Week 6 : TV & Streaming

Birth of Commercial Broadcasting

Network Era

Post-Network Era

Digital Era

What are the four stages of TV evolution?

Birth of Broadcast TV

Broadcast model and networks grow out of radio

• RCA began pushing for TV’s debut as a commercial mass medium in the 1930s

• 2009: Digital standard adopted

  • High-definition broadcast images and sound quality

  • Requires less spectrum space

• Continuous battles over spectrum space

Free of Charge

Geographically divided and assigned market areas

Light on local programming

Licensed by FCC to broadcast on their specific channel in a specific market (PUBLIC INTEREST)

What are the characteristics of local stations

Broadcast Networks

_________ are key elements in TV’s broadcast model

Broadcast Networks

Own and operate a limited number of broadcast stations (O&Os)

• Each network puts together a lineup of TV programs delivered to a nationwide group of stations including the O&Os and affiliate stations

Affiliate Stations

An exclusive contractual relationship between a network and one local station

Multi-Cam Live

Non-Live Multi-Cam

Single-Camera

Sitcoms

What are original modes of production that are still used today?

Multi Cam Live

Used for time-sensitive events

Non-Live Multi-Cam

Used widely for afternoon and late-night talk shows, reality TV series , game shows, and soap operas

Single Camera

Standard mode for all dramas except daytime soap operas

Sitcoms

One of the only genres in which both modes of production have been used consistently

NBC

CBS

ABC

What were the Big Three broadcast networks?

Single-Sponsorship Model

Early television programs followed ____________ model

• Programs were developed, produced, and supported by a single sponsor; networks lacked creative control

Magazine-Sponsorship Model

Networks manage program development and sell spots to various sponsors

Quiz-Show Scandal

What led to the move toward magazine sponsorships in the 1950s?

Prime Time

The critical evening hours when viewing is highest

Appointment Viewing

The Big Three developed efficient ways of producing and distributing content, specifically creating structured full-day TV schedule ________

• Designed to make TV watching a habit

Anthology Dramas

Artistically significant plays written for television, featuring different characters and settings each week

• Networks abandoned these are they were complex and expensive to produce

Episodic Series

Networks focus on ________, a format in which the main characters remain the same from week to week

Chapter Shows

All story lines wrap up each week

Serial Programs

Story Lines continue across episodes

Hybrid Series

One plotline may wrap up, but other story arcs play out over several episodes or seasons

Cloning

Spin-off

Franchise

What are the stages in innovation-imitation-saturation cycle?

Cloning

Involves creating a new series by copying key features of an innovative and popular program

Spin-Off

When a character from a hit series become the lead in a new one

Franchise

When producers leverages the name recognition of a popular show to brand other series

Cultivation Theory

The independent contribution that television viewing makes to people’s conceptions of social reality

Television and Cultivation Theory

Television viewing influences how we perceive the world

TV creates consensus narratives and influences creation of mass nation

Mean World Syndrome

Generalized fear and distrust developed by heavy TV viewers

Community Antenna TV (CATV)

First cable system

• Originated where mountains or tall buildings blocked TV signals

• Advantages: Eliminated over-the-air interference and increased channel capacity

• Disadvantages: Expensive, violated idea that radio and TV should be free to the public

Must Carry Rules

Required cable operators to include all local TV broadcasts on their systems

Access Channels

Non-broadcast channels dedicated to local education, government, and the public

Electronic Publishing

The industry has the same publishing freedoms and legal protections as broadcast and print media

Cable Franchise

A contract awarded by a city or town, usually from a 15-year period

Basic Cable Channels

Channels include in less expensive cable packages usually including local broadcast stations and access channels

Premium Channels

Channels included in more expensive cable packages, often providing access to more recent Hollywood movies and original series, often without advertising

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS)

In the 1990s, cable and broadcast models faced competition from ___________, a system that transmits signals directly to a satellite dish at customers homes

Least Objectionable Programming (LOP)

A strategy aimed at attracting as big an audience as possible by not turning off any viewers

Narrowcasting

Providing specialized programming for diverse and fragmented groups

Quality Audience

The segment of viewers advertisers pay the most money to reach

• Broadcasters compete for the quality audience

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Massive overhaul of communications law that affected almost every aspect of US television industry

Multiplexing

Process that transmits multiple digital channels via a single channel or frequency

Linear TV

Broadcast TVs and cables traditional approach to content delivery, in which a show airs at a specific time

Time Shifting

Record programs to watch at convenience

On-Demand TV

Programs are made available to viewers to watch whenever they want

Video-on-demand (VOD)

Another name for streaming services

Place Shifting

The practice of assessing stored media from different locations

The ease of recall

People estimate the prevalence of a phenomenon based on ________ of such events

Content Delviery Services (CDS)

Companies whose business it is to gather and distribute TV content

Over-the-top (OTT) Media Services

Streaming sites that allow viewers to access TV content through an internet connection without having to go through broadcast, cable, or satellite providers

Cord Cutting

Consumers cutting the cord to expensive cable subscriptions in favor of a streaming subscription

Peak TV

The high amount of production in recent yeras; industry observers argue that it is not sustainable