Reality television has
been around for decades. Like anything else, it goes through popularity waves. In
1992, MTV’s The Real World premiered,
paving the way for reality television (Greene 2-3). According to a Rolling Stone interview with show’s
creator Jonathan Murray, when series like Big
Brother and Survivor came along
in 2000, both pulling from the concepts introduced by The Real World (Greene 3), the reality TV trend blew up.
Unfortunately, with such a saturation of competition, old
staples like The Real World aren’t
faring so well. According to Variety,
“Since the 2011 Vegas run, ratings have steadily ticked downwards: San Diego
averaged around 1.4 million viewers, and St. Thomas barely 1.1 million. The
Portland season debut to under 800,000 viewers is a testament to the show not
being as groundbreaking or relevant as it once was to MTV’s core audience” (Marechal
3). This season’s ratings haven’t been much better. According to tvbythenumbers.com,
February 6th’s episode premiered to less than a million viewers,
compared to Duck Dynasty, during the
same time slot, with 2.5 million viewers (Bibel).
So is Duck Dynasty
the new Real World? I think it is. Despite
Phil Robertson’s now infamous GQ
interview, the show is still going strong. According to Variety, the comments have not affected advertisers. 30 seconds
during Duck Dynasty goes for
$170-180,000 (Steinberg 2). According to Joel Ryan, Duck Dynasty was the second most successful cable program of 2013, beaten
only by The Walking Dead (Ryan 1).
What exactly makes Duck
Dynasty so popular? On August 16, 2013, Laura Ingraham opened up The O’Reilly Factor with a monologue
that looked for an answer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcmGh-a2ZpI)
According to Ingraham, 11.8 million viewers watched the season four premiere. One
of her strongest points was that “The Robertson family comes across as
unrehearsed, no-nonsense, and warm” (Ingraham). She goes on to mention that
there are also strong themes of family and faith, and none of this seems put on
for cameras. Other shows, like Keeping Up
with the Kardashians, have been accused many times of being scripted.
Ingraham argues that the Robertsons feel much more real, and talk about topics
that aren’t usually discussed positively on reality TV, which tend to favor
plot lines focusing on binge-drinking and sex. It would appear that viewers
have gotten bored of the same formula of strangers+alcohol=entertainment.
Similarly, another reality TV staple seems to be on the
outs as well. Joel Ryan called American Idol one of 2013’s TV losers,
stating “for much of the 2000s, its season finale commanded an Oscar-sized
audience. This past season, with one-and-done judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah
Carey, Fox's humbled primetime champ settled for about one-third of what the
2013 Oscars telecast got” (Ryan). Cowell’s other show, X-Factor, is in an even worse state. Fox announced this month that X-Factor has been cancelled after only
three seasons. According to Variety, X-Factor has been seeing a steady
decline in ratings ever since the series premiere in 2011. “For those first two
seasons, “X Factor” was the No. 3-rated broadcast reality series in adults
18-49 (behind only “American Idol” and “The Voice”), but it currently also
ranks behind ABC’s “The Bachelor,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “Shark Tank,”
CBS’ “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” and NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”” (Marechal).
NBC’s The Voice,
however, has been holding strong in TV ratings. The show placed 7th
and 8th in the Top 20 Fall shows in the key 18-49 demographic (Mitovich).
Gayle Falkenthal credits The Voice’s success
over its predecessors to a few key differences that, in her opinion, are
largely to thank for the better ratings- judge chemistry and song selection
among them (Falkenthal). The Voice
has more personable judges that really interact well with each other, and a
more diverse and contemporary list of songs to choose from each week
(Falkenthal). This likely contributes to the younger average audience of the
show, and it’s overall success.
Although it may seem as though The Voice has staying power, I believe that, like all other good
things, it will likely come to an end. Finale viewership was down 20% this last
year in their key demographic. (McKay 1). If anything, The Real World viewership has shown us that viewers don’t like too
much of the same thing. Jersey Shore,
a concept very similar to The Real World,
has already been cancelled by MTV, despite its promising start. In fact, most
MTV reality programs don’t last nearly as long as The Real World has. Comparatively, The Voice may just be riding on Idol’s
coattails. I predict that, with the success of Duck Dynasty, and the decline in singing competition show ratings
overall, we’re more likely to see new redneck reality shows than another
singing competition anytime soon.
