My Network TV is broke. CW wins!

[Old Guy]

TMC1982 won't be happy about this.

NEW YORK – My Network TV said it will essentially get out of the business of presenting original programming except for professional wrestling, a sign of how the economy is hurting the television business.

The network, created for stations left adrift when the old WB and UPN network combined to form the CW, will also turn its Saturday night schedule over to the local affiliates and stations owned by the parent News Corp, it announced Monday.

It will abandon the traditional broadcast television model, where networks pay a licensing fee to programming producers and attempt to make money be selling ad time within those shows. Instead, it will acquire primarily established programs in which the producers sell half of the advertising time and My Network gets half the cut.

Except for its "Friday Night Smackdown" wresting series, My Network's most popular show, the only other series it has committed to for next fall is two hours of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" reruns. My Network will also have a movie night.

"Times are changing," network President Greg Meidel said Monday. "Let's face it, the advertising environment is not as healthy as it was six months ago or a year ago and I think we're out in front of some of our competitors here."

Relatively inexpensive programming already fills My Network's schedule, including a video collection, "The World's Funniest Moments," hosted by Arsenio Hall; the reality show "Jail," about newly incarcerated inmates; and "Breaking the Magician's Code." It also airs a remake of "The Twilight Zone."

The future of all of those shows are in doubt, unless its producers want to play by My Network's new rules.

Those rules favor reruns of established shows on other networks. Shows such as "House" do better in cable reruns than many of My Network TV's original fare.

Meidel insisted that My Network is not becoming strictly a rerun network.

[chdr]

Meh, the only reason MyNetworkTV is still around is because of wrestling. I highly doubt MyNetwork TV and The CW will last five more years at most.

[bigddan11]

This explains why my local MyNetwork affiliate is actually airing Big 12 Network basketball on the weeknights when it hasn't before. It doesn't help that the majority of MyNetwork affiliates do preempt the schedule currently with sports.

[Jeff Harris]

I don't think it's a loss.

My Network Television has been a mistake in execution for its first two years. Its first season had telenovellas. Its second season was full of reality fare. Its third season was highlighted by SmackDown's arrival, with the reality fare playing second banana. I think by continuing with what works and dropping what doesn't, I think that My Network Television, now essentially a syndication block, will do better than The CW, which is hemorraging money and relying way too much on the female market and ran by someone who was obviously a fan of the Fox and WB teen dramas of the 90s that she brought them back (seriously, Melrose Place is coming back and a vampire teen drama in the vein [no pun intended] of Buffy and Twilight is also coming).

[Old Guy]

I think that My Network Television, now essentially a syndication block, will do better than The CW

But they're really not all that impressive as a syndication block. Law & Order and House? They might as well call themselves TNT. If syndication today was still as popular as in the `90s with shows like Baywatch, Xena, and Hercules then they might have a chance. Otherwise, they'll be pulling the plug in a year.

[Jeff Harris]

But they're really not all that impressive as a syndication block. Law & Order and House? They might as well call themselves TNT. If syndication today was still as popular as in the `90s with shows like Baywatch, Xena, and Hercules then they might have a chance. Otherwise, they'll be pulling the plug in a year.

One, they don't have House.

Two, they do have one good show that continuously beats The CW week after week (that's SmackDown).

I think that the creation of My Network Television killed any return of the syndication of yore, and, in hindsight, they're rectifying that mea culpa with this announcement. It's essentially becoming a Prime Time Entertainment Network clone (Google or Wiki PTEN if you must) with first and second-run syndication fare and movie showcases. It's cost-effective, they already have viewers in the top ten markets, and it'll ensure its survival for the long term by utilizing what they have and what they can do without spending too much to develop shows nobody's going to watch anyway. I wish they would have gone a step further by utilizing their massive television library.

By "their," I mean Twentieth Television. That's everything made by 20th Century Fox Television and MTM Entertainment.

The ratings for The CW has been falling a lot this season, and many insiders feel they jumped the gun on 90210 way too soon. They've already lost a vast number of 18-35 males this season, and the urban market are going to evaporate after this season (methinks Everybody Hates Chris and The Game are ending after this year). The Sunday night content deal fizzled earlier than they expected, and should have been a sign that The CW has no clue what they're doing this season. Next season . . . more of the same. A Gossip Girl 80s prequel, a new Melrose Place, and a new teen vampire romantic series. Nothing really aimed towards a wider audience.

I may fault My Network TV for a lot of things, but at least they're not just aimed towards teenaged girls.

[TMC1982]

In all honesty, MNTV hasn't really been airing original programming for quite some time (I do recall their American telenova model during their first season). It was pretty much a glorified syndication model already. Unfortunately for MNTV, they never really built upon "SmackDown!".

One, they don't have House.

Two, they do have one good show that continuously beats The CW week after week (that's SmackDown).

I think that the creation of My Network Television killed any return of the syndication of yore, and, in hindsight, they're rectifying that mea culpa with this announcement. It's essentially becoming a Prime Time Entertainment Network clone (Google or Wiki PTEN if you must) with first and second-run syndication fare and movie showcases. It's cost-effective, they already have viewers in the top ten markets, and it'll ensure its survival for the long term by utilizing what they have and what they can do without spending too much to develop shows nobody's going to watch anyway. I wish they would have gone a step further by utilizing their massive television library.

