This document discusses several issues related to television broadcasting in the UK, including rating wars between broadcasters, the impact of new technologies and social media, and regulation. It provides details on how: 1) Rating wars occur between broadcasters like BBC and ITV as they compete for viewers by scheduling popular shows against each other. 2) New technologies and the rise of streaming have transformed television into an on-demand medium controlled by viewers rather than broadcasters, though this poses financial challenges. 3) Social media has enhanced television by allowing viewers to discuss shows online and access additional content, though it also influences how ratings are calculated. 4) The regulator Ofcom oversees television broadcasting through the Broadcasting Code and

1. Task 6
By Jack Kilminster

2. Introduction
• There are arrange of issues such as rating wars, social media
and technologies, taste and decency and regulations. These
issues revolve around the broadcasters of TV which include
companies like BBC and sky, the actual media the actual media
produced by these companies and the audiences that views the
media.
• The advent of digital age has brought about many questions
about the future of public service broadcasting in the UK. The
BBC has been criticized by some for expansionists and exceeding
its public service remit by providing content that could provided
by commercial broadcasters.

3. Rating Wars
• Rating wars is when 2 broadcasters compete to get
the highest amount of viewers watching their channels.
• Ratings are extremely important in a multi-channel,
competitive TV environment as commercial
broadcasters need high ratings to attract advertisers, to
attract subscribers and therefore to make a profit.
• On the other hand the BBC are heavily affected by
ratings because they need to know that people enjoy
their programs so that they know whether or not to
continue making them but also they are competing with
commercial broadcasters and want to have the best
public image in regards to ratings.
• Since the BBC is fined by the license fee, they can
afford to spend lots of money on specific programs
whereas commercial broadcasters have to earn they
money from advertising and investments and this is why
the BBC wants to keep the license fee going.
• The most common example of this is ITV &BBC when
X factor and doctor who were on at the same time and
Britain's got talent clashes with strictly come dancing.

4. Technology
• The television business has changed from provider-driven to consumer-driven. For
broadcasters and operators – who used to decide whether content lived or died — the
internet has proven to be a most disruptive development, looming menacingly over their
profit stream. The internet is changing the TV business forever.
• These changes affect the definition of TV itself; what do we really mean by television?
It used to refer to a cabinet-like device, with scheduled programming on a small number
of broadcast channels. It became cable, satellite and internet television (IPTV) with
hundreds of channels. Today, viewers can watch football, drama, news and the latest cat
video at will, sometimes simultaneously with their tablet or smartphones showing you
how much and quickly technology has developed.
• Viewers are in control, creating personal playlists while digital recorders, applications
and TV web sites accommodate binge-watching. Commentary moves immediately to
social media, not to a weekly TV Guide or the daily newspaper. YouTube and commercial
content intermingle. This has been happening for years, but the TV industry is only
starting to respond to its challenges.
• more than 10% of TV programs were watched on a time-shifted basis last year
according to Think Box, which is an all time record.
• With all these changes to technology and social media has enabled TV advertising to
grow and it is expected that advertising online will grow more than 20% this which is a
beneficial aspects of social media for TV industry.
• Also with constant upgrades to the sky and virgin digital recorders, broadcasters have
realized that the majority of the household users record then watch their programs as it
allows them to skip the adverts. This could cause massive issues for the broadcasters as
advertisers are paying lots of money for the broadcasters to air the advert, but with
many skipping the adverts its not allowing the message to go through. Causing box
providers to have to come up with new ways to get people to watch the adverts, like on
demand which basically forces the viewers to watch the adverts for a certain amount of
time.

5. Social media
Originally, analysts predicted that the rise in Internet usage would decrease the
amount of time people spent watching TV. However, Analysts now says that this
didn’t turn out to be the case. The Internet and social media have actually enhanced
TV viewing in many ways without negatively affecting its popularity as a pastime.
Analysts in the US sent surveys out in the mail to a random statistical sampling of
people around the U.S. asking about the television shows they liked and watched.
Then, TV ratings were determined by the results. This method is still used by Analysts
today, but the Internet and social media also have an influence on TV ratings. For
instance, companies can compare the average number of fans on Facebook, YouTube,
and Twitter to see if a television show is popular. Some of the surveys can also be
completed and turned in online.
Another huge advantage to the Internet and social media is that people never have
to worry about missing their favourite TV show because it’s available online for a
short period of time after the initial airing on TV. However, many televisions networks
are now requiring people to login through their TV provider before streaming. This is
very new territory for networks and cable providers and the rules for content
distribution are still being disputed. Traditionally, cable TV has always been regulated
by the FCC to keep certain companies from becoming monopolies in the
marketplace. This means that broadcasters are required to pay for the rights to carry
Cable signals and distribute content. However, these acts were created before
Internet streaming technologies and have since come into question by new business
models like Netflix.
Hashtags on Twitter Enable Conversations About Television Shows -Twitter has
changed television, too. It isn’t as popular as Facebook, but it still has nearly 200
million users. Television networks are taking advantage of this large market to engage
with their fans. For instance, many television shows now display hashtags in the
bottom corner of the screen during shows so fans can easily get on twitter and see
what others are saying about the show, chiming in themselves.

