Glossary of broadcasting terms
The words on the game's screens, as the game actually uses them. The numbers are today's settings.
- Rating
- The percentage of the whole viewing market that watched your channel in an hour. The average prime-time rating decides each night's league points. Ratings & audiences →
- Prime time
- 19:00–23:00. The hours with the most viewers and the dearest advertising (×1.7), and the only hours that carry league points. Prime time →
- Day part
- The 20-hour broadcast day split into six: early morning, morning, daytime, early evening, prime time and late night. Each genre fits some day parts better than others. Prime time →
- Schedule
- Which programme airs in which hour. Empty hours are filled automatically just before air, and a weekly template can save a schedule for each day of the week. How to play →
- Season
- The 91-day competition period, 4 a year. When it ends, the table is settled and the board judges its objectives. Seasons & awards →
- League points
- 3 for an outright prime-time win, 2 for a tie at the top (within 0.12 rating points), 1 for second. The season table is ranked on points. Prime time →
- Big match
- A night every 7 days when you face one rival head to head. Announced 3 days ahead; a win adds 3 league points. Prime time →
- Lead-in
- The viewers one hour's programme hands on to the next. Put a show after a strong one and it starts ahead. Prime time →
- Audience group
- One of 8 groups of viewers with different tastes — teens, 20s–30s, families, sports fans and so on. Each prefers different genres and hours. Ratings & audiences →
- Freshness
- How new a programme still feels. It drops every airing (rerun −10) and recovers with rest. News & Live never wear out. Ratings & audiences →
- Word of mouth
- What viewers say about a show. It rises when the show beats expectations and falls when promotion or stars promised more than it delivered. Ratings & audiences →
- Awareness
- How many people know a programme exists. Promotion raises it; every day without promotion lets it drift back to its baseline. Ratings & audiences →
- CPM (ad price)
- The price of an ad per thousand viewers. The actual quote multiplies in the day part, the advertiser's target fit, the programme's ad value and seasonal demand. Advertising →
- Ad contract types
- Spot, weekly, campaign (7–30 days), exclusive and performance-based. Every contract has a rating you must deliver. Advertising →
- Penalty
- What you pay when you deliver less rating than promised, in proportion to the shortfall. An advertiser you failed stays away for a while. Advertising →
- Upfront & make-good
- Selling a season's advertising in advance, at a discount, against a guaranteed rating. Miss it and you owe free spots — make-goods. Advertising →
- Ad load & mid-rolls
- How much advertising you run per day and in prime time; over the allowance, the regulator fines you. Mid-roll breaks are allowed in shows of 30+ minutes, up to 6. Advertising →
- Board confidence
- How much the board trusts you. It starts at 55; below 28 is a warning, below 12 gets you dismissed at the season end. Board & mandate →
- Mandate
- The one big goal you are given at the start — prime-time titles, an average prime rating, company value or awards. You have 16 seasons to deliver it. Board & mandate →
- Dismissal
- Reach a season end below the dismissal line and management is replaced. The first time you continue from 48 confidence; the second time the run is over. Board & mandate →
- Broadcast rights
- The right to air an event. Every station buys in the same auction, which closes 2 days before air; the winner pays the second-highest bid plus a minimum increment. Sports rights →
- Awards & entries
- The 6 ceremonies on the calendar. Pay the entry fee to put up one programme per category that aired 4+ times in the past year. Seasons & awards →
- Brand reputation
- How trusted and respected your station is. Advertisers and talent read it, and juries and board objectives count it. Board & mandate →
- The desk
- Where questions and offers to your station land. Leave one unanswered past its deadline and the chance is gone. How to play →
- Daily call
- One decision card each morning: the biggest call of the day out of 9 kinds, from going all-in on a big match to a breaking-news special or a season renewal. How to play →
- Runway
- How many days your cash will last. Under 25 days you get a warning, under 10 a critical alert. Money →
- Emergency credit
- A one-off ₩100M bank loan when your cash runs out. Run dry again after it and you are bankrupt. Money →
- Rival station
- One of the 3 AI stations competing for the same viewers, under the same rules, prices and public information as you. Rival stations →