WHEN DID THE AUDIENCE STOP MATTERING? We live in a time when genuinely excellent television, with passionate audiences ready and waiting to watch, can be cancelled or abandoned while executives move on to the next project. And I honestly struggle to understand the logic. Companies like Amazon MGM Studios and Netflix invest enormous amounts of money in television and cinema. They make decisions about what gets produced, what gets renewed and what gets cancelled. But somewhere along the way, it feels as though the people making those decisions have forgotten something fundamental. Without the audience, there is no entertainment business. It is the public who subscribe to streaming services, buy cinema tickets, watch the shows, recommend them to friends and keep franchises alive long after a season has finished. We are the people generating the demand that makes these businesses profitable in the first place. So why are the voices of those very people so often treated as an afterthought? Of course, producing television is a business. Budgets, viewing figures, production costs and commercial risks all matter. A passionate fanbase cannot guarantee a hit. But surely, when thousands upon thousands of people are actively campaigning for a programme, demonstrating their commitment and making it clear that they want to watch more, that deserves serious consideration. And this is exactly why the fight to #SaveStargate matters. Look at what the Stargate community has done. Fans around the world have organised, signed petitions, raised money, funded billboards and continued to make their voices heard. This isn’t a handful of people reminiscing about an old television show. It is a passionate community demonstrating that this franchise still matters to them. There is an established universe, decades of stories, beloved characters and an audience that wants to see Stargate return. That doesn’t mean success is guaranteed. But it does mean there is a conversation worth having and an opportunity worth properly examining. In the age of social media, audiences are no longer limited to quietly accepting a cancellation and moving on. We can organise across countries, demonstrate our support, reach decision-makers directly and show companies just how much interest still exists. That is something executives should be paying attention to, not dismissing. The audience shouldn’t necessarily make every production decision. But its voice should carry real weight, particularly when a dedicated community is actively demonstrating demand for a franchise. Because what is the point of creating television and films if the people who watch them are treated as though their opinions don’t matter? Entertainment is supposed to connect with people. It is supposed to make us laugh, think, feel, escape and become invested in worlds beyond our own. When a story creates that kind of connection, surely its future deserves more than a decision made behind closed doors. @AmazonMGMStudio, @netflix and every major entertainment company need to remember that audiences are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are the reason those numbers exist. Listen to the people who watch. Respect the communities that support your franchises. Recognise the demand when audiences show it to you. And in the case of Stargate, please recognise what so many fans around the world are asking for. We want this universe back. We want new stories. We want the opportunity to keep supporting a franchise that has meant so much to us. The passion is here. The audience is here. The opportunity deserves to be taken seriously. Entertainment exists because people want to be entertained. It’s time the people making the decisions remembered that. Amazon MGM, the audience is here. The opportunity is here. Open the gate. 🌌 #SaveStargate