TV Audiences

It can be argued that the main purpose of commercial television is to provide a link between audiences and advertisers. It is certainly true that without the income generated by commericals, television as we know it would not exist - TV is too expensive a medium to be funded purely from satellite subscriptions or tv licence fees.

That said, the practice of measuring TV audiences needs to be an accurate one, as the advertisers buying broadcast space need to know who is watching and if the audience for a particular TV programme is also the target market for their product. Therefore the TV ratings that you read about, which lead to weekly top 10s, aren't just there to congratulate TV producers on their success - they are a sales pitch to advertisers, who will pay a premium price for commercial slots in the top rated shows. Needless to say, a show which slips in the ratings will not command much money for slots, and is often axed in favour of a more profitable option.

However, this does not mean that television should simply offer top rated talent shows and soap operas. Television, as a medium of mass communication, broadcasts a wide range of programming which is designed to appeal to a wide ranging audience - thus delivering different groups of people to the advertisers at different times of the day. Broadcasters can't please everybody all of the time, and they have to find a way of providing a variety of programmes so that, at some point, most people will be able to watch something that interests them.

In countries where the state provides a television service, there are regulations to ensure that a wide range of audience needs are met. Therefore state TV broadcasters have to provide a minimum amount of educational, religious and news programmes. Some countries also have quotas to ensure that a certain amount of locally produced programmes are broadcast. Imported programmes are usually cheaper than homegrown ones, but are less popular with audiences. Local programmes also provide employment for the local TV industry, and have significant cultural value.

Who Watches? And How Do They Know?

Knowing who is watching at any particular time is essential for any TV station. They need to know what their audience share is (ie the proportion of people watching all TV stations in that area at that time who are tuned in to them) and they need to know the demographics of that audience in order to sell advertising space. The content of the shows will also give them key psychographic information.

Find out more about measuring TV audiences at

You can find US TV Ratings here, UK ones here and Canadian here.

Broad vs. Narrowcasting

Cable television, because it offers so many different channels, is an example of narrow rather than broadcasting. Cable TV segments its audiences by interest, and offers programming of a limited type on each channel. Therefore one channel may show nothing but sport, another nothing but documentaries. With the advent of digital TV there are many more specialist channels available to audiences - over 500 in America! The future of television is probably in narrow rather than broadcasting, as audiences become very selective about what they watch and when they watch it. Devices such as TiVO mean that you can watch what you want, rather than just watching what is on at the time. It's all about consumer choice.

Read more about narrowcasting here.

The Truman Show

This 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey deals with the life of insurance salesman Truman Burbank, who discovers that his whole life is a made-for-TV event, designed for maximum audience appeal - and therefore maximum advertising revenue. It is supposedly the ultimate reality TV show, but the narrative of the movie exposes how contrived that reality is. Every nuance of Truman's life - from the people who pass him in the street in the morning, to the nostalgic 1950s feel of his hometown Seahaven - is carefully contrived to promote a whole range of products to the audience. The movie follows the 30 year old Truman through his gradual realisation that almost every move he makes is part of a carefully choreographed product placement dance.

You will be using the information from clips of The Truman Show in order to answer the following questions:

1. Why did Christof create The Truman Show?
2. How important are the audience to Christof’s plans for Truman? How do they help create the Truman phenomenon?
3. What are the key aspects of The Truman Show which attract advertisers? Why would they want their products to be placed in this show?

What do YOU think about product placement? Is it an good way of demonstrating products without interrupting the narrative for the inconvenience of a commercial break? Or is it an insidious way of brainwashing consumers into buying goods so they can be like the stars they admire?

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