Reality Television Analysis

Reality Television Analysis

During the early 2000s reality TV was very popular. However, by 2010 the average viewership hit a small decline. However, during recent years from 2016 reality TV has become increasingly popular due to shows such as Love Island and Geordie Shore becoming increasingly popular. A huge reason for the increasing popularity of reality TV is due to the audience being enabled to relate with characters in the shows as the shows portray ‘real life events’ and there is supposedly no scripting. Furthermore, reality TV gives the audience a sense of escapism from their general life and their occupation and allows them to feel envy towards people more successful than them. This is because everyone wants to be successful and some reality shows portray a very wealthy and successful group of people whilst some shows feature regular people which the audience will like to empathise and relate with.

Keeping up with the Kardashian’s: Generally, the primary target audience for this show are females aged 18-34. This age group want to be successful and will envy towards the stars in the show such as Kim Kardashian. The lifestyle that these stars have creates a sense of escapism for the audience, it also portrays to this audience what it would be like if they ever reach to that extent of success.

Love Island:  Love Island is primarily targeted at 16-34-year-old females however it is also greatly watched by the male gender. This segment of viewers normally envies romantic relationships; therefore, they may watch the show to escape reality. On the other hand, some people may watch the series to relate with the characters as they may be in a romantic relationship themselves. The cast who star in Love Island are mostly ‘normal people’ with ‘normal jobs’. This means that the audience can build a personal relationship with stars in the show as they may have a lot in common with certain stars. This personal relationship means that the audience will keep watching the show to support their favourite character and hope they can help them progress to the final by voting. Generally, the contestants used each year are a diverse group of people, this includes: a range of ethnicities, races and the occupation of the contestants. Therefore, it is likely most people will be able to identify with a contestant.  

Gogglebox: The primary target audience for Gogglebox is 16-34 year old working class people. This group of people can relate to watching television a lot which gives them an incentive to watch the show and identify with the cast. The series consists of a lot of comedy throughout which will appeal to the age range of the target audience. The cast consists of a diverse range of families; therefore, everyone can identify with someone. A lot of the humour rises from family arguments whilst they are watching television. A lot of people can relate with this and it adds an incentive for families to watch the programme and relate with it.

In conclusion reality television is very popular for a range of reasons, such as identifying with characters, envy and emulation. Reality TV may be at a peak because which social media has on people and the growing want to be successful. However, to maintain the popularity reality television needs to stay unscripted otherwise it may lose the interest from its audience.