Are employees at TV networks allowed to watch shows before they are supposed to be broadcast?
IE, could someone at NBC watch this weeks episode of ER on Monday afternoon?
Or are they kept under lock and key?
Somewhat related I remember a few years ago, a TV station in Canada that had the rights to Seinfeld (must have been CTV) used to show the episode on Wednesday night. Then NBC would show it the next night!
It’s not often us Canadians can one-up the states when it comes to TV (well maybe with CTV showing unedited Sopranos and Osbournes).
I know that TV Guide editors and writers have access to shows, since a friend of mine is an editor there. They need to know what is going to happen to write the listings. I used to go to her house and watch the pilots for all the new shows.
Canadians have always had some special quirks in the distribution of US network TV shows. Here’s one thread that deals mostly with Canadian advertising on network shows:
You can safely bet that lots of people see the show before it’s aired in the U.S. So don’t bet any money to the contrary! Although I know somebody who made money watching Jeopardy at a bar (he knew ALL the answers!).
The number of people who get advanced viewings varies program by program, since the shows often aren’t finished until the literal last minute. Obviously, most of the people involved in the post-production, duplication and distribution of the show get an opportunity to see it. That could mean hundreds of people, depending on the production. In the old days a network “standards & practices” board would review a finished show, but now they usually take care of the censorship during pre-production.
The TV Guide types often get review copies of some shows, if the producers/studio/network want some hype. Usually they will do that with pilots, specials or made-for-TV movies that are finished weeks or months in advance. Sometimes the previewed versions of the shows can vary greatly from what actually airs.
You can bet that if Rupert Murdoch sends a memo to producers saying that he wants to see next week’s Simpsons before it airs, he’d get a copy. But in most circumstances, your standard network employee (like an accountant or something similar) would have to catch the show at the same time you and I do.
The big example of Canada’s scheduling wierdness right now is that Global, one of our networks, has the rights to Friends from NBC and Survivor from CBS. As you probably know, these shows air opposite each other in the states on thursday. But up here, Global airs the new friends at 7:30 on Thursday, and then Survivor follows at eight. So we get friends 1/2 an hour early!