1) NBC got a truckload of money from DirecTV, who needs a show that fits their viewer demographic (With their sports heavy push it makes sense to go with FNL)

2) FNL is dirt cheap to produce (between handheld cameras etc and Texas tax laws it really gets cheap) so it makes even more sense for DirecTV to add it to their lineup which leads to…….

3) NBC gets a TV-friday graveyard filler for very little money – then comes the DVD sales and the should get their money back easily – and on the plus side the get to keep a critically acclaimed show around that has been nominated to numerous awards (including 3 emmys of which they won one)

It makes total sense from a business point of view to do the deal – IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CHUCKS RENEWAL – they are never going to put it in a timeslot where Chuck would otherwise have been. If Chuck and Life gets canceled it will be because NO ENOUGH PEOPLE WATCHED to justify the amount it costs to make the show (I don’t get it either gut that is the bottom line).

Much thanks…

Are Hulu numbers going to affect issues surrounding renewal? By the way, I do realise that these numbers have problems (do Hulu numbers reflect those who didn’t watch shows on the days they were broadcast? Do they reflect individuals going and watching over and over again to try to impact the numbers? Do they reflect both and more?

Anyway, this is good news for those like myself (and I do realise that aesthetics in the culture eye of the beholder) who believe FNL is one of the finest shows on US TV.

Unfortunately unlike Nielsen stats, those numbers don’t typically make their way into the wild.

But old or young (no pun intended), there’s always going to be prestige artists. Just like there’s always going to be prestige shows. Sometimes they may not even be all that prestigious. Indeed, Neil has never won a Grammy. “Friday Night Lights” has won exactly one Emmy. For casting.

So, to summarize, “FNL” is cheap, and thanks to DirecTV it’s so cheap it’s feasible, it delivers attractive demos on Fridays, it’s good for the network’s image, and it comes in manageable bites of 13 hours per year.

The only downside is that for one hour a week, for 13 weeks of the year, you lose your “major broadcaster impact” status. But then, that’s what NBC will do with Leno-at-10, for 250 hours per year. So that’s probably not a deal breaker.

-NBC gets a sweet deal for 13 weeks of Friday night programming at 9pm. The cost of programming that hour compared to other dramas is much lower. Compared to say a game show…no but still cheaper than a drama plus they get DVD sales, hits on the website for viewers and sales from sites like ITunes for episode sales. They also can lay claim to one of the only quality shows on the network that may actually get some deserved awards this year and any good pub is great pub for NBC at this point.
-Directv in there current search for good original programming on the 101 gets a show commitment for 2 years. They get subscriber growth for fans of the show and they attract more people to the 101 for other original programming(Q4 of last year was a huge growth for them in subscribers. all related to FNL? No. Some? probably)
-The show is one of the cheaper shows to produce based on the style of filming, the great tax credits by filming in Texas and the hundreds of locals they use as extras for each show minimize and already low cost show to make.
-Fans of the show are happy because they can continue to commit to a show that they know will be on for at least two more seasons.

Since “Studio 60″ has been mentioned, I’ll say that I really loved that show. It was starting to hit its stride, but NBC couldn’t afford to keep it around long enough to get an audience.