Idents are short clips played between TV programs to identify the channel. BBC 2 uses a consistent "suite" featuring the number 2 to help viewers easily identify the channel. Idents convey brand identity and provide information about upcoming programs through voiceovers. While idents attract audiences through entertainment, their short length limits detailed information and production techniques like stop motion require significant resources. Certain idents can only be used seasonally, limiting their value for broadcasters. Overall, idents aim to build viewer loyalty through consistent branding cues while introducing upcoming programming in a short time frame.

1. Unit 32: LO1 & LO2
By Thomas Horbury

2. Idents: What are they?
An ident is a short clip (almost like an advert) that is
played between programs in order for the audience to
identify the channel. One such channel that uses
idents is BBC 2. They tend to use the same type of
ident, with the main feature being the number 2. This
is known as a suite (something that is used over and
over again over multiple idents that helps the audience
easily identify the channel). A few examples of this
suite being used are on the right (along with a video of
them). Idents are also used for brand identity, since if
someone watches the BBC 2 and doesn’t know what
channel it is, the ident lets them know exactly what
channel they’re watching. Idents can also have
voiceovers on them, which tell the audience what
program is coming up next on that channel and at
what time.
Examples of
ident suites
Video of BBC 2 idents

3. What are the conventions of an ident?
Every ident is different, BBC like to have more informational based
idents, whereas ITV tend to have entertainment based idents. BBC has
voiceovers on their idents which informs the audience about what
program is coming up next, along with the next program on another
channel, for example “.. next on BBC 1, over on BBC 2 .. at 9pm”. This
helps to keep the audience loyal to their institution, since although they
might be changing from BBC 1 to BBC 2, they’re still watching BBC over
ITV. ITV however have idents that make the audience laugh and draw
them in through that way. They do use voiceovers just like BBC does
from time to time, however they tend to make idents for entertainment
rather than information.
Some conventions that every ident has (no matter what the institution) are:
● Logo of the company
● Sound (non-diegetic / diegetic)
● Random things (that attract the audience)
● Numbers (numbers of the channel)
Both of these idents
have a voiceover,
telling the audience
what program is next
(informative)
These idents are just the sounds of
what is going on in the shot, with
no voiceover of what program is
coming up and what time it will be
on (entertainment)
“Traffic Jam”
ident on ITV2
(entertainment)

4. ITV
Purpose Tone Audience
These idents are mainly
entertainment based,
although when they are
played on TV they do
have a voice over. This
voiceover makes the
ident slightly informative.
The noises used this
ident aren’t “annoying” or
noises that you would
associate with an
unrelaxed feeling, but
are quite relaxing noises
which could be
associated with the
channel itself, since ITV
2 want their audience
members to be relaxed,
and are therefore
showing this through
their idents (such as this
one).
The idents on this channel are mainly
entertainment based, although on TV they have a
voiceover telling the audience what program is
next, which makes it informative as well. All of
these idents also use diegetic sound (for example
the rock sticks ident and the tea cups/biscuits
ident - you can hear the rocks hitting each other
and the sounds of the biscuits hitting the tea
cups). These sounds are used to create a
“relaxing effect” on the ident which is used by the
channel to show the audience that they want them
to be relaxed while watching their channel, and
also that they want their audience to feel welcome
on their channel. This is similar to the “Window of
the World” ident from BBC 2 where there is a
number 2 cut out from a boat, with waves crashing
against it. This noise from the waves creates an
almost tranquil feeling in the audience, which is
also a noise that is used by people struggling with
sleep to relax them. Because of this, these idents
give a feeling of relaxation, which is one of the
ways in which they attract their audience.
The idents are very “mature
looking” idents, in the way
that they don’t have bright
colours in them like yellows
and blues and greens, like
what a kid’s channels ident
would have in it to attract
them. Also, the things that
are in the idents aren’t
things that would attract
children (like biscuits falling
into cups of tea and a
“traffic jam”). I would also
say that the audience is
going to typically be people
who are sat at home who
are watching TV and are
trying to be relaxed. This is
because the noises used
are quite relaxing, which
could affect the way that the
audience sees the channel.

