Any hope of a CBS/Paramount TV show channel? (1 Viewer)

[jdee28]

With it's giant library of shows, any chance of CBS/Paramount starting a cable channel where they can air the vintage programs they own uncut, with new tranfers, and with no commercial interruptions, like a TCM? It might help to promote what they already have out on DVD. It would also allow us to see complete runs of series they'd never put on DVD along with series they'd never finish. Any possibility?

 

[Corey3rd]

CBS/Paramount/Viacom already owns TVLand

 

[jdee28]

TVLand is a disgrace. I'd like to see a channel more like TCM, with shows from the 50s-80s aired uncut and digitally remastered. Any chance of seeing something like that?

 

[Steve...O]

In this era of DVD recorders and easily replicated media I think a studio would hesitate doing what you suggest since it would cannibalize their DVD sales and lead to mass bootlegging.

That's not to say you don't have a terrific idea. I'd love to have a such a channel. Not necessarily just for Viacom shows but all classic TV. I don't know how commercially viable it would be though. TV Land sold out and so did the original Nick at Nite. That suggest that the original business model for each wasn't performing as well as hoped.

Steve

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Excellent point by Steve...O about the business model. TV Land's programmers evidently feel the new model is best represented by their new slogan: 'TV Land is now Movie Land'. Yes, TV Land now shows movies. Last weekend they
broadcast 'The Negotiator'. The previous weekend, they broadcast 'Parenthood'.

 

[Garysb]

Makes you wonder how TCM thrives. I think it is the only commercial free
basic cable TV channal. They even include movies from Columbia and Universal which they don't own. Hope they always stay commercial free.
I guess they must charge cable operators more than other basic cable channels. What other source of revenue do they have ? They don't show infomercials like the Discovery Channels do.
They have a program guide but how many people subscribe to that? They advertise Classic movie DVD releases from Warner and other companies . I assume they get money for that. They sell DVDs on their website. You can usually find stuff cheaper elsewhere.

The only place I know to get commercial free TV shows is Boomerang . Its commercial free but not interruption free. I believe the cartoons are uncut. Perhaps that is a model that could be followed by someone to show classic TV shows uncut.

 

[MatthewA]

How are they making money now? Is Nielsen counting people who accidentally leave the TV on after SpongeBob but leave the room?

 

[Garysb]

I think the idea is not that they are making money now, but they do not want to give away something they own for free and possibly hurt revenue in the future. For example if a fan of Happy Days could record all the shows uncut and commercial free, they could possibly sell illegal copies. Or they might not be interested in watching the show on TV Land where it is cut and has commercials. Therefore the property becomes less valuable to CBS.

 

[MatthewA]

They could have rectified that by taking pride in their product and its presentation. CBS/Paramount seems to do that...for shows made prior to 1974. Happy Days S2 gives Madacy a run for their money.

Some shows it seems don't get released, they escape. And I mean popular ones with considerable fan bases. They can't even finish Cheers, one of the Grand Poohbas of 1980s sitcom-dom, and the seasons they did release have not been given the treatment they deserve.

 

[Corey3rd]

TCM makes money through the subscriber fee and the fact that they don't have to pay for the Warner/MGM titles. TCM has a very loyal following - especially in the wake of AMC going from a cable jewel (especially when they were part of the Buster Keaton revival) to a land of Charlie Sheen films.

In a freakish reality, I'd want a cable channel that tries to push itself as a mid-70s indie UHF station. I want a channel that can mix sitcoms, dramas old Game Shows and AIP movies. I want nightowl programming.

 

[Jeff#]

TV Land used to be a better cable channel....when they started over a decade ago and had I SPY and Route 66 every day of the week. Why they stopped airing those shows I have no idea. It's not like they couldn't afford to run them again, being the successful channel that they are. But too many sitcoms that can easily be found elsewhere on cable & still in syndication makes it pointless to watch now. Sitcoms are too common. Then again, TV Land never had much in the way of dramatic shows except in small doses (airing a 10th anniversary weekend once with one or two episodes of The FBI, 77 Sunset Strip, and other Warner Bros series not in their regular collection).

The only thing they have currently of any value is GUNSMOKE, but they've played that show to death (and beyond).

At least TV Land's movies are limited to just weekends, but even that seems kind of silly.

 

[jdee28]

The Encore channels, when they run tv shows, they do them right. For example, it was great how the Encore Western channel ran the B&W hour Gunsmoke episodes a few years ago. The shows were uncut; the prints were great; there were no commercial interruptions. If they can't do their own channel, I'd love for CBS/Paramount to make it easier for their shows to get on outlets like that.. to see shows like Rawhide or Have Gun -- Travel on Encore Westerns; Perry Mason on the Mystery Channel. My understanding, Gunsmoke was taken off the Westerns Channel because CBS/Paramount was asking too much to renew them.

 

[DeWilson]

I'll second that! What killed great late night 'night owl' programing was informercials!

The worse thing the FCC ever did was allowing long-form commercial programing.

 

[Corey3rd]

pretty much after 1 a.m., if I'm not ready for bed, I'll break out a DVD. Lately I've been enjoying the Odd Couple.

It's like tonight - why must TVLand run 4 MASH, 4 Sanford and Son and 5 Jeffersons episodes in a row? Of all the stuff Viacom ought to be able to dig out of the vaults, they have to beat this stuff to death?

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

The ENCORE MYSTERY CHANNEL used to be great that way; 8-10 years ago, they ran uncut episodes of NAME OF THE GAME, THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR (though, oddly, some classic episodes, like "An Unlocked Window" and "Where the Woodbine Twineth", weren't part of the package), the 1950s MIKE HAMMER (with Darren McGavin), THE AVENGERS (which returned to the channel in the mid-00s, but is long gone now), THE NEW AVENGERS, NIGHT GALLERY, SECRET AGENT/DANGER MAN, THE SAINT, etc.

Now, they don't run any TV series, and have considerably reduced the number of pre-1970s movies on their channel (they used to have a dedicated "film noir" slot every Monday night at eight). Though a commercial-free "premium" channel, their programming now tends to emulate the thinking of AMC and TV LAND.

ENCORE ACTION ran COMBAT episodes for the longest time, then THE GREEN HORNET, TIME TUNNEL and THE PERSUADERS a few years back. Now they seem far more interested in recent-era anime series than vintage TV.

At least ENCORE WESTERNS CHANNEL is still keeping the faith, with THE RIFLEMAN and BAT MASTERSON.

 

[Jack Cleveland]

I'm currently using Encore Western channel to finish my Big Valley collection. I truly believe the DVD sets are dead in the water thanks to Fox splitting Season 2 and charging the same price as Season 1. I'll get the rest of the series recorded as a back-up in case there are no more Big Valley DVDs.