One of my favorite bits from this week’s show is a silly game show we created called How Will They Bite It? It wasn’t until after we’d played the game that I realized it has the potential to actually be a legitimate game, that anyone can play at home while watching some of the magnificently craptacular Syfy Original Movies (and let’s be honest: magnificently craptacular original movies is probably the one area where the network formerly-known as sci-fi truly excels, and may actually set the standard by which all other magnificently craptacular movies should be measured.)
Take a look:
Although we’re only two episodes in, I think we have a possible recurring bit in How Will They Bite It?, one that I can play with just about anyone who we can trick into coming onto our show extend the tremendous privilege of appearing on The Wil Wheaton Project.
I got our ratings numbers yesterday afternoon. Surprisingly, they were slightly lower than our first episode, but I understand that the ratings across the entire network for the whole night were down, so that’s not necessarily a reflection of us, as much as it is something that just sort of seems to have happened. I wonder if there was a big sports thing, or maybe a finale in some other show? I heard that we kept more of our lead in than last week, which is actually really good, according to the people who care about that sort of thing. I also heard that a very important person at the network loved our second episode, which is also very good. Most importantly for me, though, is that I was completely happy with the show. I thought the jokes worked the way we wanted them to, and all the other stuff I mentioned yesterday.
Felicia and I talked last week when I was feeling pretty down about the ratings, and she pointed out to me that the only thing I can truly control is the creative side of things, so if I put out something that I’m happy with, I can let all the other stuff go. This week, I can let all the other stuff go.
Now, here’s something interesting that I’m probably going to get yelled at by the network goons for sharing, but it’s important and relevant. A lot of people have told me that I haven’t been able to watch our second episode online. I understand that if they try to watch it at Syfy.com, and they don’t have a cable or satellite provider, they can’t see it. I understand that it isn’t even on Hulu like our first episode was, and the show isn’t on Hulu+ at all.
With that in mind, look at this, from about an hour ago, from The Pirate Bay:
Last week, our first episode had a total of about 800 seeders and about half as many leechers. Math is hard, but I’m going to estimate over 2300 seeders and almost as many leechers, for our second episode alone. That’s pretty huge growth and interest from people who probably want to watch our show, but can’t, because they’re cord cutters, or they’re in a country that doesn’t carry the show. Yes, I know there are people who want everything for free and won’t pay for anything, but I don’t count them as “lost” viewers, because they were never going to be scored by advertisers or the network, anyway.
I think I mentioned that our ratings improved with every repeat last week, and our 11pm repeat on Friday even beat our premiere on Tuesday. This tells me that people clearly want to watch our show, and as more people hear about it, the more they tune in. I understand that this is the way it typically goes with shows like ours (I heard it took The Daily Show a year and a half to find its audience), so we’re expecting a slow but steady building of audience as the summer goes on. That will be awesome, but it can be even more awesome, if we can make it easier for people who want to watch us to find a legal way to do it.
I’ve heard from countless people who legally watched our first episode that they wanted to watch our second one, but discovered that they couldn’t watch it in a legal way. It’s out of my control, so I can’t do anything except point out over and over and over again that the show is losing potential viewers, and that’s really frustrating to me.
Our show costs a lot of money to make. It’s possible to make our show because Syfy licenses it from us, and then sells advertising on the show to cover their investment. If everything goes according to plan, it’s profitable. If it’s profitable, we get to keep making more episodes. The best way to help us be profitable, then, is to watch the show on Syfy when it airs during the week. I don’t fully understand the realities and nuances of licensing and all that, but I do know that the world is rapidly changing, and a lot of people don’t want to watch TV live. I know that lots of people don’t want cable because they can’t afford it, or because they hate cable companies. I know that a lot of those people would gladly pay for Amazon on demand, an iTunes subscription, whatever Google Play does, or watch some ads on Hulu or Hulu+. I’m doing everything I can to let the people who make those deals know this, but I’m a very small voice in a very loud room. If you want to help make that voice louder, you can write a polite email to Syfy and let them know that you want to watch the show in a way that supports us.
