The Event

Despite reports circulating that the canceled NBC series The Event would be potentially picked up by SyFy and continued as a mini-series, the network’s executive Craig Engler took to Twitter to announce that this was not true! He wrote: “To answer some questions I’ve been getting, at this time we have no plans to pick up The Event.”

For all those Event fans out there that are just dying to know what is going on with the demise of “The Event” it seems there may be some hope on the horizon. It’s being reported that the show might continue past its life on network television — and head to cable in the USA on SyFy to conclude as a miniseries!
According to the source:
“Helping things is the fact that Syfy and The Event producer, Universal Media Studios, are NBCUniversal corporate siblings. But migrating a broadcast show to cable is never easy, and I hear discussions are underway to see if it would be financially feasible for The Event to continue on Syfy. If that happens and if the mini does well, it could potentially launch another season of the alien drama.”

This is definitely an interesting way to handle a cancelled show that has left a lot of questions. The main deal with the show is based on a huge question, “What is the event?” So it’s only fair that they look elsewhere to satisfy those who invested the time in the series that had many loyal fans both here and in The States. “The Event” originally screened here on Seven, before being bumped to 7mate and is currently airing at 1am Saturday nights (Sunday morning).

As the US ratings season for 2010/2011 draws to a close, US networks have been announcing the axing of numerous shows.

ABC (US) have axed Brothers and Sisters, which airs on Seven on Monday nights to a rather strong audience for that time. No Ordinary Family has also been given the chop – so far it has aired on Seven for just two weeks.

Not doing well here or in the US is Detroit 1-8-7. Here, Seven have pushed the gritty police series back to 10.30pm Wednesdays.

A show that has been pushed back so far into digital channels and extreme late night timeslots is The Event, from NBC. After failing to attract an audience early on Friday nights, it now airs at 1am Saturday nights on 7mate. The Event has now been axed – hopefully the series will have the chance to conclude, rather than leaving viewers with unanswered questions. And what of The Cape? Treated the same here by 7mate.

Next on the list is V. A series which already had its second season shortened by 3 episodes. At the end of the season, there are still unanswered questions. V aired on Nine, then on GO! who are currently replaying the first series after midnight Wednesday nights.

So far unaired, are Nine network acquisitions Mr Sunshine and Better With You. These two shows are now gone, so the chances are they will end up on GO! or Gem or on Nine during summer, if at all.

US network FOX have axed Lie to Me. On Ten, Lie to Me has been sliding in numbers so far in 2011, but that has not been helped by a raft of timeslot changes and generally inconsistent programming. In the US, falling ratings for its latest season drove the decision not to renew the show.

Other shows axed include Off The Map, Law and Order: Los Angeles, Outsourced and Perfect Couples, while Chuck – one thought definitely gone by a number of sources, will have one more season only.

Just a few days ago, it looked like The Cape would be out of the 7mate schedule altogether.

But now it isn’t.

The Cape will air at the ungodly hour of 1am Friday night this weekend [Saturday morning for those who see it that way] as well as 1am next Friday night May 13 [Saturday May 14 morning].

On both occasions, these are double episodes.

And it’s stable mate The Event now airs at 1am Saturday nights from this weekend [Sunday mornings].

Summary:

The Cape, double episodes 1am Friday nights May 6 and 13 [but not May 20 at this stage].

The Event, 1am Saturday nights May 7, 14 and 21.

A number of changes to 7mate over the next few weeks.

Friday night programming:

Effective immediately, The Cape has been dropped from the schedule. The Cape, which was airing on Friday nights until April 22 has failed to attract viewers and has dragged down shares for 7mate on Friday nights.

Friday nights at 8.30pm will now be Garry Unmarried, followed by Reaper at 9.30pm.

The Event will now air at 1am Friday May 6 (Saturday morning at 1am) and also 1am Saturday May 14 (Sunday morning), and 1am Saturday May 21 (Sunday morning). Hopefully The Event will settle in that timeslot.

No word what will happen with The Cape (should I bother watching all the episodes I haven’t watched yet!?).

At 7.30pm Friday May 13, Gene Simmons Family Jewels will air in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, while it remains as TBA in Sydney and Brisbane. Gene Simmons then airs at 7.30 Fridays in all markets from May 20.

From 8.30pm Friday May 13, Garry Unmarried and Reaper air in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. IN Sydney and Brisbane, these two hours are also slated as TBA.

Further to the recent announcement of AFL broadcast rights, could 7mate in Sydney and Brisbane be at least trialling Friday night AFL on May 13?

Wednesdays.

The Amazing Race has a double episode this Wednesday May 4 at 7.30pm. It continues with its second last episode of the series on May 11 at 7.30pm, then the final will be on May 18 at 7.30pm. Looks like Seven are splitting up the final double episode into two episodes here – in the US, the final airs as a double.

Jersey Shore starts with a two hour free to air premiere at 8.30pm Wednesday May 11.

