According to Wall Street Journal, Conan O'Brien is failing fast. His new TBS show has been on the air for nine months and has lost 1.4 million viewers in that time period. O'Brien is trailing all competitors in his time slot including, at times, Chelsea Handler. TBS is still backing Conan strongly;
"Conan personifies the smart funny tone that we want TBS to have," Mr. Koonin said, noting that "Conan" earned several Emmy nominations this year. "His program is the signature show of our line-up and the centerpiece of our network."Conan was signed to a contract worth $12 million a year. Recently, TBS has acquired episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' at $2 million an episode to work as a lead in to 'Conan.' TBS is also developing several new shows to help with Conan's viewership.
This is a sinking ship that I hope can stay afloat. I watched every episode of 'Conan' (thanks to my DVR) for a good six months. I love Conan, but some of his jokes get old and some fall flat. He is aimed at a very niche group of viewers and his comedy is most effective in the late night time slot. I am glad to see TBS producing and acquiring shows that aren't executive produced by Tyler Perry.*
(via Wall Street Journal)
*I read somewhere that Tyler Perry was getting his own network. I would pay to make sure I never have to see his stuff.
No comments:
Post a Comment