October 25, 2007
Viewers' shifting habits redefine 'TV hit'
Gossip Girl was the can't-miss show for CW, the fledgling network struggling to establish its own identity. Yet the premiere Sept. 19 averaged 3.5 million viewers, modest even by the network's low standards, and a million of them left the following week. USA Today reports.
"A total bust? Not quite. The soap about privileged Manhattan teenagers gained 20% among young adults who recorded it, then watched in the seven days after the first airing. It's a top-five network show among teenage girls, the top new show among all teens and the biggest seller on iTunes.
So, far from getting a quick hook, Gossip Girl was instead the first show of the new season to be extended beyond the customary 13-week tryout for a full 22-episode season.
It's a case in point of how Hollywood's definition of a hit TV series is radically changing. Though still the primary focus, "live" TV ratings are no longer the sole barometer of success. As viewing habits change, programmers are struggling with how to factor in DVR use, Web viewing, sought-after niche audiences and online chatter when weighing shows' health."
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