Family Movie Night was an umbrella series of made for TV films owned and sponsored by Procter & Gamble and Walmart.[1] The companies were inserting product placements within the films.[2] Flyover Studios,[2] P&G Productions[3] and Telenext Media Inc. were also involved producing the films.[4] The films were aired via time buys and developed as back door pilots but none had gone to series.[5]
| Family Movie Night | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC Fox (2 films) |
| Release | April 16, 2010 – December 2, 2011 |
| Related | |
| Walden Family Theater | |
Background
editProcter & Gamble has been in the original content business having been involved in creating and producing the soap opera genre as a part of the early TV model of sponsored shows and other program via P&G Productions.[6]
Previously in the late 1990s, P&G and Walmart had been launch members of the Association of National Advertisers' Alliance for Family Entertainment. The alliance pushed to get family-friendly programs like the WB's Gilmore Girls on air as they found that families with children under the age of 18 as the biggest "undeserved potential viewing audience" with only short of a quarter of this group were satisfied with existing family-entertainment.[3]
History
editWalmart decided on its Family Moments campaign which pushes additional whole family entertainment choices in-store, online and via TV.[6] By early 2010, P&G and Walmart agreed to a joint marketing program in which they would have a series of commercial made-for-TV movies produced by P&G Productions to market their products. NBC was brought on board as the series' network.[3] There were originally to be three or four films.[7] P&G Productions supposedly budget $4.5 million to make the TV film.
With the first three doing respectable numbers, including Secrets of the Mountain winning its night, the Family Night Partners decided in December 2010 to continue the series by purchasing time on Fox instead. None of the three films spawned a series. At that time, Dear Annie was casting.[8]
P&G Chairman and Chief Executive Bob McDonald, a supporter of the Family Movie Night, indicated that he felt that Wal-mart was not executing its part as well as they should by advertising more P&G products in circulars or store displays.[9] After airing 5 pilot-films, P&G and Wal-Mart announced that they would continue airing four more new films for the remainder of the year 2011.[10]
Films
edit| Film | Network | Debut | million viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secrets of the Mountain | NBC | April 16, 2010 | 7.8[11] |
| The Jensen Project | July 16, 2010 | 3.9 [11] | |
| A Walk in My Shoes | December 3, 2010 | 4.5[11] | |
| Change of Plans | Fox | January 8, 2011 | 3.1[9] |
| Truth Be Told | April 16, 2011 | 2.3 | |
| Field of Vision | NBC | June 11, 2011[5] | 2.8 |
| Who Is Simon Miller? | August 6, 2011 | 3.3 | |
| Game Time: Tackling the Past | September 3, 2011 | 2.2 | |
| Game of Your Life | December 2, 2011 | 2.1 [12] |
- Truth Be Told (Fox, Saturday April 16, 2011) was headlined by Candace Cameron Bure, David James Elliott and had a musical performance by Danny Gokey of American Idol fame and NFL star Kurt Warner cameo.[10]
- Field of Vision, originally Magic Eye, starred Tony Oller as Tyler McFarland, the captain of the high school football team. Expect to win for his school, Tyler must decide whether or not to tell on two teammates to the coach about their bullying Cory, a new school kid. With Tyler's little sister finding a camera with magical properties related to Cory's past. The films' script is by Wesley Bishop and directed by Gregg Champion with David A. Rosemont, Brian Wells and Jeff Grant as exec producers. Alex is played by Chris Tavarez.[5]
Unaired
edit- Dear Annie was casting as of December 2010 and to have started production in January 2011 in New Mexico. The film was to be about a relationship counselor and her old friend, a recent widower, who fakes being married to "curry favors from a media mogul."[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Buss, Dale (April 27, 2011). "P&G, Walmart Reach Out to Family Shoppers with Integrated Co-Marketing Campaign". CPGmatters. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ a b Foust, Michael (28 April 2011). "TV 'Family Movie Night' re-launches – Baptist Courier". Baptist Courier. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ a b c Hampp, Andrew (September 27, 2010). "P&G, Walmart Find Success as Moviemakers for Their Brands". Ad Age. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ Doperalski, Dan (June 21, 2012). "Brands back clean content". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2011). "P&G And Walmart Team For Another Family Friendly TV Movie/Backdoor Pilot On NBC". Deadline. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Alexander, Antoinette (February 11, 2010). "Walmart, P&G emphasize family in new partnership – Drug Store News". Drug Store News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ McNamara, Mary (July 16, 2010). "Television review: 'The Jensen Project'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 2, 2010). "Procter & Gamble Producing 2-Hour Family Friendly Movie To Air On Fox As Time Buy". Deadline. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Wohl, Jessica (January 27, 2011). "P&G CEO unhappy with Wal-Mart venture's execution". Reuters. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ a b Buss, Dale (April 18, 2011). "P&G, Walmart Extend Family-Friendly TV Funding". brandchannel. Interbrand. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (December 4, 2010). "Ratings Rat Race: CBS Regains Friday Edge". Deadline. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ "Family Movie Night – Series – Episode List". TV Tango. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
External links
edit- familymovienight.com at archive.org