I have been curious recently about the ins and
outs of how networks go about creating a marketing strategy for their shows. For
example, ABC has a multitude of shows from their TGIT lineup, to Blackish,
Castle, Dancing with the Stars, Nashville, Modern Family, and the Bachelor series.
And that’s just to name a few. So I decided to do some research.
It is extremely important to draw people into that
first hour. If you can get them to watch for the first hour, they are more likely
to stay in front of their TV for the following hours. On Wednesday, ABC’s
lineup consists of Modern Family, Black-ish, and Nashville back to back,
beginning at 8:00pm. On Thursday, ABC’s TGIT lineup begins with Greys Anatomy
and goes to Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. I looked back at ABC’s
twitter feed and saw that Modern Family and Greys Anatomy were the two
Wednesday/Thursday shows advertised last week.
Analyze your audience.
If your audience is mostly young people, you are more likely going to find TV
show promos on mediums where young people frequent, such as Instagram and
Twitter. In a world of Hulu and Netflix, it is important to get your audience
to the TV screen. Networks get ratings from those who watch their shows live.
Networks must find a way to generate that live audience when DVR, on-demand,
and other streaming services often seem like a more time effective option. One
thing that I have witnessed networks doing is making TV show watching more of
an experience. They secure viewers in that first hour and encourage them to
stay for the following hours through “viewing parties”. Some networks will even
send “viewing party kits” for their night of TV. This exponentially increases
their chance of maintaining the live audience for an entire night of
television.
All in
all, marketing for a TV show is no longer an easy game. It requires strategy,
careful thought, and collaboration. Networks have to choose wisely which shows
they heavily promote. It is much easier to maintain an already gained audience,
than to secure a brand new audience. So, do you market new shows or preexisting
ones? Is it possible to do both?
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