tv-whitepaper

01/19RAWNET

THE CHANGING FACE OFTV CONTENT

RAWNET WHITE PAPER

THE CHANGING FACE OF TV CONTENT

Our world is being transformed at the moment by two interconnected ‘d’s - digital, and data. Together and hand-in-hand, these two forces are changing almost every element of modern life, from the way we shop and work, to the way we learn about the world and communicate. Most crucially, digital and data are transforming how we relax and entertain ourselves. We are increasingly spending our lives online: according to the IAB and UKOM the average Briton spends nearly three hours daily online.

At over 80%, UK has one of the highest proportions of internet use in the world, and it is constantly growing. These trends are global. In the space of just over two minutes, 684,000 Tweets are sent, 148,320 Apps are downloaded via the Android Store and 46,320 hours of Netflix TV are watched around the world. That is simply staggering, and highlights our reliance as consumers and businesses alike. That understanding is driving big changes in how broadcasters recognise and cater to their audiences.

Broadcasting is one of the few industries which can boast a long standing relationship with data as a fundamental driver of their business decisions. In fact, so wedded has the US TV industry been to its Nielsen ratings from the earliest days of TV to now, it is the predominant barometer of whether a TV show is succeeding or failing.

In recent years, this has arguably been to the detriment of some shows. While TV is increasingly data-reliant, mainly for reasons of advertising revenue, it has struggled to keep pace with the other d. Digital was seen as a threat, a way of facilitating piracy, a foe which was undermining the value of broadcast content to advertisers and crucially removing the control many content owners had over access to their programming.

Even in the early days of iPlayer and TiVO, timeshifted content and viewing patterns were not taken into account when it came to measuring the viewers of TV content - live viewing through traditional Nielsen figures and the all important audience share remained the primary gauges by which the success or failure of TV programmes was assessed.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case, and these days broadcasters and programme makers are embracing the digital space to grow and involve their audiences, encouraging live-tweeting, creating additional internet-only content to enhance the viewing experience and allow fans to get even more deeply into the worlds they are watching. This, in turn, is feeding back into the all-important data set, as increasingly digital, mobile and second-screened content is highly trackable and measurable for content makers.

Equally, the proliferation of online, streamed and mobile viewing channels means that while the 30-second TV spot may be less valuable in some cases, additional revenue streams are proliferating. And the more forward-thinking content makers realise that their content is not necessarily theirs to control - that by allowing fans to create their own narratives along with a show, they are creating much deeper bonds, much greater loyalty to screened content and even broadening their fanbases.

THE CHANING FACE OF TV CONTENT 02/19RAWNET

Which brings us to the all-important content itself, likewise seeing shifts in how it is conceptualised and created. Content, and content delivery, are increasingly becoming a web business. In a YouTube world, consumers have long since realised they can upload their own videos and instantly tell their stories around the globe. This control, creation, and access to content continues to spread like wildfire and it is driving forward increasing comfort with watching content through connected devices so that information can be accessed anywhere. It is also being fuelled by the spread and development of technology. Most tellingly, a recent Ofcom report found that just 31% of us use an online TV service to watch original programming, compared to 75% who said they used the service to watch films and almost half who said they watched US shows.

Netflix, some have argued, is now on pace to stream more than any cable TV network. Netflix has shown, even from its inception, that algorithms can choose content quite well for audiences, and has even applied that thinking to first-run projects such as House of Cards and as a value marker to how much they were prepared to add Clarkson and co. Netflix of course has a myriad of signals to measure and assess the likelihood of a show being a hit; the ratings users have provided have famously spawned Netflix-sponsored competitions to improve on their own in-house algorithms. Netflix’s content predictions model clearly works for their platform, but when it comes to traditional broadcast TV it’s a different story.

In this whitepaper we will investigate:

the current state of play for this content,

how what we watch and the formats themselves are undergoing a significant shift in terms of how content is being created,

what major trends are shaping the future of our viewing habits, and

what may be coming to a TV, mobile or tablet screen near you shortly.


