There's something to be said for keepin' it real.
But the Global Reality Channel literally wants you to keep it real.
The Global Reality Channel, a new specialty project from Canwest, launches on Canada Day, July 1. Be aware, as negotiations with cable and satellite companies continue, the Global Reality Channel isn't launching on every system in the country right away, so you'll have to check with your own provider.
Limited availability at the starting gate notwithstanding, there's a philosophical question at the heart of this venture.
One of the knocks against reality programming through the years has been its low repeat value. For example, once you know who won the first season of Survivor, would you ever want to watch the first season of Survivor again, in whole or in part?
Daniel Eves, Canwest's VP of specialty strategic programming, said the Global Reality Channel plans to introduce original content over the next year or so. But for now, the strategy is to use past seasons of some well-known reality franchises -- Survivor, Big Brother, Hell's Kitchen, etc. -- to introduce the channel and hopefully build an audience.
"With repeats in all genres, there are misconceptions about their value," Eves said. "With comedies and dramas, the highest-rated shows aren't always the ones that repeat the best. There is a bit of a science to what people want to watch and how they want to watch it again.
"There was the early perception that no one wants to see any of this (reality) again -- and it's logical. But it's just as logical to say, 'Okay, this is a No. 1 hit on conventional, so it should be a No. 1 hit in repeats on cable', and it doesn't often happen that way.
"We've seen the ratings on this stuff. We ran the first season of Survivor as a marathon on TVtropolis and, honestly, even I was surprised by how well it did."
The Global Reality Channel largely will be scheduled on a marathon or multi-episode basis. Every Saturday and Sunday it's a full season of something, and primetime might be three episodes in a row of a certain series.
Of course, not all reality shows are competition shows. The initial programming grid for the Global Reality Channel also includes titles such as Fear Factor, Real Housewives of the O.C. and Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.
With all this talk of repeats, there is the oft-forgotten reality that if you haven't seen something before, then it isn't a repeat to you.
"Because reality was seen early on to have no repeat value, it often got yanked off networks after one run and never was shown again," Eves said. "So there was even less opportunity for anyone who had joined a show later to be able to go back and watch those earlier episodes.
"I definitely think there are a lot of people who never have seen the early seasons of some of these famous shows, with characters who became larger than life, who will come in and see them for the first time."
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