The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: johnnya2k3 on December 31, 2003, 05:30:30 AM
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Yesterday at Sam's Club, I bought the three-DVD set that had all the great moments from the Johnny Carson Tonight Show. I also got the Buffy Season 5 DVD, but that's another story.
Anyway, what if TPIR put out a DVD of their greatest moments from the last 30 years? I'm sure they'll include some that made the show famous (you know the ones), as well as a behind-the-scenes "featurette" about what goes on at TPIR. Heck, they might throw in something about the original version with Bill Cullen, and possibly audio commentary by Bob Barker!
TPIR has done so many episodes enough to warrant out a "Best Of" DVD of their own. I'm thinking it'll be web-ordered exclusively at CBS.com, but if it gets very successful sales, it might be available at stores.
Could "Family Feud's Funniest" be on the horizon (with the wackiest answers ever given from ALL versions--Dawson, Combs, Anderson, and Karn (so far))?
Jonathan Allen
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Not sure if it would make money for Fremantle. Just yesterday I saw the first "American Idol" highlight DVD in the deep discount bin at Wal-Mart. And there were A LOT of them there.
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[quote name=\'johnnya2k3\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 03:30 AM\'] TPIR has done so many episodes enough to warrant out a "Best Of" DVD of their own. I'm thinking it'll be web-ordered exclusively at CBS.com, but if it gets very successful sales, it might be available at stores.
Could "Family Feud's Funniest" be on the horizon (with the wackiest answers ever given from ALL versions--Dawson, Combs, Anderson, and Karn (so far))?
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This topic comes up once every three of four months, it seems anymore.
And for the eleventy-billionth time, there is not even close to enough of a remotely interested market for such a DVD, or in fact any game-show-centric DVD, to make enough of a profit to be worth doing.
In case you hadn't noticed, the niche cable channel dedicated to such things is moving away from its game-show identity. They can't make money from it either. So, yeah, let's flood the market with a bunch of DVD's that only the membership of this board would ever consider buying.
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It's easier for some shows to release their whole run, maybe an average of 5 seasons on DVD.
But when you've got 32 years of shows, plus Barker/James/Kennedy nighttime, where do you start? Unless they plan on releasing all the years and making a huge profit, it's not worth it.
It's the same story with the music. There isn't enough interest to justify the expense of creating the CD's.
Although there have been obscure DVD's released, I can't see this being released yet. Maybe a few years down the road, but don't hold your breath.
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 09:23 AM\'] It's easier for some shows to release their whole run, maybe an average of 5 seasons on DVD.
But when you've got 32 years of shows, plus Barker/James/Kennedy nighttime, where do you start? Unless they plan on releasing all the years and making a huge profit, it's not worth it.
It's the same story with the music. There isn't enough interest to justify the expense of creating the CD's.
Although there have been obscure DVD's released, I can't see this being released yet. Maybe a few years down the road, but don't hold your breath. [/quote]
Weren't there a "Best of Gong Show" and "Best of Newlywed Game" home videos released at some point in the 90s. Chuck Barris mentioned a Gong Show home video coming out when he appeared on Bob Costas or Conan O'Brien in 1993 to promote the "Confessions" autobiography being released. Bob Eubanks mentioned a Newlywed home video coming out in 1997 to promote the show's supposed "25th anniversary", when the show premiered 31 years ago at that point, and only had about 17 or 18 years of actually being in production.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 10:03 AM\'] [quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 09:23 AM\'] It's easier for some shows to release their whole run, maybe an average of 5 seasons on DVD.
But when you've got 32 years of shows, plus Barker/James/Kennedy nighttime, where do you start? Unless they plan on releasing all the years and making a huge profit, it's not worth it.
It's the same story with the music. There isn't enough interest to justify the expense of creating the CD's.
Although there have been obscure DVD's released, I can't see this being released yet. Maybe a few years down the road, but don't hold your breath. [/quote]
Weren't there a "Best of Gong Show" and "Best of Newlywed Game" home videos released at some point in the 90s. Chuck Barris mentioned a Gong Show home video coming out when he appeared on Bob Costas or Conan O'Brien in 1993 to promote the "Confessions" autobiography being released. Bob Eubanks mentioned a Newlywed home video coming out in 1997 to promote the show's supposed "25th anniversary", when the show premiered 31 years ago at that point, and only had about 17 or 18 years of actually being in production. [/quote]
Releasing a best of is totally different than releasing full seasons of episodes.
