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What I'm hearing is, probably never again on NBC. Despite the good spin some media outlets are giving the movie, word is NBC is *not* happy with the ratings results and will not likely yield up two hours of airtime in the future for a rerun that will continue to deliver diminishing returns. However, you can bet it will turn up on cable - doesn't everything? - so stay tuned.
Whats your source for that ? The local PR affiliate person ? I'm just curious because i work in TV production and have spoken with two NBC development producers and a programming executive over the last couple of days for something completely different. I just didn't get this downer reaction you seem to be trying to put over on mention of the movie - seems it was fine, they'd have liked a bigger audience but then it was a slow night. The main object was to use the movie as part of a promotional launch for the seasonal schedule. Maybe on a local level your dude isn't quite getting what NBC were trying to do here.
Yeah, my friend is PR for my local affiliate. And he's pretty down about the film. I have no idea how others involved in NBC feel about the film's performance beyond what this guy has told me. (And BTW, he probably told me more than he should have).
NBC really expected - according to him - big numbers for the movie and it didn't deliver. It's on that, I imagine, that he based his comment that he doubted it'd be rerun on NBC next year. That's his take. It's nothing official.
Whenever i've been to season launches for the christmas period it's not just about the mainstays - like "Friends", "Fraiser" - though of course they are most important and where the real money and audience is. They always like to have a family project with the 'Ahhh' factor, like NBC bringing the magic of christmas to their viewers. I can imagine at the launch there was much talk of 'bringing back those timeless classic characters, the Muppets to star in a seasonal movie that will have NBC viewers digging up the christmas tree's, drinking egg nog and loving the network for the seasonal treats they are about to recieve. It's all about promotion and brand loyalty and i guess the other network was trying to do exactly the same thing with the Brady movie. It's all kinda like the opening of the movie 'Scrooged' if you've seen it (except Kermit doesn't enter holding an M16 rifle to help out Santa). Obviously numbers matter, but i'm sure if NBC really wanted purely blockbuster numbers they would have either chosen something else or have aired this around christmas. Obviously nobodies jumping through hoops at the numbers but i think it was respectable for the Muppets although yes, the promotion and budget should have ideally pushed it a little higher but it was a slow night.
NBC only has themselves to blame. I said this a couple weeks ago and I'll say it again...they had hardly any commercials for VMC until a week or so before, if that.
