Practice exam question - TV Audiences
Explore the different ways your three main texts target their audiences. (30 Marks)
This essay will explore the different ways in which my three main texts target and attract an audience. The three main texts I will be focusing on are: Coronation Street, I'm a Celebrity.. Get Me Out Of Here and Sky Sports Coverage of football (SNF - Saturday Night Football).
My three main texts targets their audiences in many different ways. One way in which audiences are targeted is through the style, tone, content, language and mode of address:
- Coronation Street:
This essay will explore the different ways in which my three main texts target and attract an audience. The three main texts I will be focusing on are: Coronation Street, I'm a Celebrity.. Get Me Out Of Here and Sky Sports Coverage of football (SNF - Saturday Night Football).
My three main texts targets their audiences in many different ways. One way in which audiences are targeted is through the style, tone, content, language and mode of address:
- Coronation Street:
- Style/Tone/Language: Informal and formal. Chatty style, set and based in the city of Manchester, use formal language with some aspects of slang.
- Content: The programme Coronation street offers "comfortable reassurance", giving the audience what they would usually expect from a soap/episode (what is typical of the genre), whilst overtime also creating new story lines and characters but also follows the same style of language, setting, mode of address and mise-en-scene every episode.
- Style/Tone/Language: Chatty style - Ant and Dec are informal and friendly towards contestants and the audience at home, as stars of other British family TV shows Ant and Dec are well known and appreciated by most of the British audience.
- Content: The programme I'm a celeb offers "comfortable reassurance", giving the audience what they would usually expect from trials (what is typical of the shows yearly features), whilst also giving the audience something new (new celebrities, trials and challenges)
- Style/Tone/Language: Formal but chatty style. The commentators allow an insight into the happenings of the match but do so in a chatty, understandable manner.
- Content: The programme SNF offers "comfortable reassurance", giving the audience what they would usually expect from matches (what is typical of the shows genre), whilst also giving the audience something new (different team matches, changes in what the spectator discusses and sometimes new players)
Another way in which my main texts target their audience is through the advertising, in which my three main texts have created advertising which is most appropriate and suited to the target audience:
- Coronation street: Trailers are shown throughout the year, they are especially shown when specials are due to be aired (a big story line begins/ends, or for christmas specials). One example of this is when a storyline involving the characters David, Kylie, Sarah and Callum was about to kick off. The trailer 'Nowhere Left To Run' shows the David, Kylie and Sarah running away from Callum, this showing enigmas of what was going to happen next as the trailer finished on a cliffhanger.
- I'm a Celebrity: Trailers and teasers are used before the show is aired and between episodes to advertise and tease for what may be featured in the episode.
- Saturday Night Football: Trailers to advertise the upcoming match and the channel it will be aired on, as well as advertisements for the features that it offers.
Another way in which my main texts target their audience is through the scheduling, by showing the programme at the most appropriate time:
- Coronation Street: This programme uses various different scheduling strategies, including Dayparting: This is where the day is divided into parts depending on its audience. This is used with ITV when showing Coronation street. As the show has a family target audience the programme is shown in the evening, which is most appropriate for family/adult viewing.
Hammocking: this is where a less popular show (The Kyle files) is placed between two popular shows/episodes (Coronation street).
Counterprogramming: This is where ITV will sacrifice a big audience by airing a less popular show on between Coronation street, by showing Eastenders on BBC One in hope that the audience will return for the second episode.
Stacking: Placing two programmes after each other which have a similar target audience (Emmerdale and Coronation Street appear after each other)
- I'm a Celebrity: This programme uses tent-poling by putting a popular show (I'm a celeb) between two less popular shows (Celebrating the Carpenters and ITV news at Ten). The show also uses bridging/ratings war with Waterloo road and Top Gear over running as I'm a Celebrity starts (especially waterloo road as both that and I'm a celeb are targeting a similar audience). The show is broadcasted towards the end of the year (usually around November), at 9pm until 10pm.
