How the “Double Jeopardy” law of television has changed over time – and how it hasn’t

Examines the relationship between Irish TV station shares and weekly reach, known as Double Jeopardy (DJ), wherein small channels attract relatively few viewers and these viewers watch small stations for relatively few hours.

Thirty years ago, in October 1989, I wrote an article for Admap on the state of Irish television. On the anniversary of that 1989 article, I thought it might be instructive to look back on how things have changed over time, including having a look at the TV landscape today. Throughout, this article will examine the relationship between station shares and weekly reach, also known in most media circles as Double Jeopardy (DJ), wherein small channels attract relatively few viewers and these viewers watch small stations for relatively few hours.

While this article mainly focuses on Ireland,...

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