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narrowcast

American  
[nar-oh-kast, -kahst] / ˈnær oʊˌkæst, -ˌkɑst /

verb (used without object)

Radio and Television.
narrowcast, narrowcasted, narrowcasting
  1. to aim a program or programming at a specific, limited audience or sales market.


narrowcast British  
/ ˈnærəʊˌkɑːst /

verb

  1. (tr) to supply (television programmes) to a small area by cable television

  2. (intr) (of programmers or advertisers) to target a specialized audience on radio or television

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of narrowcast

1770–80, for an earlier sense; narrow (broad)cast


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Smallish, thoughtful, more narrowcast new musicals — let’s call them nerdicals — are rarer: one per season, if we’re lucky.

From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2022

Even when he built a tower in Panama, he narrowcast his sales efforts to draw Russians, as the Washington Post has reported.

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2016

In simple fact, Twitter video will usher in the era of brand-centric narrowcast video in a way that YouTube never has. 

From Forbes ● Mar. 1, 2015

It's hard to pin down what East India Youth is, or where his intentions lie, suffice it to say that being narrowcast probably isn't high on his list of ambitions.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 19, 2013

The result is a proliferation of narrowcast and personalized news sources and a decline in traditional broadcast and mass-market outlets.

From Time Magazine Archive

The specials were a blatant attempt to offer something for everyone, in a precable epoch defined by broadcasting, as opposed to today’s narrowcasting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025

“Forget traditional debates. Equal time on conventional TV. Or mainstream reporters pushing candidates from both parties. Instead, narrowcasting playbooks that have been road-tested in this year’s midterms will be deployed at scale,” Mr. Allen said.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 23, 2022

“We’re narrowcasting to less than 10 percent of the voters,” he said.

From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2022

Still, I’m sure the ratings will be huge; this remains one of the few true mass-culture events in a narrowcasting era.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2015

What has emerged is a form of narrowcasting, allowing candidates a welcoming platform that helps them avoid hostile press questioning and, in some cases, minimize the slog and the slip-ups of retail campaigning.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2010

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