Works Cited
Bibel, Sara. “Wednesday
Cable Ratings: 'Duck Dynasty' Down But Wins Night, 'Wahlburgers',
'Workaholics', 'The Real World', 'Psych' & More.” TV By The Numbers. 6 Feb.
2014. [http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/02/06/wednesday-cable-ratings-duck-dynasty-down-but-wins-night-wahlburgersworkaholics-the-real-world-psych-more/234960/]
Falkenthal, Gayle. “Why
“The Voice” is beating “American Idol” in TV ratings.” The Washington Times. 24
Apr. 2013. Web. [http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/media-migraine/2013/apr/24/why-voice-beating-american-idol-tv-ratings/].
Greene, Andy. “'The
Real World' Keeps Turning: How MTV's Hit Survived to Season 29.” Rolling Stone.
4 Feb. 2014. Web. [http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-real-world-keeps-turning-how-mtvs-hit-survived-to-season-29-20140204]
Marechal, AJ. “The
Reality of ‘Real World’: A Falling Star?” Variety. 29 Mar. 2013. Web. [http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/the-reality-of-real-world-a-falling-star-1200330907/]
Marechal, AJ. “Fox
Cancels ‘The X Factor’ After Three Seasons” Variety. 7 Feb. 2014. Web. [http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/the-x-factor-cancelled-by-fox-after-three-seasons-1201091930/]
McKay, Hollie. “Sound
off: Reality singing shows belting out the ratings blues.” Fox News. 8 Jan. 2014. Web. [http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/01/08/sound-off-reality-singing-shows-belting-out-ratings-blues/]
Mitovich, Matt Web.
"Fall TV Ratings Champs." Yahoo TV. 18 Dec. 2013. Web.
Ryan, Joel. "The
Year's TV Ratings Winners and Losers." Yahoo TV. 17 Dec. 2013. Web.
Steinberg, Brian. “‘Duck
Dynasty’: Advertisers Paying Big Bucks Despite Controversy.” Variety. 7 Jan.
2014. Web. [http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/duck-dynasty-advertising-remains-strong-despite-controversy-1201034033/]
“Laura Ingraham Knows
What Makes Duck Dynasty So Successful.” YouTube. 16 August 2014. Web. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcmGh-a2ZpI]
Heather,
ReplyDeleteThe comparisons that you present about reality television shows are interesting. I do not typically watch reality television. In the past, I followed a few reality shows including So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) and The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Based on the information you present and other data including my own changing preferences, it appears that the television audience is losing interest in competition style shows such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance though other reality television series maintain a profitable niche in the industry.
So You Think You Can Dance was once my favorite television show. The format and presentation of SYTYCD are closely related to reality singing shows which present competing performers and are losing popularity. Tim Malloy pointed out in Best & Worst 2013: TV’s Biggest Winners and Losers of the Year, “The current season [of X Factor] has seen a dramatic drop from more than 12 million viewers for Season 1 to less than 5 million this season. Is it time for Fox to cut its losses and focus on the makeover of American Idol” (Malloy, Best & Worst 2013: TV’s Biggest Winners and Losers of the Year). Joel Ryan presents further evidence that competition shows are fading in popularity in The Year’s TV Ratings Winners & Losers. Ryan asserts that the shrinking viewer numbers and frequently changing judges indicate that American Idol is a losing show. As Tim Malloy states in Battered Networks Blow Up Traditional TV Schedule to Take on Cable, Streaming Rivals: “ABC premiered "Duets," its answer to "The Voice," "American Idol" and "X Factor," last May – and it disappointed” (Malloy). This is further evidence of failing singing competition shows.
