Sports & Entertainment Marketing
Marketing Introduction: Television Market Analysis

Directions: Research an approved prime-time television show. Watch the show (It might be helpful to tape the show to complete this project). Answer the questions with well-thought out responses.

1. Name of Television Show
2. Network
3. Day of Week
4. Time
5. Name of show on before this show (the lead-in)
6. Name of the show after this show
7. Names of shows in the same time slot but on other networks
8. Type of show (comedy/drama)
9. Main cast members
10. Rating of the show (TV-G, etc.)
11. While you watch the television show, list the names of ALL the products advertised during the show
12. Describe the plot of the episode watched
13. Research what the critics say about the show. Be sure to use proper annotation (name of person, name of publication, date, and page number)!
14. Research how much money a company will have to pay for a 30-second commercial, to run during the show.
15. Having watched the episode, give your opinion as to whether the show will last through the complete television year or not. Give at least three reasons why or why not.
16. Now that you have watched this show, are there other shows that are similar to it on television? How are they similar? Example: characters, plot, etc.)
17. Using clues from advertisers and the content of the show, describe the target market for this show. List at least 8 different characteristics (age, gender, education, hobbies, likes, etc.).
18. Research the television audience ratings for your week. Remember that this number records how many people actually watched the television show. Write down the rating number that the show received. Tell how it ranked among the television shows.
19. Now compare the rating the show received and the reviews of the critics. Do you feel that the publicity received about the show helped or hurt the ratings? Why or why not?

BONUS POINTS
Find an advertisement for your television show. It might be in a magazine at home or off a web site. Attach your findings to your report.

****Turn in your responses on your own paper in a neat fashion. Please label each
section. Give as much detail as possible to ensure an "A" grade!

---

Sports & Entertainment Marketing
Rating Sheet: Television Analysis

Neatness/organization (10 points)
Is everything neat, legible, with no stray marks, rips or tears?
Is everything spelled correctly, with no grammar or punctuation marks?
Is every section clearly labeled?

Content (70 points)
Are all questions answered with appropriate detail?
Are thoughts complete, sentences well thought out?
Is there a good use or marketing vocabulary?

Evidence of Effort (10 points)
Did the student go beyond the minimum to complete the assignment?
Did the student use time given in class wisely?
Was there a use of resources?

Bibliography (10 points)
Is proper annotation of resources used?
Is there a list of resources used, including author name, publication name, article name, date, and page number?

Total Points

Bonus Points for Advertisements

Final Grade

Comments:

---

EXAMPLE

Name of Television Show: "ER"

Network: NBC

Day of Week: Thursday

Time: 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Name of show on before: "Veronica's Closet"

Name of show on after: "Channel 4News at 11 00,'

Name of shows in the same time period but on other networks: "20/20"-ABC, "48 hours" - CBS

Type of Show: Drama

Main cast members: George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Juliana Margulies, Anthony
Edwards

Rating of show: TV-PG

Names of ALL products advertised:
Levi's
"The Game"(movie)
Red Lobster
Unum Insurance
"The Edge"(movie)
Coca-Cola
Pentium Processing-Intel
Volkswagen
Docker's Kakis
NBC Movie-"Cloned"
Mercedes
"The Peacemaker"(movie)
NBC Movie-"Just Cause"
NBC "Dateline"
NBC "News4 at 11:00"
The Washington Post
"7 Years in Tibet"(movie)
Dentyne Ice-gum
U.S. Postal Service
Delta Air Lines
CK be
Ford
NBC "Tonight Show"
NBC "Saturday Night Live"
NBC "Suddenly Susan"
NBC "Fired Up"
NBC "Caroline"
NBC 'Naked Truth"
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Lysol Disinfectant
Cool Mint Listerine
To Order Tape of ER Live"
'News4 at 11.00"
On Next "ER"

Plot of the Episode Watched
The premise of the show was that a camera crew had invaded the emergency room and was shooting a documentary for PBS. Dr. Carter had decided to come back to the ER from surgery, but discovers that he is an intern not a resident. He ends up being held responsible for the death of a patient because he doesn't call a resident to help him. Dr. Greene got angry with the T.V. crew for asking him about the fight he got in conjunction with violence in the community.

Cost to run a 30 second commercial on the show
$560,000 according to Advertising Age
$470,000 according to Variety

Critical Response
The Washington Post staff writer, Tom Shales, claims the season opener of "ER", entitled "Ambush", was "among the most nerve-racking" and that it recaptured "some of the old excitement and lurking danger." He said, "in almost every respect it worked,... nobody did blow any lines." He predicts a great new season, closing by saying, "They (the actors) deserve to take one (a bow) every week-but last night's could have been a little deeper and a little longer than the others."

Will the show last?
Yes, I think that "ER" will stay on NBC for at least one more season. This was their fourth season to open and it had been a popular show since the beginning. Also, the cast and production crew took a risk and opened the season by taping "ER " live, and this was a huge success. Finally, the previews for this season assure that the new scenes and storyline will be original and exciting.

Similar shows on other networks
Two other shows that are similar that are on TV are "Chicago Hope" and "NYPD Blue". These two shows are both dramas. "Chicago Hope" also takes place in a hospital. Both of these shows, and "ER", have to deal with real life situations in realistic settings.

Target Market
Age 16 to 28 years old, showed by the people advertising
Gender males, the drivers and jeans wearers were male
Education planning to go to college or are currently enrolled, shown by choice of cars - Lexus, Mercedes, Volkswagens - and a type of Kaki 's - Dockers
Likes: action, adventure movies-"The Game"
Future Professions: Inspiring doctors
News Conscientious Viewers
Night Owls-looking for things to do late at night
Lives in the City

Television Audience Ratings for the time watched
This show was ranked number one (1) for the week, with 42.7 percent of TVs turned on to "ER", and 28.5 million viewers.

Show Rating Compared to Criticism
The show 'ER" was ranked number one and the critics said positive remarks about the upcoming season and awesome comments about the courage and originality about doing the show live. This shows that people already like the show and this publicity helped the rating and will convince more people to watch in the future.

Bibliography

Mandase, Joe. Advertising Age Pg. 18. September 15, 1997
Shales, Tom "'ER': Live and Kicking." The Washington Post. C1, C8. September 26, 1997.
Variety. Pg. 1. September 8-14, 1997.

Submitted by Mike Foley
Osbourn Park High School
Manassas Virginia