Change to Sundays.

As of May 8, Mighty ships, that was airing at 6.30pm, has been replaced with American Dad.

7mate was launched September 25, 2010, following the first AFL Grand Final of that year. Leading up to the launch of 7TWO, close to eleven months earlier, “Mate” was thrown around as a possibility of the name of the second channel. Seven were the last of all the networks to launch a second channel, but were the first of the commercial networks to launch the third channel.

Throughout the year, there had been plenty of rumour and speculation as to what Nine and Ten were doing for their third channels, both of which, at the time, were heading for a 2011 start date. Seven were so secretive in their plans for their third channel, that the late August 2010 announcement was a complete surprise.

Like GEM with Nine and ONE with Ten, 7mate meant the end of the main channel’s HD simulcast, which in metro markets was seen on channel 70, and therefore the loss of seeing a lot of Seven‘s content in HD. 7mate launched with the aim of attracting a mostly male audience, aiming for the 18-49 demographic.7mate landed on LCN 73, leaving LCN 70 to revert to a standard definition clone of Seven.

At 6pm, on September 25, after the AFL Grand Final concluded, 7mate kicked off with Gene Simmons Family Jewels. On its first night, the broadcast of 7mate continued on both LCN 70 and LCN 73, before 70 reverted to a standard definition clone of Seven over night.

Unlike GEM and ONE though, there was absolutely NO promotion suggesting this channel would have any HD content. And for a while there, it looked like it didn’t. The only mention of HD was that you need an HD tuner to receive the channel. Many forums had suggested that 7mate was nothing more than an SD feed, prompting the question as to how Seven would meet their HD content requirement of 1040 hours per year.

7mate promised a range of programming including American Dad, Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Caprica, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, documentaries including The Universe, Mega Structures, Air Crash Investigations and a lot more. It also promised some sport – which so far, apart from AFL encores, the odd split market programming to cover some events and a little bit of racing, there has been virtually no sport on the channel.

Over the past seven months since launch, 7mate has grown into one of the highest rating digital channels, often attracting nightly audiences of 3-4%, and not far behind its sister channel 7TWO in shares. Its schedule has been very stable when compared to GO! and GEM, although there has been the odd last minute change from time to time.

But how much of 7mate programming is really in HD? Well, there are a number of programs 7mate are currently airing that are in HD. Some internet TV guides give an idea of which shows are in HD, which Seven have confirmed as being true. If 7mate was once a standard definition feed, it definitely is not now.

HD shows on 7mate include: The Event, The Cape, Caprica, How I Met Your Mother, According to Jim, My Wife & Kids, Mighty Ships, Super Factories, The Universe, Scrubs, newer episodes of American Dad and The Amazing Race. Many of the movies are also in HD, but not all. In the coming week for example, two of the three movies are not in HD, while other weeks, all are in HD.

The Amazing Race is an interesting case as initially, Seven could only get the SD feed – which was a pity as this is the first season of the series to be shot in HD. Within a few episodes, the HD version had arrived. Some viewers commented on how much clearer it looked.

Looking at the next seven days as a guide, 7mate have a total of 17.5 prime time hours in HD programming. That would be more like 22 hours if all the movies were in HD – a similar figure to what GEM is doing at the moment.

Outside of prime time, however, there is little HD to be found. With old TV shows, and NBC Today making up most of the post midnight and day time schedule, 7mate’s total HD hours barely move from the prime time figure. That therefore puts GEM in front in total HD hours per week.

Those who have a TIVO would note that nothing on 7mate is designated as being HD. If you look at what TIVO says is a HD show, you’ll only find titles from ONE HD and GEM when there should also be titles from 7mate. This could go back to the idea that 7mate was a SD feed at one stage, and TIVO have not updated what they do on their EPG for the channel. TIVO are yet to respond or fix the issue – even though Seven are aware of it, and TIVO is closely related to Seven.

To conclude, 7mate is only second to GEM as a supplier of free to air HD content. ONE HD would be third – although that will change come May 8 and their new line up (ONE HD will be re-evaluated for HD content mid May, and its part in this series updated).

Next time: HD content on Pay TV.

Back to part 1 and index.

1. Changes to 7TWO next Tuesday April 26.

Are You Being Served moves to 7.30, To the Manor Born moves to 8.10. Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em is out. A Touch of Frost airs at 8.50pm, followed by That’s My Boy at 11.00pm. Hale & Pace moves to 11.30. The Tuesday night movie The Birdcage is now out.

2. Same again for 7TWO, the following Tuesday May 3.

7.30 Are You Being Served, 8.10 To The Manor Born, 8.50 A Touch of Frost, 11.00 That’s My Boy. No Tuesday night movies now.

Also, on Wednesday May 4 will be a Touched By Frost premiere special, called Goodbye Jack. It replaces Pie in the Sky.

3. 7mate Friday April 29.

