TV Scheduling

The schedule for each day can be broken down into clear segments. These segments are:

Daytime
Evening
Post-watershed

The target audience for these segments is as follows:

Daytime:

BBC1 - older target audience, e.g. Homes Under Hammer
BBC2 - Both young children and adults e.g. CBeebies for young children and Open Gardens for adults
ITV1 - Housewives/women, e.g. Loose Women
Channel 4 - Young adults, e.g. Friends
Channel 5 - Both adults and children, e.g. Milkshake for children and House Doctor for adults.

Evening and Post Watershed:

BBC1 - Young/older adults e.g. Eastenders
BBC2 - Adults e.g. Culture Show Special
ITV1 - Adults e.g Emmerdale
Channel 4 - Young adults e.g. The Simpsons
Channel 5 - Adults e.g. RoboCop 2 targeted at adults because it contains violence

The target audiences for each of the terrestrial channels:

BBC1 - Adults e.g. The One Show
BBC2 - Mixture e.g CBBC and Mock The Week
ITV1 - Adults with more of an aim to women e.g. 60 Minute Makeover
Channel 4 - Younger Adults e.g. The Simpsons, Hollyoaks and Friends
Channel 5 -Mixture e.g Home and Away and RoboCop 2

The estimated percentage of each channel's shedules which are taken up with repeats:

BBC1 - 12%
BBC2 - 10%
ITV1 - 5%
Channel 4 - 10%
Channel 5 - 15%

There is a small percentage of repeats on each of the channels which may be done in order to make more people watch the specific programme's at that set time, leading to a bigger audience.

Channels 4 and 5 have more imported programmes in their schedules. On Channel 4 there is Desperate Housewives and on Channel 5 there is Neighbours, Home and Away and CSI Miami.


The term Watershed is the name given to television programmes which are shown after 9 O'clock because the programmes that are shown arent suitable for younger people. For example on ITV1 Grandma's House is shown at 10 O'clock which is after the watershed showing it may contain bad images or contain adult humour.


Sheduling Theory


• TV companies want to reach the right audience for a particular programme.
• Inheritance - scheduling a programme after a popular programme in order to inherit some of it's audience.
• Pre-echo - Scheduling a programme before a popular programme, hoping viewers will tune in early and enjoy the previous programme.
• Hammocking - a programme is scheduled inbetween two popular programmes. Remote controls have an imact on this. Satellite, cable and freeview audiences have a much more active role in their television experience then they used to, can create their own TV schedules. Also with Sky+ audiences can pause live TV.
• Watershed - The watershed is after 9 O'clock, after which programmes contain stronger language, sexual scenes, violence, drugs and alcohol.
• Narrowcasting - this is another example of scheduling, it gives the audience specific choice and stops them using their remote control. Examples of TV programmes which do this are The Disney Channel, Wedding TV, Nickelodeon, Living and many more