Wildly inconsistent amounts of TV repeats for films in the same series

[beanheadmcginty]

As someone born in the middle of nowhere in 1981 who didn't get a video player until 1999, I relied on TV almost entirely for my formative experience of films. Something I have just considered while watching a Bond retrospective is how some films were repeated all the time and others were never on the telly. Dr. No and OHMSS were never shown (I only saw them as an adult) whereas Octopussy, Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me were always on every bank holiday. Similarly, I never saw Star Wars until it was re-released in the cinema in the late 90s because it was never on telly, yet I'd seen Empire and ROTJ dozens of times because they were on every Easter. Anybody else notice these inconsistencies? Any theories on why? Cannonball Run 2 gets shown on TV at least ten times more often than Cannonball Run 1.

[Shit Good Nose]

It's usually (though there are exceptions) a combination of rights, affordability and viewer popularity.

Broadcast and distribution rights for films are not perennial, nor always consistent (in your given Cannonball Run example, 1 and 2 have different home video and broadcast distributors [the rights for 2 in the UK are held by some tinpot back alley company and basically one step away from being public domain, whilst 1 is held by CBS/Fox, which means Disney]- quite a common occurrence with franchises), and Octopussy, Goldfinger and TSWLM are always going to attract more viewers (and, ergo, more ad revenue) than Dr No and OHMSS.

And affordability - obvs something mega expensive is not going to be shown very often.  I think I'm right in saying the broadcast rights for Star Wars alone cost MUCH more than the subsequent films in the series, which is why it was historically shown fewer times (although it HAS been on TV a few times over the years) and now only tends to be shown when they put on the whole lot in sequence.

[checkoutgirl]

Similarly, I never saw Star Wars until it was re-released in the cinema in the late 90s because it was never on telly

That's weird because I was born in 78 so would have been remembering telly from about 1984 onwards and I remember the first Star Wars being on telly in Ireland at Christmas quite a bit.

As for why some stuff is shown more than others, possibly because a station bought the rights to show a film for a certain time period so showed it multiple times to get their money's worth. Maybe certain films were more popular with the people with the viewing tracker boxes. I don't know exactly how that stuff works though.

[mjwilson]

As someone born in the middle of nowhere in 1981 who didn't get a video player until 1999, I relied on TV almost entirely for my formative experience of films. Something I have just considered while watching a Bond retrospective is how some films were repeated all the time and others were never on the telly. Dr. No and OHMSS were never shown (I only saw them as an adult) whereas Octopussy, Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me were always on every bank holiday. Similarly, I never saw Star Wars until it was re-released in the cinema in the late 90s because it was never on telly, yet I'd seen Empire and ROTJ dozens of times because they were on every Easter. Anybody else notice these inconsistencies? Any theories on why? Cannonball Run 2 gets shown on TV at least ten times more often than Cannonball Run 1.

That's funny, I remember Star Wars and Jedi being on all the time and having to wait an age for Empire to be on. Mind you I am bit older than you.

[Dr Rock]

Some films are always on, some films are never on. Learnt that young, put me on a dark path.

[Chriddof]

I also remember both Star Wars[nb]Even now, I don't like calling it "A New Hope"[/nb] and Jedi being on a lot, although I remember Empire being on a few times.

One additional UK-specific wrinkle to this was the nature of ITV during the 80s and up until roughly the mid 90s. ITV tended to be the channel where you'd get the big blockbuster movies, and each regional station would always do things differently and opt out of stuff all the time. An evening lineup on Thames might be completely different to the same night on Granada, which in turn might be completely different to Yorkshire or HTV or Anglia. Big premieres like Star Wars' first showing in 1982 would get properly networked, but repeats might be spotty due to the whims of regional scheduling.

One thing I recall is that here in the London area, the first two Superman movies got a lot of play during bank holidays and Christmas, in roughly equal measure. But when it came to Superman III, aside from the networked premiere in '85, the only other showing I recall was when LWT put it on once. (1986 or 87, possibly?)

[dissolute ocelot]

Terminator 2 is on far more than Terminator. Probably somewhat murky rights. Die Hard 5 seems king at the moment but 2 is thankfully invisible. Rambo is wildly variable with 3 on tonight and the last on Prime. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 is another sequel that beats the first. But ITV2 will repeat a sequel every week if it can. Fuck knows on things like Res Evil.

[Bad Ambassador]

I recall Superman III airing on New Year's Eve sometime in the late 80s in Thames/LWT or TVS.

[greenman]

The sequels to quite a few 80's action films, Robocop 2, Predator 2 and Die Hard 2 all seemed to be on ITV a lot more than the original back in the 90's.

[idunnosomename]

Sleeping Beauty was just about the only classic Disney TV seemed to be allowed to show

[Inspector Norse]

Pretty sure the only film ever shown on TV between 1996 and 2004 was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

[kalowski]

Monsters vs Aliens.
All the fucking time.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Sleeping Beauty was just about the only classic Disney TV seemed to be allowed to show

Fantasia has never been shown on TV. Ever.  That one sequence has been shown many dozens of times, beginning in 1941 where they were allowed to play an audio version on the radio!  Is the complete version any good?  No idea, mate, nobody is allowed to see it.

