Promotional Prime Time: “Advertainment,” Internal Network Promotion, and the Future of Canadian Television

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on critical cultural theory, the industry trade press, and an exploratory content analysis of prime-time television, this article examines the under-researched phenomenon of “internal network promotions.” The authors argue that internal promotions constitute a central component of the growing promotional orientation of Canadian prime-time television. They provide a theoretical overview of the practices of branding and a general description of the rise of “advertainment” on Canadian television. They then focus on the ways in which internal network promotions comprise a taken-for-granted “branded” backdrop against which television content, already heavily infiltrated by promotional interests, is mounted. The article concludes with a call for more research into the promotional nature of Canadian prime-time television and its social, political, and cultural implications.

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