TV Land’s 'Prime’ Time
New Programming Block Will Target Younger Baby Boomers
by R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 9/7/2008 8:00:00 PM
TV Land in October will offer a new primetime programming block that it hopes will better target younger baby boomers as well as advertisers through original programming and more contemporary off-network shows.
Gone from the classic television network’s primetime schedule will be such classic series as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show. Replacing them are such TV Land original shows as High School Reunion and recently announced The Cougar, as well as 80’s and 90s TV series and movies like Scrubs, Friends, The Cosby Show, Independence Day, Titanic and Analyze This.
TV Land president Larry Jones said that with the “TV Land Prime” block, the network is not completely abandoning its classic television roots. Instead it will look to place more emphasis on the network’s original content in primetime to reach its target 40-to-54-year-old viewer.
“I think this was a natural progression from where we were going — we’ve been spending more and more time and effort in original programming targeted to this demo,” he said. “Creating this daypart on the network gives us an opportunity to focus the message and tell our viewers where you can find the new original programming on TV Land.”
TV Land Prime, which will have its own logo and on-air branding, will run weekdays from 9 p.m. to midnight beginning Oct. 6. Along with existing reality series such as High School Reunion, She’s Got The Look and Myths and Legends, the block will feature other green-lit series such as The Cougar, an elimination dating game.
Pilot series that could find their way onto the schedule include First Love/Second Chance, in which long-lost sweethearts get an opportunity to rekindle their romance; What’s In The Box, the network’s first game show; Make My Day, which follows a day in the life of an unsuspecting participant; and I’ve Got Your Number, from American Idol producers FremantleMedia, built on the premise that most people already have the phone number of the person they’re going to marry in their cellphone.
Other shows include How Rich Are You, Now or Never and Boomerangers.
Along with the new shows, TV Land has also secured such off-network shows as That ’70s Show and Third Rock From The Sun, as well as movies such as Ray, A River Runs Through It, Love Actually and Jerry Maguire.
Jones said original content within the TV Land Prime block will also offer advertisers product integration, co-branded interstitials and convergent on-air and online opportunities, although he would not divulge specific deals.
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i feel the people who watch tv land look foward to watching classic tv shows from the 50s60s and 70s.i think that is the appeal of this station.Maybe instead of playing 6 episodes of the same(newer shows(cosby or roseanne for example) that can be seen on every other cable and local stations, you should mix it up. I used to love to watch the original nick at nite when it played dick van dyke,father know best etc and stopped watching when the shows changed from past to current. then i was happy when tv land took the old nick at nite format and again stopped watching when they too began the same format. i like cosby and the fresh prince but i get sick of watching 6 straight episodes in a row. the appeal of this station was watching shows that have not been seen in awhile.and as much as i enjoy the andy griffith show i dont need to watch several episodes in a row. try mixing it up with 1episode at a time with older shows as well. its fun to watch mary tyler moore, i love lucy, and leave it to beaver etc. because you cant watch them anywhere else. and stick to 1(maybe 2) episodes at a time so people dont get sick of them. that is what made this channel good. there is enough reality shows on regular channels, we really dont need anymore. and for the record i am a 40 year old married mother of two who would like my children to watch some good old fashioned tv classics that the whole family could watch together, the way i did when i was a kid.
silvia - 3/27/2009 10:57:43 AM EDT -
I feel you are making a mistake trying to reach the baby boomers, they want more up-to-date entertainment, PLEASE LEAVE TV LAND ALONE, DON'T FIX WHAT ISN'T BROKEN!!
Thank you, thank you for the back to back episodes of Andy Griffith and Cosby,, please please keep it up, THESE SHOWS ARE TV LAND!!!!
GLENDA HARBERT - 3/23/2009 11:31:42 AM EDT
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