TV Tonight

Seven showing Lost -but where is Part 2?

First the accolades…

It’s great that 7TWO is screening Lost at a decent timeslot tomorrow night.

It premieres at 9:30pm in a two hour episode, following a one hour special at 8:30. A week later it settles into the 8:30pm slot.

It’s also great that it is screening at 11:30pm on Seven for those without Digital TV, and even better that it can be seen in high definition on 7HD.

What’s not so great is that Seven has opted to screen just the first episode on Seven / 7HD. Instead of showing Part 2 as it will on 7TWO, Seven will air reruns of defunct lifestyle show Room for Improvement.

That will separate the Lost audience in Australia into those with digital and those without. The latter will have to wait a week later to see Part 2 of the season premiere.

The Lost audience is ferocious for this show, even more so when it’s the final season. In this era of PVRs it is better to air the show late than a week later.

While TV Tonight has been fielding enquiries from confused fans, even the Sydney Morning Herald noted, “Time-shifting Lost on 7TWO makes sense, but letting the main channel fall an episode behind seems strange. It doesn’t bode well for how Seven is likely to treat the rest of the series.”

Such a move also makes it impossible for sites like this one to be openly discussing the show when some of the audience, including some regional viewers, will be stuck behind the rest of us.

NB: In keeping with this site’s policy, there will be no Spoiler alerts for episodes that have already aired in Australia. Sorry Seven viewers!

36 Comments to “Seven showing Lost -but where is Part 2?”

  1. Annalyce says:

    They did show Lax part one and two but next week it goes back to one episode

  2. Adam M. says:

    Guy raises a very good question

  3. Julie says:

    A Standard Digital set top box is a lot cheaper to buy then a High Definition set top box – I got mine for about $40. 7TWO is on a standard digital station so even if you just get a SD set top box you will be right to watch Lost.

  4. Kelly Clark says:

    Well well well Peter, I am Not too cheap to get a set top box,( I actually have one) but I work a nightshift and I Don’t own an expensive PVR or equivelant.So I am one of those people who will have to wait for the boxed set to come out. Please stop referring to people who can’t or won’t buy a STB as ‘cheap’.

  5. Guy says:

    I have a question though isnt the fact that its shown on Seven just a couple of hours after that the ratings are combined because its the same show, same episode?

  6. Jerome says:

    7 should not be playing Lost on 7 at all, no other network does things like this. it should be a 7two exclusive to further expose 7two. people can live without HD the whole channel ten dosen’t have any shows in HD. there are lots of people i know that have never watched 7two that will be watching Lost there, why jeopardise these viewers? what message is it sending to non-digital people – don’t worry about getting a stb, we are going to play all the best stuff on 7 for you to record anyway.

    and judging by these coments all it has done is cause people to complain. they may as well save themselves the grief. and now every show in the future on 7two that isn’t aired on 7 also will have people’s permission to complain “but you did it for Lost”

  7. Adam M. says:

    I think this is actually a pretty good idea. I think that Seven may be doing this in an attempt to increase uptake of digital television.

    And for those without, at least they are not left in the dark altogether in terms of “Lost” episodes.

  8. Stan says:

    For Seven Network, Southern Cross, Prime/GWN & WIN SA viewers it’s actually got nothing to do with ‘Room For Improvement’ at 12:30am (& the WIN News repeat in regional SA). ‘Room For Improvement’ is just filler before the unmovable mountain at 1am, otherwise known as the Home Shopping bloc. The only thing that gets in the way of Home Shopping is if some sport programming runs overtime, while other programs like ‘Lost’ can wait a week or so.

    There’s no money in keeping ‘Lost’ up-to-date with 7TWO, while there is money leaving Home Shopping untouched. Maybe we’re blaming the wrong program here?

  9. MJL says:

    @Peter

    You need a STB to watch it on 7HD. I have a HD TV and like to watch progs in HD. That’s why I never watch Ten progs that are obtainable in HD by other means.

  10. Marco says:

    Apologies Mac, my bad.

  11. ? says:

    Geez, who don’t own a digital set top box or a digital TV yet? And why? Just lazy or can’t afford to spend at most $70-90? Get out of the stone age already and just buy one!

    Yes it’s a shame it’s not in HD, but this is Australian networks remember, they have to let you down some how. You should be grateful they’re playing it a week later.

  12. Patrick says:

    I actually don’t have digital TV and so am delighted Ch 7 has seen fit to screen Lost on its usual channel as well.

    Clever way of doubling its audience – although I’m upset it hasn’t done the same thing for Heroes, which is only shown on 7Two.

    Knowing me, I’ll probably get a digital TV the week before the signal is switched off in 3 years time.

    As always it’s not about the quality of the picture but the quality of the shows!!!!

  13. Benno says:

    This is channel seven doing this *after* they lost the iiNet lawsuit….