IN ONLY 2 MINUTES APPROXIMATELY 2708880 GB OF DATAWAS TRANSFERRED OVER THE INTERNET

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FRESHNESS OF FORMAT

The chief influences on what makes a format a hit or miss, and how it is being shaped with the audience in mind are fundamentally changing.

The area of focus is most notably the international TV mega formats of today like, ‘X’s Got Talent’, The Voice and a programme we at Rawnet have worked on within a business environment, ‘I’m a Celebrity….Get Me Out Of Here’. However it’s important to not forget the likes of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ of yesteryear, which achieved worldwide success, to the point where it became an attraction in multiple Disney theme parks.

Creating shows with necessary international resale format appeal, and understanding how their existence impacts the marketing, creative conception and production is essential. For broadcasters, finding a format which can be replicated internationally was always the Holy Grail - this is no different, but changes remain underway. How these shows are being found, shared and expanding their audiences across borders is evolving.

Furthermore, it is the extension of these shows (through second screens and on-demand services) that has changed the landscape with viewer consumption and demand driving the experience and expectations of the programme makers.

It is quite staggering to think that the ‘Got Talent’ format celebrated a Guinness World Record in 2014, having been adapted by 63 territories across every continent in the world - including its latest versions - ‘Mexico’s Got Talent’ and ‘Kenya’s Got Talent’.

When you take a step back from it, the simplicity in the format is the killer equation - almost begging to ask, who hasn’t got talent?


CHANGING CONSUMERATTITUDES

Our appetite for TV as consumers has changed, the when we watch is debatable, the why we watch is questioned, and the how we watch evolves with a myriad of new technology that is designed to suit us and our needs.

Entertainment in particular is arguably the highest pressure space - a show like Love Island from ITV, challenges and stretches to Lord Reith’s original vision for the BBC, more than any in many respects.

The most sellable of TV shows from recent years, ‘The Great British Bake Off’, ‘Come Dine with Me’ and ‘Total Wipeout’ have been at the centre of some of Britain’s most popular and celebrated exports - but are we proud of them and does that matter?

Back in 2010 it was reported that Come Dine with Me in particular had generated 4,000 episodes across 20 countries including Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Turkey and Germany - and in doing so it has brought in revenue of over £57 Million pounds to ITV Studios (who owned the rights to the format). With revenue like that, it is hard to argue with it as an approach from a commercial and business perspective - irrespective of whether it falls foul of the quality TV barometer test.

What must be remembered in all of this, is that a format is merely that of a skeleton, or at least it used to be. Audience tastes and desires are of paramount importance, which is why you will see variations of shows to help suit the audience that primarily watches. In the case of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here - a purpose built hub has been created that all filming teams use in South Africa (aside from the UK and South African productions companies who use Australia). This approach will allow high production costs be shared across international production companies, enabling the recruitment of (arguably) better talent, more involving programmes and enable spin-off or supplement programmes to also be made.

Total Wipeout was similar in this sense, using the basecamp of Argentina and over 50 countries shipped in contestants to try and take on the obstacles and win differing levels of prizes (relevant to that country and the audience expectations). The key it would seem with global formatting is to make something that is creatively guiding but not limiting - become too niche, you risk not selling to multiple territories, become too loose and costs spiral and the programme loses its carefully crafted identity of what makes it work in the first place. Though formats are created in any genre of programming, more popular ones tend to be game and quiz, reality, and factual entertainment shows where localisation does not tend to take away the essence of a show.


BORDER-FREE BROADCAST ALLIANCES

An emerging trend that should also be factored in is that of co-producing, with Britain’s place in the market recognised and respected to a level where foreign broadcasters seek guidance and council to help develop formats for commerical gain. Only last year, the Guardian reported this with a piece about ‘Why British TV rules the World, where it stated that ‘ The potential for British TV is no longer simply in simply selling formats that have proved successful in the home market, though.

The high production values mean that there is great scope for co-produced projects intended for multiple territories. The BBC has just agreed to make The Refugees, an English-language sci-fi series set in an isolated village north of Madrid, with the Spanish company Atresmedia, an international arrangement which allows for greater ambition and scale.’