Maybe this is all a lot of hand-wringing for nothing, because we are only two episodes in, and because this is an entirely new type of show for Syfy, they’re just getting their legs under them the same way we are. Maybe this will all work itself out over the next couple of weeks, and everyone will be happy. That’s what I hope for, because I am having an insanely good time making this show.
Before I go, I just want to reiterate that I want you to watch our show, and I want you to like our show so much that you keep watching it. I’m trying my best to make it easy for you to watch our show in a way that helps us pay for it, so we can keep making more of it. I know for some of you it’s easier to just fire up a torrent client and go to down, and I’m sympathetic to that. But I’ll ask all of you, please, if you can watch the show in a way that counts for our network and our advertisers, please do.
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Actually both episodes are on Hulu+, but it’s “web only”, so you have to watch on laptop browser
Well, now I guess it’s time to pay for ye olde Hulu Plus subscription then. I’m never in the mood to go watch tv on the tv these days.
I just checked my Hulu account, and there are a bunch of clips from the second show, but the entire episode is not available. Only the first episode is available to watch.
Same here. But there is an option to connect to a cable provider, so maybe Mark has that connected and thus has access to more content?
I still only see the first full first episode, plus 3 clips from the 2nd episode on my Hulu+ account (yes, on the web). There’s a copy of episode 1 on Youtube that’s sitting at almost 5,000 views so that count can be added to the Pirate bay count…
I have Hulu+ and I’m looking at the site on my computer right now… I only see the first episode.
Huh. I have Hulu+ for the sole purpose of allowing me to watch shows on my couch without having to get cable. This makes “Hulu+ but Web Only” stuff seem pretty ridiculous.
I love your show, but I really hate the Syfy channel. I ended up invested in quite a few of their programs (SGU, Alphas, etc) that were canned without so much as a proper ending. I made a nerd blood oath to not support them in any form, and if they did produce something that I wanted to see, I’d try to find it on places like Hulu or whatever, but if I couldn’t, well.. Yarr. That’s probably a shitty way to go about it, but as they say, you vote with your dollar.
I’ll make an exception for you. For now. In the name of the nerd cause.
Good idea thanks for the knowledge about writing SyFy
My husband and I LOVE the show already. You’re DVR’d from here on out, just in case we can’t watch live. Thank you for the laughs!!
I set it to record on my DVR. I went to look for it last night after my husband finished watching hockey, and it wasn’t there. I don’t know if he erased it or what, but I’m going to have to hunt you down on my cable provider’s On Demand.
If SyFy isn’t releasing it to iTunes, they’re doing YOU a huge disservice (since a non-trivial percentage of viewership is now via iTunes). It’s not like SyFy doesn’t put way-more-expensive shows on iTunes as they air (WH13, for example, was online every morning after airing).
It may not be in “your control”, but as the guy whose show’s future success depends on revenue, you should be hounding the asses of those folks whose control it IS in to open up that revenue stream, to ensure the show reaches maximum profitability (because that’s what SyFy ultimately cares about above all else).
I would be more than happy to support your show and it’s advertisers if it was broadcast here in Canada. Until then, maybe I’ll have to try downloading.
We watch it on dvr. Best we can do because we want to watch it together. Hope it still counts.
I have to confess to being one of those naughties that downloaded it and that the fact there’s more seeders this week makes me happy. I enjoyed the first episode and I’m excited to see it go forward.
(I’m in the UK and as far as I know there’s nowhere to watch it legitimately here?)
Only saw the first show so far (and it was the midnight Sunday repeat so hopefully they take that into account!) but it was great. Its too bad they couldn’t find a legitimate way to advertise it to the torrent crowd- put up legal torrent with ads or something (y’know be smart about piracy instead of litigious) but it was a great show and I can’t wait to see the second and the rest of the season!
Damn it Syfy 🙁 As one of Wil’s many international fans I either miss out of pirate the show, something I am vehemently opposed to, or wait to see or it ever makes it to the UK.
