Smartly
counterprogrammed against fanboy behemoths "Ender's Game" and "Thor: The Dark World," this Nov.
This "best of" American television channel is
counterprogrammed with two other channels.
When, as a fast-talking billboard salesman with ambition, he bought a moribund TV station, he dumped news coverage into early morning hours and
counterprogrammed other stations' news with sitcom reruns like The Beverly Hillbillies.
Last year, though, the theater
counterprogrammed the new play "Red," and it worked: the show sold out and subsequently swept the Tonys.
CBS' "Survivor" has had a lock here for years, but this is the most aggressively it has been
counterprogrammed. Still, as the only reality show in the slot, look for it to narrowly stay on top.
"It can be
counterprogrammed but it's not easy," notes Bart Soepnel, a veteran Dutch buying exec and senior VP of acquisition for the entire SBS chain of stations across Europe.
With a June 28 opening slated (
counterprogrammed against Sony's Adam Sandier starrer "Mr.
Female audiences are crucial for "About a Boy," as in the case of so many
counterprogrammed pics.
Created by former "Roseanne" writer Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show should serve as a comfortable lead-in to the similarly female-skewed "Charmed." Best shot for the show is to grab young female viewers who aren't as committed to NBC's "Friends." It's
counterprogrammed well against WWF wrestling on UPN, and isn't likely to be competing for the same male or older viewers on the other nets.
The only concern -- and it's a big one -- is whether anyone will find this show, which is nevertheless
counterprogrammed well against comedies on ABC ("Dharma & Greg") and NBC ("Will & Grace"), and newsmag "60 Minutes II" on CBS.
And off-net sitcoms continue their
counterprogrammed assault, stealing viewers who'd rather have a laugh than watch the news, particularly the 11 p.m.
time period on the stations,
counterprogrammed by TNT with the sci-fi action series "Babylon 5" and by USA with "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," both 60-minute shows.