BASIC CABLE TOP CHOICE FOR WATCHING MOVIES: [REGION Edition]

Abstract

AMC, long a favorite destination for buffs, will undergo a major shift this October, when it begins to insert regular commercial breaks during its movies. TCM executives see this as an opportunity to become the channel of choice for serious film fans who want their cinema without interruptions.

TCM can remain true to the older movie buff because it has access to the 3,300-film library owned by corporate parent AOL Time Warner, including such classics as "Casablanca" and "Bullitt." AMC buys most of its movies in packages from the studios and has to play the newer titles so that those deals make economic sense.

By increasing the number of newer movies it shows, AMC risks being seen as competing directly with such bigger channels as TBS, TNT and USA.

Viewers spend more time watching movies on basic cable than anywhere else on the small screen.

Basic-cable channels accounted for two-thirds of the time people spent watching movies on TV in the last three months, according to research compiled by Turner Broadcasting executives using data from Nielsen Media Research.

For pay-cable channels such as HBO and Showtime, the figure was 23 percent; the broadcast networks' share of viewers' movie time was 12.3 percent.

The finding is the result of a growing trend by basic cable channels toward boosting their output of original movies and buying the rights to big-budget theatrical films.

"If you ask people which networks they get their movies from today, they'll say basic cable networks," said Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer for Turner Broadcasting. "I think the profile of the broadcast networks has become dramas, sitcoms, newsmagazine shows and reality shows."

In the last few years, the broadcast networks have dramatically scaled back the number of theatrical and original movies in prime time.

For example, in 1996, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox aired 264 made-for- TV movies, according to Tim Brooks, co-author of "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" and Lifetime's top research executive. In 2000, the number was 146.

In contrast, an assortment of basic cable channels made 54 original movies in 1996 and 81 original films in 2000.

Meanwhile, both reruns of theatrical films and first-run broadcasts of original movies have won sizable ratings for basic cable channels, many of which have had less success launching original series than have broadcast networks.

The debut of the feature film "Rush Hour" on TBS delivered 7.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched theatrical movie on basic cable last year, according to Nielsen.

So far this year, TBS has claimed the most-watched original basic cable movie: "Atomic Twister," which aired a few weeks ago to an average of 8.3 million viewers. (Donna Petrozzello, New York Daily News)

Vintage movie showdown

It isn't exactly "High Noon," but get ready for a showdown between American Movie Classics and Turner Classic Movies, the two cable networks devoted to vintage films.

AMC, long a favorite destination for buffs, will undergo a major shift this October, when it begins to insert regular commercial breaks during its movies. TCM executives see this as an opportunity to become the channel of choice for serious film fans who want their cinema without interruptions.

"We're going to keep doing what we're doing," said Tom Karsch, senior vice president and general manager of TCM, which has no plans to change its commercial-free approach.

For most of its 18 years, AMC provided films without commercial interruption. Its revenue came from the cable systems that offered the channel to subscribers. But in order to keep growing as a business, it has gradually put ads between its movies and, more recently, in a single "intermission." The next step is having commercial breaks that include a total of 10 minutes of spots per hour.

"We haven't gotten much negative response at this point," said Kate McEnroe, president of AMC. "People are pretty used to watching movies with some commercial interruptions."

The network is hunting for younger viewers. Recently, AMC has changed its definition of "classic" to include films from the 1970s and '80s, such as "The Deer Hunter" and "Working Girl."

"The AMC brand is 20 years old," she said. "Like any brand, you need to redefine it and move with time. We may lose some purist viewers, but over the last 18 months, we've seen a different audience starting to come to AMC."

Karsch is hoping those disaffected purists will seek out TCM, which will continue to emphasize films from the '30s through the '60s, which have been abandoned by most ad-supported broadcast and basic outlets that have to reach younger audiences for advertisers.

TCM can remain true to the older movie buff because it has access to the 3,300-film library owned by corporate parent AOL Time Warner, including such classics as "Casablanca" and "Bullitt." AMC buys most of its movies in packages from the studios and has to play the newer titles so that those deals make economic sense.

By increasing the number of newer movies it shows, AMC risks being seen as competing directly with such bigger channels as TBS, TNT and USA.

"In our eyes, we feel like we've won the battle," said Karsch, "because we are the last man standing in this category." (Stephen Battaglio, New York Daily News)

'Buffy' ballot boo-boo

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has been snubbed in Emmy Award competition before, but it usually happened after the ballots were sent out.

This time, an error in the ballot process left "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon off the list of potential nominees for writing of a drama series. Whedon submitted his name for writing the musical episode "Once More, with Feeling," but when the ballots were sent to members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, his name was nowhere to be found.

There was no demonic conspiracy at work, however -- just a simple human error, which the academy took swift steps to correct. A letter was sent to academy members explaining the goof. Included was an addition to the ballot with Whedon's name that members could return with their ballot. Those who had already submitted their choices were given a phone number to call and request a new ballot.

"Buffy" was listed for consideration in all other applicable categories, including best drama and best actress for star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Emmy nominations will be announced July 18. The awards are scheduled for Sept. 22. (Rick Porter, Zap2it.com)

NBC wants 'Single Guys'

NBC opened a casting session this week seeking contestants for its next quasi-real game show, tentatively titled "Single Guys" and due on air in August.

Here's the setup: Two single men, ages 25 to 35, move into a California mansion while waiting to see whether the love of their lives comes in. Four eligible women move in with them for four days, and at the end of that time each man kicks out one of his "dates" and two more women move in. And so on, and so on, until the sixth episode. Then the ousted women come back and elect which of the two bachelors wins use of a beachfront "love shack" with his favorite girl for a year.

Sounds kind of like a cross between "The Bachelor" and "Big Brother," which really means that these programming folks are running out of ideas.

For details on the contestant search, go to www.nbc.com and click on "contestants" at the bottom of the page. (Valerie Kuklenski, Los Angeles Daily News)