(1) Facts and Ratings Numbers
(2) Interest by DirecTV
(3) The millions of viewers/subscribers that Dish Network will lose if DirecTV acts and they don’t
 
For anyone interested, please email Dish Network’s Press Department at the email address below.  When doing so, though, it is IMPERATIVE that everyone is kind and respectful.  Remember: this is nothing Dish has done in the past.  Stress crucial points, include your mailing address and age, include whether you are a Dish subscriber, DirecTV subscriber or cable subscriber.  And remember that Dish has now lost the millions of Friday Night Lights viewers to their competition.  A major selling point is that sponsoring this show would be profitable so let’s prove that point.

 Below is my email text.  Please feel free to use it as a template, if you’d like.  I included the Moonlight-united ad as an attachment for her, as well, and confirmed receipt.

~ ~ ~ ~
To: Dish Network Press Department – Attn: Monica Martinez
Email: press@echostar.com

To Whom It May Concern:

As per my telephone conversation with Monica Martinez this morning, I am writing regarding corporate sponsorship of Moonlight, this year’s People’s Choice award winner for Best New Drama with 10 million votes.   Since being cancelled by CBS, Warner Brothers (the show’s production company) is currently shopping the show to other networks.   Additionally, Moonlight fans world wide are presently writing letters to other networks, placing ads in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety in an attempt to garner support and are also actively seeking corporate sponsorship to carry the production costs. 

This has been done before.  DirecTV, your competition, has just sealed a deal with NBC to bring their critically acclaimed but ratings starved Friday Night Lights back to life.  DirecTV’s deal allows for the satellite company to exclusively air new episodes of Friday Night Lights beginning in October 2008, most likely on their High-def channel 101.  NBC and its affiliates wouldn’t air the episodes until January 2009 which means that your satellite company, Dish Network, is losing the Friday Night Lights fan base.

Your competition, DirecTV has undertaken an aggressive marketing campaign to heighten public awareness.  Their goal is to distinguish themselves from their rival on content as well as price.  DirecTV has been notified of our efforts to garner corporate sponsorship for Moonlight and appear interested.  So much so, in fact, that they created an email address specifically for Moonlight fans only.   

Why should Dish network consider corporate sponsorship of Moonlight?   First and foremost, to contend with your competition.  Dish Network has already lost the Friday Night Lights fans (which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, average at 6.1 million viewers).  Can it afford to lose the Moonlight, fan base of 7.5 – 9 million viewers as well?

 Reason number two for Dish Network to consider corporate sponsorship of Moonlight is profit.  Even though Moonlight aired on what is called “Death Friday” in the TV industry, it still had a high viewership, especially in the coveted 18-49 demographic.  As per Nielsen Media Research: 

* Moonlight consistently won its time slot along with the target adult 18-49 demographics.  

* Moonlight was close on the heels of other established CBS hits on more-ratings     friendly nights and far outpaced its nightly competition in both total viewership in the target 18-49 demographic. 

For example, May 5-9, Moonlight ratings came in with 7.887 million and a 5.0 share.  With the help of this freshman show, CBS led this second Friday of the May 2008 sweeps, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and adults 18-49 in every half-hour. 

* Moonlight experienced one of the smallest post-strike drops in viewership despite a four-month absence from the air.  The show saw just a 3 percent post-strike drop from its last new episode.  Compare this to shows like House (Fox), which saw a 36 percent drop in viewership or Desperate Housewives (ABC), which fell 17 percent after the strike.  

The numbers speak for themselves.  Despite the lag in viewers post-strike, Moonlight still won its demographic for nearly all of its episodes, along with winning its time slot among fellow competitor networks.  The show has over 8 million supremely dedicated and passionate fans behind it who are willing to follow it to whatever network decides to give our favourite show a second season.

