Keeping Them and Moving Them

Abstract

The article explores television scheduling in the phase of proliferation, a period following phases of monopoly and competition, characterized by a drastic multiplication of content, television channels, and new platforms. Based on interviews with professionals involved in scheduling and cross-platform promotion at Norway’s four main broadcasters, a sample study of actual cross-platform promotion, and relevant statistics for the Norwegian TV market, the article explores changes in scheduling with a particular focus on the distinction between commercial and public service television. The transformations in scheduling are addressed in relation to the broader question of how television is developing in the “post-network” era. The article argues that contrary to claims that scheduling has become obsolete, analyses show that it continues to be a central craft within the television industry, one responding actively to times of change, revising its tools and developing new ones.