Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

What strategies are used by British soap operas to attract large audiences

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

What strategies are used by British soap operas to attract large audiences? British soap operas used a variety of strategies and operations to attract a large audience. These strategies clearly work as proven by viewing figures for the three most popular soaps; Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale command viewing audiences of over ten million on a regular basis. Also soaps have proven to be the most consistent in terms of high audience figures over the years, making them indispensable to the institutions which create them. One strategy used by institutions and producers of a soap, is to place them at a peak viewing time to maximise audience figures. Also the timing of the program means that it has the highest exposure to a possible audience. The major soaps aimed at an adult audience of around 18-60, are screened during the mid-evening. These soaps will also be aimed at family audience, once again to maximise the figures. ...read more.

Middle

The viewers will become emotionally involved in the program due to its realism, therefore blurring the lines between fiction and reality to a certain extent. The plot and characters provide the viewers with what they want to see. Due to a soaps' continuation, ultimate plot resolution never occurs. The program will use this particular tool as a hook for the next episode, using a cliff hanger, to cut off the action at a critical point. This will create suspense and leaves the audience with many questions, which may end up having several different answers. A cliff hanger will not be used at the end of every episode though, with a humorous ending, or something thought-provoking may be used to even up the more serious and gritty drama. The characters will have a particular audience following. Some viewers may particularly like one character or family and watch specifically to see them. Because of this, the script writers and producers will vary the storylines and will make sure the audience eventually get what they want. ...read more.

Conclusion

If viewers are forced to miss their favourite soap for a prolonged period of time, there's no need to worry. This is because the script constantly refers back to past events, and because each storyline takes a long time to develop. Some viewers say they enjoy gossiping about the soap as much as they enjoy watching the actual programme. As well as trying to predict what is going to happen, they like to analyse the behaviour and motives of the characters, and make comparisons with their own lives. The media institutions producing the soap will use all of these particular strategies to gain a maximum audience share. They will make sure all of these points will be followed and other examples of the past implementation of them will be used as evidence of their success. Also some of the strategies such as cliff hangers, continuing plots and focus on a particular character will ensure that viewers will continue to watch and not become bored or lose interest. This then will mean the soap will become an important part of evening viewing and its popularity will grow. Word count:1,025 ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Television section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Television essays

  1. For my GCSE media coursework I have been asked to write about and analyse ...

    In my opinion, one of the best plots that has been written into the soap, is when Janine was involved with Prostitution. This is because it was so well written and so believable, I really could relate to Janine. The way she had no body to turn to and was

  2. Although Soap Operas use the same codes and conventions, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street manipulate ...

    It is aimed at middle and lower class people because that is the biggest population in that area, as upper class are just a minority group. The programme is broadcast at either 19.30 or 20.30, 5 times a week. This is when families get home from work and sit down and relax in front of the television together.

  1. To what extent are soaps successful in their construction of realism

    With regards to realism, melodrama is not very realistic, but can increase audience ratings and excitement. This explains why we are more likely to see melodrama in soaps at certain times of the year, such as Christmas, when there is more competition for higher audience ratings.

  2. Why are soap operas so popular?

    Their undemanding nature and emphasis on talk not action, means that a busy mother can catch the gist of what is going on merely through hearing what the characters have to say. Emphasis is placed upon the family, public situations and more often than not the community.

  1. Critically assess the arguments that soap opera in Britain combines populist fantasy and socially ...

    The representation of women - particularly powerful women in soap operas, may create populist fantasy as many female viewers may not be able to relate directly to the character- but are able to gain fantasy type image of dominant women who are able to use their sexuality for personal gain.

  2. Identify a piece of workthat emphasises the agency of audiences to construct their own ...

    (p.150) They are not something you see in everyday life, but what the audiences have come to expect from television. Even though Kellner suggests that Miami Vice has structural influences on the viewing audience, he places more emphasis on the agency of audiences constructing their own identities.

  1. English media - soap operas

    The target audience for both of these soaps is everyone. We know this because of the broadcast time, as most people are at home, and also through the events and characters in the soaps. Other soaps, such as "Hollyoaks" and "Neighbours", are broadcasted at an earlier time than "Coronation Street" and "Eastenders".

  2. Ethnicity in Soap Operas

    In this way Weatherfield is worlds away from modern day Manchester which has a 25% ethnic minority population. A large percentage of the main roles go to people of White-British origin. In 'Coronation Street', every-day issues are addressed, but as many critics say, they are addressed in a very depressive kind of way.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work