If a show is a hit in Britain—or even if it performs unusually well in its time slot—phones start ringing in production companies’ offices. Foreign broadcasters, hungry for proven fare, may hire the producers of a British show to make a version for them. Or they may buy a “bible” that tells them how to clone it for themselves.’

The importance with this of course is the savviness of the commissioner - ensuring their tastes align with the audience they represent and to determine what is successful or not - at exec level in Television, the only thing that is important is results and market share, wherever you look - for each champion, you will find numerous casualties.

However, this international recognition and appeal is now spreading to other countries’ content - from the cult appeal of Borgen, The Killing and The Bridge, through to current success stories including The Returned/ Les revenants, language is no longer a barrier to audiences seeking fresh approaches to storytelling and production from other countries.

So successful is this trend, many ‘traditional’ production companies are trying to capture the lightning in their own bottles by remaking the programmes, such as Humans (originally from Sweden), The Killing, Hostages, even Homeland was based on an Israeli TV programme before seeking its own storytelling path. As with almost any TV programme, these series are seeing varying levels of success. Key to the initial foreign appeal is the different storytelling sensibilities fuelling the original programme, with a hefty dollop of cult one upmanship thrown in.


THE LEGACY IMPACTOF THE BBC

It has been stated that UK TV has for long been the envy of its international counterparts, the BBC has always maintained a respected status on a global scale - despite its long-term future being under more scrutiny due to the nature of its public funding. Back during his reign, Reith summarised that the BBC’s purpose in three words: ‘Inform, Educate, Entertain’ and this remains part of the BBC’s mission statement to this day - and has also been adopted by PBS in the United States too.

It is important though to outline it is not just the BBC - the global respect that we have is driven by all broadcasters and numerous independents - where collectively they have been responsible for exporting more than 600 shows - six times as many as Germany.

Lord Reith’s vision may have suited the world of broadcast back in 1927 but nearly 90 years later and the significant changes and advances made with TV production, consumer consumption and technology has perhaps pushed his vision into one that is idyllic but archaic.

The annual Edinburgh TV Festival took place over the 2015 August Bank Holiday weekend with the BBC’s own Armando Iannucci taking centre stage with the MacTaggart lecture where he can gave a passionate and resounding defence of public service broadcasting.

As the BBC reviews is status amid government pressure, the requirement for downsizing and the move of BBC Three into a smaller online presence is angering those that support through independent content production. Many see BBC Three as a TV laboratory - a place where a notably hard to fathom and reach audience is accessible to lure them toward the big box in the corner of the family lounge (or through streaming services at least).

British content from Poirot to Downton, Doctor Who to Bake Off enjoys vast viewing overseas, but again key to its transferable nature is the freshness of its content, along with the size of the fanbase. No broadcaster can afford to rest on their laurels in a time when programmes are not just competing with other channels in their home regions - through YouTube and yes, the BitTorrents of the world, they are increasingly competing with every other TV programme on Earth.


QUESTION ANDADAPT - HONING THE‘PERFECT TV FORMAT’The pressure on those working in all aspects of TV is immense - be it the show runner to the exec producer and the pressure (albeit different for both sides) is still apparent for both the independents and the national broadcasters. The need to make a programme that is sellable, has mass appeal and does not impact on credibility is vital - but in doing so, is TV dumbing down, is it devoid of ‘actual’ creativity as the production process now goes through a series of questions that are purely commercially related.

The emergence of TV formats though are not actually anything new, mainly stemming from the deregulation of national broadcasting markets during the 1970s and 1980s, where producers began to scan systematically national TV programming habits for promising ideas for international exploitation. Lindenstraße - a German soap opera is a like-for-like equivilant of Coronation Street. It is the rise of digital though that has started to shake this up even further, as audiences now hold the power and vote with their viewing habits to determine commercial success and failure.

In their highly competitive national television markets, broadcasters increasingly look for ‘sure shot’, ‘quick fit’, and ‘hit’ solutions - television formats provide them with a solution. Formats cost less time and money to produce than to create original shows and they have usually proven their ratings worth in more than one television market before being brought to be sold. Besides getting the broadcasters the required viewing figures and hence high advertising revenues, formats also have a high potential for merchandising, multimedia games, phone-in revenue and other brand extensions.

