The performance analysis of Islamic republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) in comparison with foreign selected channels in the field of sports

Transcription

1 International Journal of Applied Exercise Physiology Vol.7 No.1 Received: September 217, Accepted: December 217, Available online: March 218 The performance analysis of Islamic republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) in comparison with foreign selected channels in the field of sports Moghaddas M 1, Farzan F *2, Ghasemi H 3 1 PhD student of sport management at University of Mazandaran, 2 Associate professor of sport management at University of Mazandaran, 3 Associate professor of sport management at University of Payamenoor DOI /ijaep.v7i1.241 ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to analyze the performance of Islamic republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) in comparison with foreign selected channels in the field of sports. The methodology of the present study is descriptive in terms of strategy and content analysis in terms of method. The statistical population of the study includes all channels that are involved in production of sport programs inside and outside of the country. Two non-sport channels and two sport channels that covered night and day sport events were selected as the samples of the study. The Tv3 channel and Sport Channel from Iran and ZDF and Ray Sport 1 channel from Germany have been selected as the samples for the test. The instrument used for data collection in this study was coded sheet used for analyzing the content of the programs broadcasting by these channels. Face and content validity of coded sheet confirmed by three experts and its reliability confirmed by agreement coefficient of Scott π (/86). The results of the study showed that different TV channels in terms of content, function and coverage of sport programs are different based on functional roles. Therefore, broadcasting organization must develop comprehensive and codified programming for broadcasting sport programs and its coverage. KEY WORDS broadcasting organization, TV channels, sport, content analysis

2 INTRODUCTION Today, sport is an inseparable part of culture, education and science all around the world. Physical education and sport exist in the various structures of human societies as a social fact and grows and develops increasingly [1]. Sport can be considered as one of the most important social institutes and its effect of different aspects of life is visible throughout the world. In the today s world, there are few people who are not directly or indirectly involved in sport. Some of them are as sportsmen and some of them are interested in sports which follow sport events directly or through media [2]. Media play an important role in sport development. People can be inclined to sport or become the fan of the sport teams through media [3]. TV plays the greatest role compared to other mass media due to the wide coverage of audiences. In recent years, TV sport shows have undergone extensive changes in activities, technologies, public utilization, income and development as a global phenomenon [4]. In Iran, broadcasting organization is an available, free, diverse, attractive and full-audience media thus it outran other media so that different form of transmitting entertainment program and information done through this media and affect all perceptual potential (wisdom, imagination and so on) of human. TV is increasing its influence on how people and society spend their leisure time, their knowledge of political and social realities and shaping personal values in the realm of culture and ethics. Therefore, media audiences by learning to understand and evaluate media in daily life and content producers by propagating effective information and eliminating the distances of news, educational and propagation programs face with social realities [5]. Many people watch sport events on TV so the orientation and the quality of contents can contribute to the development of sport components [6]. Watching sport events on TV is a complex process. It attracts those viewers who are eager to get rid of the boredom of exhausting and tedious works therefore watching TV sport programs may provide opportunities for relaxing and escaping from some problems [7]. Arabnarmi et al. (215) described the current conditions as influential and underlying conditions, action-reaction strategy and outcomes in a study that sought a model for the role of TV in the development of sport championship and the most important categories were: focusing on status and achieving the medal, focusing on limited sport fields and limited age range, weakness of policies and criterions for broadcasting priority, the coercion of adapting to unexpected events, taking into account the national pride and the limited number and capacity of channels which involve the consequences of unfair coverage of tournaments and the limitation of opportunity for introducing general prosperity to other fields[6]. Beigdelu and Baqeri (213) in a study claimed that information and