The biggest mystery of the CW – other than why it's frickin' called the CW (Country and Western? Chace and Westwick?) – is why it's building much of its fall season around what so far has been one of the least-successful shows on TV.
But according to CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, who next season will add two new casts of rich teens - 90210 and Privileged - to the network lineup, it's not Gossip Girl that's a problem, but the Nielsens themselves.
"Gossip Girl is one of the great mysteries of the television universe," Ostroff told reporters this weekend.
"We have a show that everybody is talking about. We do research all over the country. We can't go anywhere without having women talk about Gossip Girl."
Still, when the show returned from the writers strike in the spring, it was to an audience of fewer than 2 million viewers.
Best. Show. Ever. We think so. But ratings say the opposite.
Ostroff sees a "disconnect," noting that there's an ad agency, Optimedia, that's created its own super-modern ratings system, one that counts "television, downloads, iTunes, mobile."
Buoyed by the hot Gossip Girl cast and younger viewers, the show is No. 15 on all TV on that list. Whatever that's worth.
"Every viewer must be counted, and no viewer should be left behind," she said.
Hopefully, there will be more of them come September 1. Please, tell your friends about Gossip Girl. They will like it.
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20 Comments
July 22nd, 2008 5:23 PM
Hi. Let me solve this mystery for you.
The reason why gossip girl is so popular on the web is bcouse not all parts of america get he CW chanel, I live in the UK, so I coughtup with the show online [I got hooked after the 3rd episode], the site I watched the sho also has a forum there I met people who lived in america who couldn't watch gossip girl becouse of the fact they didn't get it in their area, so they downloaded it on I-tunes/wathced online.
Also, I'm guessing the CW is a pretty small cable chanel [I maybe wrong, not my country!] not everyone has cable, UK tv has done the same with putting it on ITV2 which is sky [which is like cable for britan], not everyone has sky so people in UK were forced to watch it online too, I think ITV2 is freeveiw, so the digital swichover [for those of you who know what that is] will help give UK TV a boost!
The CW chanel obv. moneters the online veiws..which is presumably a lot, and it's more that what the TV veiws are, so CW is trying to draw attention to the show to make the people who veiw online watch it, boosting rating and such and such...but the overall problem for GG is lah-ame network choice!
July 22nd, 2008 6:13 PM
Gossip Girl is the best thing to happen to the cw since One Tree Hill... There is no reason to even consider taking Gossip Girl off the air. Gossip Girl however would get more viewers if they put the episodes back on the cw like they had originally, because like Kellie said not everyone has cable or satellite tv like I do. So if they put the episodes back on the cw site then people could go on and watch them...
July 22nd, 2008 6:18 PM
To answer one mystery, The CW was named such because it is a joint venture between CBS and WB, combining their channels UPN and The WB respectively.
July 22nd, 2008 7:54 PM
actually the CW channel is not a select cable channel. It is a part of the local channels.
July 22nd, 2008 7:57 PM
I have an idea.
The CW's target audience (teens and young adults), are busy people. They find non-conventional ways to view the shows they love. The key being that they still watch their show, they just don't watch it on television with the rest of the country. I'm a reasonably busy person (leave for school at 7:20am, come home around 5pm, Monday-Friday), so I can say that I TRY to watch GG on television, but it doesn't always happen. I put it on my TiVo and watch it as soon as humanly possible. Even if it means skipping dinner. Ahem. ;)
My point, and I do have one, is that GG has devoted viewers, even if they don't show up on the standard Nielson rating system. If they counted this new system, which really should incorporate word of mouth, it would be wildly popular in the eyes of EVERYONE. :)
July 22nd, 2008 8:52 PM
I am not in America and the only way for me to get updated episodes is to download it.
Ratings, for me, are not credible. What I am sure of though is everyone I know talk about GG may it be in Canada, Australia and my friends in Europe.
For me, it is # 1!!!!
July 22nd, 2008 9:53 PM
I watch it at 7 but alot of peopl cant so they Tivo it. I Tivo it also incase i miss it
July 23rd, 2008 2:25 AM
i'm from spain and i love iti have to dowland it because there is no other way to warch i love it and specially c/b.coon b ake c suffer after didn't show up to tuscany
July 23rd, 2008 3:05 AM
if they really want real ratings, they should show GG across the globe because you can't just stick to USA.. People there will download it esp those who have work and busy people.
July 23rd, 2008 6:40 AM
hey ppl who live outside the states. i agree with all of u. im somewhere in asia and the only way for me to watch GG is by downloading it. n it takes hell too long a time. i think CW need to setup a corner/site, open to anyone in the world where we can tell that we do watch GG. so that they could know the real figure of GG watchers. :))