Pre-Production: Time Slot Research

Time Slot Research

After committing to Channel 4 and SBS my next step was to work out what time my show would be best broadcast. Having looked in to the channels regular broadcasting schedule and previous documentary series it was evident that there were two main slots available during which this type of programming would traditionally air. These being between 5 and 6 PM or between 9 and 10 PM.
To decide which would work best for my series there were a number of important factors to consider, the first being my audience. My primary audience was 16-30 year olds, so it was very important to consider their viewing habits. Although Ofcom states that a large proportion of young people still watch television it also shows that their viewing numbers are higher earlier in the evening then slowly start to drop off the later in to the night you go (as they switch to social media, or leave to go and eat dinner or go out for the night) not picking up again until after 10PM (which is pat our available allotted times for broadcast). So this was one factor that helped with the decision. Another factor that I considered is what my series would replace, being 6 episodes it is shorter than some other series on channel 4 and may struggle to stand in the place of some long running series that air late at night. As mentioned earlier 10PM is a popular time for documentaries on both channel 4 and SBS but this is also a popular time for some of the channels popular and long running reality shows which have a dedicated audience. As such it may struggle to attract viewers at this time who are expecting something quite particular. Where as the 5PM slot is usually occupied by shows like “Come Dine With Me” which although this is also a long running series it has a far more casual audience who come and go. Due to my series only being six episodes it could serve as an effective filler for the small end of season break that a show like this would take while it films new episodes. Picking up on the younger audience and the older casual audience who would be drawn in by this fresh new series. 

But before fully committing to the time slot I also looked at the viewing figures for each part of the evening to see if they backed up what I had found so far. Previous BBC and channel 4 shows that featured similar content such as stage school aired at around 5:00PM, receiving an average of 2.2 million views, and other channel 4 shows that normally air at this time like come dine with me receive just under 3 million views. Looking at shows that air after the watershed such as educating cardif, which receives between 2.5 to 3 million views (but from an older audience). As such to ensure we reach our target audience I think it is best to keep the show airing at 5:00 as we still have a consistent audience that can be reached at this time. Snce the shows target audience starts at 16 we don’t run the risk of loosing the younger end of our viewers, who are familiar with similar content airing at this time. We are also able to pick up on the “after school rush” when our age range of would have likely just arrived home from school collage or work and will sit down in the living room to be social and watch some light hearted but interesting TV. And even if they are late home they get another chance to watch it on +1 channels.