Yeti GOBOX Collection

Pursuit Channel

JohnCushman

JohnCushman

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
13,441
Location
South East Colorado
Maybe Randy can answer this. I've noticed quite a few shows on Pursuit Channel that used to be on Sportsman Channel or Outdoor Channel. Why is this? Is it cheaper to put a show on the channel? Are the requirements less strict? (some of the shows I've seen on there really suck)
 
Do all the shows start off with the host saying "Folks, today we're hunting with my good buddy and outfitter"?

That's how I know a show is gonna SUCK!!! :D
 
JohnCushman said:
Maybe Randy can answer this. I've noticed quite a few shows on Pursuit Channel that used to be on Sportsman Channel or Outdoor Channel. Why is this? Is it cheaper to put a show on the channel? Are the requirements less strict? (some of the shows I've seen on there really suck)
Click to expand...

All of that, but mostly price, with Pursuit charging way less to air the show than the other two networks.

Yeah, for those that don't know, networks do not pay us producers for our content. We go and buy airtime from them that is priced based on the time slots, the number of commercial units we need for our sponsors, and the number of viewers that network is able to secure. We then sell those commercial units to sponsors to recover our production costs and to pay for the cost of the air time buy.

A couple other factors. When you have a supply of content that exceeds the demand from sponsors, content becomes a commodity of lesser value. So, sponsors shop to get the lowest pricing, measured in terms of 1,000 eyeballs (CPM). Lowest pricing for sponsorship comes at Pursuit, due to the shows that are there and the lower cost they charge producers to air the show. The consideration that some make is the "quality" of the viewers on each network; "quality" being a function of the demographics of that viewer in terms of age, income, location, and many other factors. Also, Pursuit has lower viewership, so that is a function of the cost, also.

Sponsors are coming to realize that investment in outdoor TV content has a very low measurable return. They now see TV advertising as mostly brand presence, and not much more. As such, they can get their brand presence to TV viewers in many different options. They are looking at where the brand presence can be delivered with the greatest impact at the least cost.

When sponsors are putting less value on their TV brand presence, they pay less for sponsorship. When they pay less for sponsorship, you see producers be forced to find ways to deliver the shows at lower cost. That leaves two options, given the business model has two primary cost centers; either cutting production costs or reducing the cost they pay networks.

Since you can only cut production costs so far, and many have already done that, you then see producers looking to reduce the costs they have to pay networks. That gives an advantage to Pursuit, if (big IF) they can start to deliver more eyeballs.

I am not sure how long the outdoor TV lifespan will continue to exist as you currently see it. All business segments have a history illustrating that when you get too much supply (content), eventually the market reacts and there is usually a big change that causes upheaval and gets it back to a more sane model. Whether than will happen, I don't know. My gut tells me it will. What outdoor TV will look like following a big upheaval is hard to predict, but I have my ideas and I am positioning myself accordingly.

I will put it this way. If I was holding stock in a company that operated in a business environment that is similar to the outdoor TV business trends, competitive factors, and outside threats to those business models, I would be selling that stock. And, I would say the same thing as to some of the other TV business markets, not just outdoor TV.

That being said, I hope you tune into Sportsman Channel every Thursday night and watch our show.
 
Well delivered, Randy. It is a supply and demand like everything else.

As a viewer, what I look for is something DIFFERENT, like your show. I am sick and friggn tired of turkeys and white-tailed deer. Those are two most easily-filmed shows and it is obvious. They are a dime a dozen and I am sick of fat hillbillies that only speak half-proper English, coming across like they are hunters when they just sit in shooting houses and hunt HARD for two or three days sitting on their butts on private land-HORSE PUCKY.

I like shows that show people having to get out and work for the game, even if it is on private land. I think the Outdoor Channel, Pursuit Channel, and Sportsman Channel are going to get real picky, as there are so many shows out there. That is why I believe the different approach that some shows have, is what will keep them afloat.
 
Last edited:
Not all content is created equal.
The way I figure it, If I want to continue watching Fresh Tracks, this outfit needs to have a return greater than doing taxes.
 
Too bad it's not on the Pursuit channel. We had to drop the Sportsman channel basically cause my wife said it was costing us at least $15 for the package that contained that channel. As much as I love Randy's show, hard to justify $15 for one channel from Directv. I would definitely pay for each episode online as it came out if it was available.
 