6. Social media
• Anyone can search these hashtags on Twitter and follow along, even if they don’t
want to participate in the conversation. There was even a Twitter campaign lead by
die-hard Chuck fans who tried to stop the show from being cancelled by talking about
it on Twitter.
• Facebook Provides Additional Information to Fans - Twitter isn’t the only social
network that has changed television. Most television shows also have a Facebook
page where fans can read up on the latest episodes, learn more about the actors, and
enter to win prizes related to the show. This keeps fans more interested in the show.
Many television shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, even show sneak-peak videos
through Facebook to get fans excited about upcoming episodes. Facebook is a great
way for networks to promote their shows because when someone likes a page on
Facebook, all the friends in his or her network are notified. This encourages even
more people to visit the television show’s page and also become fans. This means
social media is now crucial to promoting new television shows. You will find every
single popular television show on Facebook.
• YouTube Turns Commercials into Viral Videos - Television has always had commercials,
but social media and the Internet have changed the way they’re presented. For
instance, companies are always trying to come up with commercials that’ll turn into
viral videos on YouTube. This is a great advertising strategy because it gets people to
remember a show more. Another trend is for commercials to invite viewers to
connect with them on social networks. The goal of commercials is no longer just to
advertise products. It’s to create a loyal fan base on social media, too.
• As you can see, social media and the Internet have had a significant impact on
television. In general, television shows want to engage with their fans as much as
possible to gain a more loyal audience and this is made possible through social media.

7. Regulation(Ofcom)
• Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK. they regulate the TV, radio and video-on-demand
sectors, fixed-line telecoms (phones), mobiles and postal services, plus the airwaves over which
wireless devices operate. they make sure that people in the UK get the best from their
communications services and are protected from scams and sharp practices, while ensuring that
competition can thrive.
• they operate under a number of Acts of Parliament, including in particular the Communications Act
2003. We must act within the powers and duties set for it by Parliament in legislation. The
Communications Act says that Ofcom’s principal duty is to further the interests of citizens and of
consumers, where appropriate by promoting competition. Accountable to Parliament, they set and
enforce regulatory rules for the sectors for which we have responsibility. They also have powers to
enforce competition law in those sectors, alongside the Competition and Markets Authority. is
funded by fees from industry for regulating broadcasting and communications networks, and grant-
in-aid from the Government.
• The watershed means the time when TV programmes which might be unsuitable for children can be
broadcast. Protecting children from harmful material on TV and radio is one of Ofcom’s most
important duties. Their Broadcasting Code sets standards for television and radio shows and
broadcasters must follow its rules. There are strict rules about what can be shown on TV before the
9pm watershed. We deal with most content on television, radio and video on demand services.
Ofcom also regulates BBC content (except the BBC World Service) Also Most types of broadcast
advertising are handled on our behalf by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

8. Our rules for television and radio
programmes are set out in the
Broadcasting Code. The rules in
the Broadcasting Code also apply
to the BBC iPlayer.
This code is the rule book that
broadcasters have to follow and it
covers a number of areas,
including:
protecting the under-eighteens:
for example from offensive
language, sexual material and
violence through appropriate
scheduling, including the
watershed on TV;
harm and offence: for example
protecting the audience from the
use of offensive language and the
portrayal of sex and violence
which is not justified by the
context of the programme;
crime, disorder, hatred and abuse:
ensuring that programmes do not
incite crime, include hate speech
which is not justified by the
context of the programme, or
reward criminality;
religion: dealing with the proper
treatment of religious beliefs and
the protection of vulnerable
audience members from
exploitation;
news and current affairs:
maintaining due accuracy in news
and due impartiality in news and
current affairs;
elections and referendums: during
which there are specific rules
about treating candidates fairly;
fairness: ensuring that individuals
and organisations are not treated
unfairly in a programme;
privacy: ensuring that the privacy
of individuals and organisations is
not unwarrantably infringed
during the making of, or within, a
programme;
Ofcom Rules