These additional revenue streams further increase the allure of formats for broadcasters. This is evidenced by the huge sums of money broadcasters are prepared to pay in various territories or markets for a license or option to an original successful format.

While formats trading is attractive, copycatting of successful formats is inevitable. Some broadcasters or producers scan the world for format solutions, and as there are low barriers to dissemination of information in the world today, recreate the format without paying any license fee. They might simply change elements of the original programme before localizing it themselves without the involvement of the originator. This, according to the original producer, is theft of their format rights - supposed intellectual property - leading to accusations of format plagiarism or format copycatting in the industry. In the last few years, in three of the biggest and most sophisticated television markets - USA, Germany and UK - there have been high profile accusations of format piracy or unauthorized copying. Among other examples, there are RDF’s ‘Wife Swap’ and similar shows in both the USA (‘Trading Spouses’) and Germany (‘Frauentausch’).


BALANCINGREAL-TIME DEMAND

The mismatched relationship between news owners and media companies has been well examined and pulled apart by others with concerning remarks made about the integrity and responsibility they have. This is wonderfully highlighted in the fictional show ‘The Newsroom’ episode where the shift between editorial and commercial is placed under the microscope with the shooting of congresswoman Gloria Gifford. Albeit fictional, the show uses real life situations of previous news incidents to highlight the world of real life and news television as they are today. The juxtaposition between the newsroom, the desire for ethical journalism and the placement of media networks as money making machines could not be better underlined. The death (or non-death) of a congresswoman and the need to be factually correct should be the paramount concern in an instance like this, however the station’s owner’s concern is about ratings share and that of advertising revenue being lost.

In a rampant case of art imitating life imitating art once more, the show also explores the pressures on a traditional newsroom in a world of growing citizen journalism, where this line should be drawn in a responsible way, and even the growing social media-alisation of news networks as a result. To draw a parallel with what is currently taking place in the United States and Donald Trump and his quest to become the presidential candidate for the republican party. The amount of interest taken by the news networks has been unprecedented, leading news bulletin after news bulletin with it as a headline story and even at the expense of other ‘worthy’ news items. News networks are serving the populist notion of what they are feeding to their own audiences, and then exploiting the commercial gain off the back end by increasing advertising rates.

Ultimately, the tension between the commercial imperatives and implications of viewing numbers to gauge programme success and popularity - even when it comes to the news, which is an issue we are often insulated from in the UK - and the increasing influence and constant feedback from citizen journalists and news networks is not going away any time soon. It is an issue format developers and producers need to tackle - one we have seen ourselves, in having positive effect for CNN in terms of how producers now have to think about creating social and bitesize video content for online access as well as the traditional news reporting we’re all used to. It is increasing eyeballs and sharing on important issues online, helping to educate and spread the word on vital global issues of the day in a digestible fashion. The influence of this issue is also especially noticable when it comes to the current Republican nomination race in the USA - the focus on Trump and his more entertaining approach to the debates is creating great television, but arguably at the expense of serious political debate.

It’s dangerous close in some respects to becoming a reality show for some news networks, and it’s delivering viewers - CNN raised its ad rates by 4000 percent thanks to increased interest during the last debate - but could it be called quality news reporting?


WITH QUALITY AND COMMERCIAL IMPERATIVES

CO-CREATION AND THE AUDIENCE AS EXECUTIVE

PRODUCERIt is also important to recognise the significant impact new streaming services are having here on driving the industry forward and essentially allowing the audience to have a say in the programmes which are being created. Take Amazon Prime, which makes an array of different TV pilots available to its users to trial and feedback on which programmes they want to watch for full seasons. This works as a win on two fronts - not only does it take the pressure away from the channel to select which pilots make the cut and which don’t - a longstanding tricky proposition as many pilots often vary in tone, staging and even cast from the finished product, but it also allows the service to assess potential viewership for the full service and pre-’buys in’ the audience with a set of pre-engaged viewers.