Just like newspapers, tv is slowing going bye-bye (although newspapers are going pretty quick). Now that there is so much TV type programming on the internet, people aren't going to continue to pay for 100 channels to only watch 10. Since the television providers have decided not to allow customers to pick witch channels they pay for internet shows will begin to take over. Since outdoor tv has fairly low viewership compared to mainstream genres, most hunting shows will quickly end up being available solely on the web. What does this mean for us, well if you think most of the hunting shows being produced right now are crap, get ready because its going to get a whole lot worse. The appeal of the web is that it is cheaper to "air" a show and also gives the creators all the control. Not only will there be more crappy shows but they are going to get worse. The successful shows will be the ones that can show that their viewers are buying products from the show's sponsors. For creators of good shows this becomes easier on the internet because the data sets between subscriptions and purchases are linkable unlike the fading model of tv and stores. What this will do is actually give the creators of quality outdoor television the leverage over sponsors. Quality shows will have more options over which sponsors they use but will also make that decision far more important to the success of the show itself. Eventually there will be a select few quality shows and a whole bunch of junk.
 
kenton said:
Eventually there will be a select few quality shows and a whole bunch of junk.
Click to expand...

I'd argue that is already the case, but point taken.

The magic and hand-waving that goes into the current tv viewership number estimation and purchase tracking is laughable. Internet programming is much more reliable in that regard.
 
sbhooper said:
Well delivered, Randy. It is a supply and demand like everything else.

As a viewer, what I look for is something DIFFERENT, like your show. I am sick and friggn tired of turkeys and white-tailed deer. Those are two most easily-filmed shows and it is obvious. They are a dime a dozen and I am sick of fat hillbillies that only speak half-proper English, coming across like they are hunters when they just sit in shooting houses and hunt HARD for two or three days sitting on their butts on private land-HORSE PUCKY.

I like shows that show people having to get out and work for the game, even if it is on private land. I think the Outdoor Channel, Pursuit Channel, and Sportsman Channel are going to get real picky, as there are so many shows out there. That is why I believe the different approach that some shows have, is what will keep them afloat.
Click to expand...

The only shows I watch are Fresh Tracks and MeatEater. I used to watch most of them then I realized the others have nothing in common with me and I got tired of hearing all the sales pitch.
 
Seems like whenever I tune in to sportsman's, Outdoor, or pursuit I can rarely find anything worth watching between all 3. Sees like there are a bunch of gun shows (cam &co, gun nuts, 3 gun nation, etc) as well as lots of fishing shows. Mix in some of the gold panning shows and other odd stuff and it seem that hunting really only makes up about half of the programming on these networks. Then among the hunting shows about half are pro SFW(mc millan river adventures) or game farms like Keith Warren, etc....Of the hunting shows left many include turkey, whitetail, African safaris, new zeland, pigs, etc..... that I dont' necessarily have much interest in.

What is becoming more obvious is what the mainstream TV audience likes to watch. Pig Man Aporkalypse, Baseball players hunting deer, Country starts hunting deer, etc...

Seems like all the hunting shows have turned into a 30 minute infomercial at this point. Even the shows that were once different than all the others seem to have changed as of late and have become more alike. Even this show hunted private land on at least one episode I remember.

I also seem to run across more an more hunting shows on other networks when flipping through the channels. Some of the angler networks seem to have some along with all the other that have shown up on History, Nat Geo, etc...

I've already decided to cut the cable once football season is over. Honestly it's easier to watch hunting shows on carbon tv, and other places like demand the outdoors instead of paying for the outdoor package with dish.
 
Pursuit Channel has really stepped up there game lots of new shows and the quality is great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Justabirdwatcher
Howa Superlite - my experience
2 3 4
Replies
76
Views
3K
Justabirdwatcher
Justabirdwatcher
Big Fin
Hunting For Memories Back Home
Replies
16
Views
1K
thusby
thusby
CPAjeff
Fields of Dreams
Replies
17
Views
971
Hem
Hem
Lostinthewoods
New Elk Talk Podcast - Episode 137 - Access To Elk; Complications Abound
Replies
1
Views
241
DFS
D
Nameless Range
What is your favorite mobile weather application?
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
GrantK
GrantK

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
114,596
Messages
2,063,971
Members
36,662
Latest member
L.Archer

Share this page

Back
Top