By "their," I mean Twentieth Television. That's everything made by 20th Century Fox Television and MTM Entertainment.

The ratings for The CW has been falling a lot this season, and many insiders feel they jumped the gun on 90210 way too soon. They've already lost a vast number of 18-35 males this season, and the urban market are going to evaporate after this season (methinks Everybody Hates Chris and The Game are ending after this year). The Sunday night content deal fizzled earlier than they expected, and should have been a sign that The CW has no clue what they're doing this season. Next season . . . more of the same. A Gossip Girl 80s prequel, a new Melrose Place, and a new teen vampire romantic series. Nothing really aimed towards a wider audience.

I may fault My Network TV for a lot of things, but at least they're not just aimed towards teenaged girls.

I've already said many times over, that Dawn Ostroff is an idiot, who has no clue how to run a major broadcast network. The CW has pretty much alienated the urban market for which was a large part of the core of UPN. They've alienated the young male demographic by getting rid of "SmackDown!" (incidentally, their highest rated show). And they've pigeon holed themselves by catering only to young women. The CW is so creatively bankrupted that all that they really have to offer is recycling the "pretty, rich, young and spoiled" formula.

[I.D.Will19??]

One, they don't have House.

Two, they do have one good show that continuously beats The CW week after week (that's SmackDown).

I think that the creation of My Network Television killed any return of the syndication of yore, and, in hindsight, they're rectifying that mea culpa with this announcement. It's essentially becoming a Prime Time Entertainment Network clone (Google or Wiki PTEN if you must) with first and second-run syndication fare and movie showcases. It's cost-effective, they already have viewers in the top ten markets, and it'll ensure its survival for the long term by utilizing what they have and what they can do without spending too much to develop shows nobody's going to watch anyway. I wish they would have gone a step further by utilizing their massive television library.

By "their," I mean Twentieth Television. That's everything made by 20th Century Fox Television and MTM Entertainment.

The ratings for The CW has been falling a lot this season, and many insiders feel they jumped the gun on 90210 way too soon. They've already lost a vast number of 18-35 males this season, and the urban market are going to evaporate after this season (methinks Everybody Hates Chris and The Game are ending after this year). The Sunday night content deal fizzled earlier than they expected, and should have been a sign that The CW has no clue what they're doing this season. Next season . . . more of the same. A Gossip Girl 80s prequel, a new Melrose Place, and a new teen vampire romantic series. Nothing really aimed towards a wider audience.

I may fault My Network TV for a lot of things, but at least they're not just aimed towards teenaged girls.

You know they could try their hand at airing anime. It could add some variety to the network and it's cheap to boot. There also won't be so much pressure when it comes to ratings. Someone mentioned in an earlier thread about having an anime block in syndication. They can cater to genres of anime that don't fit on SCI-FI or CN/AS. There are different genres of anime that could use this type of exposure. Case Closed could benefit from being shown on the same channel as Law & Order. I'm not getting my hopes up at it being a success on the level of WWE SmackDown or anything, but it could work.

[Terror of Death]

You know they could try their hand at airing anime. It could add some variety to the network and it's cheap to boot. There also won't be so much pressure when it comes to ratings. Someone mentioned in an earlier thread about having an anime block in syndication. They can cater to genres of anime that don't fit on SCI-FI or CN/AS. There are different genres of anime that could use this type of exposure. Case Closed could benefit from being shown on the same channel as Law & Order. I'm not getting my hopes up at it being a success on the level of WWE SmackDown or anything, but it could work.

I don't think an anime block would catch on but I do agree that it would indeed be awesome.

[Tobias]

As long as Supernatural sticks around long enough to get a proper ending, I could care less if MNTV or CW folds. That's pretty much the only show I care about that's left from the WB/UPN merger.

[Peter Paltridge]

You know they could try their hand at airing anime. It could add some variety to the network and it's cheap to boot. There also won't be so much pressure when it comes to ratings. Someone mentioned in an earlier thread about having an anime block in syndication. They can cater to genres of anime that don't fit on SCI-FI or CN/AS. There are different genres of anime that could use this type of exposure. Case Closed could benefit from being shown on the same channel as Law & Order. I'm not getting my hopes up at it being a success on the level of WWE SmackDown or anything, but it could work.

Ha ha, that's wishful thinking, but it's not gonna happen. Is there an official list anywhere of what this hole will be filled with?

At least when MNTV was into telenovelas it was doing something different and risky. It didn't work, but at least someone took a chance.

And where is everyone getting Law and Order from? It's not on there.

[hobbyfan]

Twilight Zone, in fact, is in reruns from the UPN remake w/Forrest Whitaker from a few years ago, so it might stick around. A local station here had it before MNTV grabbed it. Repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent air here on the local CW affiliate.

I see Smackdown on the move again in about another year, this time to NBC, so that all of the WWE programming is under the NBC-Universal roof. I don't see MNTV getting into the next decade.