Still, the cost can't be justified.
But I always ask myself this question...
Were people really demanding shows like M*A*S*H and Married with Children to be released on DVD? (IIRC, MWC is owned by Sony, so they could easily absorb a loss)
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TV shows on DVD have been the biggest surprise of the last two or three years. Hell, I've even heard that some studios were helped into the black by the release of TV on DVD, so there is a market out there for it. It even helped at least one show (Family Guy) back on the air.
If CBS can gamble on a Big Brother 3 DVD boxed set, then they can certainly make a "Best of" TPiR disc. I'm not saying full episodes, but something along the lines of what the OP suggested (bloopers, good plays, highest winners). I'm sure that such a DVD, reasonably priced, could sell very well. At least it would interest a lot more people than a Big Brother set, don't you think?
And it's not virgin territory either, an original "best of" Trading Spaces DVD sold very well earlier this year.
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If CBS can gamble on a Big Brother 3 DVD boxed set, then they can certainly make a "Best of" TPiR disc.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't CBS own BB? CBS doesn't own Price.
I'm not saying full episodes, but something along the lines of what the OP suggested (bloopers, good plays, highest winners). I'm sure that such a DVD, reasonably priced, could sell very well.
A best of tape would be a good test and they could gauge the response from there for future sales. I think the royalties issue would get in the way (From on-air talent to music). I've always wondered how much the on-air talent made from TPIR re-runs a few years ago.
At least it would interest a lot more people than a Big Brother set, don't you think?
The thing is I don't believe people have been asking for this to be released, not to mention so soon. There is a know interest for previous episodes and for the music. And they realize it's the loyal fans that have kept the show going as long as it has. But are the loyal fans enough to make this worthwhile? I guess this saga will never end.
An interesting quote from the professor:
"Because of the expansion into prime time specials, CBS President Les Moonves feels very strongly the franchise can easily be hurt by overexposure"
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 11:21 AM\']
If CBS can gamble on a Big Brother 3 DVD boxed set, then they can certainly make a "Best of" TPiR disc.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't CBS own BB? CBS doesn't own Price.[/quote]
Not directly or formally, since the only logos I recall seeing at the end are for Endemol and Shapiro/Grodner(?) Productions (and the copyright's hidden under the dummy company "Our House Productions"). But CBS may have a licensing and merchandising contract similar to what it has for "Survivor" where it controls "BB"'s non-broadcast-and-cable-television exploitation. Fremantle fully controls "TPIR"'s non-broadcast licensing and merchandising.
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 11:21 AM\']
An interesting quote from the professor:
"Because of the expansion into prime time specials, CBS President Les Moonves feels very strongly the franchise can easily be hurt by overexposure" [/quote]
That's an anti-game show comment from the traditionally anti-game show Moonves. It's good that he's starting to realize he inherited a network with a game show with such an incredible run as TPIR has had.
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I'm wondering if the proper business model is closer to Columbia House. Make a limited run and sell them by mail. If they sell enough, make more of the same and/or another volume.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 12:33 PM\'][quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 11:21 AM\']
"Because of the expansion into prime time specials, CBS President Les Moonves feels very strongly the franchise can easily be hurt by overexposure" [/quote]
That's an anti-game show comment from the traditionally anti-game show Moonves.[/quote]
That may be how it was intended, but I don't know if that makes it entirely untrue. WWTBAM four times a week, anyone?
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 12:50 PM\']Make a limited run and sell them by mail[/quote]
The problem is the cost of getting them made.
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[quote name=\'johnnya2k3\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 05:30 AM\']and possibly audio commentary by Bob Barker![/quote]
I believe Barker was asked to participate in the TPIR slot machine and he declined, thus having Rod in the game.
Sometimes, I think Barker is a lot like Pat Sajak in that he doesn't want to be associated with anything TPIR releases.
Have there been any TPIR items sold with Barker's likeness on them? (Maybe an early TPIR home game?)
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 02:32 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 12:50 PM\']Make a limited run and sell them by mail[/quote]
The problem is the cost of getting them made. [/quote]
Anybody care to break down how much it would cost to put out such a DVD, line by line?
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I would imagine that a good deal of the cost would be for whoever produced the DVD to research the moments and obtain the rights to produce such a DVD (unless Fremantle decided to do it on their own). I don't think the actual DVD production & duplication would be that expensive.