I have watched both episodes using my cable company’s OnDemand service. Tuesday is our table top gaming night. (This week – 8 people playing CAH.) I hope the network picks up statistics for the OnDemand viewers.
Felicia consoles you about episode 1’s ratings.
Felicia appears on episode 2.
Episode 2’s ratings are lower than episode 1.
Now, nobody is saying it’s Felicia’s fault. Who knows why the ratings went down? Is it the haircut? I’m NOT saying it’s the haircut. Bottom line: we just don’t know.
But maybe you keep this in your back pocket for the next time she’s winning on Tabletop maybe.
Felicia is lovely with any hair style, including this one. I believe she’s blogged about the backlash to her hair being cut so pretty sure this topic is something Wil knows better than to mess with her on!
I really look forward to watching the show when it hits Hulu+. And if I learn it never will, I will watch it on SyFy.com. (Working for an online video network has taught me so much about cord-cutters, ratings, advertising and the making of the sausage of entertainment…enough that I’ll never torrent stuff again.)
I’m not even a cord cutter (yet), but SyFy belongs to a premium tier cable package, which I very much can’t afford. =(
Here’s the email that I sent:
Hello Syfy Channel!
My name is Corey, and I do not have cable. For various reasons (Damn you Comcast and AT&T!), I have decided that the internet offers me means to watch the shows that I love (legally), and not have to spend money on gross monopolies. That being said, I want to applaud Syfy for allowing the first episode of the Wil Wheaton Project be available on Hulu. It was a pleasure to watch Wil and company, and I’m glad that I got to do so in a legal way, which is difficult sometimes. That being said, I was disappointed that I have no way to watch episode 2. While I understand that there are intricacies that I cannot fathom, I really want to watch episode 2, and I want to watch it in a way that benefits everyone involved. I have subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu+, AND Amazon Prime. I would really be happy if I could utilize one of these media to watch the Wil Wheaton episode such that everyone is happy (and everyone gets paid).
Thanks for reading my email!
-Corey Patterson
I’m an East Coast girl with a 5:00 a.m. alarm so have a hard time staying up past 10:00 for TV. However, I’ve stayed awake for your show because you are good peeps.
What about dvr watchers?:are you getting credit for them?
There’s this thing in ratings called “+1” and “+7” which counts how many people watched it on DVR within 1 day, and within 7 days.
I’m not sure, but that probably still only applies to Neilsen households.
Yeah, we get the live numbers, which are called “L”, and then the DVR numbers which are calculated in 3 and 5 day increments, called “L+3” and “L+5”.
I watched the second episode on my DVR last night, and I am happy to say I liked it even more than the first. From a technical standpoint, the sound issues from the first episode are resolved, and you seemed more comfortable and just let the jokes roll without trying to force them. I know it doesn’t really matter from a ratings perspective since I am not a “rated” viewer, but your’s is one of the few shows I watch on my DVR where I don’t skip the commercials. I am also happy to say that the “New” episode identification seems to be resolved, at least for the guide provider of my DVR, so those who were complaining about not being able to sign up for season pass without recording 15 copies of the same episode should be happy now.
Good luck on continued success.
I cut out Hulu+ several months ago in favor of Amazon Prime, but was unfortunately unable to watch it on standard Hulu last night. My wife and I did see the first episode, which had us both roaring. Then we followed it up with some “Ready Player One” audiobook while we cleaned.
I’ll be happy when they can fix the DVR issue (I remember The Daily Show used to work that way too, ironically.)
When you said the show costs a lot of money to make I had an image of you as a spoiled, conceited Hollywood star with three personal assistants and insisting on caviar at the craft table. I know that’s (probably) not the case which is why it was so funny.
Also let SyFy know that I watch every ad and then go out and immediately buy one hundred of whatever they’re selling.
I’m rather clueless on how all the ratings stuff works, but I LOVE this show. Waited patiently for it and want to see it succeed. So my question is this. How to DVR playbacks work for ratings? I generally record so I can skip commercials, and generally watch the recording within 24 hours.
