# TV Broadcast — Platform

> Traditional television: scheduled programming, ad breaks, commercial network or public broadcast.

## Defining characteristics

- Time slots (30min, 60min)
- Commercial breaks every 8-12 min
- Family-viewing considerations
- Standards & Practices (S&P) restrictions
- Wider demographic reach

## Format conventions

### Half-hour show (22 min content + 8 min ads)
- Cold open + Act 1 → ad break → Act 2 → ad break → Act 3 → tag

### Hour-long show (44 min content + 16 min ads)
- Teaser + Act 1 → break → Act 2 → break → Act 3 → break → Act 4 → break → Act 5

## Writing for ad breaks

Each act ends on cliffhanger or momentum to keep viewers through ads:
- Question raised
- Stakes elevated
- Reveal moment
- Tension peak

## Content restrictions

Network broadcast (US) restrictions:
- Limited profanity
- No nudity
- Limited graphic violence
- Topic sensitivities

Cable / international vary.

## Demographic awareness

Broadcast TV reaches:
- Older skew (50+)
- Wider geography
- Family viewing
- Less tech-savvy audiences

Adjust references, vocabulary, themes accordingly.

## Pacing

- Slower than streaming (audience patience)
- Multi-camera sitcom: fast joke density (4-7 jokes per minute)
- Single-camera: more cinematic pacing
- Drama: balance dialogue and action

## Sample structure: 22-min sitcom

```
COLD OPEN (1-2 min) — Quick scene establishing world/joke
TITLE CARD
ACT 1 (5-7 min) — Episode problem introduced
[AD BREAK]
ACT 2 (8-10 min) — Complication/escalation
[AD BREAK]
ACT 3 (3-5 min) — Resolution
TAG (30s) — Final joke/button
```

## When to write for broadcast

- Reaching mass audiences
- Established networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, regional)
- Working with showrunner conventions
- Family or demo-specific content

## Modern context (2026)

Pure broadcast TV declining; most prestige content moved to streaming. Broadcast remains for:
- Live sports
- News
- Daytime
- Sitcoms (some)
- Procedurals

Specify "broadcast TV" only if format requires it.