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If it's a clip show, it'll be the stuff we've all seen before anyway. (It's surprising, though, that CBS doesn't slap one of these together and run it, given the success of the NBC "Most Outrageous" shows.)
How else would one do a TPIR DVD? One show from every year could be cool. But I agree--it's not production that would cost so much, it's the cost of putting someone on the job who cares about the end product.
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bloopers, good plays, highest winners
Do you really think this is going to interest ANYONE outside of the tiny world of die-hard game show fans? Didn't you read the post about American Idol DVDs lying fallow in a deep-discount bin at Wal Mart?
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 10:14 AM\'] But I always ask myself this question...
Were people really demanding shows like M*A*S*H and Married with Children to be released on DVD? (IIRC, MWC is owned by Sony, so they could easily absorb a loss) [/quote]
There were people "demanding" that Clerks: The Animated Series be released on DVD, even though only six episodes were ever made, and of those, ABC only aired two of them! (Cartoon Network aired the rest, but long after the DVD set was released.) The producers have to guess how many people would buy the DVDs in question, and then determine whether or not the price required to turn a profit justifies it.
However, let's not forget the main problem with releasing TPIR onto video; even "best of" moments are subject to scrutiny for things like fur coats. (So much for having the first episode on DVD...)
-- Don (and yes, there were two DVDs for the six-episode Clerks series, mainly because each disc had two versions of each episode (regular and animatic), so there was a total of 10 hours of video involved.)
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 02:37 PM\'] Sometimes, I think Barker is a lot like Pat Sajak in that he doesn't want to be associated with anything TPIR releases.
Have there been any TPIR items sold with Barker's likeness on them? (Maybe an early TPIR home game?) [/quote]
Nope. Any box gamer can tell you Bark never made an appearance on the TPIR home game, and there was never any other "merchandising" from the series back in the day.
Sajak's stance on "Wheel" and not appearing on the software like Vanna does could stem from an observation he made a long while back, that he would feel silly making an appearance on the box of the game, and then lest anything happen to him, it'd be a bit creepy that Pressman would have the late Pat Sajak on their boxes of WOF.
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 02:37 PM\']
Have there been any TPIR items sold with Barker's likeness on them? (Maybe an early TPIR home game?) [/quote]
Bob has not appeared on any of the home game boxes IIRC, though there is a picture of a host that looks a little bit like him on either the 1st or 2nd edition of the 70s TPIR home games.
Do they sell Barker postcards(like those prospective audience members and contestants get in the mail upon getting tickets) at the CBS Store in LA?
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[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 03:57 PM\'] There were people "demanding" that Clerks: The Animated Series be released on DVD, even though only six episodes were ever made [/quote]
COMPLETELY different animal. There are Kevin Smith fans (myself included) who want to see anything he creates. With KS stuff, as long as the production values of the DVDs are high (extras, commentary, Easter eggs...you will NEVER see Smith do another DVD like the first release of Dogma again), it's a guaranteed seller, there is a ready-made purchasing base. And it's big enough to support DVD sales, unlike the similar fan base for a TPiR product.
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We reported of another particularly obscure show popping up on DVD or VHS recently: NBC's 1991 daytime talk/magazine show Trialwatch. More people would buy a DVD of a long-running game show than they would of that show, wouldn't they?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jan 1 2004, 08:06 AM\'] [quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'Dec 31 2003, 03:57 PM\'] There were people "demanding" that Clerks: The Animated Series be released on DVD, even though only six episodes were ever made [/quote]
COMPLETELY different animal. There are Kevin Smith fans (myself included) who want to see anything he creates. With KS stuff, as long as the production values of the DVDs are high (extras, commentary, Easter eggs...you will NEVER see Smith do another DVD like the first release of Dogma again), it's a guaranteed seller, there is a ready-made purchasing base. And it's big enough to support DVD sales, unlike the similar fan base for a TPiR product. [/quote]
Anybody else buy Mr. Smith's "Mallrats" just to see Art James again?
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Do they sell Barker postcards(like those prospective audience members and contestants get in the mail upon getting tickets) at the CBS Store in LA?
They do sell the Barker postcards, but AFAIK they are only available there. I'm talking about a commercial product that is sold outside of CBS with his likeness.