Kind email sent. I am hoping for Google Play or Amazon Prime. 🙂 We cut cords several years ago and it makes me feel good when I can financially support the shows I love to watch.
Wil, an answer and a question for you:
In answer to your question “I wonder if there was a big sports thing, or maybe a finale in some other show?”
In a way, it’s worse than that: Your 2nd show was up against “Sherlock” Series-3 showing up on Netflix.
This leads to my question for you: How do the ratings work with people who DVR the show but watch it some number of days later?
As one of the households that will only watch via the legal methods, and who missed the original airings of Sherlock S3 on PBS due to the inexplicable changing of the series title in the guide data, this was our first legal opportunity in many months. We made our choice. Our DirecTV TiVos dutifully recorded Episode2 of your show (several times, in fact, due to guide data shenanigans mentioned elsewhere), but we won’t have watched the show until tonight.
Do we count?
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say that I’m not a cord cutter, but still download all my TV; because it’s easier to watch then a DVR or watching it Live. It’s not my fault that cable companies can’t adapt to 21st century technology. Great Job Wil!
*than.
Unfortunately I don’t have the chance to watch your wonderful project, since I don’t live in US, but How Will They Bite It? is so hilarious! haha
I haven’t paid attention to the methodology of ratings in quite awhile, so I’m not up to speed on everything. How do DVR viewings play into the ratings model? I ask because I tend to DVR things that my wife doesn’t watch with me for viewing after she goes to bed. Similarly, if the show is viewed via OnDemand (assuming it is available that way), how does that figure into ratings? SyFy Rewind is also available on PlayOn for cord-cutters, so I’m wondering how, or if, those views figure into the ratings?
I would love a legal option, or even less shady than having to use a vpn service. But I’m a Canadian and stuck with vpn or torrents. I will be writing an email shortly.
A few comments on the show it’s self. The first episode had a few small problems. Mostly it was suffering from first episode nerves and finding the groove. The second episode you found it. It was grand. I look forward to the future episodes, thank you.
Oh please please make “How will they bite it” a recurring segment. It was very funny, and my 12yo daughter was giggling the whole time.
Is everyone asking if their DVR viewing counts a Nielsen household? If not, then no. Having a DVR does not automatically mean your viewing means anything at all to the ratings.
It would make sense that since the cable companies can tell if you’re trying to watch a channel for which you are/aren’t paying, they should be able to monitor and report back to the ratings company what you’re watching and what you’re recording for later. But it doesn’t work that way.
If you’re not a Nielsen household, your TV watching does not count in any ratings anywhere.
I don’t know if web viewing is tracked by sheer number of views or if there’s the Internet equivalent of a Nielsen household.
I have Julu Plus and I only see the premier episode. I was really hoping you were right because I’d rather watch that way than download it. But as a cord cutter, looks like that’s going to be my only option.
Err *Hulu
It’s “shocking” that a network that is supposed to be about Sci-Fi is so behind on the whole internet thing. A show like yours should be all over Youtube, Hulu, etc. Clips can go viral, hell, they should have an agreement with Nerdist to promote it.
For a network that’s supposed to be about the future, it sure is stuck in the past.
Can you talk at all about why the show is expensive to make, and is that expense comparable to Table Top, or are we talking an order of magnitude more expensive? (I’m assuming the show is not Eureka expensive) Compared to Table Top It seems like a fairly simple setup, 1 camera green screen vs multiple cameras, fewer guests, but more writers… etc..
I am a cord cutter, but somehow I was able to watch the premiere episode on SyFy’s website. Haven’t tried this week, but it worked on my laptop last week.
Who do I have to bribe to get the show legally in Germany? In the last couple of years more and more shows can be viewed legally via maxdome, itunes, amazon prime or watchever within a few days or even a few hours after running on US TV. It still baffles me that some TV execs are still narrow minded to only concentrate on a “regional” market and neglect a world-wide fanbase. Nevertheless, I’ve somehow seen the first episode and I’m kind of sad to be excluded from something great 🙁
Unlike many shows, watching your show live gets you more enjoyment because of the timely nature of the material. The longer you wait to watch it, the less relevant it becomes. This isn’t the sort of show you are going to binge watch on Netflix a few years from now.
