MEDIA EMPIRE

How to play MEDIA EMPIRE

You run one TV station and fight 3 rival stations for the same viewers. It starts in the browser with nothing to install, and each day passes with one button. Here is what to know, in the order you will need it.

A day in four steps

Fill the schedule A broadcast day runs 20 hours, from 06:00 to 02:00 the next morning. Put a programme from your library in each hour — the hours that matter most are prime time, 19:00–23:00. Anything left empty is filled automatically just before air.
Sell advertising On the ads screen, pick an advertiser, get a quote and sign. The higher you price it, the less likely they accept — and the same spot costs ×1.7 in prime time.
Press "PLAY DAY ▶" The night plays out and you see, hour by hour, who took what share. If you answered the morning's daily call or a question from the desk, that choice is in tonight's results too.
Read the results Prime-time ratings decide the night's league points, and ad revenue and costs land in the books. See which audiences tuned in, then fix tomorrow's schedule.

The first ten days — a checklist rides along

A new game shows a "first ten days" checklist at the top of the screen. Do each of these five things once in the first 10 days and you will know how to run the station. The words below are the checklist's own.

Fill tonight's prime time 19:00–23:00 draws the biggest audience of the day. Put your strongest programme there on the schedule.
Book an ad deal Ratings only become money once they're sold. Sign one advertiser on the Ads screen.
Put out your first broadcast Press PLAY DAY ▶ and the night plays out, then the results arrive. Empty slots fill themselves.
See who watched Behind every rating are ages and genders. Check the “Who watched” card on the dashboard to see who tuned in.
Answer the desk Now and then the desk asks you to decide something. Leave it and the deadline passes, and the chance with it.

The desk points you to your first win

Even the starting library can always win some hour. From the morning of day 3 until your first win (up to day 10), the desk tells you which show to air at which hour, with its forecast and last night's best rival to beat. Those hours are mostly daytime, early morning or late night — a prime-time win you will have to build yourself.

One decision card every morning

Each morning a "daily call" card sits at the top of the dashboard: the biggest judgement of the day out of 9 kinds — go all-in on a big match, air a breaking-news special, renew a season, and so on. Leave it and nothing changes.

Watch three numbers

Prime-time ratings set your league position, running out of cash ends the game, and the board's confidence decides whether you keep the job. Confidence starts at 55, moves +9 for each season objective met and −11 for each missed, and below 12 you are dismissed at the end of the season.

How you win

Win prime time (19:00–23:00) outright for 3 league points; a near tie at the top is worth 2 and second place still gets 1. The table closes every 91-day season, and the run is a success if you deliver the board's mandate within 16 seasons (4 years).

Choosing a difficulty

Easy: Rivals slip up more and advertisers haggle less. The board asks for less, too. Start here if this is your first run.
Normal: The baseline. Rivals and advertisers behave exactly as designed.
Hard: Rivals react faster and make fewer mistakes; advertisers push prices down. Ratings swing harder and the board wants more.