The Research On TV Ratings And Program Scheduling

Following the reform of TV industry, the basic module, TV viewers'watching habit and the existing environment of Chinese domestic TV have greatly changed. As TV ratings have come to affect TV commercials income, they are considered to be a fixed index of evaluating the effectiveness of TV viewers'habit. Firstly, this paper will explain the concept of TV ratings based on related theories, such as Journalism, Communications, Economics and Psychology; and list the functions and effects of TV ratings on the management of TV station. Secondly, this paper sums up the research method and analytic steps of TV ratings, using examples to research on how TV ratings affects the program scheduling, and on how to make proper programming strategies in different situations. Thirdly, this paper sums up four periods of program scheduling followed by the change of viewers'market and TV industry. The first period started from 1985-1990, when the program scheduling lack marketing awareness; the second period started from 1991-2000, when the program scheduling was to satisfy the need of market; the third period started from 2001-2004, when the program scheduling was considering the satisfaction of viewers; the forth period started from the year 2005, when the program scheduling began to aim at developing TV viewers'faith. We can see clearly the trend and change between audience, market and program scheduling. From microcosmic, this paper researches its concepts and theories of TV ratings, and sums up the new methods of how to research on the program scheduling, in order to establish the best and most effective way to make program scheduling in terms of time, viewers and media environment resources. From macroscopic, this paper focuses on program scheduling in different periods throughout the changes of TV market and viewers'market. This paper also use the example of Dongguan TV station, a city TV station in Guangdong province, to analyze how TV Ratings are used in its management, and to prove TV ratings useful and important in program scheduling and station management .