Niche and Mainstream

Describe Niche and Mainstream audiences with specific text examples.

A niche audience is small and specialised. Only this small audience of people are likely to be interested in this particular text. 

e.g Storage Hunters could be classed as having a niche audience. The channel it is on is DAVE which is not an extremely well known channel, therefore only certain people would tune into that channel to watch this particular programme. The show is also mainly shown in the day so not many people are at home, so if they wanted to watch that particular programme they would have to record it. However the show is shown multiple times throughout the day meaning there is a lot of access to it making it more mainstream. The content is also in some ways niche as it specialises in a specific interest which is buying and selling items, however it is a reality show which again is classed as being mainstream. This show therefore has aspects of both a niche audience and a mainstream audience. 

A Mainstream audience is a wider audience with the texts that they are interested in being well known and popular amongst a large amount of people. 

e.g X Factor is a mainstream text as it is shown on primetime TV to a wide audience. It is shown on primetime TV as because of the amount of people watching the show, the channels can make more money on advertisements as more viewers equals more money. The show is aired on TV every Saturday from September to December at 8:00pm making it a popular time for people to watch TV. The content is also well known and popular amongst many people. The audience can also easily access the TV show as it is on a main TV channel, ITV. The show is informal towards the audience with the presenter talking to the audience and the audience are able to get involved with the show. The show also has well known celebrities appearing on the show. This would appeal to a wider audience. Many people can also socialise over the show as it is a highly discussed topic with parts of the show being comedic making more people want to watch it so they do not feel like they are missing out.