In addition to Moonlight’s numbers, another selling point is Moonlight’s genre.  Vampire based Romance novels are still hot, selling in staggering numbers, and this show brings that genre to television.  In addition, Stephenie Meyer’s acclaimed novel, Twilight, hits movie screens this December through MTV Films and has already garnered lots of buzz.  Moonlight would be a network’s/satellite provider’s opportunity to increase Moonlight’s existing fan base by grabbing both the millions of Romance readers and Twilight fans who want to see their favourite genre in a weekly television show. 

I’m a 37 year old Historical Romance author and I’m a true romantic at heart.  I am a dish network subscriber who watches TV and loves my DVR and my premium subscriptions to HBO and Showtime.  With that said, I have rarely been as moved by a show as I have been by Moonlight.  

What is Moonlight?   Moonlight is the story of redemption, proof that a person’s past always catches up with them.  Who can’t relate to that?  The writing is superb!  Every episode is rich with witty dialogue, suspense, drama and romance, with layers of emotion and back-story.  Each week, I was glued to my set to see what would happen next and what tidbit of the characters’ pasts would unfold. 

A television show about vampires … yes, it is but it is also so much more.  Moonlight is a show with a heart, a paranormal romance starring Alex O’Loughlin (who was honoured by TV Guide as one of this year’s Sexiest Stars), Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring and Shannyn Sossaman.  The show was conceived by Trevor Munson, who wrote a novel about the main character.  Mr. Munson’s story was first made into a film script with star Bruce Willis named as one of the possible leads.  The film script was later seen by Nina Tassler of CBS.  Ms. Tassler purchased the show, assigning Ron Koslow, creator of the TV classic Beauty and the Beast, to create a script for television.  

Moonlight consists of action, suspense and stunning special effects but, even more importantly, the characters and their on-screen relationships make this show a must-have for any network.  The chemistry between lead actors Alex O’Loughlin and Sophia Myles is explosive.  Their characters, Mick and Beth, care deeply for each other yet his character is emotionally tortured.  Additionally, Moonlight features a strong male friendship at the core of its’ plot. 
Numerous aspects of Moonlight make this show a perfect fit for cable.  Take the SciFi Network, for instance (one of the networks that have expressed a great deal of interest according to Warner Brothers’ representatives).  Like Moonlight, so many of the SciFi Channel’s shows are relationship driven: Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, The Sarah Jane Adventures – they all feature strong characters with personal conflict.  Doctor Who is riveting because of the Doctor’s tortured past – the last of the Time Lords fated to outlive all of those he comes to care about.  Through all of his adventures, it is his relationships with his assistants that fans are most intrigued by … and the chemistry between them.

Another example of a perfect fit for a cable network would be the USA Network.  So many of their shows are relationship driven as well: House, NCIS, The Starter Wife, Law and Order SVU – they all feature strong characters with personal conflict.  Like Psych (currently on USA), Moonlight actors Alex O’Loughlin and Jason Dohring share witty dialogue and a strong friendship that is both a joy to watch and emotionally moving. 

In my opinion, Moonlight has everything a viewer could possibly want in the show – with the exception being that it lacks a network that truly believes in this show as much as the fans do.

Moonlight’s viewers are loyal to Moonlight.   We guarantee nothing but passion and high viewer numbers to any network/satellite provider that supports it.  We have already donated blood in a blood drive for the actors and have donated our own money to run ads in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety for this show – the same hard-earned money that we proudly give to advertisers of this program and to a satellite company who choses to sponsor it.  Our loyalty and determination are unwavering.  We’re willing to do whatever it is humanly possible to keep such wonderful programming on the air.

Moonlight fans remember JAG, which was transferred to another network after cancellation.  And it was a staple on the second network for another 9 years and still airs in reruns on cable!

Moonlight is a solid investment for any network and any corporate sponsor.  I would hate to see another satellite provider invest in it.  While I love my subscription to Dish, I – like millions of other Moonlight fans, will follow this show wherever it goes.

I’ve attached one of the ads mentioned previously for your review.  Please feel free to contact me if I can answer any questions or be of assistance.  And please see the potential profit, considering Moonlight for corporate sponsorship.

Sincerely,
Tracy Goodwin