The phenomenal critical acclaim of Transparent, followed by Bosch and the latest series to be released in this fashion, Hand of God, makes it likely that this co-greenlighting of content will be a trend to watch for the future, especially as some channels have experienced high profile failures of big budget shows following pilot screenings, and takes some of the guesswork and risk out of allowing a programme to find its audience. You only need to look at the latest Emmy ceremony to see the effect of this ‘riskier’ nature of new services coming through - it was notable for many of the top awards going to HBO and new streaming services, with the traditional US broadcast networks only picking up the odd gong here and there.

Over at Netflix, Marvel is pursuing a similar strategy in allowing riskier properties to find an audience online. Buoyed by the success of big-screen outings, in conjunction with the ‘traditional’ TV series Agents of SHIELD which has now overcome the bumpy first season in terms of viewership to mature into a solid companion piece to the films, Marvel is now releasing a series of less well known superhero content through Netflix. The first of these, Daredevil, carried the baggage from a poorly-received movie release, and yet online burgeoned into a runaway success, Marvel is now poised to release a suite of five more connected ‘same universe’ programmes through the service, with Jessica Jones the next to appear this winter. The fact that Marvel has from the offset included an interconnected storytelling approach between its movies and TV series (and supporting comics offline), intertwining characters from one film into another. This ‘universe’ approach means that fans of one strand of content can be encouraged to watch others through liberal placement of easter eggs to reveal the full story, while each separate story can also stand on its own if viewers prefer. As the Marvel universe matures from phase two to phase three, becoming larger and more complex, the format of streaming means that it can allow less well known characters to blossom on online services, testing their audiences, while also tapping into the large fanbase of its properties and reflecting their channel preferences and habits. Making full series available online also liberates programme makers from standard TV running times, and gives them freer reign to push the boundaries of what may be acceptable on traditional TV content. Indeed, as Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix, puts it, “If every novel had to be the same number of pages, books would be pretty lousy”.


Daredevil in particular is notably recognised for taking comic book violence to levels which traditional TV channels may have deemed too extreme for widespread viewing, and indeed their advertisers. The shift in fanbases and the control they have on a show’s destiny or demise is substantial - case in point being “Broad City” a popular web series that got picked up by Viacom’s Comedy Central. With a strong fan base and the backing of Amy Poehler the series turned out to be a huge hit. The third season was picked up before the second season even premiered. Good quote from Amy Poehler - ““web series to television is sort of like organ transplant. You just have to make sure that the heart doesn’t die on the way to the patient.”

There have been several cases of fans coming to the rescue of shows both in the U.S. and the UK. Audiences take the role of executive producers not only for shows that are being created but for shows that have been cancelled or don’t have the ratings to sustain a network TV presence - such as Ripper Street moving from the BBC to Amazon. These shows can now live on streaming services if they have enough of a hardcore audience, as “niche” content. The flexibility of streaming services allow for short form web series, and allows a test-and-learn approach to see if audiences can be translated across - as has recently be seen from ABC’s Longmire moving to Netflix for a shortened series run. The reverse is also possible, with web series with strong fan bases picked up by cable networks. Case in point is “Broad City” a popular web series that got picked up by Viacom’s Comedy Central. With a strong fan base and the backing of Amy Poehler, the series turned out to be a huge hit. The third season was picked up before the second season even premiered. In this case it is crucial to the success of the show that the inbuilt web audience doesn’t find the content diluted by the move to an established channel. In the words of Amy Poehler, “web series to television is sort of like organ transplant. You just have to make sure that the heart doesn’t die on the way to the patient.”


CHANGING VIEWINGBEHAVIOURS

Alongside the growth in format streamlining, is the rise (at least predicted rise) of advertising through the medium. With over 56% of homes in the UK and US having a connected TV device (Netflix, Apple TV etc.) and Amazon Fire TV alone has grown by nearly 400% in the first 6 months of 2015. At present, only 1% of total spend for senior marketeers is allocated to this area, however 75% of senior US and UK brands are looking at this technology as a space where additional spend is necessary due to the high level of users and connectivity.

