Programming Theory Under Stress: The Active Industry and the Active Audience

Renewed stress on programming theory has inevitably resulted from escalating competition within the television industry, the audience’s increasing ease in choosing programs, and the inescapable threat posed by on-line entertainment services. This historical analysis shows how models of programming theory have been altered over the past 50 years, spurred by changing audience behaviors and industry programming strategies. The persistent theoretical concepts modified by new viewer-control technologies suggest likely directions for future programming research in the on-line era.

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