Why do TV shows premiere in the fall?

The fall 2016 TV season is here; many shows, including new ones will have their premiere in the following weeks. The start of the fall season is an event that has happened every year for a long time. The networks copied the format from the radio industry, where shows aired from September until the end of spring. That made sense for the radio industry as for TV shows then and now, because less people watch TV during the summer than in the other seasons. Another reason is related to the sell of advertising. The networks announced the schedule for the following season at the beginning of summer giving advertisers the opportunity to purchase packages months in advance.

The main networks continue to premiere their shows at the beginning of the season but there have been several changes in recent years. Cable channels premiere their shows in a different way, in many occasions they prefer to premiere their shows during the summer while the main networks are in reruns. Another change is that networks have premieres after January, the Winter Season, where many of the shows premiered during this season are new.