While Sydney and Brisbane see the AFL that night on 7mate from 7.30pm, the programming for Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth has changed.

At 8.30, The Cape will not be seen, replaced by a double episode of Garry Unmarried. At 9.30pm, Reaper replaces The Event, which moves to 12.30am. Caprica remains at 10.30pm in all markets.

The Event will also be seen at 12.30am in Sydney and Brisbane, after Caprica. Sopranos from 1.30am.

At this stage, The Cape remains at 8.30pm Friday May 6, with The Event at 9.30pm in all markets. The programming change avoids the prospect of split markets that night for these two shows.

7mate Programming highlights for the week commencing Sunday, April 24.

Sunday April 24 – Easter Sunday.

At 6.30pm is the new series Smash Lab, which looks at how engineers and designers are using truck bed liner paint to protect an entire building from a massive explosion.

Megastructures follows at 7.30, covering Tau Tona – the deepest working mine in the world. Down Periscope is the Sunday night movie at 8.30pm.

Monday April 25

Programming same as usual, Monday night movie at 9.30pm is Waterworld.

Tuesday April 26.

No changes to programming

Wednesday April 27.

The Amazing Race continues at 7.30pm, Gene Simmons Family Jewels at 8.30. [updated] Bullet Proof is the Wednesday night 7mate movie, at 9.30pm.

Thursday April 28.

7.30 is TBA at this stage. New (to free to air) Man made Marvels continues at 8.30, looking at Singapore’s Changi Airport. 9.30 is a special called The Blasters, which deals the world of demolition blasting and the people in that business.

Friday April 29.

The combination of The Royal Wedding and Friday night AFL interferes with 7mate’s regular Friday night programming.

For Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, its regular programming with American Dad at 7.30pm, new episodes of The Cape and The Event at 8.30 & 9.30 respectively and Caprica at 10.30pm.

In Sydney and Brisbane, LIVE AFL from 7.30 with Sydney Vs Carlton. Caprica follows at around 10.45pm.

The spilt programming means that Sydney and Brisbane will now be a week behind Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth for The Cape and The Event.

Saturday April 30.

At 6.30, Engineering Disasters looks at engineering disasters of the 70’s. 7.30 is Air Crash Investigation, while 8.30 is the series premiere of Unsolved Mysteries. New The Universe follows at 9.30, talking about Cosmic Phenomena.

No idea what to watch on TV tonight? Here’s some ideas.

1. The Event, 9.30pm 7mate (but not regional NSW and regional QLD).

After a four month hiatus, the Event is back for the second half of its first season – exclusively on 7mate.

President Martinez and his long time Chief Of Staff charge the intelligence community with decrypting Thomas’s satellite message, but more importantly determining to whom it was sent.

2. Friday night horror on GO! Return to the Haunted House, 11.50pm, GO!

Eight years have passed since Sara Wolfe and Eddie Baker escaped the House on Haunted Hill. Now, Sara’s sister Ariel goes inside the house with a group of treasure hunters to find the statue of Baphomet, worth millions and believed to be the cause of the house’s evil.

3. Friday night horror on TVS (Sydney): The Shlocky Horror Picture Show, 10.30pm, TVS*.

Sydney only. Made in 1978. Nigel Honeybone, the hardest working skeleton in show business, presents the finest examples of B-grade horror on The Schlocky Horror Picture Show.

4. How to Get More Sex. 10.15pm, SBS ONE.

This three-part series boldly explores the science of sexual attraction, providing a fascinating insight into what draws us to someone and how we can achieve more success attracting the people we fancy. From the importance of smell to the age-old question of whether or not size does matter, the series seeks to explain why one person is more appealing than another, with celebrity opinions, expert advice and interesting experiment.

5. Sideways. Midnight, 7TWO.

A comedy, about a tale of two old friends who set off on a wine-tasting road trip, only to veer sideways into a comedic exploration of love, friendship and the enduring war between pinot and cabernet. Stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh – from Grey‘s Anatomy, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht.

* For those not aware, TVS is Sydney Community Television, available on digital channel 44 and analogue UHF31. As the transmission is relatlively low power, some may not be able to receive the channel at all.

7mate in regional NSW and QLD may be showing the Friday night AFL from 8.30pm but it means their audeince will miss out on the new series The Cape which premieres tonight (April 1) at 8.30 on 7mate elsewhere the channel is available, as well as returning series the Event which airs from next Friday, April 8.

According to Prime7, they have no plans to air The Cape or the Event at alternative times unless they receive viewer feedback that suggests they should air these two shows.

If you live in an area where 7mate is screening the Friday night AFL, and you would like to see The Cape and The Event on 7mate at another time, then you should contact Prime7 (or 7QLD in QLD) to let them know your thoughts.

To me, the solution is simple – and it can come straight from Seven itself – program encores of these shows late night – after midnight even – on other nights. That would avoid additional split programming between 7mate in Sydney and Brisbane and their regional counterparts.