"Amy Guskin"  wrote in message    
   news:0001HW.C8C185C800E8ED64B01AD9AF@news.eternal-september.org...   
   > You BET I'm cynical.  The cancellation police at each network are on a   
   > hair-trigger, and the nature of most viewers means that, even with an   
   > arc-based show, people will miss episodes.  The moment the ratings dip by    
   > a   
   > zillionth of a percentage, the show will be axed.   
      
   I'm curious what tv advertising contracts look like in this modern age.   
   E.g. is pricing "flat" or ratings-based?  By which I mean, if a show fails    
   to deliver in a given week, does an advertiser's invoice get adjusted down?   
      
   I could go on and on with scenarios...  My point is that, in this modern age    
   computerized minute-by-minute, real-time data on viewership is available.    
   So series-long or season-long commercial ad contracts, while desirable to    
   the commercial networks, are not necessarily the smartest choice for their    
   advertisers (unless maybe it's a solid gold hit like "House.")   
      
   I'm just curious what the prevailing model for tv advertising contracts is.    
   Because ultimately, commercial networks are capitalist enterprises, beholden    
   to their shareholders, whose prime directive is to make profit.  If they can    
   air 24 hours a day of cheaply made crap (read: "reality tv") and still    
   garner the viewership to rake in the ad revenues...  well, why wouldn't    
   they?   
      
   David W.   
   (Still miffed over The Riches...)   
   --- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32   
    * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)