I am Hollywood

Chapter 662: Chapter 663: Did I Say Something Wrong?

Chapter 662: Chapter 663: Did I Say Something Wrong?

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[Chapter 663: Did I Say Something Wrong?]

After there was a knock at the conference room door, the same female staff member walked in again. Having learned from the previous lesson, she kept her comments brief this time. With a smile, she handed the results to Katzenberg and softly said, "Mr. Katzenberg, here are the ratings for the half-hour mark."

Despite his impatient nature, Katzenberg was astute and recognized the meaning behind the staff member's smile. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment and turned his attention to the half-hour rating report.

The X-Files still held the top spot, though its viewership had declined from 22.1 million at its premiere to 21.2 million, a drop of 900,000 viewers. In second place, Seinfeld saw a rebound in its ratings, rising from 19.9 million to 20.6 million, an increase of 700,000.

Then, Katzenberg's sharp eyes lit up as he glanced at Survivor, which came in third. With 19.1 million viewers, Survivor had skyrocketed by 1.3 million viewers during its half-hour segment, a significant increase compared to Seinfeld's 700,000 boost.

Tom Murphy and Robert Iger, who stood by Katzenberg's side, both broke into smiles.

"The viewership actually increased by 1.3 million," Robert Iger commented, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Seinfeld only aired one episode, and NBC's follow-up is a brand-new sitcom, Perfect Town, which surely can't compete with Survivor. Plus, if The X-Files continues to slip, Survivor may very well hit the 20 million mark."

[T/N: Perfect Town is a new sitcom butterfly-ed into existance.]

As the viewership report circulated around the conference room, silence gripped the room when the initial viewership numbers came in. After all, everyone present could only think of the outrageous ratings that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire achieved a few years back. While everyone recognized that comparing it to Millionaire would be pointless, the initial viewership of 17.8 million was still quite respectable. However, no one could guarantee where the ratings might head next.

But now, with the half-hour ratings released, the atmosphere in the conference room grew lively. Various executives began to voice their opinions.

Just as Robert Iger finished speaking, another executive chimed in, "Yes, a premiere viewership of 20 million! While it doesn't compare to several years ago with Millionaire, it still sets the record for reality shows in recent years."

"There's also the fact that Survivor has another episode after The X-Files, so these numbers might climb a little higher."

"If the ratings reach 20 million, we definitely need to capitalize on that. The marketing department should roll out a fresh promotional plan."

"Perhaps we can use Survivor as a lead-in for next week's new show."

Amidst the excited chatter, Allen raised his fist and exchanged high-fives with the director, writer, and other key figures of Survivor. The upward trend in viewership indicated that Survivor was off to a solid start, alleviating all concerns among the creative team.

Katzenberg, Murphy, and Iger came over to extend their congratulations.

...

With the excitement in the room, the next half-hour seemed to fly by. Unbeknownst to the group, the first episode of Survivor had come to a close. After a short commercial break, the opening credits for the second episode began to roll. About ten minutes into data compilation, the conference room door swung open once again. All eyes shifted to the staff member who walked in, who had been previously deep in low-key discussions.

Suddenly caught in the spotlight of over a dozen pairs of eyes, the staff member's face turned slightly red. Still, she raised the latest ratings report in hand and excitedly announced, "Survivor's latest ratings reached 20.6 million, surpassing The X-Files by 100,000 and claiming the top spot."

"Wow!"

Though several executives were present, cheers erupted throughout the room.

After a brief conversation with Tom Murphy and Robert Iger, Katzenberg approached Allen and the team, saying, "Allen, Mark, Charlie, you might want to start preparing for the next season."

Allen nodded. With the premiere ratings clearly on the rise, and now over 20 million viewers, a new season was almost a certainty.

Standing next to Allen, Charlie Parsons, the writer and creator of Survivor, felt a rush of excitement but couldn't help but think of Eric. If Eric hadn't personally handpicked Survivor from a plethora of project ideas, Charlie wondered if Survivor would ever have made it to the screen, let alone achieved today's success. He couldn't resist saying, "Mr. Katzenberg, I heard Mr. Williams is currently in New York; perhaps we should share this good news with him."

Upon hearing Charlie Parsons' comment, Katzenberg, Murphy, Iger, and even Allen exchanged peculiar expressions.

Charlie looked quizzically at the group, pondering what he might have said wrong. Katzenberg and the others understood exactly where Eric was at the moment, but they also remembered Eric's unwavering confidence in Survivor since it was chosen. They realized that while a show's premiere hitting 20 million was indeed a momentous event for a network, for Eric, it might have merely been a foregone conclusion. After all, Eric had never wavered in his strong support for this project.

Seeing Charlie's confusion, Katzenberg shared knowing glances with Murphy and Iger before replying, "Right now, it might not be the best time to interrupt Eric. I'll give him a call once we have the complete data from the two episodes."

What Katzenberg and the others had in mind was that Eric, who already made history with Millionaire, likely wouldn't be overly concerned with Survivor's premiere numbers. They didn't want to disturb him while he spent time with his family.

On the other hand, Charlie, unaware of the subtleties, mistakenly thought the odd expressions from the executives related to Eric's more scandalous rumors. He imagined Eric somewhere indulgently intimate, prompting those bigwigs to appear so peculiar. Although inwardly envious of Eric's romantic escapades, Charlie quickly pretended to understand and smiled at everyone, wisely choosing not to press the topic further.

...

In contrast to the straightforward premiere, Survivor's second episode featured a taste- testing competition that had many fans buzzing about the series. This time, considering the audience's tolerance levels, the producers didn't feature more extreme items like the increasingly bizarre bug larvae or animal embryos. Instead, they showcased a dish featuring live octopus tentacles -- a delicacy widely accepted in East Asia. Though the wriggling tentacles might seem off-putting, the crowd in the conference room appeared intrigued, even relishing the missteps of the contestants in the program.

However, while they began to enjoy the reality show, everyone remained focused on the

evolving ratings.

When the staff member entered again at the half-hour mark of the second episode to announce that Survivor's ratings had hit 22 million, even usually reserved Murphy couldn't contain himself and shouted to his assistant, "Pop the champagne!"

In the end, Survivor's top ratings that night astonished staff members at Nielsen, reaching 23.6 million. After the show ended, Katzenberg effortlessly took out his wallet and invited all the staff working in the ABC building to party at the headquarters' dining room all night long.

...

The next day, Nielsen released even more detailed Tuesday ratings, revealing that Survivor's premiere accumulated a peak of 23.75 million viewers, with an average of 21.12 million, dominating the charts. This surpassed The X-Files' peak rating of 22.1 million and an average of 20.96 million, crowning it as the day's viewing champion.

ABC network initially worried that Survivor wouldn't perform well in the 18 to 49 age demographic, especially since The X-Files primarily appealed to younger viewers and advertisers often focused on that demographic's ratings.

Surprisingly, Survivor's numbers defied expectations, achieving an 8.7 rating among the 18 to 49 age group with a market share of 23%, meaning around 1.2 million viewers in that demographic tuned in. In stark contrast, The X-Files scored only 7.1 and 17%, still impressive but clearly outmatched by Survivor.

The explosive ratings of Survivor sparked heated discussions among the public, with the term "Survivor" echoed in conversations across America. The press seized the opportunity, with The New York Times publicly praising Survivor as "a surprisingly riveting game of real-life human dynamics and nature's harsh realities," while The Washington Post lauded it for "entirely transforming the essence of reality television; this is what a true 'reality' show

looks like."

With the heightened buzz surrounding the show, ABC quickly announced the renewal of Survivor and initiated auditions for the next season.

*****

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