awareness are the most important activities of national media (TV) in creating national solidarity [8]. Sami nia et al. (1392) suggested that cooperation with mass media is one of the developmental strategies to promote social awareness of public sports in Iran [9]. The results of Mozaffari et al. (212) showed that the expansion of public relations and media of successful sports to develop their public popularity, increasing the broadcasting of sport subjects except football are effective in developing Iranian sport championships [1]. Findings of Paknejad and Dorani (29) showed that conclusions and biases of sport media have a positive significant correlation with offensive behaviors. In other words, sport media should be managed in the right way in order to control and direct the audience s behaviors [11]. The results of Hwang and Lim (215) suggested that stimulus motivation and social TV information positively related to social presence while informational facilities and motivations were positively considered in sport channel commitment [12]. Asayesh et al. (213) highlighted the main challenges of sport championships as follow: the lack of funding and financial support, inadequate attention of media to talent detection in championship sports, the lack of appropriate support, the lack of high quality and specialist coaches, low level championships and leagues and lack of strategy in championship sports [13]. Hassan and Daniel (213) concluded in an investigation that the production of educational and informational TV programs could be effective in increasing awareness for adolescences. The production of TV programs in the field of sport exercises and physical activities in a systematic way can affect the tendency of adolescences to exercise in their leisure times. Also, different productions in TV programs can be effective in their behavior, attitude and life style [14]. Sinq (214) stated that broadcasting horror programs on TV has a negative impact on children s mind, behavior and attitude [15]. The importance of TV and its power of influence are so high, so that some scholars in Iran consider this media as the fourth power and aligned with other powers (legislature, executive and judiciary) [16]. Since 1998, TV began operating in Iran and initially began to produce and play a series of entertaining programs. In 135, with combining TV and radio as two national media in Iran, a new organization named national radio and television organization of Iran has been established and renamed to broadcasting organization after glorious Islamic Revolution [17]. After a few time and development of new technologies, sport programs became a TV program since 1973 and took a better form and shape along with Asian games. After Islamic Revolution, sport took a distinct structure in broadcasting organization and in 1991 the Sport Policy Council was established and followed by the establishment of specialized sport radio network in 1999 as well as specialized TV sport channel in 211they began to produce and play sport programs [18]. 22

3 But these days with the development of technologies in the media especially on TV, there is no limit among countries in covering sport events and many people are interested in seeing sport events in other countries. Competition in sport is also drawn to the media thus TV channels are seeking to attract more audiences, try to improve the quality of programs and update their technologies. In the present study, the researcher is looking to investigate the performance of broadcasting organization in Iran and compare it with selected TV channels in the field of sports to see the differences among them. They try to see if there are any differences among TV channels in terms of media functions? And what kinds of sports are more focused in TVs? To answer these questions, one should find an appropriate way to compare the TV channels. The most important way is content analysis of programs being broadcast. Content analysis is an organizing and integrating process of well-known qualitative information regarding the topics and concepts. Content analysis is a method for analyzing written or verbal communications in a systematic and objective way. The main advantage of content analysis is its ability to combine a qualitative method with a quantitative methodology [19]. To understand network performance overnight, you can refer to the network conductor. Conductor is the face and appearance of a network that indicate which programs on what times have the most audiences. Constructor is an engineering package that consists of three basic elements of the form structure, content structure and media structure [2]. There are many networks and channels in the world that discuss sports in a specialized or non-specialized way, but many of them are private and structurally different from Iranian broadcasting organization. There were also networks that were somewhat similar to the structure of the Iranian broadcasting organization, which provided some brief information about it. But the process of selecting the elected networks was that they had, firstly, a