Or: “Show WB the Money!”

Most of you have probably heard by now that negotiations are currently underway between Warner Brothers and Fox over Fringe’s future on the network. This is a critical time for the show, since Fringe’s fate will most likely hinge on whether or not the two companies can come to an agreement that’s economically feasible for both of them. While we know that both Fox and Warner Brothers love the show and want it to continue, both companies are in the business of making money, and it’s unreasonable to expect them to keep producing a show that costs more than (or even equal to) what it makes.

Our campaigns have always focused on attempting to show Fox categorical evidence that Fringe’s audience is larger than what is indicated by the antiquated Nielsen system, and we believe those campaigns are working. We have it on good authority that our efforts are being noticed, and that targeting and tweeting the sponsors is an “incredibly savvy” move, and we should keep it up. We also know that between January 13th and January 20th, Fringe’s total viewers increased by over 1/4 million people. While we probably can’t claim credit for all of the increase, we’d really like to think that our #crosstheline campaign had some impact on it. 😉 Antiquated or not, Nielsen ratings are still the backbone of the TV business, and we’re going to continue these weekly campaigns in hopes of driving them up, but in light of the current negotiations, we’d like to take things one step further.

For the next few weeks, we’d like to focus our attentions on Warner Brothers. As much as possible during these critical negotiations, we need to show them that our support for the show is unwavering, and that reaching a renewal deal with Fox will benefit them in the long run. From now until February 5th, we’re asking fans to show their support directly to WB; the approach we’d like to take is three pronged:

Objective 1: “Show them the money.” This is asking more of you than we ever have, but it’s a far more tangible way to make our point. Wbshop.com has a small selection of official Fringe merchandise – some nifty mouse pads, coffee mugs and t-shirts. Currently, they also have some amazing deals on previous seasons of Fringe, with DVDs sets ranging between $14-$16 and BluRay sets ranging from $19-$21. Unfortunately the DVDs and BluRays only ship to the United States, but everything else ships worldwide. If you’re able, purchase something from the WB site. For international fans interested in purchasing DVD/BluRay sets, Amazon has them all on sale for almost equally good deals, and there are lots of other places to shop around. Once you’ve made a purchase, you might wish to tweet @WarnerBrosEnt and let them know what you’ve bought, and that you hope to buy season five someday. Please don’t feel bad if you are unable to take this approach at this time! Times are tough for everyone, and the last thing we’d ask of anybody is to spend money they can’t spare for the sake of a TV show. Even a small spike in sales at this time is likely to be noticed, especially if we let them know it’s because we’re hoping the negotiations go well.

Objective 2: Pre-order Season 4 if you haven’t already. This one is easier on the pocketbook, especially just after the holidays. Most vendors won’t charge a pre-order until it’s shipped (probably sometime in September), so this is a great way to show support without it costing anything up front. Again, you may wish to tweet WB once you’ve pre-ordered.

Objective 3: Tweet Warner Brothers and tell them how you feel. Let them know how much you love the show and hope to see a season five. Please keep comments positive, do not attack Warner Brothers  or their representatives in any way. Begging, haranguing, and raging do much more harm than good, and Fringenuity does not support these tactics. Instead, thank them for keeping Fringe around as long as they have, and politely let them know that we all hope an agreement can be reached.

This is a campaign of hope. They all are I guess, but we’ll have no way to track this one. All we can do is make the suggestion, spend some cash, and see what happens. Signs from the internet are pointing towards tentative hope for Fringe anyway – we’re just trying to give it a timely little boost.