New Captain Scarlet rerun starts Tues, May 31st, 4.30 pm!
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That aside, I have to agree with Marion, I don't know of anyone of any age who was aware of it, never mind watched it, other than the people on this site.
It's a shame that the sum total of the advertising took place only the week before and only on children's TV (apart from a feature in the Radio Times the week before also). If they had advertised more widely, then the adults who remembered the original series could have spread the word. After all, to many kids these days, it was 'just another cartoon' and the lack of advertising and merchandise would certainly not have helped stir the imagination.
As for the re runs - well, they have to don't they? Firstly, there's another series to come out and the merchandising will finally be with us in the summer (they say) so they HAVE to keep the momentum going. Otherwise a very expensive venture risks falling flat and that would be a dreadful thing to happen.
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Cerise
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Cerise wrote:I often wonder who is surveyed and how the questions are posed as anyone who remembers a certain scene in an episode of 'Yes, Prime Minister' knows - you can get wildly opposing replies from the same person depending on how the questions are phrased.
After 60 years of broadcasting I think you'll find that ITV is a little more sophisticated than that. Or, as you yourself said, 'Viewing figures are impressive and, I'm sure, genuine.'
Cerise wrote:It's a shame that the sum total of the advertising took place only the week before and only on children's TV (apart from a feature in the Radio Times the week before also).
The glass is always half empty to some, isn't it? Seriously, I agree that it would have been nice to have seen more advertising but nontheless the facts are indisputable:
New Captain Scarlet was placed in the middle of ITV's Saturday morning kid's show MoM. It received minimal publicity, little to no presence in print/EPG listings and it went head to head against the much more popular BBC rival 'Dick and Dom'.
... and guess what?
New Captain Scarlet not only trounced 'Dick & Dom' but actually increased its audience share - in one of the most fiercely competitive slots in children's television - to become the most popular programme in its timeslot across all channels.
Fact: New Captain Scarlet is a bonafide hit with widespread popular and critical approval to boot.Don't believe me? Then Google a search for NCS reviews and you'll see that from personal bloggers to professional reviewers most people are liking the show. A lot.
Cerise wrote:As for the re runs - well, they have to don't they? Firstly, there's another series to come out and the merchandising will finally be with us in the summer (they say) so they HAVE to keep the momentum going. Otherwise a very expensive venture risks falling flat and that would be a dreadful thing to happen.
ITV doesn't have to do anything. It's not obligated to support Anderson's merchandising arrangements. The only obligation ITV has is to deliver programmes that get the ratings its advertisers want. If NCS had flopped NO WAY would it be getting a rerun on ITV1 in a prime 4.30pm children's slot. It would have gone straight to where most flops go - ITV2.
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Guest
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Scarlet Lady
As for ITV doing the rerun - well, we don't KNOW how the contract was arranged between the production company and ITV, isn't it? Maybe it was already decided upon signature of the contract that Scarlet would have a rerun during summer, considering that the second series is already scheduled for a Fall viewing. And I think the point Cerise presented is this: considering there is that second series coming in the Fall, ITV HAS to present the rerun of the first one, as a promotional tool, if they want to attract more viewers.
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chrisbishop
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chrisbishop wrote:More to the point here: if we are to consider that the figures were nonethe less impressive, despite the lack of obvious good publicity - don't you think they would have been AWESOME, if it had been better promotion of it?
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Wait, I think I can guess ...
chrisbishop wrote:As for ITV doing the rerun - well, we don't KNOW how the contract was arranged between the production company and ITV, isn't it? Maybe it was already decided upon signature of the contract that Scarlet would have a rerun during summer, considering that the second series is already scheduled for a Fall viewing.
Once again, ITV doesn't have to do anything. The contract would be for x number of showings within a set period of time. Beyond that ITV could treat New Captain Scarlet however they want. Hell, if they wanted to cut it into two minute chunks with a commercial break inbetween they could probably do that. I can't see how it could be in the contract that ITV would agree to rerun the first series before they've even shown the first batch and had the chance to assess the ratings! That's not the way it works.
chrisbishop wrote:And I think the point Cerise presented is this: considering there is that second series coming in the Fall, ITV HAS to present the rerun of the first one, as a promotional tool, if they want to attract more viewers.
Well, I think Cerise is wrong. For one thing it doesn't jive with the way ITV operate right now. The company is in a pitched battle for ratings right across its schedule and the bottom line is that if shows don't perform within the first month or so they get elbowed and replaced by something else. UK viewers may remember the nautical drama Making Waves, which arrived in a burst of publicity, failed to pull in the viewers and was unceremoniously elbowed after about four episodes. That's the state of play right now across ITV. Shows get very little time to establish themselves and New Captain Scarlet would not be getting a rerun at 4.30 pm unless it had proved itself first time round. In fact, if the show had flopped we might not have seen it ever again on ITV. Personally, I think the show has been more of a hit for ITV than they perhaps thought and it may be that they're scrambling now to try and build on that. It'll be interesting to see what timeslot and publicity they give the second batch.
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Guest
How is that for a big vote of confidence for our beloved Captain Scarlet? I mean - why drop a show that's a success?
One more thought - if you thought there was antagonism to tampering with Scarlet - I wonder what the reaction to tampering with Thunderbirds would be like? Maybe Mr Frakes knows?
(Empty Glass Crisis imminent... )
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Marion
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Rat Trap wrote:Well, I think Cerise is wrong. For one thing it doesn't jive with the way ITV operate right now.
Actually, Rat Trap, ITV and indeed, all channels, have traditionally rerun a series prior to a new release. They aren't pandering to Gerry Anderson or anyone but themselves. They have made a financial investment and anything they can do to raise the profile of that investment is in their interests, regardless of how it affects anyone else.
Can I also say that I'm tired of reading how if anyone questions how the series was presented or quibbles about plot lines that some members, yourself included, Rat Trap, assume that this person is trying to put the series down. I don't think you realise how much we wanted to love this series, how much we wanted it to be everything and more, for Gerry's sake as well as our own. If we question any of it, it is because we ARE fans but not ones who will blindly accept everything without question.
I'm sorry that you feel that the glass is half empty with us, but you are jumping to conclusions and don't know us at all. Can I suggest that you engage us in friendly discussion instead of trying to put down anything we say or feel that differs from your own view?
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Cerise
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May be wrong, may have changed... I don't know - don't work there anymore and it may not apply to puppets and cartoons - but there for what its worth is what I know about it... in a nutshell.
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Marion
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THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS, ISSUING A WARNING...
NOBODY IS WRONG, NOBODY IS RIGHT. EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO HIS OPINION AND RESPECT SHOULD PREVAIL.
REMEMBER THAT ONLY THE MYSTERONS ARE THE ULTIMATE RIGHT...
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theMysterons
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Scarlet Lady
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