On the other hand, viewers watching reality television that seemingly depicts actual people in an unscripted manner are increasing. Ryan points out that Duck Dynasty is a winner in reality television writing, “This A&E reality series was on the rise as it wrapped its second season in late 2012. When it returned in the winter of 2013, it was a phenomenon, spinning off best-selling books and soaring as cable's most popular show after "The Walking Dead" (Ryan). I was drawn to your post because of your focus on Duck Dynasty as a profitable reality show. You predicted that with the success of shows such as Duck Dynasty and the decline in singing competition shows, we are more likely to see a rise in new redneck reality shows. I agree with this prediction; I believe almost all competition based reality shows are on a decline—not just singing shows. Furthermore, based on the success of shows like Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty, additional shows of this nature are likely to appear.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteI am from a small, rural town in western Maine. Recently, the talk of the town was that my community of Farmington, Maine, was being vetted as the next filming location for a reality show. Ann Bryant writing in The Sun Journal noted: “Could Farmington be the site for a reality television show? Can some colorful, local characters and a local radio Phone-Mart segment join other small- town television phenomenons like Georgia’s Honey Boo Boo or Louisiana’s Duck Dynasty Family? Those questions are being explored by a New York firm, Crybaby Media, whose business is to create, cast and sell reality shows and other media programs…” (Bryant). Representatives from Crybaby were in Farmington interviewing locals as potential candidates for characters in a reality television show.
Many people in Farmington feel that having a reality show modeled after Duck Dynasty or Honey Boo Boo would be embarrassing. This may be true of any area that appears as the setting for a reality show as many of my friends from New Jersey feel that Jersey Shore ruined the public’s viewpoint of New Jersey. This personal investment in reality television affords me fresh perspectives. I am concerned that a reality show based on my hometown would represent my community inaccurately and negatively. Others feel a show could highlight some of the wonderful aspects of our community and bring in a source of revenue that would greatly benefit our small farming community. You note that Duck Dynasty reflects themes of family and faith in what appears to be a genuine style. Some believe that a show set in Farmington would depict these same aspects. Despite the possible benefits, having a reality television series based on one’s hometown lends an artificial air to the term “reality.” I cannot help but hope in this instance my hometown will be viewed as a “loser,” and there will be no show!
Work Cited:
Bryant, Ann. “Farmington people, places considered for reality television show.” The Sun Journal. 19 Dec 2013. Web.
Malloy. Tim. "Battered Networks Blow Up Traditional TV Schedule to Take on Cable, Streaming Rivals." The Wrap. 14 May 2013. Web.
Molloy, Tim, et. al. "Best & Worst 2013: TV’s Biggest Winners and Losers of the Year." The Wrap. 9 Dec. 2013. Web.
Ryan, Joel. "The Year's TV Ratings Winners and Losers." Yahoo TV. 17 Dec. 2013. Web.
Heather
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the fact that you acknowledge within your post that Americans are starting to get tired of the same routine reality shows, especially the ones involving partying, catfights and sex. Though I must admit I do find some entertainment in some of the remaining reality shows, others I could live without ever seeing again. I personally believe the platform that laid the ground rules for what classifies a reality show was MTV and though some of their shows such as True Life continue to have strong viewership numbers, others had been known to fade out. Another aspect to take into consideration though is that the way in which television viewing in general has shifted from viewing on an actual television to streaming on a computer may also play a major impact in reality series popularity. I have known many individuals that only watch those annoying reality shows on television because they were flipping through channels and found it mildly entertaining in comparison to what else is on during the daytime hours. However when streaming on a computer, I find more often than not I am streaming television shows that I am actually interesting in that also have a plot line. Instead of streaming a reality show on my computer that in comparison just mildly amuses me and occupies the white noise in the background during my boredom.
Another aspect of this falling popularity of reality shows is that I have yet to see any interaction available to the viewer. Within the article “Tops of 2013: TV and Social Media” it was stated that “Another first in this year’s top ten lists is the inclusion of social ranks. As television content often transcends the viewer experience to become conversations on Twitter” (Nielsen 2013). Reality television may be missing out on an opportunity to engage with their dwindling audience members and in the long run shooting themselves in the foot because they are not jumping on an opportunity that is obvious successful in nature.
