD joining a network that includes a site dedicated to TV, but doesn't really cover TV-on-DVD, so we fill a hole in their reporting. It doesn't make sense for them to turn TVShowsOnDVD.com into a clone of their website.

Gord

 

[BradD]

TVShowsonDVD.com Jumped the Shark in season 5. TV Guide's stance may sound well and good now, but we all know people love to butter you up at first, then, things change. When you are no longer in control, what can you you do?

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gord, this post and Mike_A's best conveys what I would like to see at TSoD. As Steve said, we can't (and shouldn't) expect a studio to release proprietary information on a status of a certain show if they are legally prohibited from doing so, but as a collector and, from what I've read on this forum, this is a major "wish" for most of us, I'd like to know if a series is discontinued or won't be released in any reasonable time frame (ie, years away from a potential release, etc). It sure would be great as a collector, for me, to remove a particular series from my "wait" list or, conversly, look forward with eager anticipation for that series to be released within a year or two.

 

[Jon Martin]

Some people are acting like TV Guide is this evil entity, run by the networks and TV shows they cover. They aren't. Like TVShowsonDVD, they cover TV shows, reviewing them positively and negatively. I don't quite understand why they aren't trusted.

The guys were running the site, I believe, while holding other jobs. I don't know what the financial terms were for the takeover, but something like this could mean they would be spending more time on the site.

 

[MattHR]

I hope that was sarcastic.

Gord, I would never ask how much you sold your soul for, but... should we start referring to you as The Six Million Dollar Man?

Congrats!

 

[Pete Battista]

Congrats Gord and Dave!
Do I have some of the same concerns as others here?... yeah... sure. but I also have faith that Gord and Dave will continue to bring us a quality site. tvshowsondvd.com is my favorite site on all of the web! I am completely addicted to collecting TV Series on DVD... and there is no better site out there! Hopefully it will continue to be for a long time to come! Once again... Congrats guys!