What is most telling about the changes in viewing behaviour is the key changes around linear v connected digital - where back in 2013, a viewer was watching nearly four hours of TV and under four minutes on devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops. Move this forward by 24 months and the tables have massively turned - our lives no longer revolve around linear television and we consume content en masse in ‘binge’ sessions and also as we travel to and from work etc. To say that the TV revolution has been fast forwarded and shifted almost overnight would not be an overstatement and is likely to only become more programmatic around oud individual consumption behaviour in the the years ahead.


UNDERSTANDINGYOUR AUDIENCE

It is quite telling that in recent Deloitte Survey - the top 100 YouTube channels viewed are those that are children, gaming and music genres, a complete contrast to linear television and viewing habits with a traditionally older audience. We know that Linear will not go away (it will evolve into an extension of what it is today) but will remain the central pillar of the viewing habits for those aged 45+. What will be fascinating is when will the balance tip the other way, and the traditional model be lost forever?

What deserves further examination is an insight into viewer behaviours with consumption of media, especially as habits are deep-seated. How many times have you watched a film on TV, even when you have the Blu-Ray on the shelf? As consumers we have become both very lazy and very demanding in terms of content delivery - so how we find and explore new content is also shifting and needs a closer look to help determine what way the industry is shifting and to not only match, but exceed consumers expectations.

Take for example - the difference in this side-by-side comparison.

PewDiePie is one of the top video bloggers on YouTube, creating short form clips about video games. The staggering fact is that his content receives a global viewing time of 58 million hours a month - in comparison to Coronation Street - that has 67 million hours of consumption.

Both of these are very different types of content, with very different audiences - and though the habits of the users differs widely, it is impossible to ignore the likes of PewDiePie and his internet/smartphone connected audience that like content that is relevant, precise, short and easy to consume.


PewDiePieYouTube channel that publishes around 10 short videos each week of playing video games

Global

35m subscribers

64m for “A funny montage”

montage”ddddddd

58m

Coronation StreetThe world’s longest running soap opera, with 30 minutes episodes broadcast 5 times a week

United Kingdom

Typically just under 7m for each episode

27m for “Hilda Ogden leaves, Christmas

Day 1987”

58m

What is it?

Reach

Viewership

Single most views

Total monthly hours viewed

EXPLORATION OF NEW FORMATS - BITESIZE

AND BEYONDWhat is yet to come in terms of streaming ‘television’ content is really testing the parameters of what ‘neo-television’ can achieve. For example, this content is no longer restricted to a tight 50 minute (for UK audiences) or 42 minute (for the US) timeframe. Content can be as short, or as long, as the audience wants - and as many have observed through the binge-watching phenomenon and as Netflix and Amazon Prime are currently exploiting to the max, the ‘full series dump’ is a great short term strategy to build fully engaged audiences now used to watching a box set back-to-back.

These ‘fans in a box set’ are becoming accustomed to getting the full story, in one go, and managing their own timeframes for viewing, in an evolution of the timeshifted viewer. It is therefore easy to see how, as this content develops, it could become available as ‘supercut’ long viewing experiences, ‘director’s cut’ enhanced content or even something completely fresh and new. It is notable that most made-for-online content is currently drama or comedy genre programming - however the medium could potentially evolve into something much, much more.

Shifting channels for a second, take for example the unprecedented success of the podcast Serial. Serial began life on a public radio broadcasting show This American Life, which explored first person real life narratives week on week. Serial itself investigated a less-well known US murder case, documentary style, with each new episode unfurling the story slowly over time.

Released originally in October 2014, by 9 February of this year, it was reported that the first series had been downloaded over 68 million times. Whether the audio podcast series can maintain this phenomenal worldwide success as it now approaches its second season remains to be seen, but creating bitesize content designed to fit into the modern, pressured digital life is clearly an area many will be looking to replicate - particularly when the potential audience figures and rewards are so high.

The creation and circulation of bitesize nuggets of content for replication and sharing - especially through social video channels - is a current focus for US broadcasters, particularly for shows such as some of the stalwarts of US TV programming which are seeing a time of significant change - the late night talk shows. With a number of longstanding and influential hosts retiring, their audiences are having to adapt to the changes brought by James Corden taking over the Late Late Show, Stephen Colbert stepping into Letterman’s shoes on the Late Show, and the impending new host Trevor Noah taking the helm of the Daily Show from Jon Stewart.

