In broadcast programming, a hot switch or hotswitching is where the ending of one

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

leads directly into the start of the show in the next time slot without a

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

break. The concept is used to reduce the chances that people will switch to another

TV network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mi ...

during the commercial break and allow the

cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In Amer ...

of the new show to attract viewers; sometimes however, this will cause a commercial break right after the opening credits. It can also be called "seamless" broadcasting and is frequently used during television marathons and back-to-back airings of episodes of the same series. The technique is also used by many local network affiliates in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to seamlessly transition from a local newscast to a network newscast.

Examples

In December 1992, for the premiere of ''

The Jackie Thomas Show ''The Jackie Thomas Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from December 1992 to March 1993. The series received widespread attention due to its creators Roseanne Arnold, then starring in the fifth season of her comedy '' Ros ...

'', a hot switch was used where the end of an episode of '' Roseanne'' had the Connor family watching the new show on television, and then the new show began. To see if this worked,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

paid ACNielsen for a minute by minute ratings report, and found that most viewers stayed with the new show for the entire pilot episode.Carter, Bill. "ABC's Extra Careful Look At 'Jackie Thomas Show'." New York Times, 1992-12-07, p. D8.

References

Television terminology {{tv-term-stub