more structural and content similarity to the Iranian broadcasting organization and, secondly, their information was more accessible in a more convenient way. The TV3 channel in Iran is one of the networks that has covered sports activities since its establishment, which is a source of sports events in Iran. The ZDF network of Germany was selected the same as TV3 channel in terms of structure, field of activity and content. Since 211, with the establishment of the Sports TV Network in Iran, a special approach has been taken to cover the sporting events in Iran's TV. In order to compare the performance of this network with specialized sport networks outside of Iran, the Ray Sport Channel 1 has been selected as a network that has somewhat similar structure and ownership, such as the sport network in Iran. METHODS The methodology of the present study is descriptive in terms of strategy and content analysis in terms of implementation. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher-made coding sheet which it validity confirmed by three experts in the field of media and sport and its reliability was obtained through coders agreement coefficient (Scott π.86). The statistical population of this study included various TV networks in Iran and abroad. The third network and the Sport Network of Islamic Republic of Iran have been selected as two specialized and non-specialized sport networks to cover sporting events. In contrast, ZDF network of Germany as a non-specialized sports network and the Ray Sport 1 Network as a foreign specialized network in the field of sport were selected as sample. The study was conducted over a two-week period from late October to early November 216. STATISTICAL RESULTS Table 1 shows the number of under study programs in selected networks in the study period. Table 1. Frequency of sports programs in under-study networks Frequency percentage Frequency Channel name Tv3 channel ZDF channel Sport channel Raisport1 channel 1 62 Total According to the programs observed on various TV channels, the highest number of programs and the lowest number of programs were in Raisport1 and ZDF channel, respectively. Table 2 shows the frequency of routine or weekly programs that are broadcast on a fixed or weekly basis through these channels. Table 2. Frequency of sports programs on a weekly basis (routine) Frequency percentage Frequency Channel name TV3 channel ZDF channel Sport channel Raisport1 channel 1 26 Total 23

4 The highest number of routine programs and the lowest number of programs were related to sport channel and ZDF channel, respectively. Figure 3 shows the type of content that programs are playing from different channels or networks. Figure 1 illustrates the state of broadcasting sport programs from various networks throughout the day. Figure 3. Content of playing programs As shown in Fig. 3, the highest number of programs with a huge difference is related to sport competitions and the lowest is related to 6 D A W N M O R N I N G NOON E V E N I N G N I G H T Figure 1 - Broadcasting programs in 24 hours a day in under-studied parts that are different in different networks. Figure 4 shows the dispersion of sports programs based on different sport fields. networks As shown in Figure 1, the broadcasting of sports programs from understudied networks are different, which from the total number of broadcasting programs, ZDF channel had the largest and lowest amount of programs in the evening and morning, respectively. Figure 2 refers to the broadcasting of sports programs from channels. Football Volleyball Esky Wrestling Tennis Skate Cycling Ping pong Car Racing Combining of many sport Other sports Figure 4. Frequency of programs based on the sports variable According to figure 4, the greatest attention is given to TV programs in L I V E R E C O R D I N G P R O V I D E R E P E A T Figure 2. Type of broadcasting programs As shown in Figure 2, the largest number of the programs are related to live programs played by non-specialized sports channels, and the lowest the field of soccer sports, and with regard to having different sections of news or combined programs, it can be seen that a combination of several programs also has a high percentage. Figure 5 shows the frequency of sports programs based on gender. number of the programs are related to the supplemental and repetitive programs, which were not in the list of German network programs. 24

5 M A L E F E M A L E C O M B I N E Figure 5. Frequency of sports programs based on gender As shown in Figure 5, the highest number of sport events was devoted to men, and the lowest was for women, which is almost the same in almost all types of channels. Figure 6 shows the broadcasting of different sports programs based on different audience groups. Educational Sport for all Championship professional Combine As shown in Fig. 7, the most program activities are in the field of professional sports and a combination of programs, and the least is for educational sports. The same approach is observed among the different under-studied networks. Figure 8 shows the division of sports programs based on media functions. Figure 6. Broadcasting programs based on the diversity of the audience Figure 7 shows the division of sports schedules based on the four sports components. N E W S E N T E R T A I N M E N T E D U C A T I O N A L P R O M O T I O N C O M B I N E Figure8. Division of sports programs based on media functions Figure 8 shows that the highest number of sports programs has entertainment function and the least amount is related to educational and promotional activities which varies from one channel to another. In channel 3, the main focus is on news functionality and in ZDF, Sport and Raisport1 channels the main focus is on entertainment. 25

