Thinking about it; what makes popular television programs so special with viewers?
Television programming strategies are as old as television programming and can be very
effective in promoting programs broadcast on television channels, satellite or cable networks.
Undoubtedly, producers of programs want to make profits and increase the number of people
watching their programs. The more people watching a program also means more Ad dollars,
sustenance, and most likely; success.
While it sounds like a repetition to say “programming strategies”, it is quite deliberate as it
implies that more work is done than just slotting programs into different times on a program
schedule. It involves more intricate questions such as:
● How can we make an unpopular program successful?
● How can we increase advertising revenue?
● Counterprogramming to frustrate competitors
● Who exactly is watching? (audience measurement and analytics)
● Who exactly do we want to watch the program? (target audience)
● How to achieve the best ratings, etc.
Defining Television Programming Strategies
First, television programming refers to the scheduling or ordering of programs broadcast via a
television channel. It takes the format of some sort of table prepared to indicate when a program
will be aired on a television network.
However, television programming strategies are the methods and art of scheduling television
programs to achieve premium ratings, maximize revenue generated and outwit competitors. To
elaborate, a television programming strategy may be to achieve any or all of the following
effects:
● Achieve the best audience ratings
● Increase revenue generated
● Outwit or frustrate competitors: this is mostly done by counter-programming. For
instance, airing a more popular show (e.g. Keeping Up with the Kardashians) at a time-
period when a competitor is airing a less popular show could frustrate the competitor and
his program.
Factors considered when devising a television programming strategy:
- Audience: The target audience is an important factor in creating a strategy. You
certainly cannot run a sitcom when people are supposed to be at work or school. It
would also be a bad idea to run a show like “America’s Got Talent” by 2 pm unless it is a
rerun. Why? The larger parts of the interested audience would likely not have time to
watch the program because of their work, school or other engagements. You would
agree that it makes more sense to run a program such as “10 hottest music videos of the
week” at that time. - Ratings: Ratings is one of the most popular ways to know the audience’s feelings and
reactions towards the program. Bad ratings would mean “new strategy needed”. It is
important to conduct ratings analytics to understand what exactly is wrong and needs to
be improved. On the other hand, good ratings would mean more ad revenue, more
people watching, etc. - Flow: This refers to the sequence of programs on the television schedule. Many
program scheduling managers often use this tactic to promote programs. For instance,
an upcoming or new program may be scheduled after a very popular program like a
basketball game featuring the Chicago Bulls or a popular show like “The Big Bang
Theory”. Chances are a large part of the audience would not switch channels so soon
and give the new program a huge platform to convince them to keep watching. - Competitors: What other television broadcasting networks are showing at the same
time or before the program can easily determine the fate of your television program. It is
best to find out that your program is not coming up against a real heavyweight or it will
be a total knockout. - Time-Period: This is very crucial in program scheduling. News Flashes or Interviews
sell at almost any time but not comedy shows or sitcoms. No matter how beautiful a
program is, a wrong time-period may spell its early doom.
Television programming strategies are quite important in modern television scheduling. A wrong
or negative strategy may prove very costly for the broadcasting station as millions of dollars may
be lost in the bad run. Many modern television producers or content schedulers often conduct a
whole lot of research before slotting a program to a particular time period to avoid premature
exit.
However, with the aid of intelligent software and television programming professionals, many
broadcast networks can optimize each program on their list.
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