[Zorak Masaki]

Twilight Zone, in fact, is in reruns from the UPN remake w/Forrest Whitaker from a few years ago, so it might stick around. A local station here had it before MNTV grabbed it. Repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent air here on the local CW affiliate.

I see Smackdown on the move again in about another year, this time to NBC, so that all of the WWE programming is under the NBC-Universal roof. I don't see MNTV getting into the next decade.

You will never see WWE programming on a major (big 4) network, unless theres another "boom period" and even then it would be unlikely. SNME is different as thats just a series of specials.

[Old Guy]

Two, they do have one good show that continuously beats The CW week after week (that's SmackDown).

Aside from SmackDown do they have anything else that's beating CW? CW, despite its faults, still have Smallville, Supernatural, and America's Top Models which are popular shows. And Gossip Girls has been a new hit for them. Plus, in March they're giving Reaper a second chance. Oh, and this being ToonZone let's not forget to mention 4Kids.

I think that the creation of My Network Television killed any return of the syndication of yore, and, in hindsight, they're rectifying that mea culpa with this announcement.

But in this economy could enough shows be created for syndication before My Network TV goes bankrupt?

[Matt Hazuda]

I see Smackdown on the move again in about another year, this time to NBC, so that all of the WWE programming is under the NBC-Universal roof. I don't see MNTV getting into the next decade.

Considering the horrible ratings SNME gets, Smackdown will never be allowed to air on NBC.

[The Penguin]

Considering the horrible ratings SNME gets, Smackdown will never be allowed to air on NBC.

I agree, but I also wonder if they'd be tempted to try it. This is the network that is turning over the last hour during the week to Jay Leno rather than developing new shows to fill those five hours.

[Hobbes829]

SNME's ratings were due to several factors. Wrestling was huge in the 80's and had just gone mainstream. It's no longer in a boom period, plus wwe wasn't full of competitive matches back then. There is a lot more wwe programming today than there ever was.

[hobbyfan]

I agree, but I also wonder if they'd be tempted to try it. This is the network that is turning over the last hour during the week to Jay Leno rather than developing new shows to fill those five hours.

And that adds to my thinking that NBC would pick up Smackdown. Either it would stay on Fridays and lead directly to Leno or it moves to Saturdays (a dead night otherwise), and signals the end of SNME for good this time.

With the news of a live Smackdown on MNTV on April 3, maybe that would be an experiment leading to something else long term......

[Jeff Harris]

Aside from SmackDown do they have anything else that's beating CW?

Consider this.

SmackDown shows up on the weekly Nielsens above the entire CW lineup. One show beats the entire lineup speaks volumes. Telemundo and Univision shows beat CW programs in major markets, including Los Angeles and New York on a weekly basis as well.

CW, despite its faults, still have Smallville, Supernatural, and America's Top Models which are popular shows.

It's America's Next Top Model, and it actually does better than Gossip Girl and 90210. Smallville and Supernatural are popular, but hardly hits. Smallville's on its last legs, and if Supernatural makes Dawn sneeze wrong, it's out of here.

And Gossip Girls has been a new hit for them.

Ratings have actually been dropping since last season, plus, it gets clobbered by the CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC shows week after week.

Plus, in March they're giving Reaper a second chance.

Here's the thing. Privileged, the series that initially replaced Reaper, failed hard. They did renew it, but they chose to sit on it because, well, they're The CW. Teen girls come first.

Oh, and this being ToonZone let's not forget to mention 4Kids.

Who can forget them? 4Kids are pumping in inferior products that kids are watching because they don't want to be bored watching educational broadcast fare, and they're waiting to see what's next on Nick and Cartoon Network. And aside from Kewlopolis, ABC Kids, and qubo, there's no other competition on broadcast television.

But in this economy could enough shows be created for syndication before My Network TV goes bankrupt?

MNT is not going bankrupt. News Corp (read: Fox) won't allow it, especially considering their ownership of the networks in major markets. Syndication doesn't always have to be shows originating from the US, you know. News Corp has prodution facilities throughout the word, and they could easily implant their English-language originals to this side of the Atlantic and Pacific.

And, also, they could easily air some of their library titles on MNT just as they do for cable channels and subchannels and control the output themselves. You know how The Simpsons isn't on any cable outlet in this country? MNT could strip that series throughout the week if they wanted to since, you know, they own the series outright.

My Network TV doesn't have to be exclusively first-run series. New doesn't always equal better. They could follow WGN America and ION's route in presenting themselves by airing contemporary and classic off-network shows, movies, and, of course, SmackDown. They're creating a cost-effective, yet entertaining alternative to broadcast television. Probably what they should have done in the first place.

Oh, and L&O: Criminal Intent was mentioned on the TV Week article talking about the changes.

[Hobbes829]

Supernatural has 1 more season because the writers only planned to have the story go that long. I think Dawn will allow it that, plus it's having it's highest rated season ever.

Smallville has plenty of gas left in the tank. It's one of CW's highest rated scripted shows, plus this season has seen a ratings revival. If it's on its last legs, it only because either this is the last season or only has 1 more season left. 8 seasons is a lot for any show, let alone 9 seasons.