So long, nerds, Syfy doesn’t need you | Hacker News Reader

So long, nerds, Syfy doesn’t need you

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The ridiculous thing is that SyFy is owned by NBC Universal.

How many other cable channels in the same package does NBC own that could get the offtopic (yet profitable) programming?

The same viewers would watch the same show.

NBC's owners would see the exact same sponsorship dollars.

The only difference would be that those numbers would appear in a different row in NBC's spreadsheet, and a different channel-level manager would get the credit. I'm surprised that top-level management is allowing the different channels to peck at each other's bailiwicks and dilute their brands when it doesn't make the corporation whole more money.

I'm actually happy then: I hate that they showed things I might want to watch on Friday night.

That's why Hulu is wonderful! Sure half the time the shows are on a week delay, but you get through that week of no TV and then you've got it for one week longer at the end of the season :)

One show doesn't signify the ending of a network. Yes, SyFy has a LOT of dumb channel creep going on. But, to be practical, it's hard to get mad at 1 hour out of a 168 hour week. They've been adding really good shows at the same time. Stargate Universe is terrific and the first Stargate show I've been able to get into. Eureka and Warehouse 13 are both excellent, light shows to watch. There's still some good stuff there.

If I don't like what's on, well that's why I bought a TiVo :)

I just can't get over the casting for Universe. It's a cross between a CW soap and the CSI clone of the week.

man stargate universe is terrible, I watched the first half of the season and haven't been tempted to turn it on since. It isn't sci-fi it is a soap opera. However, Warehouse 13 and Eureka are both good.

Where geeks go, the jocks, preps, and prom court crowd eventually follow?

The WWF with Kirk and the Gorn mentioned in the article probably wouldn't work for long. The format didn't work for very long for the anime crowd and Kaiju.

What's the deal? Are geeks and nerds really such a terrible demographic?

Geeks are too demanding. Smackdown's production cost is low compared to an average sci fi show. Unless someone can make a cheap survivor in space, were not going to get anything of average scifi quality soon.

We can be demanding, but we are also fiercely loyal. Firefly could've been a huge goldmine. It could've been even bigger than Buffy, becoming a franchise to rival Star Trek.

I agree, a move like this is going to be seen as insulting to many fans. Perhaps not older fans, but especially younger fans. It's a bad idea to alienate your younger demographic before they move into your key demographic. Sure the 18+ might stick around, but the 15-17 year olds who live in a very clique orientated world are much more likely to leave and never return.

Hell, it still could. It's not like Fox is ever going to use it.

So your trying to say quality scifi is an unsustainable business model?

I'm sure they'll do really well by appealing to 18-34 jocks. Because no other channels are already trying to do that.

I remember SpikeTV catering to that ground, though I don't have traditional TV or cable anymore, so I don't know whether they still do.

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