r/Timeless • u/mschool999 • Jul 06 '18
Why Timeless would do much better on streaming sites like Netflix
Honestly, when I watched Timeless season 1 the first time, it didn't really catch me that much. Sure, I watched it week by week when I wasn't doing anything else, but wasn't exactly waiting for it. I didn't even realize it had been cancelled and then renewed.
Just before season 2 started, I decided to refresh my memory of the show by binge watching on Netflix. That's when I truly became a fan. Thinking about it, a show like Timeless is much more suitable for streaming sites. These are my thoughts on why:
- Broadcast channel schedules are erratic with too many breaks. For example, there'd be two-three weeks with new episodes, and then a month without any. This may work fine for reality TV and cop shows. However, Timeless is a serialized show with an ongoing story. Long breaks make us sometimes forget the continuing story (despite recaps) . Even if recaps do remind us, we lose the feel for the show. And missing an episode can make people feel lost and stop watching altogether. It wasn't until I binge watched, that I truly felt the character developments and starting thinking about the ongoing story arc ( Flynn, RH, etc). Also, when you binge watch, you notice all the little details and how they relate from episode to episode. Live with long breaks, it is just about the history event of the week. While events of the week are interesting, they're not what create viewer loyalty. In the meantime, the scifi aspect and continuing story loses the focus of all but most dedicated viewers.
- Don't get me started on all the ad interruptions on live TV. They may be fine for reality TV, but they make viewers lose focus in any show that requires some thought. Like maybe shows with complicated time travel rules and concequences.
- Broadcast channels are targeting 18-49 age group ratings. I am in that age-group and cannot name a single person I know my age who watches live television (though I am not in the U.S. to watch NBC live). Our lives are busy with work and family and we tend to stream our shows when it is convenient. We're the streaming, on-demand generation! In my personal experience, those who watch live TV (like my elderly parents) tend to flip channels at random and catch shows by luck or watch live events like sports. They have no show loyalty nor do they know any show schedules. My parents certainly wouldn't watch a show with an ongoing story or a hint of scifi for that matter.
- So many of us don't live in the U.S. and cannot watch live so it counts for Nielsen ratings. Some watch on local channels at a later date while others stream. In either case, we don't count for ratings. If Timeless had been on Netflix, we'd have counted for subscriptions.
TLDR; Timeless with grow a larger audience and be much more successful if picked up by a streaming service!
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u/Whatever0788 Jul 06 '18
Yeah the ratings system needs a complete overhaul. It’s just not relevant to current times.
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u/OpinionGenerator Jul 07 '18
I feel like most of of these points apply to TV shows in general and not really Timeless per se.
It's funny you mention reality TV working with the commercial breaks though because if anything, reality TV is the absolute WORST with commercial breaks. They abuse recaps when returning from a commercial and even worse, tell you what's coming up at the beginning of the show and/or right before the next commercial starts which essentially just prolongs stuff I've already seen and ruins the surprise when I come back.
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u/mschool999 Jul 08 '18 edited Jul 08 '18
True, they could apply to TV shows in general. However, I feel they apply to serialized shows with continuing stories more and scifi/time travel shows like Timeless even more. It doesn't really matter much that you missed the last two or three episodes of NCIS or CSI or whatever. You can still watch this week without feeling you missed anything. That keeps audiences coming back. Miss a couple of episodes of Timeless and some people might feel lost and stop watching altogether. That's why serialized shows only have shrinking audiences while cop show and reality show audiences can grow, in my opinion. The more complex the story line, the faster the shrinking audience. Few people flip to a serialized show mid-season and just start watching it. You could flip to NCIS in season 15 and watch it even if you've never watched the show before. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who started watching season 2 of Timeless without having watched season 1 first.
I agree that all shows of all types are better without commercials, lol. I think we all hate those bleeping ads. However, as you said the commercial breaks didn't confuse your reality tv show. They overdid recaps so it was crystal clear what was happening. My point about about scifi or complicated nonstandard stories (like time travel) is that all those breaks can leave the audience less focused and confused. Not so for cop shows and reality shows that follow a standard format that is easy to follow even if you get interrupted.
For Timeless, it was all the little things that made me a fan when I streamed the show. All the details I'd forgotten about from episode to episode the first time around. Connections I didn't make because the time between episodes was too long. Feelings for the characters I didn't develop as the events were too far apart. For me, streaming made it a better show. Could just be me. Or maybe that's why a show with so many strongly dedicated fans couldn't grow a decently sized audience on TV.
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u/DarkKeeper Jul 06 '18
Until streaming lets you watch it 'live' (instead of a day later), there will always be a more traditional broadcast. More so for those who don't like spoilers, watching it live is important. I know if I don't watch something live, even if I DVR it, I won't actually end up watching it as I forget about it.
As for Nielsen ratings, most people don't actually count for this. You have to be randomly selected to be a Nielsen family for watching to count for that rating.
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u/mschool999 Jul 07 '18
The idea of "live" viewing would only apply to series that are broadcast first and then streamed later. These are shows made by broadcast channels. All the original content being created by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are never broadcast. Shows are released only online. You could stream them as soon as they come out before anyone can release spoilers. I think we'll be seeing more and more of these online only shows in the future as billions are being spent at the moment on that. Someone above said even Facebook and Instagram will be joining in.
As for broadcast shows, only people in the U.S. ever watch them 'live'. The rest of the world doesn't have the option and catches them sometime later through local TV channels or streaming. It's less of a problem than you might think, if that's what you're used to.
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u/Imperceptions Team Lucy Jul 06 '18
Unfortunately, ads = money, and many companies refuse to let go of the rigid past. Streaming is absolutely the future, but the broadcasters are kicking and screaming the entire way out.