How do television stations deal with programming during daylight savings time hour switch overs.

Question

How do television stations deal with programming during daylight savings time hour switch overs.

Question #142365. Asked by boxjaw.
Last updated Aug 30 2016.
Originally posted Mar 15 2016 5:31 PM.

brm50diboll

Answer has 8 votes

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brm50diboll

12 year member
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Answer has 8 votes.

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They omit the hour of programming that would've aired during the lost hour, which is generally 2-3 am. Or they may shuffle programming to omit a different hour. It varies from station to station and network to network. The hour that is omitted is normally very low-rated, anyway.

Mar 15 2016, 6:42 PM

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Answer 1

During the switch from standard time to daylight saving time, television stations and cable networks will usually offset the loss of one hour by eliminating programming otherwise scheduled during the 2:00 a.m. hour on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. Conversely, as one hour is gained when reverting to standard time, networks may offset the time change by adding an hour of additional entertainment programming not normally scheduled on Saturday night/early Sunday morning during the rest of the year to allow certain programs to air at their regularly scheduled airtime (for example, Disney Channel will add an hour of its original series at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time in order to allow its Saturday late night film block to air its regular 2:30 a.m. slot, after the reversion to standard time).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_time_zones_on_North_American_broadcasting

This covers North American countries, and includes places where there is no daylight saving and places between time zones.
As for other countries, more research remains to be done, but I presume they do much the same, which is pretty much what you would expect in any case.