NBC cancelled Ironside and pulled it off the schedule after 4 episodes (10/18/13)
NBC cancelled The Playboy Club and pulled it off the schedule after 3 episodes (10/4/11)
CBS cancelled and pulled Made In Jersey after 2 episodes (10/10/12)
CBS cancelled and pulled We Are Men after 2 episodes (10/9/13)
FOX cancelled and pulled Nashville after 2 episodes
FOX cancelled and pulled Lonestar after 2 episodes (9/28/10)
All of these shows, and there are many many more, were cancelled (stop making them) and pulled from the schedule (and tossed in the trash) usually before November when sweeps take place.
The article is just speculating why the shows not doing good in the ratings are being cancelled (stop making them) but this year they are still being shown on the schedule...
and their theory that they came up with during a recent 3 minute bathroom break is that if a new tv show that has just aired a few episodes is cancelled by the networks and pulled from the schedule, then the cast and crew and still in place and could easily set up shop somewhere else (like Netflix, HULU, etc). Since the network footed all the money for the development it would be cheap for another outlet to pick up one of these shows so cancelling and removing from schedule is almost like handing the competition a few bullets to use against the networks. If they reduce the order play the episodes then they fufill their contracts, the show cast and crew are tied up waiting and things are not so smooth to go other places.
Last couple of years, the game the networks would play would be to not cancel a show that was doing bad, but pull it from the schedule until the end of the season where the already made episodes would be burned off in horrible timeslots. This kept the programs at the network, kept them tied up at the network (while the cast and crew dispand after months of not shooting anything), and kept the shows from moving to other places.
NBC cancelled season 2 of Southland before even airing an episode of season 2, so that voided their contract with NBC and they took their already filmed half season to TNT where it had several more seasons
And HSX Players just think that TV Stocks are just buy and hold and nothing interesting happens.