People who send away asking for tickets get postcards? You might be thinking of years back when audience members were given postcards with postage paid to mail to their friends telling them when the show airs, how much fun they had, etc...
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More likely than not, the only way shows like TPiR, Feud and the like would ever make it to DVD would be if there would be a compilation of several different game show in one box set.
There are companies out there that have put together video and/or DVD collections of shows from a certain era or genre that, by themselves, would not merit a profitable venture but by merging them with other similar shows, there is a possibility for a break-even or profit.
In many of these "collections', the shows that are used are not necessarily best-of's -- moreso random hand picked episodes.
So if you are going to write letters to Columbia House, Time-Life, or other companies who specialize in TV rerun collections, you may have a better chance asking them to assemble collections like the following:
• The Goodson-Todman, Barry-Enright, etc... Collection: Vol. 1: The 50s, Vol. 2: The 60s, Vol. 3: The 70s, and have one or two episodes from each series.
• Panel Games: (with 1 or 2 eps each of WML, TTTT, etc...)
• Q & A Games: (J!, $64,000 Question, Sale of the Century,...)
• Casino Game Shows: (Gambit, Card Sharks, Jokers Wild, High Rollers...)
Or my personal favorite:
• Game Shows -- 19xx (an assortment of 5 or 6 shows from each year per disc). What an interesting collection if you got a DVD with shows from 1975 like Big Showdown, Moneymaze, Gambit,...)
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 1 2004, 11:35 AM\'] Anybody else buy Mr. Smith's "Mallrats" just to see Art James again? [/quote]
Goodness, no. However, that was the only reason I watched that awful movie when ABC ran it a few years ago. The scene with Stan "The Man" Lee was an added bonus.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 1 2004, 09:35 AM\'] Anybody else buy Mr. Smith's "Mallrats" just to see Art James again? [/quote]
...and if you DID, go back and watch it so more. There are SO many AWESOME extras on that disc, one of the best commentary tracks on a DVD ever, and a neato easter egg if you know where to look... ;)
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Do you really think this is going to interest ANYONE outside of the tiny world of die-hard game show fans?
For a big show like Price, there could be a market for something like this. Heck, they could promote it during the show. It could be used as a pricing game prize or Bob could mention that it's available in stores...lot's of free advertising potential on a show with a built in audience.
Any other show would probably be a tough sell.
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com
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[quote name=\'ITSBRY\' date=\'Jan 2 2004, 10:08 AM\']
Do you really think this is going to interest ANYONE outside of the tiny world of die-hard game show fans?
For a big show like Price, there could be a market for something like this. Heck, they could promote it during the show. It could be used as a pricing game prize or Bob could mention that it's available in stores...lot's of free advertising potential on a show with a built in audience.
Any other show would probably be a tough sell.
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com [/quote]
The embarrassing part would be when they use it in a pricing game at $20 and by the time the show is rerun, it's in the $10 bin.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 1 2004, 05:41 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 1 2004, 11:35 AM\'] Anybody else buy Mr. Smith's "Mallrats" just to see Art James again? [/quote]
Goodness, no. However, that was the only reason I watched that awful movie when ABC ran it a few years ago. The scene with Stan "The Man" Lee was an added bonus. [/quote]
I don't think it's fair to judge the movie by the ABC airing. The movie was absolutely raped for broadcast and the person they got to dub the swears for Jay (of "and Silent Bob" fame) does such a laughable job that it almost makes you forget how bad the substitute dialogue is.
If you belong to Netflix, give the film another chance. It's funny, darn it!
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[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Jan 3 2004, 02:35 AM\'] If you belong to Netflix, give the film another chance. It's funny, darn it! [/quote]
I'm pretty sure that there are ways of enjoying the film in its entirety even if you don't belong to Netflix.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jan 3 2004, 12:03 PM\'] [quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Jan 3 2004, 02:35 AM\'] If you belong to Netflix, give the film another chance. It's funny, darn it! [/quote]
I'm pretty sure that there are ways of enjoying the film in its entirety even if you don't belong to Netflix. [/quote]
True, but I was trying to coax a seemingly unwilling person to try a movie he hated. I guess it was my way of saying, "Hey, it's worth a rent!".
OBGameShows: The You Bet Your Life discs are available for rent from Netflix. Of course, this would mean you don't get a look at the awesome packaging that comes when you purchase said set.