Oh and what's the deal with The Wizard Of Oz.  It used to be shown every Christmas, then sometime in the 80's comedians on TV started to make observations that it was on every Christmas and 'what's the deal with that, eh?' and in retaliation the BBC stopped showing it and it's not been on for 3 - 4 decades.  Yes I too was bored of it being on every Christmas but it might be nice to see it again now after so much time.

(And yes I realise I could seek out a copy on DVD or download or stream or whatever but that's not the point of the thread!)

[Bad Ambassador]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03byx5n

[Egyptian Feast]

Shite, missed it. Did anyone tape it?

[idunnosomename]

That may have been the first time ever. I tend to remember Disney being on ITV mostly.

The Sorcerers Apprentice was on Disney Time as a bank holiday treat. It was one of the few films we had on purchased on VHS because it was never on. Still have it but cant play it (do have a VCR/Dvd combi but the deck doesnt work)

It's not worth anything of course.

[Dr Rock]

On the other hand, from 1985 - 1990 I was able to get all of Woody Allen's movies made up until that point taped off the telly. About 17 movies I think.

[JesusAndYourBush]

That may have been the first time ever.

Yeah, probably the first time ever, at least in the UK.  And only 73 years after it was made.  I bet there's a connection with the possibility that some of their films would fall into the public domain after 75 years, either as a way of extending it or screwing some money out of it before it did.

[Sebastian Cobb]

The sequels to quite a few 80's action films, Robocop 2, Predator 2 and Die Hard 2 all seemed to be on ITV a lot more than the original back in the 90's.

ITV loves a 'fuck it, repeat a film' afternoon schedule filler.

But then their daily schedules are an amazing feat of repetition:
Chat Show
Chat Show
Chat Show
Chat Show
NEWS
Judge Rinder
Game Show
Game Show
Game Show
TEATIME NEWS

It's the fucking pits. You could probably replace the whole lot with a Fred Bassett cartoon.

[George White]

It's usually (though there are exceptions) a combination of rights, affordability and viewer popularity.

Broadcast and distribution rights for films are not perennial, nor always consistent (in your given Cannonball Run example, 1 and 2 have different home video and broadcast distributors [the rights for 2 in the UK are held by some tinpot back alley company and basically one step away from being public domain, whilst 1 is held by CBS/Fox, which means Disney]- quite a common occurrence with franchises), and Octopussy, Goldfinger and TSWLM are always going to attract more viewers (and, ergo, more ad revenue) than Dr No and OHMSS.

And affordability - obvs something mega expensive is not going to be shown very often.  I think I'm right in saying the broadcast rights for Star Wars alone cost MUCH more than the subsequent films in the series, which is why it was historically shown fewer times (although it HAS been on TV a few times over the years) and now only tends to be shown when they put on the whole lot in sequence.

I thought that Cannonball Run 1's UK rights were owned by whoever currently own the Golden Harvest catalogue.

[Shit Good Nose]

I thought that Cannonball Run 1's UK rights were owned by whoever currently own the Golden Harvest catalogue.

I think I'm right in saying Fox had the UK home video distribution rights for a lot of GH stuff (GH has never been a home video distributor in the UK as far as I'm aware) and, IIRC, it was Fox who licensed the first one to Mediumrare (an independent boutique distributor) prior to the Disney takeover.  MR secured the license for 2 at the same time.  Pretty sure MR's license has now expired and the rights for both would have reverted back to the respective owners (which, for 1, would now be Disney in the UK, not sure about America as the home video rights were shared between Fox and Paramount).

I know Warner took on the franchise rights around the same time, but I think they only extended to theatrical re-releases and new films.

I've absolutely no idea where 3 sits in all of this, but that one may as well not exist (speaking as a very rare persion who has a genuine fondness for 2).

[George White]

3 was Vestron, so I presume Lionsgate have that.
Fox released the first film in the states.

[beanheadmcginty]

Cannonball Run 2 IS better than Cannonball Run 1 though. Even though it lacks Roger Moore.

[steveh]

I tend to remember Disney being on ITV mostly.

Disney had an exclusive contract with the BBC in the UK up to maybe the 1980s but then rights got split up and ITV got a deal. The BBC and ABC also had a deal up to around the same time so there were always more ABC shows and TV movies on BBC TV than from other US broadcasters.

[Shit Good Nose]

Cannonball Run 2 IS better than Cannonball Run 1 though. Even though it lacks Roger Moore.

Wow.  I mean I AM a fan of 2 as I said upthread, but that...that's some statement...

[McChesney Duntz]

I am impressed by a cross-country race movie so hapless, it doesn't show the end of the race.

[Shit Good Nose]

Yeah, they do kind of forget that there's a race going on.  I can only assume Hal Needham was drunk and coked off his bonce for the entire production, from writing the screenplay to handing over the finished film.

[gilbertharding]

Yeah, they do kind of forget that there's a race going on.  I can only assume Al Needham was drunk and coked off his bonce for the entire production, from writing the screenplay to handing over the finished film.

AAYYYYYY-UP!

[Egyptian Feast]

AAYYYYYY-UP!

Sadly, I'm beginning to think Bummerdog Vs. The Sikh Lad Out Of Showaddywaddy will never escape development hell.

[Replies From View]

Pretty sure the only film ever shown on TV between 1996 and 2004 was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Yep, I share this memory.