# How do TV stations run in other parts of the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625 "2003-07-29T12:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/1 "2003-07-29T12:08:24Z")
(This is only IIRC, from reading a british poster on another board) The BBC is only allowed to show 10 minutes of commercials a hour. Shows start at ‘odd’ times, such as 8:25 or or 7:15. You see a lot more nudity and swearing than you would in America or Canada during anytime of the day on regular stations. What are some ways that international TV stations/TV Broadcasting corporations differ from the american/canadian ones, such as the examples posted aobve? ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/2 "2003-07-29T12:27:31Z")
The thing with the BBC and adverts, is that as it is funded via a national license. As it gains its funds in this way it doesn’t need to raise funds via advertisements. Adverts seen on the BBC are for programs they and their related channels (BBC2, BBC3 etc) are scheduled to show. ITV and channel 4 on the other hand receive no funding from the license fee and rely entirely upon product advertisements ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/3 "2003-07-29T12:33:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan of Narnia \* > \*\*(This is only IIRC, from reading a british poster on another board) > Shows start at ‘odd’ times, such as 8:25 or or 7:15. > \*\* They don’t. Or very rarely. Usually its on the hour or half hour. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/4 "2003-07-29T12:51:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > \*\*They don’t. Or very rarely. Usually its on the hour or half hour. \*\* I have to agree with Aslan here … although BBC1 usually sticks to the above between 6-10pm, the rest of the time it (and BBC2) have odd starting times. Julie ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/5 "2003-07-29T13:12:53Z")
Ah but usually because they’re showing American programs such as Simpsons or Buffy or Star Trek or whatever, since those shows are 5-10 minutes shorter than British programs because they’re made specifically with lots of adverts in mind. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/6 "2003-07-29T13:27:46Z")
I have just looked at the TV listings for tonight and have to agree that the BBC (not so much during primetime) does seem to start at strange times, in fact BBC3 is the pretty much the exception to the rule. Also most of these programs are British made. I wonder whether its the odd American program that throws the whole system out of wack or whether there is some darker, more sinister reason? ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/7 "2003-07-29T13:58:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainfizz \* > \*\*Ah but usually because they’re showing American programs such as Simpsons or Buffy or Star Trek or whatever, since those shows are 5-10 minutes shorter than British programs because they’re made specifically with lots of adverts in mind. \*\* Except that it also works the other way round as well, with some BBC programmes being made with the adverts in mind to make it easier for them to be sold on to the Americans. Looking at this evening’s [schedules](http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/search/grid.cgi?MEDIUM=tv) for BBC2, it is clear that what produces the odd timings are _Star Trek_ but also _Rebels and Redcoats_, which I assume the BBC plan to sell the US. (Please, please tell us they don’t show _Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours_ anywhere else.) ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/8 "2003-07-29T14:02:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainfizz \* > \*\*Ah but usually because they’re showing American programs such as Simpsons or Buffy or Star Trek or whatever, since those shows are 5-10 minutes shorter than British programs because they’re made specifically with lots of adverts in mind. \*\* Which had an interesting effect on “24”: [http://uk.imdb.com/Trivia?0285331](http://uk.imdb.com/Trivia?0285331) “When shown on the BBC in the UK, the show runs for 45 minutes as there are no commercial breaks. As a result, Jack’s assertion that “events occur in real time” was removed from each episode.” ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/9 "2003-07-29T14:23:35Z")
> [@](#): > > You see a lot more nudity and swearing than you would in America or Canada during anytime of the day on regular stations. Only after the semi-official 9pm “watershed”. That’s for the five main networks, regulated by the ITC or the BBC, not sure about the rules for satellite channels. Another difference in Britain and possibly elsewhere is that widescreen TV is more common, probably because digital satellite (and, increasingly, digital terrestrial) TV is so popular. Most homegrown TV is now made in widescreen (although it’s only broadcast in pseudo-widescreen, a.k.a. anamorphic, unlike US HDTV which I understand is true widescreen). ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-tv-stations-run-in-other-parts-of-the-world/191625/10 "2003-07-29T16:58:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > They don’t. Or very rarely. Usually its on the hour or half hour. Maybe the Brits don’t start things at odd times, but the Germans surely do. The evening movie starts at 8:15 PM, and a good many shows start at 25 minutes after the hour or some such non-sense. On the plus side, the state funded stations only advertise between shows, and (I think) only for their own programs. The commercial stations don’t advertise as much as US stations, although they will break in on a running program to show a commercial. On the down side, the commercial stations show (some) warmed over US programming that (I hope) didn’t do too well in the US. I mean, how well did “Thunder In Paradise” do in the US? Saturday nights suck on German TV. Most every stations is showing some talk show or some kind of Volksmusik program. I could probably deal with Volksmusik if it were live and done with some humor and style, but it is all professional lip-sync with a boring ass commentator in front of crowds of old folks - and the camera men have a tough job getting enough shots of people who look like they are having fun rather than just enduring the boredom and swilling down the beer. They put the good movies on at midnight during the week. Damned if I know why. It’s not like they’ve got the kind of ratings pressure the US does. Almost forgot. The built in “fade to black” in the American shows confuses the hell out of the Krauts - until you tell them that the fade out/in business is where the commercials belong in a made for (US) TV movie or program. Anyway, my two cents on German TV.