MEDIAWEEK
October 5, 1992 v2 n37 p4(1).

Several highly-touted syndication shows fail to measure up to hype

By Eric Schmuckler

Abstract:  A few of the recently released syndication shows are not living up to advertisers' expectations. Low ratings are plaguing 'You Bet Your Life', a show starring Bill Cosby. Some of the other highly-touted shows such as 'Designing Women', 'The Wonder Years' and 'That's Amore' are also suffering from low ratings. However, companies handling the marketing of these shows say that advertisers have nothing to worry about as it is still too early to tell whether these shows are total flops or not.

Full Text COPYRIGHT Adweek L.P. 1992

Cosby, 'Designing Women' Among Soft Performers

IT'S FAR TOO EARLY TO PULL A sheet over any of the recently premiered syndicated shows, but a few shows have proved slow out of the blocks and clearly have some advertisers nervous. Referring to endemic underdelivery by new syndie product, one buyer cracked, "It's a disease. We never learn, and that's true of the buyers and the sellers."

The most talked-about shortfall is in the highly-touted You Bet Your Life. The Bill Cosby-starrer was widely guaranteed to advertisers at ratings from 10 to 13. Its most recent NTI average was 4.7, and flat.

"The rating is a little lower than expected," said Dan Cosgrove, president of Group W Media Sales, which handles You Bet, "but our audience comp is better. It's .38 versus women 18-49, and E.T.-type comp, considerably higher than Wheel and Jeopardy. We never guaranteed a rating, we guaranteed an audience, and we're doing 70 percent of our audience starting out. If it's not a 10, so what? It's still big numbers. It'll build to a 7 in the fourth quarter."

Cosgrove says he hasn't gotten a single panicked call from advertisers: "It's the environment they want--upbeat, pro-social. And we're providing recap units where necessary." And Group W structured a handful of its biggest deals with sliding CPM tiers. To illustrate: If the show hit a 12 rating, you paid $8 on women 18-49; a 10 rating draws a $14 CPM; and so forth. So if the ratings continue to hold, some advertisers will get a break on price.

Designing Women appears to be doing better for advertisers than it is for stations. Its ratings average in the mid-3's, but sponsors get a double-run, so the show isn't far off from its cume guarantee of 8. There appears to be more of a gap for The Wonder Years, which was guaranteed in the 7's and is so far delivering in the 4's. One of the biggest shortfalls is That's Amore, guaranteed at a 4 and delivering 1- and-change. Yes, these are small numbers, says a buyer, "but it's just as much aggravation."

Whoopi Goldberg and Rush Limbaugh are both pulling in the mid-2's, but Rush is much closer to his guarantee than Whoopi is. Daytimer Vicki is not disappointing anyone.

Many buyers and competitors point fingers at the Star Search strip as an underachiever. But ad sales combined units in the daily edition with the still-strong weekend show, and cumulatively it pulled a 5.8 versus guarantees of 7 and up. Rep programmers note that the show is losing a third of its lead-in.

Two new action-hours premiered with strength. Cannell's Renegade is averaging 3.6, better than his Street Justice started out last year, while Rysher's Highlander pulled 4's and 5's in scattered mid-week debuts.

It's too soon to panic, says a syndie salesman. "The difference between September and fourth quarter is 10 percent on growth in HUTs alone."
 

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