Nov
12

TiVo Killed the Television Star

Wowza guys! Last week in only it’s 2nd episode running, my podcast CRL was #1 in the hobbies section on iTunes. This week, before we’ve even put the next episode up (coming Thursday to an MP3 player near you!), it’s holding strong in the top 2 posistion as a “New & Notable” podcast in the genre. Thank you so much for listening and spreading the word. You guys put the ROCK in Craft.Rock.Love!

In unrelated news, I learned something interesting from the V.P. of Programming over at DIY last week. Now that the network gets ratings, they have the ability to learn all kinds of facts about who their actual viewers are (before they relied heavily on website traffic to determine which shows were popular–which because knitters are in his words, ” a loyal and very vocal group” put Knitty Gritty on top of they’re radar.), and when they’re watching. What they found from this is that their daytime viewers aren’t in fact largely young to middle-aged women as they assumed (I knew this because well, we all have jobs and kids who keep us away from the TV until we crash in a heap on the couch at night, but nobody asked me) but in fact, retiree-aged men who prefer renovation shows over craft programming. They also found that the mostly female audience who watch shows like Knitty Gritty, Uncommon Threads, Craft Lab and Stylelicious tend to TiVo those shows anyway, so it doesn’t really matter what time they air them. Soooo, that said, they’re going to start rotating our shows in an early morning spot. Beginning in January, my show and Uncommon Threads will air in what I call the “L.A. Party Girl/N.Y Power Riser” time spot of 2amPT/5amET.

It’ll be interesting to see how DVRs inadvertent partnership with Nielsen changes the way programming and advertising work together in the future and how, if at all, this new wave of monitoring will change the fate of “real” TV personalities with major network shows. Will Oprah make just as much money being played on demand as she does showing up on our TVs every afternoon? Will young starlets be shooting interviews at their convenience with the knowledge that people can just set up to record shows containing their names? Will they have to work harder to make sure people actually know their names rather than just recognize their faces? Inquiring minds…inquiring minds.

Alright, I’m off to work on the next KIWI Eco-Craft column and check on how the engineering process for this week’s CRL episode with SNL’s Will Forte is coming along. Stay tuned!

xo,
Vickie

12 Responses to “TiVo Killed the Television Star”

  1. tina

    LOVE the podcast, great work. And as far as the Nielsens, TiVo and who watches the ‘craft’ networks, this my dearest is why a woman should rule the networks as well as the world. WE GET IT! Sheesh…………

  2. CardiLover

    The podcast is terrific! Really enjoying it and all the new places it leads me to look!

    Do ya think the network boys get that if we record the shows, we obviously aren’t missing them and need more? Probably not, but one can hope!

  3. Sonia

    I agree with cardilover we need more shows, but I still say what about those of who don’t have TiVo. With five kids TiVo is not high on the budget list.Oh well…Yay on the podcast!!

  4. Anonymous

    I love knitty gritty, but moving the show to 2am is a bad idea, partly because I don’t have TiVo. screw the sociologists and their demographics. Your hardcore followers like me will resort to crack to stay awake and watch.

  5. Vickie Howell

    RE Podcast–Thanks, everyone! I’m really excited especially, because this is the first thing I’ve had complete creative control over.

    Tina–A woman actually does run DIY Network. 🙁

    Anonymous–A DVR is probably cheaper than buying crack but nevertheless don’t spend the cash on KG account. We’ll figure something out.;)

    Cardilover-It’s all about the bottom line and if Knitty Gritty and other craft shows aren’t bringing in the big advertisers (Home Improvement shows bring in major dollars from the likes of Home Depot and Lowes), then the network changes the line-up accordingly. :/

    xo,
    Vickie

  6. Knitter Kris

    Congrats on the podcast; I am really enjoying listening to it. Alas with the time change of the show and no Tivo/DVR… I’ll just have to figure someway to watch a show that airs at 2 am. Will the shows airing at 2 a.m. be new ones?

  7. marjaknits

    I’m one of those who watches KG on DVR recordings, and they’re right that it doesn’t matter to me that they’re on late at night. What about people who don’t know about the show, though. How will they find KG to record it if they’re never up that late? There must be a compromise here somewhere.

  8. Melissa

    O.K. I have to be blunt, but This just STINKS! I do not have a DVR or tivo. And I am not willing to spend my yarn money on one either! I just got a call this evening from Nielsen to do a survey. I wonder if there is a section of “what I would rather be watching at this time.” ? If nothing else are they ever going to put KG on On Demand?

  9. Alice

    They are doing to KG what they did to Simply Quilts – with no major advertisers they kept moving the time slot until hardly anyone could find it. With no financial clout these shows just disappear. Millions of quilters and knitters don’t have measurable financial clout as we tend to spend big bucks at local, independently owned shops and smaller bucks at the big craft stores…just check my credit card statements 🙂

  10. Karen

    I agree it stinks I don’t have TiVo either. I am fed up with all the decorating shows Do these retired men redecorate? Most men tell me they’d rather take a bullet than watch HGTV or DIY