TV Scheduling

Here is my research on television scheduling:

Television scheduling is part art, part science. The art comes from predicting which programmes viewers might watch together in blocks, going from one show to another on the same channel on the same night. The science comes from analysing ratings and demographics in order to discover who is watching a particular show, and how/when.

Before the video recorder, watching a TV show was a shared social experience. Whole nations would all "tune in at the same time" to watch a popular show, especially if there was some kind of cliffhanger set up or resolution, or for the finale of a drama. In a small country like the UK, where all viewing happens in the same time zone, this causes a phenomenon known as TV Pickup, a surge in the National Grid that occurs immediately before and after a record-rated show, as everyone switches on their kettles or other small appliances after walking away from their TV. In the age of time-shifted viewing, it's very rare to see the kind of power surge that occurred after the 1984 broadcast of The Thorn Birds finale (the biggest surge experienced after a TV drama), but surges still happen, after big events like major football matches or a royal wedding.
If people watch the same TV show at the same time, then that's what everyone wants to talk about the next day at school or work. In the days before time-shifted TV, episodes of shows became hot topics the following morning 'around the water cooler', discussed simultaneously in newspaper reviews and ordinary conversation. "Water Cooler TV" is still a phrase bandied round by TV executives, but it's now used to describe the global discussion that goes on about TV shows via social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, as well as via blog posts.
Social media is useful to TV networks for generating excitement prior to the broadcast of a show, and for ensuring that as many people as possible tune in during the original time slot. The creation of Facebook pages and Twitter feeds for shows and characters is a vital tool for building fan loyalty. This is particularly important for the finale of a talent show like American Idol or BGT. Because so many people discuss the content of a show via tweets and status updates as it happens, spoilers abound on the internet for anyone who's not next to a TV set.
However, social media is a double-edged sword where international drama sales are concerned. When viewers in one country get to see a show first, their online discussion may spoil things for viewers in other countries, especially where the death of a character or a plot twist is concerned. Networks are well aware of this problem, because it generates demand for pirated shows. Unable to wait, a fan might illegally download episodes of their favorite show so that they can keep up with the online chatter - and know what happens! Dexter was the most downloaded TV show of 2011, because Season Six was broadcast in the US long before it appeared anywhere else.

Scheduling strategies

Block programming

Block programming occurs when the television network schedules similar programs back-to-back. The concept is to provide similar programming to retain viewership.

Crossprogramming

Crossprogramming involves the interconnection of two shows. This is achieved by dragging a storyline over two episodes of two different programs.

Bridging

Bridging is being used when a station tries to prevent the audience from changing channels during a junction point - the main evening breaks where all channels stop programs and shift gear (Ellis, 2000). This is achieved in a number of ways including: having a program already underway and something compelling happening at a junction point, running a program late so that people ‘hang around’ and miss the start of other programs, or television advertising the next program during the credits of the previous.

Counterprogramming

Counterprogramming is used when a time period is filled with a program whose appeal is different from the opponent program because it is a different genre or appeals to a different demographic.

Dayparting

Dayparting is the practice of dividing the day into several parts, during each of which a different type of radio programming or television programming appropriate for that time is aired. Daytime television programs are most often geared toward a particular demographic, and what the target audience typically engages in at that time.

• Sign-on
• Early morning news
• Early morning
• Late morning
• Daytime television
• Early fringe
• Lunchtime news
• Early afternoon
• Late afternoon
• Early evening
• Evening news
• Prime time
• Late-night news
• Late night television
• Graveyard slot
• Sign-off (closedown)
• Late fringe
• Post late-fringe

Hammocking

Hammocking is a technique used by broadcasters whereby an unpopular program is scheduled between two popular programs in the hope that viewers will watch it. Public television use this as a way of promoting serious but valuable content.

Hotswitching

In Hotswitching, the programmers eliminate any sort of commercial break when one program ends and another begins; this immediately hooks the audience into watching the next program without a chance to change the television channel between programs.

Stacking

Stacking is a technique used to develop audience flow by grouping together programs with similar appeals to "Sweep" the viewer along from one program to the next (Vane and Gross, 1994, p. 175).

Stripping

Stripping is running a syndicated television series every day of the week. It is commonly restricted to describing the airing of shows which were weekly in their first run; The West Wing could be stripped, but not Jeopardy! as the latter is already a daily show. Shows that are syndicated in this way generally have to have run for several seasons (the rule of thumb is usually 100 episodes) in order to have enough episodes to run without significant repeats.

Tentpoling

In tent pole programming the programmers bank on a well-known series having so much audience appeal that they can place two unknown series on either side, and it is the strength of the central program that will bring the others along to victory.

Theming

Having special theming days (such as for a holiday), or theme weeks such as Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

Scheduling strategies

A typical scheduling strategy used in Argentinian radio and television is called "pase" (Spanish for a "pass" as in a player passing the ball to another player of the same team). A few minutes before the end of a live broadcast show, followed by another live broadcast show, people from both programmes will share some air time together. This may be used for people from the starting programme to anticipate its contents of the day, or to participate in an ongoing discussion in the previous show, or simply for an entirely independent debate or chat that will not be furthered after the "pase". On the radio, where newscasts are usually broadcast every thirty minutes, often in coincidence with the end of a show, the "pase" may take some minutes before the news, and sometimes some minutes afterwards, too.
Alternatively, if there is no "pase", light jokes or comments can be made in a show involving people of the following show, so that some viewers or listeners might be interested in hearing what the reply will be.
Also, when a station has a new show starting, or if it needs to boost its ratings, part of its cast will be featured in other programmes in the same station, inserted in the dynamics of the programme they are in. For example they will participate in game shows, be interviewed by the journalists of the station, make cameos in a series, substitute for the usual staff of other shows in their habitual functions, etc. Additionally, hosts of live programmes may mention repeatedly the new show and its time slot, trying to encourage their own viewers to watch it.