These properties have long been wise to the circulation of particular shareable snippets from their programming; the celebrity nature of their interviews and comedy slant on current events have lent themselves nicely to brief videos being uploaded and shared widely on Youtube for the ‘did you see that?’ factor.


But when faced with the twin pressures or transitioning a new audience to a new presenter and approach, as well as encouraging new viewers to trial out new talent bringing a fresh face to a longstanding shows, the role of shortform ‘best bits’ shareable content has taken on new strategic importance for shows which are notably competitive in terms of audience share. No slouch in trialling new formats and freed from the restrictions of advertising, HBO has also entered this fray with former Daily Show correspondent John Oliver’s own show Last Week Tonight. Backed by a broadcaster able to take risks and known for taking different approaches to its content and programming, excerpts from these shows are widely distributed around the US and beyond. The programme and its conscious decision to actively share its content beyond the geographic borders of its target audience have not only teed up a potential overseas market for the show, they have been credited with shaping public opinion, influencing legislation by drawing attention to bizarre legal loopholes and driving donations to charitable causes.


WHAT’S ON NEXT?Drawing together all of these influences - international shows building audiences beyond borders; breaking away from tried and tested, familiar, show styles seeking something fresh; an increasingly flexible approach to TV formats and content; bold and strategic masterplans creating interconnected networks of content, bitesized sharability to appeal to online communities and fanbases; co-creation and of course changing viewing habits evolving timeshifting to screenshifting - where does this leave what we’re like to see coming from ‘neo-television’ content in the next few years?

Old format, fresh approach

As pressure grows to remain relevant with audiences and of course to serve advertisers, broadcasters will need to continually refresh the content they provide to serve a disparate and diversifying audience. The pressure for new ideas, combined with aging demographics of audiences will not only foster new approaches and different content to what typical TV audiences are used to, it may also drive content producers to their back catalogues to tap into the nostalgia factor or even revisit formats which may have been successful previously but were on the wane. The reboot or remake is nothing new. What is new is taking a fresh, and potentially screen-free approach to breathing new life into a programme. For example, ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway, which was facing waning popularity after several years as standard Saturday night fare. The broadcaster took the concept of the format, took the show on tour and away from the TV screens to allow audiences time to breathe, and now the show is diversifying into new international versions, with a Portuguese adaptation now one year old, and French and US launches planned for this year.

Border-free variety

Templating of content is becoming standard practice as networks can make revenue from successfully selling show concepts abroad, and this will only continue. The cost implications in particular for maintaining single sets which can be used by multiple production companies and essentially replicated in various countries worldwide has been explored earlier, and is unlikely to die off any time soon. Setting this kind of simple format replication up from one central hub and providing all the assets to do so needs careful consideration from the off, which can be difficult for a programme which may be yet to prove itself. But with judgement calls on the success or failure of content becoming increasingly truncated, and the co-production of TV programmes with their viewers a building force, it should be easy to assess which assets have potential to cross from one region to another simply.

Furthermore, it seems likely that the genre content available through streaming services will diversify and broaden further. The current interest in ‘different’ documentaries and untold ‘true crime’ storytelling, such as The Jinx and Serial, means it is highly likely that more of this content will be greenlit in the near future in a bid to appeal to the same audiences. A groundbreaking move would be the online production of a variety or reality show format, programming which remains vastly popular even as some of the existing shows begin to age and wane. It will require careful planning and framework, but for a production company to draw together the strands of co-creation, online feedback and viewer buy-in with the real life appeal of an X Factor or I’m a Celebrity…. style voting-driven popular fare and generate a successful, truly interactive platform for modern viewers, it will likely prove a runaway phenomenon.


