Strands and Slots

• Film
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

 Strand & Slots

Defining 'Strand'

Similar to 'theme' or 'Genre' a 'Strand' is the type of content on a  channel, broadcaster or VOD platform.

For example: News/Factual, Crime, Horror, Drama, Children's, Sport etc 

www.channel4.com

Give me 2 examples of a TV or VOD 'Strand'. Tip: use examples of content.

TV 'Slot'

• A slot is the time that a programme will be aired.
• This builds audience habits and also targets audiences with advertisements. 
• As we are aware, streaming services are changing when we can watch programmes. 
• You may have a TV show that airs at a particular time 'slot', some have for years. 

Prime Time

• This is the time when most people watch television and when the most popular programmes are scheduled.

• It is usually thought to be between about 7p.m.–9.30p.m. although the main family viewing time is 7p.m.–8p.m.

• The most expensive advertising time slot is during The X Factor finals when 30 seconds costs around £200,000.

Both Asda and John Lewis have used this time slot to premiere their Christmas campaigns

Guinness and Chanel have produced some of the most expensive adverts of all time.

In 2007, the Guinness advert entitled Tipping Point cost £10 million.

The most expensive advert ever made was produced by Chanel, and directed by Baz Luhrmann, for Chanel No. 5. Featuring Nicole Kidman, it was two minutes long and cost an estimated £18 million.

THE WATERSHED

This is after 9p.m. The suggestion is that the programmes
scheduled after this time will not be suitable for younger children. 

Individual channels have the responsibility for deciding which programmes appear before or after the watershed.

www.ofcom.org.uk

ZONING

 This is where part of the daily schedule is devoted to a particular genre. For example, Channel 5 zones American crime dramas like CSI Miami.

The hope is that fans of the genre will stay with the channel to watch all the programmes in the ‘zone’.

STRIPPING 

This is where a particular programme is scheduled at the same

time every day. Good examples of this are soap operas like EastEnders and

Coronation Street whose scheduling time rarely changes.

 Loyal viewers of these soaps like the regularity of the scheduling and are more likely to watch the programme when it is scheduled rather than catch up later.

TWO-PARTERS 

This is where a television drama is scheduled over two nights,

usually Sunday and Monday. 

This is to encourage the audience to watch that

channel for both nights.

ASA/CAP REGULATION

In the UK, advertising across all media is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

It is the ASA’s role to ensure that all advertisements comply with the Advertising Codes, written by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).

The ASA act on complaints and proactively check the media to ensure there are no advertisements that are misleading, harmful or offensive.

For example, the ASA banned an advert by Yves Saint Laurent, in the UK edition of Elle Magazine, for the use of an unhealthily underweight model.

The advert was banned because it was believed to be irresponsible and harmful to women's health and body image.

www.asa.org.uk

Case Study: Experimental release of 'Its a Sin' Channel 4 & All4

It's a Sin: 

Normally a TV Series would be transmitted on linear TV and would see a gradual decline in viewers with some pick up on VOD. 

Producers of it's a sin aired the first episode live and then promoted box-set viewing on All4. 

2/3rds of the episode 5 audience watched it before

transmission date, and 88% of these pre broadcast viewers watched on All4 via the big screen in the corner of the room. 

Changing Audience Patterns.

'Classic scheduling behaviours have been

based on traditional working patterns

and commuting times, which have set the

moments and rhythms of people’s days

and therefore the ebb and flow of the TV

schedules. With new patterns of working,

that's going to change, and we expect to see

that coming through in the BARB data.' - 

BARB June 2021 (Broadcasters Audience Research Board) 

www.barb.co.uk