6 Figure 9 refers to the coverage range of different programs which are internal, external, or a combination of the two. significant difference among the content of broadcasting programs from these channels. Table 4 shows the differences between the contents of the tables of under-studied TV channels based on the four components of the sport (championship, general, educational, and professional). Table 4 - Comparison of the contents of the structure of TV network sport programs based on the four sport components Sig Degrees Chi- Under-studied variable of square freedom statistic I N S I D E O U T S I D E C O M B I N E Network coverage based on the classification of sports (non-specialized networks) Figure 9 - Coverage of internal and external programs Network coverage based on the classification of sports (specialized networks) As shown in Fig. 9, the coverage of sporting events varies in different networks, and with the exception of the sports network, the rest of the networks devote their most time of coverage to sports programs outside the source country which have a representative on that competitions. Inferential Findings Table 3 shows the difference between the content of programs being played by different television networks. Table 3. Compare the content of programs being played among networks The results presented in Table 4, which compare the coverage of networks according to the classification of sports that are broadcast from different networks, the level of chi-square and a significant amount compared to the specialized and non-specialized networks in the field of sport showed that there was a significant difference in network coverage based on the classification of sports among these networks. Table 5 shows the difference among the contents of the program tables broadcasting in under-studied networks based on media functions. Sig.1.1 Degrees of freedom 5 7 Chisquare statistic Under-studied variable The content of the programs being broadcast (nonspecialized networks) The content of the programs being broadcast (specialized networks) Table 5 - Comparison of the content structure of the broadcast tables of selected networks based on functional roles Sig Degrees Chisquare Under-studied variable of freedom statistic Functional roles of programs (non-specialized networks) Functional roles of programs (specialized networks) The results presented in Table 3, which compare the content of the programs being broadcast from different networks, the chi-square statistic and the significance of comparing the specialized and nonspecialized networks in the field of sport indicate that there is a The results presented in Table 5, which compare the content of the networks based on the functional roles of the programs being broadcast from different networks, the level of chi-square statistic and the significant difference in the comparison of specialized and non- 26

7 specialized networks in the field of sport indicated that there was a significant difference in focusing of networks to different functional roles among the programs being broadcast. Table 6 shows the difference between the content of the program tables of the broadcasting in under-studied networks according to the broadcast method. Table 6 - Comparison of the structural contents of the broadcast tables of selected networks according to the program distribution method Sig Degrees Chisquare Under-studied variable of freedom statistic Coverage of programs based on the way programs are played (non-specialized networks) Coverage of programs based on the way programs are played (specialized networks) The results presented in Table 6, which compare the content of the networks based on the coverage of programs being broadcast from different networks based on the program broadcasting method, the level of chi-square statistic and the significant difference in the comparison of specialized and non-specialized networks in the field of sport indicated that there was a significant difference in the coverage of sports programs of networks based on the program broadcasting method. DISCUSSION The purpose of this research was to analyze the performance of Islamic republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) in comparison with foreign selected channels in the field of sports In the statistical comparison between the selected networks, it has been shown that both the TV3 channel in Iran and the ZDF channel in Germany