  14. Peter says:

    In this day and age, if you have a computer with the internet, then you should have a digital set top box.
    I think the replay on the main channel is just to silence the cheap viewer whos too cheap to pay less then $50 for a stb, or for the lone regional who still cant receive digital signals.
    Be happy its getting a play on the main channel anyway, i dont see heroes getting a main channel replay, and one would assume given their past ratings, the two shows have a similar audience

  15. Kev says:

    It seems ironic that at a time when virtually all new TVs for sale are “True HD” and more and more shows are shot in HD, our TV stations offer less and less content in HD

  16. Stephen H says:

    Don’t see the big deal really I mean for instance all channel 10 shows are not in HD because of 1hd, all other shows on 7two and most GO shows other then Big Bang Therory, Wipeout and maybe the odd movie that screen on 9 are in not in HD and finially with the 3rd digital channels coming won’t that mean 7 and 9 content won’t be in HD content any longer unless they are breakaway channels during non primetime. I mean it is still airing on seven hd who cares if you have to wait an extra week.

  17. Reubot says:

    A great slap in the face HD viewers.

  18. Macarthurblack says:

    Marco, I was referring to Room For Improvment when I said axed. As David wrote in his story “…Seven will air reruns of defunct lifestyle show Room for Improvement.” Which means they are giving preference to reruns of an axed or defunct show (Room for Imrpovement) over episodes of a first-run show (Lost).

  19. MJL says:

    This sucks. I wanted to record the later HD Lost but they’re only showing 1 ep.

    Guess I’ll just have to watch it in HD by using other means.

  20. tasmanian devil says:

    So we’re criticising 7 for promoting digital take-up.

    Stop whinging about nothing at all. Even if you live in an area without 7 Two, you are not missing out on anything.

  21. JH says:

    I also assume there would be some online content, including catchup TV and persumably some sort of localised blog and forum on the seven site, which would only benefit by allowing non-digital to catch up sooner rather than later.

  22. JH says:

    I forget exactly how ratings work, but if i were to guess that this may be something related to the 6pm-12am bracket, then just show part 2 the following night. Its a one-off, not going to be needed to occur again.

    And if Seven have come to their senses but regretably can’t do a thur screening this week due to lack of foreplanned advertising to support its screening, then do a two episodes (1 wed, 1 thur) next week. Its un-ideal, because the premiere is meant to be treated like a double-episode, but its a reasonable fix/compromise.

  23. Burt says:

    The large majority of what Aus fans are left of the Lost show,don’t have to watch it and/or aren’t waiting to see it on free to air,so you know how they’re seeing it.

  24. Marco says:

    The show has not been axed Mac. An end date was agreed upon 3 years ago.

  25. Survivor_Fan says:

    Why not show the 2nd part on the normal channel? Its handy for those (like me) who cannot afford PVR’s to tape it via the old way.

  26. Wade says:

    If there’s one show on TV that you’re going to timeshift and create alternate timelines for…its only appropriate that its Lost.
    Confusing work from Seven though and unlikely to endear them to anyone.

  27. Bogues says:

    7two has (from what I’ve seen) been pretty good about keeping to a schedule, especially for the popular US shows that were once on seven (Ugly Betty, 24, etc).

  28. Macarthurblack says:

    Does anyone have any idea why it would give preference to reruns of an axed show. Sounds just ludicrous to me!

  29. Adam says:

    David, to make matters even more confusing, PRIME is begining airing the final season of Lost this Wednesday nite at 11:30 from episode 1. So that will we three strands of Lost season six aring, all within three episodes of each other.

    The Illawarra has the third biggest population in NSW, 463,000 people!

    It should have acess to the same channels as everyone else.

  30. Goffy says:

    So the 7 will always be a week behind?

  31. Marco says:

    I don’t mind this move at all. It may push further people who have not yet gone digital to make the move to get a set top box if they love Lost that much.

  32. Craig says:

    WTF. Way to go Ch7. Atleast your consistent. Looks like the fans of this show will turn to downloading illegally again.

  33. Craig says:

    What are they thinking after midnight and they would rather upset fan and show a re-run of a reality show than keep viewers up to date, bad move Seven.

    Maybe this is all to get more people to move to digital but what of those in areas without 7TWO?

  34. Lisa says:

    Oh come on Seven, you have got to be kidding.
    Luckily I have already seen the episodes. Not everyone is able to have that access and they are likely to also not have access to 7Two.

  35. mikeys says:

    That’s a really major kick in the balls for Lost fans… They giveth with one hand, taketh with another… Nothing is ever as it seems in commercial TV land…

    There’s a reason people do what they do to obtain copies of shows which routinely get screwed about.

  36. Russell says:

    So episodes premiere on fledgling upstart network 7TWO and repeat a week later on Seven.

    Makes perfect sense to me.

    Seven is trying to build up 7TWO’s audience and increase digital take up. The more people who take up Freeview may not take up Pay TV or migrate over to pay.

    Makes perfect sense. And quite common in the UK.

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