Did you ever wonder why certain TV shows are aired on certain days and times instead of others? The answer is not a random choice, but how networks break down the number of programming hours in a day and insert the programs they believe will attract the most viewers to those that are headed for the programming dumpster. The first term you need to know is “dayparting.” One you see how TV networks divide their day, you will know the definition.
- 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
- Late fringe
- Post late-fringe
The two categories that should be most familiar to you are Prime Time and Late Night Television. Notice that news takes up 4 of the 16 major categories. Anything after the late night shows is basically filler time for people who can’t go to sleep. If your favorite show ends up in the Prime Time slot, which always starts after the evening news, you can be sure there are a lot of other people watching it as well. If your fave shows has been moved from Prime Time it is not a good sign for its future.
Much of this you are already familiar with, so to look deeper into the reason for your show being moved around there are a few new terms you need to know.
One of the strategies that people are familiar with is called tentpoling. This is when a new or wobbly program needs some exposure, so a highly successful program is placed in front or back of it, hoping viewers will stick around to see what the new program is about. Showtime did this with success by placing the questionably titled SMILF after its popular Shameless series. It has been one of Showtime’s most successful shows this past season. The opposite of tentpoling is hammocking, where a struggling show will be placed between two popular shows to give it a boost. Just because your favorite show is in the middle of two good shows does not necessarily mean it is popular.
Did you notice that sometimes networks will run two different sitcoms back to back? This is called block programming, and the purpose is simple. Networks believe that people who like sitcoms will stay put and watch one sitcom after another without changing the station. Even if one sitcom is much better than the other, you may still find them blocked together.
There are other factors that will determine a program’s placement, such as the actor playing the lead role changing. Often, a show that changes its lead actor or actress will find itself in a new time slot until it is proven audiences will follow the show regardless of who is leading. This also explains why TV networks pay so much money to the key stars on TV shows to keep them in their best time slots.
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