Not a TV expert by any means, but seems to me most new shows slump a bit on the second episode. The show is good and funny, so even if it doesn’t survive because of the ratings business, you can be proud of it.
I don’t even own a TV but I watched Episode 1 on SyFy.com when it became available to the general public a week later, and that’s my plan for Episode 2. I was bombarded with ads, so I’m guessing this is probably also a legit method for ratings?
Question. Do you get some kind of credit for SyFy.com and Hulu watches when the execs are looking at ratings? It seems like you should since Hulu pays in one case and the network sells ad inventory in the other, but I’ve learned the hard way that should and does are not nearly the same thing in the Pay TV industry.
I don’t know what magic Hulu+plus+plus service the people who say they can find episode 2 have, but I want it because regular ol’ Hulu+ is showing me just the premiere.
On another note, I find myself really intrigued and interested in your recent posts about ratings, how they are calculated, etc. and just the behind the scenes type of stuff and your reactions to them. It is a candid and interesting look at things we don’t typically hear about until after a show may already be gone.
Keep up the great work!
Syfy written. fingers crossed
Per your suggestion, I have written a polite email to SyFy!
I watched the first one on Hulu. The 2nd? I’m one of 2300 at #ClubPirate There isn’t enough on TV for me to warrant the money to pay for it. So with no legal…. lost money for the network which sucks and lost ratings which equally sucks.
“Help me help you” – Jerry M
FYI: My wife and I watched your first episode last week, directly from syfy.com, using chromecast to our TV. I’ve never watched anything from their website before, and was excited to see a number of shows there I’d be interested in watching, since we don’t have cable TV at our house. However, everything on their site is now locked down by having to login to a cable provider’s account. We can’t watch anything from syfy now; it wasn’t like this last week (at least for your first episode). I’d like to watch your show, as well as others they have, legitimately, but until they remove that requirement of having to have a cable TV account, we won’t be seeing any more syfy shows.
Cord-cutter here. My only venue to legally watch the show would be on the SyFy website, or on Netflix (which I stream through a PS3). Still can’t get to episode 2 on SyFy’s site.
“Dear human,
I am writing you to let you know that I would absolutely love to watch your new show “The Wil Wheaton Project ” in a way that is legal and makes you money. For some very strange reason you have decided that, because it just so happens that I live in the rather large part of this planet you might know as “not the USA”, I should have no way of actually doing that. This is, to be completely honest, absolutely baffling to me. There is this thing called the Internet, you may have heard of it. Inter as in interconnected, inter as in “International”. This strange thing called “the Internet” has made possible such wonderful things as iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime – all of which provide you with a way to get the awesome show to me and actually make money doing it. You have chosen not to do that, leaving me only with options that are a) illegal and b) don’t make you any money – yes: not a single cent. I urge you to reconsider this flabbergasting choice and suggest you join us in the 21. century. You might actually like it here…
Respectfully,
XXX”
I live in the UK and have seen both episodes. The second one is a big improvement, it’s really made me think that you’re really missing out by not having the show broadcast here in the UK the day after(a la Game of Thrones). I’d tune into it just for support. A lot of the jokes are still relevant as we still get most of the shows in the UK and on a side not pretty much all that Syfy shows over here are Star Trek and Buffy re-runs. It’d do them good to expand their horizons with a different, new show. Another theory to support the show over here would be that you used to be in Star Trek so they could still retain that level of comfort and possibly boost the ratings for the episodes of Star Trek that everyone has seen over a million times.
You nailed it. I want to watch your show (and some other things on SyFy). But if it’s not on network TV or Netflix, I won’t see it. Oh, and I’m not technically a cord-cutter because I never had cable in the first place, but so be it.
Which is BS. I bought a Chromecast so I can watch shiz on my big ole TV.
Amazing show Wil. I love your energy on episode 2. I agree that you were a bit amped up in episode 1, but I’m glad you stuck to your vision and let the producers be yourself. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to episode 3.