as more non-specialized networks turned to live programs which regarding to the general nature of these networks, most of these programs have been important in broadcasting live national and international events. In the specialized sports networks, according to the specialized approach to sport, they have a lot of time to cover a variety of topics in the field of sports, and what emerges from the findings of this research is that the recorded and supplied programs allocated the largest amount in the program broadcasting tables. It seems that the results of the present study obtained based on the type of programs and the time of investigation and if this research was conducted at a time when major sporting events were held in the world, the contribution of these networks increased more and more. It may seem logical that, in normal times, networks will reciprocate the broadcasting program to fill the program table. The coverage of sporting events is one of the most important categories for selected networks that focused on them either specialized or nonspecialized and among many different sport subjects, soccer is the most commonly used sport that is covered by networks and channels. One of the points that has been studied in this study was the contribution of various people to sports programs, in which the performance of the networks was very different. TV3 channel in Iran had a special interest in the sports of the people with disabilities at the time of study, but none of the networks had a specialized program in this area. It seems that due to the presence of veterans of the imposed war among disabled athletes as well as the successful results of this group in the international and universal competitions, a special TV program has been allocated to them. But the point that matters here is whether having a specialized sports network and a relatively longer time than the third channel in Iran, is it essential that this sport program broadcasting from a social network approach or gain more and more independent contributions in the sports network. Academic sports and sports of basic age category are the only points that have been considered by Raisport1 channel but had not any contribution to sport channel in Iran during the study period. Due to the presence of a young and interested sports community and the presence of academics in the sports sector, it is possible to provide a better contribution to the program broadcasting table. Because supporting media such as television can be effective in increasing the incentive of this stratum. The network approach to sports coverage varies according to the classification of sports, and among non-specialized networks, TV3 channel in Iran there are programs in all cases, except for academic sports which in contrast to ZDF channel in Germany, it only works in the championship and professional sports. The results of this section indicate that TV3 channel proceeded one of the main tasks recommended to it but in spite of looking into the field of sports, it seems that a small share of the broadcast schedule is dedicated to this, and planners should have more effort in this section. Since the function of the media is different, and each one should be based on the audience's conditions, the results of this study showed that the most function that is emphasized by the networks is the entertainment function. The educational function has been somewhat discussed in the specialized sports network, which seems to be somewhat diminished according to the mission of broadcasting organization in Iran. One of the points that has been discussed in this study is the content of the programs being broadcast that in addition to covering domestic events, in third 27

8 channel of Sima, foreign events are covered. Foreign events that do not include participants from Iran and are intended only for the entertainment of the audiences. In contrast, ZDF channel in Germany emphasizes more on domestic events or foreign events with at least a participant. It seems that the approach of a specialized network based on the general interest of the community should be similar in the same way as ZDF network in Germany. The Iranian sports network also emphasizes the coverage of foreign events in which there is no participant in Iran, which is a weakness against its Italian counterpart. According to the statistical findings of this study, the results show that the TV3 channel in comparison with ZDF channel in Germany has a broader coverage and examines the various dimensions of the sport. It seems that the performance of the German network is acceptable somehow, since there is no need for non-specialized networks to expand their coverage where the specialized sport networks are present. But the performance of the Iranian sports network in contrast to Raisport1 Italian sport channel is somewhat controversial. Due to the geographical extent of Iran, as well as having provincial networks and sports enthusiasts, more sporting events should be covered in Iran until most of the programs were provided from other countries, or covered those