Programming: Initial notes

Programming is more challenging for TV

rather the Radio

Programming is much more than its

production itself

Programming is MR + VP

Programming is essentially a
response
/ Strategy planning

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 Programming: Definition

“A creative, strategic, managerial

response to the audience taste &
practices, business completion,
media environment & normative
regime.”

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 Programming: Further elaboration
Evolving/changing/environment dependent

Response

Cultural product
Prevailing condition of program
Managerial Programming Creative
implementation treatment

Express in terms of audience as market/channel Strategic

& brand identity/market share

“Programming is a response driven by strategic goal, shaped

by managerial scenario and expressed in creative form”
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 Programming: What is it response for?

Audience taste & practices: Generic preferences &

choices/treatment preferences/practice of time/arrival &
departure/combination pattern/remote control dynamics

Business completion: Who are competitors,

immediate, potential or indirect competitors

Media environment: advertisers

Normative regime: Cultural dynamics, normative

appeal

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 Buildings in programming department

Process of Programming

Programming Scheduling Research Promo Marketing

Ideation

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 Production to programming ratio

There is a link between internal & external factors

The production is costly

Depend on the identity & generic type of channel

the production to programming ratio may change

Formula:
Production
24 hrs
Programming

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 Basic skills of a programmer

A. Managerial skills
o Coordination
o Rapport development
o Getting done through others
o Develop competitive feedback
o Team work

B. Analytical mindset
C. Creative mindset

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 How a channel define itself?
Two dimensions:
1. Audience
2. Content (genre)

Audience & content: Not separable

The primary focus may define channel
segmentation
A channel can also be defined by
both:
i.e. Cartoon Network

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 Cont…

If a channel not defined by audience: it may

enjoy wide variety of programs

So the programs (genres) should be in a way

to satisfy all tastes

GEC: Enjoy certain type of segmentation

A channel have to identify its brand

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 How programming decision may unfold?
Programming is filtered through 8 steps:
1. Audience
2. Time
3. Creative
4. Production
5. Marketing / publicity
6. Legal / standards
7. Monitoring
8. Research

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 , MR VP MR + VP

Audience Time Creative Production Marketing Legal Monitoring Research

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

• TG (SEC, • Duration •Idea •Tech •Promos •Copy •Daily •Pre-

of standards  Same ch rights reports research
gender, age) program  Allied ch
 others

• Taste & • Duration • Duratio • Production •Pops-Ups •Contents •Arrival • Media

preference of n standard environm
episode ent

• Appeal • Time •Appeal •Location •Web net •Revenue •Banking • Macro

slot view
• Ad • Weekday • Star •Budget • SNS •contract •TRP • Mrkt
potential s/ends value Sphere Scenario
• Attention •Season •Pace •Cast •Print /ad • Normativ Constant
span ality /talent e monitoring
complianc
e

• Geographical •Neighb •Aesthet • format • Appearance

spread orhood ics customizatio opportunity
n

• participation • Customi •Banking •PR

potential zation
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norms
 Movie Vs. Soap Opera pace

Soap
Mov
Ope
ie
ra

Main
Trac
k

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 Buildings in programming department

Process of Programming

Programming Scheduling Research Promo Marketing

Ideation Standards &

practices
(norms)

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 Production

Production is usually out source

Publicly owned studio
Production is highly costly
Location may vary based on the generic type
of the program
Production should meet the standards of the
market scenario
Budgeting wisely
Banking
properly
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 Marketing
Promo: Internal
Pop-ups
Websites
PR: Not treating
program as In different generic
Appearance opportunity:
product format
Cross-programming
Embedded Advertising:
Monitoring : Insuring the basic costs, receiving
script in advance, cosmetic change, ensure
enough stock of the program, banking
programs, introducing seasonality, feedback,
huge monitoring activity, etc

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 Research department

i. Research type
Pretesting
Pilot study
Post-testing
Study of the audience change of profile
Content
ii. Research area
Audience research
Information search

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 Scheduling: Introduction

TV & Radio: As a part of daily life (But for

cinema we spend a special time)
SO

TV & Radio scheduling should be in tune with

audience daily life

The expectation from TV or Radio may differ

from time to time, from culture to contex!

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 Scheduling: Primary considerations

A. Arrival and departure of the audience

B. Awareness about context, culture

C. Understanding of educational &

entertainment requirement

D. Time sensitivity

E. Creative / normative
expectation

F. Competition
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 In a nutshell

• Arrival & departure of the TG

Day parting
dynamics • Preferred creative appeal / genre /
utility of program at a given time

Strategic
plan • Competitors environment

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 WEEKDAYs slot division

Day Part Slot

Less Traffic 6 – 9 am Early morning

9 – 12 am Morning
Lean Period
12 – 4 pm Afternoon

‘A’ arrival 4 – 7 pm Late afternoon

7 – 8 pm Prime access

8 – 11 pm Prime time

11 – 12 pm Late night
‘A’ departure

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 Division of 18 hrs of a day

1. Drive Period

2. Lean Period

3. Access / prime Time

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 Quick Overview!

