Significance

• U.S. TV schedules can determine the success or the failure of a certain broadcast. Drama shows often seek "prime time" hours on week nights in order to get the best ratings. Shows that are on at the same time on a different channel may suffer due to this competition. Scheduling can also be seriously effected by athletic events, which often bump dramas to other days and times.
  
  

Types

• The schedule is influenced by the character of the day and time. Weekend day schedules will be packed with sports, and early and late evenings will often be bookended by the news. This is to fit the idea that people just getting home from work may want to relax with the news first, just as they may want to late at night, while getting ready for sleep. Similarly, people are home on weekends, meaning the daytime does not need to be filled with soap operas or repetitive programming.
  
  

Geography

• Scheduling is also dependent upon geography. The news station in southern California may not have weather updates during programming every 30 minutes, like in the northeast. In general, an area will broadcast what is local in terms of sports as well; San Diego will show the Chargers vs. Raiders football game, when the same channel in Philadelphia will not. There are a few key exceptions. Cable channels exist independent of local markets, and run on the same schedule nationwide. Special programming, such as HBO and Showtime, also do not vary based on geography. Most shows can also now also be viewed on the Internet up to 24 hours after they air live on broadcast television.