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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Tweeting about the show counts these days too.
The Nielsen folks have been counting tweets for several months now and the industry is recognizing them as an alternate gauge of show involvement and popularity. Tweet the hell out of the show WHILE IT AIRS.
If you can’t watch it where you are tweet about how you want to watch it.
If you don’t have cable, mention Hulu or Amazon or iTunes in your tweet.
It all counts toward the show’s “impressions” and it will alert those corps to a potential revenue source.
Viva la Wheaton!
I emailed SyFy. I hope they do this for your show, I wish more content providers would get on board with doing it this way, (and streaming in a consistent with little to no errors. I am looking at you CBS). I don’t mind streaming or preferably given a download link which should also be able to count for the networks. Embed your ads. So what if we skip them or not. That’s what happens anyways with torrents. At least THIS way they get to count the viewership. GRRRR
I would watch the show legitimately, yes even with ad breaks and everything if i could, but i’m in the UK so i can’t. I have to say, while i understand that scripted drama and other expensive shows can still only really be made on actual TV networks (although there are some examples of even this not being the case in future), i think your show is not only suited more for the likes of YouTube, but i think it would get substantially bigger audience figures on YouTube than it does on ‘Sy-Fy’. You only have to look at the kind of figures that Conan and Jimmy Fallon get on their YouTube clips compared to their actual broadcast TV ratings some nights. I understand and I share the view that for some, having a show on network television is more of a success story and of course pays more and allows a bigger budget, but if you want the show to be seen by more people, YouTube would be a much better place for it. I mean it’s American cable subscriber audience compared to open worldwide audience! I wonder if the casual observer would actually class Wil as more ‘successful’ for hosting ‘The Wil Wheaton Project’ than he was when he was just hosting ‘TableTop’. Yet i imagine ‘TableTop’ actually gets a lot more viewers in total than ‘The Wil Wheaton Project’. I suppose because the current generation still just about grew up on network TV only, they still rank network TV as a higher medium than YouTube, but really it isn’t. Not anymore. I actually look forward to a time when network TV no longer exists. Except the BBC, i want them to be around forever 😀 Anyways i’ve rambled, so i’ll finish by saying i love the show, and long may it continue 🙂
I wasn’t able to catch it on Tuesday, but I watched in On Demand (Time Warner) this morning. I haven’t cut my cord yet, but I would prefer to watch it online, as I do most things. A commenter mentioned that they thought the second episode was on Hulu+ now, but so far I only see the first one there. I am also a big fan of Amazon Prime and if it was available there, I would likely buy the season, just for the sake of convenience.
You are awesome, WW. I’ve been a fan since way back, and I’m a Tabletop S3 backer. That being said….I don’t like “The Soup,” so the only reason I’m watching your show (legally, I might add) is in support of you. Personally, I’d rather see you do something less derivative and jokey, but that is just my personal preference for TV. I’ll keep watching it because I want to support you and I’m a longtime fan, but honestly, I’d rather just watch you and Felicia Day have a chat about TV without all the one-liners. I hope there’s room on here for amicable dissent.
I completely agree. I love Tabletop and your blog, but this format for the new show doesn’t feel comfortable to me (and the laughter seems fake). I would much prefer more talking and less jokiness. That said, we’re really glad you’re doing the show and will keep watching in support!
For your pilot episode, I would have been considered an “L” viewer and this week, because of circumstances, I was considered a “+3”. Now that summer is here (I teach), hopefully i will be an “L”!
Do you know if every TV in the household tuned in counts, or is it only one count per cable subscription? I know my oldest son appreciates your show and I told him to watch it on his TV and I would watch it on mine, but if that doesn’t count, then I’d rather enjoy the show with him.
Also, I totally saw where you were coming from when you said that you toned down your energy! I think you looked like you were truly more comfortable and not anxious or nervous, which is the impression I got from the pilot.
ANYways, here’s to MOAH!!!!!!!!!!!
If you’re not a Neilsen house, none of your TVs count.
I was in a Nielsen household for about a year. We took our TV watching during that time VERY seriously.
I wanna watch it on my XBox..
Shows evolve, and I’m sure that will happen here as well. Over time what were thought of as one-off segments will become recurring staples and the show will develop its own thing. I’m interested to see where this goes.
People forget that the Craig Kilborn “Daily Show” was a deeply weird show, vastly different from the show people see today.
You got a mention last night on “The Soup.” Which was pretty cool.
For those of us who are unfamiliar with the way TV-quality production works, in your copious free time (har) could you type up where the money goes for endeavors like TWWP (pronounced thwip?) and Tabletop?
Just sent my email. Hope that it helps. Would love to watch it legally.