A second aspect of this downfall was mentioned by Rick Kissell who within his article “When DVR settles, Broadcasters Ups vs. Last Year in Premier Week” where he generally talks about broadcast television stating “The big four primetime programs as a group posted slight gains across the board vs. last year according to Nielsen with ABC, NBC and Fox all up two-tenths and CBS flat. This is especially impressive since overall television usage levels were lower this year”( Kissell 2013). This specific point shines light on the fact that to the best of my knowledge, majority of these four major corporations mentioned that rule the air when it comes to primetime television have not only seen considerable drops in their existing reality shows have also made the move to end any reality shows that may be left standing.
All in all in regards to your post Heather, I personally believe that you hit the nail on the head with your statement in regards to reality television that if it is not already dead, it will be ending shortly and that this may possibly be the last go around of reality shows for a long time if not permanently.
Works Cited:
Kissell, Rick. "When DVR Dust Settles, Broadcasters Up vs. Last Year in Premiere Week." Variety. 14 Oct. 2013. Web.
Nielsen Tops of 2013: TV & Social Media.” Nielsen.com. 17 Dec. 2013. Web.
Melanie Morse
ReplyDeleteI think this was a really interesting topic to talk about as reality television is an extremely interesting category of television as it has become so popular over the years. Just in my life, almost everyone I know watches some sort of reality television show. My mom and aunts watch the popular singing competition shows like American Idol and The Voice as well as reality dating shows such as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. My dad has been an avid watcher of Survivor and Amazing Race since their starts. My older sisters have been fans of MTV’s The Real World and Road Rules for years. Some of my younger family members watch MTV’s Sixteen and Pregnant. Many of my friends watch newer shows like The Real Housewives and Duck Dynasty. I used to watch shows like Jersey Shore and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. It wasn’t until I began writing this that I realized how much reality television makes up our viewing space and options. I wonder if reality television has worn itself out, though. Only one reality television show made The Wrap’s article, “Best & Worst 2013: TV’s Biggest Winners and Losers of the Year” and it wasn’t on the best list. The “X Factor” landed itself on the failures list, as you said, with the authors questioning whether Simon Cowell has just simply given up on the show. No other reality shows were even mentioned on this particular list, not even Duck Dynasty. Could this be a precursor to the end of reality television or was this just a glitch? Joal Ryan did put Duck Dynasty on his winner’s list in his article, “The Year’s TV Ratings Winners & Losers”.
I definitely agree with you that Duck Dynasty has taken over as the new reality hit television show. I agree that it’s warm nature and authenticity give it its charm. My classmates and I conducted a focus group last semester on reality television and almost everyone said the number one reason they stay away from reality tv was because it seemed too scripted. They all wanted shows that would give them insight into a real lifestyle, without all the scripted nonsense. Despite Duck Dynasty’s increasing popularity, I do have to wonder though, how long will the show last? As you mention, we have seen so many seemingly promising reality shows fail after a few years. I think that people get bored with what they are watching and always want something new. Duck Dynasty’s overall nature brings a huge audience, but how soon will it be before another show comes up and steals Duck Dynasty’s thunder?
I also agree that we tend to see a trend in the same reality shows, which is most likely why we become bored so easily. How many more talent shows can we watch before it becomes the same monotonous standard where only 1 in 30 finalists ever make a name for themselves in a world outside the American Idol or The Voice studios? Despite this, according to “Nielsen Tops of 2013: TV and Social Media”, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars both made the top ten list of primetime tv programs of 2013. I do think that The Voice has come a long way in separating itself from American Idol, with a different format using blind auditions to highlight the person’s true talent rather than basing their chance for celebrity on their looks. They also, as you said, have a much more modern range in song choice, which allows the audience to relate the contestants’ performances to an actual performance they would pay money to see, live. Despite its success, I also agree that The Voice will last only a few more seasons as audiences will soon lose interest and will want something with more (or less) pizzazz.
Sources:
Molloy, Tim, et. al. "Best & Worst 2013: TV’s Biggest Winners and Losers of the Year." The Wrap. 9 Dec. 2013. Web.
Ryan, Joel. "The Year's TV Ratings Winners and Losers." Yahoo TV. 17 Dec. 2013. Web.
“Tops of 2013: TV and Social Media”. Media and Entertainment. 12.17.2013. Web.