field of sports which have no enthusiasts in Iran. The contribution of the ancient and original sports of Iran was only 4.53%, which seems to be very low for a country like Iran. In summary, the result of this study is that in general the performance of broadcasting organization in Iran in comparison to its equal networks in foreign countries, despite some deficiencies, was acceptable and with regard to young life of specialized sport channel, it can be better. Iranian broadcasting organization is perhaps one of the few broadcasting and radio networks in the world that is wide spread and all major sports events throughout the country are broadcast to the audience for free, but what we see here is that there is not any compiled program in this organization to cover sport events and most sports programs broadcast from Iranian networks are of an external nature and this seems somewhat unreasonable, especially on the TV3 network. To this end, efforts should be made to compose a strategic program in order to identify the coverage of sport programs. It is also suggested that the research units in broadcasting organization carry out extensive research on the needs of the target audience in order to identify the needs of the audience and to cover the sporting events. REFERENCES 1. Arabnarmi, Batol; Goodarzi; Mahmood; Sajjadi; Nasrollah; Khabiri, Mohammad (215). "The role of television in the development of sports championship is a study in the context of the theory." Quarterly Journal of Communication Research, 2 (Issue 4), pp Arbabi, Mahmoud; Dehim, Angel (214). "Conductor on TV". Tehran, Publication of Broadcasting Organization University. 3. Asayesh, L., Karkon, H., (213), "The Challenges of Athletics in Iran: A Delphi Study", European Journal of Experiment Biology, 3(6) (Persian) 4. Ashraf Nazari, Ali; Hasanpour, Ali; Gravand, Ayub (215). "Broadcasting Organization and Representation of Culture and Identity in the Islamic Republic of Iran". National Geographic Quarterly; 64, 16th, No. 4, pp Bigdlu, Mehdi; Bagheri, Abdolreza. (213). "The Relationship of National Solidarity with the Function of the Social Communication of Television in the Islamic Republic of Iran (From the Viewpoint of Internal Ministry Experts)". National Geographic Quarterly; 54, 14, No. 2, pp Carillom, C. Crumley, J. Thieringer, K. Jeffrey,S. (212)." The Walt Disney Company A Corporate Strategy Analysis". Harrison at the Robins School of Business University of Richmond. 7. Chris, E Berg (215). "Research Methods in Health, Physical Education, Sport Sciences and Entertainments". Translation: Behrouz Abdoli, Nasour Ahmadi, Elham Azimzadeh, Third Edition, Science & Motion Publishing. 8. Ghasemi, Hamid; Kashkar, Sara (212). "Socio-cultural Basics of Exercise". Sports publication, 1st edition. 9. Ghasemi, Hamid; Mozaffari, Amir Ahmad; Amirtash, Ali Mohammad (27). "Development of Sport through Television in Iran." Research in Sport Sciences, No. 17, p Ghasemi, Hamid; Tojari, Farshad; Kashkar, Sara (21). "Media Activities in Sport". Bamdad Book, 2nd Edition. 11. Hassan,A. Danyal, M. (213)." Impact of Television Programs and Advertisements on School Going Adolescents: a Case Study of Bahawalpur City, PAKISTAN" Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy (BJSEP), Volume 7, Number 1, pp: Hwang, Y. Lim, J, S. (215) "The impact of engagement motives for social TV on social Presence and sports channel commitment". Telematics and Informatics (32) Pp:

9 13. Imani, Javid; Najaf Beigi, Reza; Gholipour, Arian; Cultural, Ali Akbar. (213). "Institutional Management via Television". Media Studies, Eighth, No. 23, pp Kashkar, Sara, Ghasemi, Hamid, Nazari, Alireza (214). "Studying loyalty of football fans and the role of television in strengthening it". Sports Management and Motor Behavioral Research, Vol. 1, No. 19, pp Mozafari, Ahmad Amir; Elahi, Alireza; Abbasi; Shahamat; Ahadpour; Hengame; Rezaei; Zain-al Abedin (212). "Strategies for the Development of Iran's Championship Sports System". Sports Management Studies No Paknejad, Mohsen; Dorani, Kamal. (28). "The aggressive behaviors of soccer fans and its psychological and social causes." Learning and Developmental Movement-Sport, No. 3, pp Rezai Sufi, Morteza; Shabani, Abbas (214). "The Impact of the Media on the Country's Sports Structure". Communication Management in Sports Media, First Year, No. 4, pp Sadeghi, Reza, Safania, Ali Mohammad, Ghasemi, Hamid (215). "Analysis of the Structure of Programs and Functional Roles of Selected Sports Television Networks and the Iranian Sports Network and Conceptual Framework". Doctoral dissertation, Shomal University. 19. Samiee Nia, Mona; Peymanizadeh, Hossein, Javadipour, Mohammad (213). "Strategic Pathology of Public Sports in Iran and Development Solutions Based on the" SWOT Model ". Sports Management Studies No. 2, pp Singh, D. (214). "Impacts of Scary Television Programs on children Psychology, Attitude and Behavior". New Media and Mass Communication. Vol.23. pp: The Guide for the Organization of Islamic Azad University of IRAN (213). Sorush Publishing. Deputy planning and monitoring. 29