Wil, I love the show and yes, I’d pay for it (but I don’t want Hulu+) perhaps from Amazon or iTunes. You’re charming, funny, and genuine. Here’s what I wrote to Syfy this morning:
“Lots of people like me do not watch TV on a TV. Lots of us don’t subscribe to cable TV and don’t want to start. (I don’t even OWN a TV.) You should make it so we can see your shows. This is the way the world is going now.”
Here’s what I got back from SyFy Now Support:
“We have made content available online to customers who have a qualifying subscription package via a cable provider which has a TV Everywhere deal with NBCUniversal.
“Due to licensing, as well as negotiations with our partners/cable service providers, verifying your cable subscription is required before the content can be viewed online. However, in most cases, there still is some content (clips and highlights) that is free for anyone to view, without signing in with a service provider.”
TL;DR: Suck it. Watch it the way we want you to or you can’t have it. >sigh< They just don't get it.
Malke
The SyFy Now feature is for watching episodes within the first 24 hours of airing.
The SyFy Rewind feature is for watching up to the last 5 or so episodes, more than 24 hours after initial airing.
They kinda merge together, on the site, here:
http://www.syfy.com/now/?path=rewind/
Later tonight, you should be able to watch TWWP episode 2 on the SyFy website. That’s my plan.
Thanks Mrbene. As you can see from SyFy’s reply to me, they didn’t bother to mention SyFy Rewind in their email. Thanks for the link!
Wil, here’s a clever idea that might or might not be worth considering. Not that I would know this from personal experience, but I suspect that most of the time the folks who put together the videos to bittorrent strip the commercials from them. You could always make a person appeal that people leave the commercials on any shows they share, rather than cutting them out. It would save the “pirates” precious time in not cutting the commercials out, we all know that at the end of the day the advertisers are the ones wanting their messages out because that’s what pays for the shows, and if anyone really wanted to skip commercials on downloaded videos they would manage a way to do it.
That’s my 2 cents. I know that the world of sharing over-the-air, or over-cable shows is murky and full of nuance but if they leave the commercials in at the very least the advertisers would have less of a problem with it right? 🙂
The entertainment industry has always been notoriously resistant to change. Remember this is the industry that sued like crazy to try to stop VCRs, which ended up making the industry billions upon billions of dollars. I think the future of TV will look like Amazon, where some shows are on Prime and you pay for newer shows on a per episode or per series basis.
Yeah it’s not as if video over internet came as a surprise. We saw this coming as early as the 1990s. “Once bandwidth approves, media companies will be able to stream video entertainment over the internet.” Unfortunately most of the media companies decided to try to cling to an old model rather than make the investment in innovation.
I understand why you recap certain other sci-fi/fantasy shows in the manner in which you do. Unfortunately, the super-gory clip from GoT got stuck in my wife’s head, kept her up half the night, and likely damaged the chances she’ll keep watching. 🙁 When picking material, please do remember that not all of us want exposure to everything that’s on HBO.
Yeah, gore is definitely Not My Beautiful Cake: I spent most of the show wondering what the hell I was doing there, and got less than two hours’ sleep that night. Wil, there is clearly a market for this — I will encourage fellow geeky people to watch, but for my own good mental health I will have to bow out.
Well, Wil, I was so disappointed to find episode 2 was locked out for anyone except cable customers. I dashed over to iTunes in hopes it would be there, but no luck. Thanks for the suggestion to write SyFy directly about it. I have done so (politely) and suggested they might want to use ABC’s model. They lock out shows for cable viewers for one week and then unlock it second week. They do load it up with ads, perhaps 3-5 each break, but your show would still be timely a week older, wouldn’t it? I hope we can sway them to fix this situation for cord cutters like me. Keep up the great work, Wil!
Yeah, I was quite shocked that they showed that much of the battle scene. Didn’t want to re-live that a second time.
Not having cable TV, I watched the first ep on Hulu and loved it, even with the commercials. It was definitely disappointing that they didn’t make ep 2 available in the same way. Hopefully they figure something out that keeps us happy while keeping you paid. I think you’ve got a good thing going and want to see it continue.
Will, love the show and I have set the tv to record/watch every episode. I have also taken to the interwebs to watch it there as well to do what I can for your ratings. One of my colleagues who loves everything you do, and makes sure everyone in the office knows, is having a difficult time watching as he is a cord cutter and refuses to give any money to cable providers.
Good luck on the fight to expand to more content providers. I will be rooting for you.
What kills me is that you not only have to have cable, you have to pay for the right tier that includes SyFy (or the channel you want) to watch it from SyFy.com. Well guess what morons? If I’m paying that much money for the tier, then I wouldn’t be watching it from your website now would I? I’d be using On Demand, or watching it live, or a repeat, or from a DVR. Until the area monopolies are rescinded, or I can order a la cart, I’m not paying an extra $40 a month to get SyFy, 10 sports channels, and a half dozen other networks.
