Does Strictly target a mass audience whereas Homeland target a fragmented audience?

A mass audience targets a large audience however with the variety of texts available nowadays there aren't many shows that targeted a mass amount it's mainly used for broadcasting news events such as in a major events like 9/11 and 7/7 attacks. Whereas a fragmented audience targets more specific and smaller audiences with each show, so each genre has a specific target audience such as Downton Abbey is a period drama so it's likely to target a similar audience of Upstairs Downstairs which is another period drama.

Strictly is on at around 7pm on Saturdays which is prime time for family viewing therefore it draws in a large audience. Strictly is a popular show as it allows the audience to participate by voting to ensure their favourite stays in the competition. Shows like this often gain more viewers due to social networking sites because people like to comment on the dancers performances and share their views therefore Strictly is often trending in the UK on a Saturday night, therefore people using the social networking sites are influenced to tune in. Another benefit of social networking sites is that many of the celebrities on the show use them so the fans can follow the celebrity's personal views. Star appeal draws in a large audience because many celebrities have an established fan base so they are likely to watch Strictly to see their favourite celebrity.

Homeland is on at 9pm on a Sunday which dismisses family viewing therefore it has a fragmented audience. It targets adults who are likely to be unwinding on a Sunday evening before work on a Monday morning. The genre is a political thriller so it has a complex plot which doesn't allow viewers top dip in and out of the series. Channel 4 is known for showing American shows which narrows the target audience because some British people don't like to watch American tv.

Despite the fact Homeland is a fragmented audience the viewing figures of 3.04 million is larger than most fragmented shows however there is a clear difference between the figures between Homeland and Strictly. Strictly has a viewing audience of 11.413 million and comes in top with the most views every week it's on. It is likely that Strictly is so successful because its shown on BBC 1 as they try to provide informative, educational and entertaining British shows for everyone where as Channel 4 have more specific audiences as they bring popular American shows to the UK and don't show reality  programmes which usually draw in a mass audience.

Hartley and Fiske

Hartley created 7 categories to consider when identifying your audience, these categories are:

Self: what sort of ambitions or interests might your audience have?

Gender: is your audience mainly male or female, or both?

Age Group: what sort of age group would your main audience be in? Remember that different things appeal to different age groups.

Family: what role they play in the family, parent? Child?

Class: different social classes are seen to have different priorities. You need to target a specific group in order to offer appropriate motives, e.g. save money, look sophisticated etc. the majority of the country are middle or working class. Are you targeting a specific social class group?

Nation: the style and action the country takes

Ethnicity: the ethnic grouping of your audience may play a role in your choice of images/actors and messages. Are your audience members of a particular ethnic group?

Fiske developed Hartley's theory and added another 4 categories:

Religion: Involvement of different beliefs or ideologies 

Education: How certain people receive a text based on their level of education

Political Stance - Different groups have different beliefs 

Region (urban v rural)  - Stereotypical ways of living depending where you come from - Iconography

The American show Homeland targets adults from 20 to 40 as the political thriller is scheduled at 9pm on a Sunday which is a typical time for working class and middle class to sit down and unwind before work Monday morning.  The show has become popular in the UK due to the 9/11 terrorist attack, many post 9/11 shows have become popular because the attack really affected many American and some English citizens due to its serious nature. This especially targets the alpha males as they feel its their natural instinct to protect so they can relate to the characters in Homeland. Due to the genre of Homeland it targets people who follow politics and have an understanding of the American government and the different agencies in place to protect the country. 

Audience Positioning in Episode 2 Grace

Brody features a lot in the second episode and we see some of his dreams which mean that we feel sorry for him. His dreams are horrible and build up tension. The dreams take place back in Iraq post 9/11. The dreams are uncomfortable to watch due to the music increasing in volume, it's used to highlight Brody's feelings whilst causing a scene of tension for the audience for example when he's trapped in his cell cradled in the corner, the loud ringing enhances his paranoia.

You see from Brody's expressing he's angry and disgusted that he's burying Walker. Hearing him sing a patriotic song targets the audiences' raw emotions as it's likely they can relate to having friends and family in the marines. The loud shot wakes Brody up which suggest his dream isn't the real version of events. This allows the audience to question Brody further. What isn't he remembering? Why is he dreaming something different? This could suggest that Brody's doubting his actions and is dreaming of different, more noble circumstances as he's still mentally scarred from the horrific events. This is reinforced by the sense of being trapped in his home when he sits in the corner flash backing to his prison cell in Iraq.