Choose your own programming

The bitesize shareability of video, widespread ability for people to create their own content through smartphones and Youtube and increasing co-creation of pilot programmes is likely to come together to shape future idea creation, especially when it comes to keeping platforms fed with fresh content and ideas. Not only is this great news for those with a great treatment for a TV show nestled on their home computers, but it means that fandoms may become increasingly involved in generating and taking part in supporting content. The ‘fan show’ remains a building force, spurred on by ‘fan aftershows’ like Talking Bad and Talking Dead which allow fans to deepen their involvement with the production and creation of their favourite fare. We are also likely to see more fan communities become engaged with the creation of programme concepts, tapping into those nodes of interest as essentially pre-built audiences. For example, Netflix is currently working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on a programme co-made by his HitRECord production company which originated as a music collaboration project. The show itself is an award-winning social television collaboration project where community members suggest topics for Gordon-Levitt to discuss week on week. Just having completed it second season, its acclaim seems likely to attract more interest in developing similar programme styles. Without pandering to fan demands, an issue which has dogged some longstanding drama series in the past from the X Files to the West Wing to Lost, an intelligent use of audience communities to pre-select and shape content for them seems likely to fuel a significant strand of content in the very near future.


CONCLUSIONThe way we consume television and media has changed beyond what we could have imagined 10 years ago. Fads come and go (3DTV anyone?) but our appetite for content remains insatiable - in fact, it’s growing, and increasing control over ‘binge watching’ entire series dumps online is feeding this trend. On the flipside, more traditional dramas, like the current BBC series Dr Foster, are benefiting from the ‘slow burn’ mystique of week-on-week viewing.

The creation of TV Formats with global audiences in mind will remain paramount for years to come, growing and become ever more mainstream. TV Channels (whether public or privately owned) still have those that they need to answer and proclaim their abilities. Like a Hollywood film that requires global box office consumption to ensure its success (that success being determined by revenue generated) TV is following in its path. The need for smaller, quirky, independent programmes will still be there, but will be created and measured against criteria for serving a minority, not mass, audience - and even then overtime editorial will be filtered with multiple decision makers determining what ‘is for the best’ with directors not being allowed auteur status - instead being responsible for its production and fulfillment of brief. The Hollywood system only works knowing that the tentpoles exist to bankroll smaller programmes and when you’re on to a good thing, why change it? (Anyone for Transformers 32?) What is interesting from a Film marketing perspective is that of the marketing that supports it - six sheets and websites are created for individual regions and territories, even editorially the content gets changed so the ‘enemy’ is not that region of choice (Russia and China take note!).

Like outlined in the body of this whitepaper - TV Formats have essentially become TV skeleton’s - creative brief’s that have a purpose, requirement and need beyond that of the local audience. The need to make TV accessible for all is one that is understandable, sadly unchangeable but actually one that is quite worrying. Identifying and understanding your audience is a basic principle of marketing, therefore in theory the perceived increase of quality in production would increase but to the detriment of formats and independents wanting that sure-fire hit 75 times over from New England to New Zealand.

What is clear is that while the strength of the British independent production sector is clearly vital to the success of this export business, the mindset of executives at British broadcasters is seen as the key factor to determine how the industry moves forward. If this will change again within the next 24 months is anyone’s guess - but a competitive marketplace, combined with a content hungry audience is a powerful indication that exports will continue to drive success for British formats.

Most clear however is that television as we know it will not disappear, but it is significantly evolving. As spectators to the industry it is a fascinating time to see so many significant technological and creative changes occurring. As viewers, it is even more gratifying to see such a surge in new and exciting, dynamic content delivery - supplied in a viewer centric fashion and one which makes the relationship between content and viewer much less remote.


We are a multi-award winning digital agency based in Ascot (UK), London (UK) and New York City (US), specialising in breaking new ground, engaging end-users and stealing market share for our clients.

Our team of commercially driven digital specialists produce creative commercial campaigns, website and apps which help solve our clients’ business challenges and build loyalty with their audiences. We are strategists, problem-solvers and innovators, bursting with knowledge and armed with an arsenal of digital technologies.

We provide our clients with a higher level of client service through skilled project management, cutting-edge technology and design expertise. We work with the best new digital tools to boost clients’ conversion rates and increase profitability.

Our work has spanned a wide range of market-leading brands, including ITV Studios, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Carphone Warehouse, Gumball 3000, EMI Production Music and The Berkeley Group.

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