Firefly Generates More Income Than Enterprise And Buffy by NewsAdmin

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Firefly Generates More Income Than Enterprise And Buffy

POSTED BY: NEWSADMIN
UPDATED: Thursday, October 17, 2002 07:22
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Tuesday, October 15, 2002 2:10 PM

According to figures posted on The Futon Critic website, Firefly is currently ranked 59th out of 119 shows in generated income at $2,592,000 per epidode. FOX's other series, John Doe, which appears on the same night as Firefly, is ranked 38th with an average income of $3,275,200. The much FOX Exec touted Fastlane is ranked 24th, generating an average income of $4,264,672. It's rumored that Firefly cost an estimated $1.3 million to produce. If that's the case, Firefly generates about $1.3 million in profit for FOX per episode.

Here is where Firefly stands against other genre series.

21. Alias - $4,636,480
34. Smallville - $3,566,048
38. John Doe - $3,275,200
46. Push, Nevada - $3,065,984
59. Firefly - $2,592,000
65. Enterprise - $2,284,256
72. That Was Then - $2,091,808
81. Dinotopia - $1,921,216
82. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - $1,889,024
85. Birds of Prey - $1,837,440
87. Angel - $1,779,488
92. Charmed - $1,557,504
97. Touched by an Angel - $1,354,944
103. Twilight zone - $915,616
104. Haunted - $908,800
111. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - $721,792
118. Do Over - $534,880

It's interesting to note that Push Nevada and That Was Then have both been cancelled.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2002 3:24 PM

HOBBES

Yes!!!, I got a news headline from my post.
Now I'm happy :)

-------------------------------------------------
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May you be in heaven an hour before
The Devil knows you’re dead.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2002 3:28 PM

HAKEN

Likes to mess with stuffs.

Yeah, thanks.

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Wednesday, October 16, 2002 10:06 AM

THEFUTONCRITIC

You're interpreting the numbers incorrectly here. The ad income minus the license fee does not equal the profit FOX makes per episode on the show. That ad income of $2.59 million per episode is contigent on "Firefly" meeting its pre-determined ratings guarantee to advertisers, that is what FOX assures advertisers a show will do in the ratings. If a show doesn't meet this guarantee (generally the average rating of its time slot for the previous season), FOX has to issue "make goods" or free ads that make up for the show not making its guarantee. So while FOX may take in $2.59 million for an episode, if it doesn't meet its guarantee, FOX ends up paying back money to the advertisers in the form of refunds or free ads, i.e. the show starts losing money for FOX, not making it.

So while it would be nice to think FOX automatically makes money each time it airs "Firefly," that's not the case. And considering FOX averaged just shy of 6 million viewers in the Friday, 8 p.m. eastern time slot last season and the last episode of "Firefly" was only seen by 4.9 million viewers, FOX is already going to have to issue make goods or refunds for the show as it is.

Furthermore, while its nice to say that "Firefly" makes more than "Buffy" or "Enterprise," FOX is seen by 97% of households in the U.S. while UPN only 88% of all U.S. households - FOX shows generally should be doing better than UPN shows.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm for hyping "Firefly" (we're big fans here at the site too), it's also important when talking about things like this to lay out the facts correctly.

Brian Ford Sullivan
Editor-In-Chief
The Futon Critic
http://www.thefutoncritic.com

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Wednesday, October 16, 2002 10:57 AM

HAKEN

Likes to mess with stuffs.

Thank you very much for the correction. My interpretation of the data is simplistic at best. It's good that you're here to correct and point me in the right direction.

I can see why a series that does okay ratings wise can get cancelled. Is there anyway to find out what a network guarantees its advertisers?

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Thursday, October 17, 2002 7:22 AM

CHARLIEBLUE

Quote:
Originally posted by Haken:
I can see why a series that does okay ratings wise can get cancelled. Is there anyway to find out what a network guarantees its advertisers?

Ask the advertising department? It seems like they have to be willing to give out the information or the advertisers themselves would never know.

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