Algorithmic Curatorial Shift

Television program scheduling has long been an exercise in editorial authority: decisions regarding which programs to air, when, and in what order have shaped viewer behavior, structured the revenue logic of commercial broadcasting, and reproduced the broader ideological and economic conditions of the broadcasting system. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into broadcasting operations is restructuring this framework. Algorithmic tools are increasingly shaping audience forecasting, ad placement, content performance evaluation, and recommendation systems. Drawing on Raymond Williams' flow theory, gatekeeping theory, and platform capitalism, this chapter examines this transformation through the concept of algorithmic curatorial shift, the redistribution of editorial authority from human planning experts to algorithmic systems.