Bad news… We’re already paying for the 10 sports channels on cable, even if we never watch them. It just sucks that I’m paying for sports channels as part of the package when I’d rather they turn off ESPN and all the other and give me the ones I want: SyFy, BBC America, etc.
So how CAN I come see further installments of ‘TWWP’? Where, how much, that kinda thing…?
Wil, I saw the first episode on SciFi.com (syfy, whatever). Love it. You are nailing it. Do not doubt that. Alas, my cable package doesn’t include syfy… but I’ll find a way to watch your show. You’re one of us, sir, and you are on TV. You have and deserve our support.
Cord cutter here…. polite (and somewhat humorous) email sent.
Thank you for encouraging people to write to SyFy, Wil. The network needs to realize that their target audience is filled with early adopters and cord cutters, and if they don’t take back control of their own content from the Comcasts of the world, they won’t have much of an audience. I don’t think geeks will put up with the cable companies’ strongarm tactics for much longer.
That said, excellent first episode, and I hope to be able to see the second episode (legally) soon.
i hate to be the moron, but i think i set my dvr too late. I watched an episode with felicia day playing how will they bite it, and the first was a rock monster. did i see episode 1 or two?
Also Ill start using viggle again for it, although viggle is butt since they added annoybot 9000 adware. but FOR YOu ill do it haha!
You saw episode 2.
One way to monetize without watching commercials is by product placement during the episode. either sly-ly (is that a word?) or in your face. Think coke cups on American Idol or a scene in a show that has some one driving a ford and then says hey look at this great feature.
For the right product this could be great for you. You could work it into a bit or say something hilarious (like you do-ala eddie izzard voice) while holding it.
The audience that watches this type of show is not bound by time slots, age or gender. A product used in the show would guarantee that the audience sees it vs commercial skipping on cable which no one apparently wants to pay for anymore. Non programmed TV is the future and these old dogs need to learn some new tricks.
If syfy would accurately list your show in the TiVo tv schedule, it would really help. Every single episode is listed as original airdate 5/27. No idea which one is the new one or not. The TiVo recorded every single rerun for a week, too.
Stace,
Unfortunately, Syfy cannot take back control from Comcast now. They are owned by Comcast, alas. (Comcast bought NBC Universal, which owns Syfy. And now they want to merge with Time Warner…. sigh)
I was in watching The Soup last night that I remembered I hadn’t watched your show yet. Kind of bummed how that episode of The Soup was frequently interjected by celebs plugging their own show. Your project, however, had way more clips and topics that I was interested in. Made me realize how much my interests have changed in the last 5 years. Though I enjoy the best of wacky television shows, I enjoy your coverage more.
Also, not sure I’ll ever cut the cord. I like the various options and finding new shows on networks I don’t always watch thanks to recommendations.
Wil, I am one of the many that do not watch live tv anymore…. I love fast forwarding past the commercials. (Oddly, syfy is one of the few networks that I forget to FF…) still, I am excited enough about your show that I actually watch it live! I really hope that those in charge of these things realize that the target demographic of your show is not beholden to the classic ways of watching tv, and that you get to do this for a long time. If not, then I encourage you to take the same thrill that streakers at major sporting events get…… They don’t do it in the hopes that they will get to go again next week! Continue to live in the moment and enjoy it as much as you can while you have it.
I tried to watch the second episode last night on xfinity… It claimed it was Ep. 2, but actually it was Ep.1 just relabelled. Soooo frustrating. We want to give you the ratings but they are doing everything they can to make it difficult.
I downloaded it … because I live in Brazil….Erm… sorry?
How do DVRs figure into it? For example, I recorded the show and watched it after the news that same night.
I don’t have a lot of hope for Syfy.com allowing non-cable/satellite subscribers watch online on their site while they’re under the NBC umbrella. I’ve said for the last couple of Olympics that I would PAY ACTUAL CASH MONEY to be able to watch the games online since I can’t pick up the local NBC affiliate with a digital antenna at home (thank you, Aereo, for at least letting me watch some last time). NBC is also locked in on the whole “we’ll only let you watch online if you already pay for cable/satellite. Here’s hoping that some of the comments to the networks actually get through to people that understand they’re turning people away from their services. People that can be counted to their advertisers.
Yeah, I was shocked when I realized I could not watch the second episode of your show unless I had cable. I was like, wow, this is not very Wil Wheaton-audience-friendly.
I sent Si-Fi an email:
“Hi, guys! I heard about the Wil Wheaton Project show today and excitedly went out to the internet, money in hand, ready to purchase the show from Amazon Instant Video or Google Play… but came up disappointed. I don’t have cable for a lot of reasons, so I buy my TV on those two services. I rarely run into a TV show or movie I can’t purchase from one of these two places. Today, I was thwarted. Fooey! I was ready to buy the entire season up front after seeing the first episode.
