A generalist channel is a television or radio channel whose target audience is not confined to a particular set of people, but instead aims to offer a wide range of programs and program genres to a diverse general public. In radio, this is sometimes referred to as "full-format programming".
Contents
Program content
Generalist TV channels focus on general entertainment. They also tend to put an extra emphasis on news programming, regarding the provision of news and information as part of their duty.
Popularity
Generalist channels as a whole are the most watched of all television channels.
As of 2008, generalist channels were the most numerous among channel genres in Europe. There were 376 of them, followed by 324 sports channels, 269 entertainment channels and 238 music channels.
Among HD television channels in Europe, as of 2011 and 2012, generalist channels were third most numerous, losing to the ones specializing in sport and movies.
A book published in 2010 cited a study saying that generalist television channels comprised 41 percent of global television market value and accounted for 70 percent of global television market volume.