Digital on-screen graphic
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- DOG redirects here. For the animal, see dog.
A digital on screen graphic (known in the UK and New Zealand by the acronym DOG; in the US and Canada as a bug; and in Australia as a watermark) is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to assist viewers in identifying the channel. They are thus a form of permanent visual station identification, increasing brand recognition and asserting ownership of the video signal. In some cases, the graphic also shows the name of the current program. Some networks use an on-screen graphic to advertise later programs in the day's television schedule—this is generally displayed after the opening, during in-programme credits, and when returning from a commercial break.
The graphic identifies the source of programming even if it is time-shifted—that is, recorded to videotape, DVD, or via a digital personal video recorder such as TiVo. Many of these technologies allow viewers to skip or omit traditional between-programming station identification.
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[edit] Nicknames and screen placement
In the United Kingdom, digital on-screen graphics are also commonly known by the expanded acronym DOG tag and are commonly displayed on the top left corner of the screen. However, on channels such as Trouble and LIVINGtv, the graphic is displayed on the top right corner on the screen.
In Canada and the United States, bugs are commonly displayed on the bottom right corner of the screen. However, on some stations such as Logo, the bug is displayed on the top right corner of the screen. On BBC America it is displayed on the top left corner, while news networks such as CNN and Fox News Channel and the kids' network Nicktoons Network display their bug on the bottom left corner. Some utilize an animated logo, such as the rotating earth on the Discovery Channel. NBC has moved its logo bug from the bottom right corner to the bottom left corner of the screen, beginning in the 2006-07 TV season. For just the first day of its use, the NBC bug had ".com" beside the peacock, but was quickly removed for just the peacock.
The "bug" position in the United States has even made some shows change graphics. In the 2001-2003 US television series Weakest Link, the graphic for the clock was positioned on the top right corner, instead of the bottom right corner, as in other countries' version of the BBC-produced quiz show, as to permit station bugs to appear in the bottom right.
[edit] Usage
Many news broadcasters place a clock alongside their DOG (bug), giving it legitimacy if it is moved into an unorthodox position, such as the bottom left. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, DOGs may also include the show's parental guideline rating. In Australia, this is known as a Program Return Graphic (PRG).
During televised sports events, a DOG may also display a few game-related statistics such as the current score. This has led many people in Canada and the United States to refer to it as a score bug.
[edit] United Kingdom
In the UK, DOGs were first used on satellite and cable television systems in their early days, when broadcasts were unmarked. Channel 5 was the first to use DOGs on a terrestrial channel. The DOG was originally very bright and noticeable, and soon toned down, and wasn't as noticeable as usually was. Following the rebrand to "five" the DOG disappeared permanently.
On British digital systems such as Sky Digital and Freeview, where channels have a set EPG number and a name displayed across the bottom of the screen when changing channel, large or intrusive DOGs have been deemed unnecessary by most users. More recent additions are graphics which appear at the end of a program to tell the viewer what's up next; these have been classed as even more unnecessary, as most EPG systems give the same information, which is also announced over the end credits. BBC One and BBC Two dropped them after a short period in late 2004 after numerous complaints, and currently the only station broadcasting on analogue terrestrial television that has one is ITV1. However, other channels have not taken this stance. UK Gold dropped them after a short period in August 2003, but they returned again across the UKTV network in June 2005. Moving animated DOGs are already used by some channels such as MTV Dance.
[edit] United States
The first network in the United States to produce a score bug was ABC, which used one on the telecast of the 1994 Purolator 500 NASCAR event. A transparent digit counted down the number of laps remaining in the race. A similar bug was used during ABC's telecast of the 1994 Indianapolis 500 and 1994 Brickyard 400. Later that fall, FOX introduced a full-score bug for its NFL coverage, known as the "FoxBox", as did cable network ESPN. ABC expanded theirs to Monday Night Football in 1996. CBS introduced theirs upon returning to the NFL in the fall of 1998, and NBC in 2001 during its coverage of the XFL.
FOX then debuted the scoring banner, which takes up the top of the screen, for its NASCAR coverage in 2001. FOX then expanded the scoring banner to NFL and baseball coverage. Fox Sports Net also uses a scoring banner for basketball, hockey and soccer coverage, as do many other local broadcasters of sporting events. ABC introduced a Fox-like banner, but along the bottom of the screen, for Monday Night Football in 2005, its last year of the franchise. The network introduced a revised version February 5, 2006, during an NBA game, as well as during that day's presentation of Super Bowl XL, which quickly became used for all sports on the network. ABC returned to a bug in September when the sports divison became ESPN on ABC. NBC also began using a scoring banner, along the bottom like ABC's, in 2005 for its coverage of Notre Dame football, which also quickly became used for all sports on the network. CBS, ESPN, SNY, CBC, TSN and the networks of Turner Broadcasting System currently still use traditional score bugs, although ESPN used a banner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and MLB Home Run Derby and TNT uses one for it's NASCAR coverage. The one exception among the networks is motor racing, as most of them will use the banner for these races.
Some type of continuous graphic indicating time, score or standings are now used in every major sport televised in the U.S., except golf. In that sport, leaderboards are still flashed on and off screen at regular intervals, with a full rundown every half hour or so.
From its inception, cable network VH-1 commonly used a bug in the corner of the screen while broadcasting music videos for copyright purposes. MTV also did the same, beginning in 1993. MTV first began using a bug while videos were shown on the program Beavis and Butt-head.
[edit] Samples of usage
 Here is one of the first bugs used for sports on ABC. (shown on upper right) |
 Early semi-regular scoring bug used by NBC during baseball in the 1997 World Series (shown on lower right) |
 The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) logo has always used as the bug during their television, pay-per-view and home video productions. (shown on lower left) |
 NFL on FOX scoreboard used during a telecast on September 18, 2005 featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. |
[edit] Adverse effects
While most bugs are simply small, transparent logos, some are not transparent and a few are large. Nickelodeon GAS uses their normal logo in the conventional size, but because it is not transparent, it blocks the timers that are commonly used in their programs. Toon Disney uses a transparent logo, but it is larger than usual. Some are not entirely transparent, and may slightly obscure the item they are in front of, like the bug used by Nickelodeon.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- DOG Watch! - 625.uk.com - Website documenting and questioning the use of DOGs on British television
- The UK Campaign for Logo Free TV - Group against the use of DOGs on British television