Quick facts of programming

Concepts relating to Programming
 Grazing
 Flipping
 Hunting
 Zapping
 Zipping

Scheduling strategies
 Tent-Polly
 Havocking
 Blocking
 Striping
 Counter – programming
 Blunting
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 Quick facts of programming

TV is reflection of our lifestyle

Programmer should consider seasonality:

Vacation, festivals, exam season, etc.

Prime time in weekdays is not valid for the

weekends

Entertainment program at weekends: Movies,

Sports

Event days

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 Programming Concepts:

Grazing

Starting TV viewing without intension, and

no specific program in mind
So

Settle down / graze in a particular

program
which attract the audience

More seen in children audience

Programming
Concepts

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 Flipping

Following the favorite program between two

channels

Maximum traffic in flipping behavior

Challenge

How to settle them

More seen in Women audience

Programming
Concepts

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 Hunting

More applicable in news channel

Flowing a story / developing issue in two /

or more rival channels

Most seen in Men audience

Programming
Concepts

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 Zapping

Jump from current channel to other one

Due to uncomfortable scene or ad

More seen in senior citizen audience

Programming
Concepts

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 Zipping

Quick movement across different channels

Cross generic channels

Programming
Concepts

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 Scheduling strategies:

Tent-Polling
Placing the Flagship / high TRP program
between the low TRP program
Flagship
Flagship High TRP
High TRP

RESU
Y
LT X

Prog. X Prog. Z
Prog. X Prog. Z
Low TRP Low TRP
Low TRP Low TRP

X>Y
Scheduling
strategy
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 Hammocking
Placing the low TRP program between the high
TRP programs

Low TRP Low TRP

Prog. Prog.
RESU
LT
X

Prog. X Prog. Z
High TRP High TRP Prog. X Prog. Z
High TRP High TRP

Scheduling
strategy
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 Blocking
Placing the high TRP programs one after the
other

Programs
High
TRP

Scheduling
strategy
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 Striping (Banding)
Based on the nature of human being that is habits

Scheduling the program same throughout the week

The care also should be taken not become monotonous

Day part M T W Th F Sat Su

7:00 – 7:30 x x x x x x
7:30 – 8:00 y y y y y y
8:00 – 8:30 z z z z z z Striping

8:30 – 9:00 a a a a a a
9:00 – 9:30 g g g g g g
9:30–10:00 c c d d f f Not
Striping

heduling
rategy
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 Counter – programming

In the context of channels with similar identity

Placing that treatment (program) at the

particular slot that is at the same slot with the
competitor

It can be generic diversity etc. from the

competitor

Scheduling
strategy
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 Blunting

More trick rather than strategy

Put the surprising program against the one of

the competitors

Not practice too much (once a while)

Scheduling
strategy
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 Bridging

The risk of shifting channel in break between

program

Back to back program to reduce this risk

Earlier Phenomenon:
Program x Break Program y

Today:
Way A: Program x Program y

Way B: Program x
Program y

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 Supersizing

Deliberate increase in the length of a

running program

Protecting program & nurture it till

it
become well established

Considering the competition

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 Theming

o Having special theming days (such as for a

holiday), or theme weeks such as Discovery
Channel's Shark Week.

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 Stacking

o 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)

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 Lead-In

Essentiality established as norm not more

of strategy

Motif coherence: Shifting from one day part

to another considering logic of continuity

Usually last program of the day part

should have conducive appeal / element
for the next slot

Creating environment for the next day

part

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 Cross programming

Cross programming involves the interconnection of

two shows. This is achieved by dragging a storyline
over two episodes of two different programs.

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 Hot switching

o In Hot switching, the programmers eliminate any

sort of commercial break when one program ends
and another begins

o This immediately hooks the audience into watching

the next program without a chance to change the
television channel between programs.

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 Sampling

At level of audience rather the producer

The chance / opportunity of audience to

watch first few episode of a program

In case of old program, the chance of being

watched by new audience

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 Over Exposure

Essentiality a reality of TV not purely as

strategy

Strategic call-off a program due to over

exposure

Strategic change of characters to avoid over

exposure

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 Challenges of future of programming

DTH and recording facilities

Shifting power to audience side

Distribution phenomenon: Remote / DTH

TRP is going to be challenged

TV dynamics is going to be change

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