Scheduling

Scheduling is the decisions made by channels regarding where to place programmes in terms of what day and what time. It consists of analysing ratings and demographics in order to successfully organise the TV schedule. The aim of the schedule is to secure the highest ratings for the channel and the show/programme. It needs to be planned carefully to attract the largest audience possible.
Broadcasters want to attract as many viewers as they can for the media texts they produce and transmit. For commercial stations this helps attract more advertising revenue which helps fund new content. Scheduling choices are therefore an important factor in securing audiences for content.
There are a range of techniques used to keep the audience watching the same channel:

• Inheritance - scheduling a new programme after a popular programme in the hope it inherits some of its audience.
• Hammocking - scheduling a programme in between two popular programmes so that it can receive potential viewers from both.
• Pre-echo - scheduling a less popular programme before a popular one in hope of catching viewers who may watch it earlier.
• Stripping - broadcasting a programme at the same time every day/week to ensure that the audience becomes familiar with the scheduling time and know when to watch it.
• Zoning - where programmes with a similar genre are broadcasted one after the other with the assumption that the fans of the genre will stay with that channel.
• Offensive scheduling - this is where a channel is confident that their programme will gain higher ratings than another programme on a rival channel. Therefore, they broadcast it at the same time in order to lure the 'live' audience.
• Defensive scheduling - when a channel is aware that a programme on a rival channel will receive higher audience figures so they may decide to schedule a programme of minority appeal at this time.

It could be argued that scheduling isn't as important as it used to be simply because of the advanced technology that is widely available. For example, online (including via pirated downloads), online channels such as BBC iPlayer and All 4. This is due to peoples busy lifestyles where they don't have time to watch TV and are likely to watch it on catch up through their laptop, phone or tablet.