- Saturday Night Football: This channel/programme uses stacking, by placing a show (SNF) which have a very similar target audience together to minimise the chances of switching over.
Finally, another way in which my main texts target their audience is through the audience participation and placement. This shows how the audience can interact with a programme and how they are placed whilst viewing
- Coronation Street: This uses indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching the show. Because coronation street is a soap drama that isn't real, the audience is just simply shown for the acting, they are not directly addressed by the characters. The show doesn't offer many features of interactivity, except occasionally the audience can get involved by voting for the outcome fro an up and coming storyline.
- I'm a Celebrity: This uses direct address by the two hosts (Ant and Dec) presenting the show directly to its audience watching, along with the POV from the camp mates as through you were actually there. It also shows aspects of Indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching challenges and trials take place. The show also offers interactivity through voting for celebrities to take part in trials along with highlights from the show available and an I'm a celeb app.
- Saturday Night Football: This uses indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching the match take place. The commentator allows an insight into what is taking place, but the audience isn't directly addressed. The show also offers interactivity by features of highlights from other matches, spectators, action replays and the positioning of the cameras on the pitch
Overall this essay has shown and explored the different ways in which my three main texts target and attract their audience. This shows that an audience can be targeted in various different ways, focusing on the programmes content and language, schedule and audience interaction.
- Coronation street: Trailers are shown throughout the year, they are especially shown when specials are due to be aired (a big story line begins/ends, or for christmas specials). One example of this is when a storyline involving the characters David, Kylie, Sarah and Callum was about to kick off. The trailer 'Nowhere Left To Run' shows the David, Kylie and Sarah running away from Callum, this showing enigmas of what was going to happen next as the trailer finished on a cliffhanger.
- I'm a Celebrity: Trailers and teasers are used before the show is aired and between episodes to advertise and tease for what may be featured in the episode.
- Saturday Night Football: Trailers to advertise the upcoming match and the channel it will be aired on, as well as advertisements for the features that it offers.
Another way in which my main texts target their audience is through the scheduling, by showing the programme at the most appropriate time:
- Coronation Street: This programme uses various different scheduling strategies, including Dayparting: This is where the day is divided into parts depending on its audience. This is used with ITV when showing Coronation street. As the show has a family target audience the programme is shown in the evening, which is most appropriate for family/adult viewing.
Hammocking: this is where a less popular show (The Kyle files) is placed between two popular shows/episodes (Coronation street).
Counterprogramming: This is where ITV will sacrifice a big audience by airing a less popular show on between Coronation street, by showing Eastenders on BBC One in hope that the audience will return for the second episode.
Stacking: Placing two programmes after each other which have a similar target audience (Emmerdale and Coronation Street appear after each other)
- Saturday Night Football: This channel/programme uses stacking, by placing a show (SNF) which have a very similar target audience together to minimise the chances of switching over.
Finally, another way in which my main texts target their audience is through the audience participation and placement. This shows how the audience can interact with a programme and how they are placed whilst viewing
- Coronation Street: This uses indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching the show. Because coronation street is a soap drama that isn't real, the audience is just simply shown for the acting, they are not directly addressed by the characters. The show doesn't offer many features of interactivity, except occasionally the audience can get involved by voting for the outcome fro an up and coming storyline.
- I'm a Celebrity: This uses direct address by the two hosts (Ant and Dec) presenting the show directly to its audience watching, along with the POV from the camp mates as through you were actually there. It also shows aspects of Indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching challenges and trials take place. The show also offers interactivity through voting for celebrities to take part in trials along with highlights from the show available and an I'm a celeb app.
- Saturday Night Football: This uses indirect address/spectator by the audience just simply watching the match take place. The commentator allows an insight into what is taking place, but the audience isn't directly addressed. The show also offers interactivity by features of highlights from other matches, spectators, action replays and the positioning of the cameras on the pitch
Overall this essay has shown and explored the different ways in which my three main texts target and attract their audience. This shows that an audience can be targeted in various different ways, focusing on the programmes content and language, schedule and audience interaction.
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