9. Ofcom Rules
references to brands on television: for
example rules to make sure that
programmes don't become like
adverts by promoting products and
brands, such as rules governing
programme sponsorship and product
placement (where a brand has paid to
be included in a programme); and
references to brands on radio: to
ensure that listeners know when a
brand has paid to be included in radio
programming.
To help ensure that broadcasters
follow the rules in the Broadcasting
Code, we publish detailed guidance
for broadcasters on what the rules
mean and how we apply them.
The Advertising Standards Authority
(ASA) handles complaints about most
types of broadcast advertising on our
behalf and enforces rules in the BCAP
Code: the UK Code of Broadcast
Advertising. However, there are some
areas of that Code which Ofcom
enforces. These include:
the prohibition on 'political'
advertising which promotes a political
cause or point of view;
sponsorship and product placement
on television and all commercial
communications in radio
programming; and
interactive television services using
premium rate telephone lines or text
messages, for example psychic and
chat channels.

10. Audience effect theories
Moral Panic occurs when someone or something is defined by the media as a threat to the values or
interests of society. The key moral panic theorist is Stanley Cohen. Cohen suggested in his 1972 book
‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ that a moral panic occurs when “condition, episode, person or group of
people emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests”.
Stanley Cohen believes the media play an important role in enforcing moral panic, even by just
reporting the news.
In Cohen’s view the media overreact or sensationalise aspects of behaviour which challenge social
norms. The media’s representation therefore then helps to define it, which can then lead to outsiders
adopting and observing the behaviour based on the model they see in the media. The moral panic
depicted by the media fuels further unacceptable behaviour.
In extreme cases moral panic creates mass hysteria within society. The general public start to believe
whatever is being reported on is occurring everywhere in society.
Cohen defined his five stages of moral panic as:
• 1. Something or someone is defined as a threat to values or interests
• 2. This threat is depicted in an easily recognisable form by the media
• 3. There is a rapid build-up of public concern
• 4. There is a response from authorities or opinion makers
• 5. The panic recedes or results in social changes

11. Moral panic example
• In the 1980s, parents around the country were gripped by an
overpowering fear that their local preschool was actually a
haven for vicious sexual abuse, driven by a Satanist agenda and
brought to light only when children's memories were
"recovered."
Not a word of it was real. The "Satanic Panic" of the '80s was a
baseless fear of devil worship and Occult rituals, sparked almost
entirely by ratings-hungry media and well-intentioned, but totally
misguided parents. The allegations made by children involved in
the "sex abuse" were absurd, and usually fueled by leading
questions, while based on bogus scientific notions of "recovered
memories" and logic-defying claims like teachers flying through
the air. There was no compelling evidence to support any of them.

12. Audience effect theories
• Another theory that states how the media effects the public is the Encoding
/ Decoding Theory thought of in 1980 by Stuart Hall. Stuart Hall’s Encoding /
Decoding Theory suggests that audience derive their own meaning from
media texts. These meanings can be dominant, negotiated or oppositional.
The Encoding / Decoding Theory is a theory of communication which suggests
audiences actively read media texts and don’t just accept them passively. They
interpret the media text according to their own cultural background and
experiences. In his Encoding / Decoding theory, Hall suggested that media texts
are read in three main ways. A dominant or preferred reading of the text is the
way that its creators want an audience to understand and respond to it. An
oppositional reading of the text is when an audience completely rejects the
message. A negotiated reading is when the audience interprets the text in their
own unique way, which might not be the way its producer intended.

13. Encoding
and
decoding
example

14. Uses and Gratifications Theory
Uses and Gratifications theory as developed by Bulmer and Katz suggests that media users play
an active role in choosing and using the media. Bulmer and Katz believed that the user seeks out
the media source that best fulfils their needs.
• The uses and gratifications theory assumes the audience chooses what it wants to watch for
five different reasons.
• Information and Education – the viewer wants to acquire information, knowledge and
understanding by watching programmes like The News or Documentaries.
• Entertainment – Viewers watch programmes for enjoyment.
• Personal Identity - Viewers can recognise a person or product, role models that reflect similar
values to themselves and mimic or copy some of their characteristics.
• Integration and social interaction – the ability for media products to produce a topic of
conversation between people. For example who is the best contestant on The X-factor who
which was the best goal shown on Match of the day.
• Escapism – Computer games and action films let viewers escape their real lives and imagine
themselves in those situations

15. Uses and gratification theory example