Scheduling

Scheduling:

Scheduling is the process that television programmes go through regarding where to place programmes in terms of the day and the time. This aims to construct the schedule secures high ratings for the channel and for specific programmes.

Schedulers and planners have the role of ensuring the programmes are placed in such a way that their audience is attracted. Ever since the introduction of time shifted viewing in the 1980s, scheduling hasn’t had as much significance. As time progresses, audiences have had the opportunity to access television in a many ways such as record a programme and watch another one at the same time, watch programmes whilst travelling through the use of mobile data or wi-fi on a mobile phone or tablet or watch programmes on on-demand on different gadgets such as PlayStations, Xbox’s and tablets.

Television schedulers aim to use these techniques to keep watching that channel:

o   Broadcasting trailers and teasers for a programme during the day.

o   Pre-echo: scheduling a less popular programme before a more popular one in the hope of getting the attention of views who may watch it earlier.

o   Hammocking: placing a less popular show or a new show on between two popular show in the hope that the audience will be attracted to watch.

o   Inheritance: when a new or less popular show is put after a programme with high ratings in the hope that viewers will watch it and the programmes will therefore ‘inherit’ the audience.

o   Zoning: programmes of a similar genre are broadcast one after the other on a particular channel. This is done with the aim that fans of their favoured genre will stay with that channel.

o   Offensive Scheduling: when a channel is confident that their programme will gain higher ratings than another channel so they broadcast it at the same time in order to attract and lure the ‘live’ audience.

o   Defensive Scheduling: when a channel is aware that a programme on their rival channel will bring in high audience figures. They may decide to schedule a programme of minority appeal at this time.

Additionally, social media also plays a part in generating excitement about certain programmes where an audience may tweet their responses before, during and after the programme. Many programmes have also created Facebook pages and Twitter feeds in order to build a fan base for their product. For example Eastenders.