Please, let me pay you money for this show! I don’t do the pirating thing, so it’d be nice if I could access it in some legal fashion.
Thanks!”
Uh. SyFy. My brain is still clashing on Sci-Fi vs SyFy and weird things happen.
I will say that this is the only show I have watched live in six months or more. I was procrastinating about dumping cable, anyway…
Count me in as someone who would watch it legally, but being in Canada the only means I have to watch it are by um, “alternate” methods. Really hoping someone like Space or The Comedy Network pick it up here, but usually (at least in the case of TCN) they seem to wait until at least the second season of a show to see if it’s worth picking up.
Your show is awesome! You should see if the writer’s of the Big Bang Theory can throw in a promo for your show the next time you’re on!
Watched on DVR tonight, Wil. (I’m a cord cutter at heart, but hubby…sports…thing.) This episode was a lot better than the first for me. That whole energy thing you talked about before. You were calmer and just doing your thing. Got more genuine laughs from me and less eye rolls. 😉 Here’s to continuing the voyage and finding your sea legs.
I can’t afford the cord (or beams) from “traditional” TV companies. I have to have internet for work, and we have Amazon Prime (student discount, which I was happy they moved to being an actual Prime account and not just the free shipping part of it) and Hulu Plus, and that’s all we’ve really needed. It was through Hulu Plus that my wife and I found Defiance, and we can’t wait for season 2.
Soon my family will be living in a bus-converted-RV in Portland for at least the next two years, so there’s not going to be a chance to have a cable, which won’t matter because we won’t have an actual TV set to hook a cable up to if the park we have has it. Hulu Plus and Amazon (and maybe Netflix, for the History Channel stuff they have for homeschooling) will be our only legal media outlet.
Networks need to wake up and change with the landscape, or they’re going to lose billions of dollars that they claim they want. It took this long for the music industry to wake up, it’s time for TV to do the same. More choices == good!
As a UK resident, I have sent a polite email enquiring about UK availability. I may also have managed to watch the first 2 episodes via alternate means.
Plus, you were on TBBT in the UK last night dressed as a gorilla in a bikini….. 😮 Pass the mind bleach. 😉
I think the show is awesome but sadly, down in little old New Zealand the show does not make network TV. If there were some way to watch the show in a legitimate fashion I would gladly do so. As far as these kinds of shows go, if we do get them, they are 6 months + delayed making the references irrelevant and likely the ratings here equally invalid. Hope the ratings pick up in America so that the show can continue and i can continue to watch it ahem any way I can.
Wil, my fiancée and I are planning on watching the show. Unfortunately for us, we’re in the UK so can’t watch it in any ‘proper’ way. As far as I can tell, the best way for us to watch it and support you is to watch the hulu stream. As we can’t get that from the UK, I’ve set up a proxy server on Amazon Web Services (in the US) and will use that so that I can stream it to our living room. As only the first episode is on hulu, we may have to torrent the rest. Looking forward to it!
… now if that’s not a geeky way to watch TV I don’t know what is!
Left a polite UK based email with SyFy, worth a try and I’d love to watch the programme.
Love the show. I DVR it not sure if that hurts, but it enables me to watch it with my 2nd daughter Catherine. There are not many things I am able to connect with her, but this is one and I am grateful. I look forward with great anticipation to the next episode.
Wil, in relation to torrents, what you are seeing are current seeders (those who have finished downloading) and peers (those in the process of downloading, who still share what they have downloaded). Once you stop a torrent it no longer shows as a peer or a seed and a lot of people do not seed once they have finished downloading and public torrents do not have any tracking mechanism so it is impossible to determine how many times the shows have been downloaded. It is safe to assume the current numbers are the tip of the iceberg.
I sent feedback to syfy asking them to please take my money, and make the show legally available to us here in Australia.
I finally watched the second episode last night. Good JOB but shouldn’t the game be “How Wil They Bite It” – that is WIL with ONE L
I’m sure they probably just misspelled it on the script and Wil didn’t get a chance to tell one of the assistant directors before they made the graphic
As for the episode itself, my wife and I both enjoyed it (and watched it as it aired on cable). I have one suggestion: next time you have Felicia on the show, you should introduce her as “The Queen of YouTube”.
We cut the cord and live in canada so it’s almost impossible to watch legally – we buy the shows we can off of itunes/amazon but it would be wonderful if we could subscribe to the networks we wanted to watch and bypass the cable companies altogether – I don’t blame the networks themselves. Without the pressure of the cable giants control would be back to the creators of the shows and the fans who want to watch – and that will never happen.