5. BBC
Purpose Tone Audience
This ident is based around
the channel (with the main
feature in the ident being
the 2 in the boat), which is
trying to promote the
channel and tell the
audience exactly what
channel they’re watching.
Also, when the 2 is shown a
voiceover starts which tells
the audience what program
is coming up next, and also
at what time. This ident is
an informative ident.
The colours are quite bright, and the
idents themselves are usually quite
slow paced, with the camera moving
very slowly towards the 2. The tone
of the idents for BBC 2 is quite a slow
paced, relaxed, calm tone, with can
be seen by the way in which the
camera moves around the setting,
and also by what is in the shot (which
is usually relaxing sounds). For
example, in the “Window on the
World” ident, the sounds of the
waves crashing against the wood on
the boat is relaxing, and gives the
audience a sense of calmness which
is what they want their audience to
feel while watching their channel
(calm and relaxed). The noises in
these adverts could be seen as
relaxing, which could be something
that the channel itself was trying to
make the audience feel, since the
programs that are aired on this
channel are very mature, but there
are some that are more for a relaxing
purpose.
The programs from this channel
are similar to the ones from ITV2,
since they’re mainly reality shows
or shows that are typical of a
middle aged person would watch,
therefore i would suggest that the
typical audience for this channel
would be the same as ITV2. The
audience would be people who
are in the C1/C2 category of the
demographic table (from the look
at the programs aired) since they
are most likely to go home and
watch something that isn’t related
to their situation, which is why i
have chosen that this would be
the target audience. Also, the
idents would help to create a
relaxed feeling in the audience
which is what they would want
after a day at work.

6. E4
Purpose Tone Audience
The purpose of this ident is
to show the audience what
the channel is (by the logo at
the end of the ident), and
also to entertain the
audience before the program
starts. This can be seen by
the way that the ident has
been created, using stop
motion for the purple “ooze”
on the floor, and also the
pillow and a few other things
in the room.
The tone in this ident is different to the
tone in the other three, since this ident is
more of a fast paced, entertainment based
ident. This is because although there is a
voiceover which would indicate that it is an
information based ident, the ident itself is a
stop motion entertainment based ident that
draws in the audience by what is going on
in the ident itself. Because of the way that
the ident has been created, with all the
noises of the animals and the noises from
everything else being diegetic, it creates a
tone of friendliness in the ident, and since
there is a lot going on at once, it tells the
audience that the channel has a lot of
different things going on (program-wise).
The colours in this advert are very bright
and eye-catching, which is what i think
would attract teenagers to it. This is
because teenagers would prefer
something like these that are quite
different than the typical ident used for
adults (such as the BBC 2 “window of the
world” ident). The idents from BBC and ITV
give off a relaxing feeling towards the
audience, however this type of ident gives
off a feeling of excitement and fun, since it
has lots of things happening all at once,
and nothing in the ident looks similar to the
other idents.
Looking at the programs that are
on this channel, i would suggest
that this channel is aimed
towards teenagers and young
adults, since most of the
programs have characters based
around that age group, so it is
relatable (plus it says that the
ideal age range is 16 to 34). The
ident is also something that
would attract teenagers. This is
because it is a more unique ident
than the other channels, since
the other channels are quite
basic in comparison, and they
only have 1 or 2 things
happening, whereas this ident
has lots of things happening all at
once across the room.

7. Channel 4
Purpose Tone Audience
Since this ident is set in
Chinatown (presumably), it
shows that they accept
culture, and that although it
is a British channel, the
programs that are on this
channel are for everyone.
As the idents goes on, there
is a voiceover that tells the
audience what program is
going to come on next,
while the 4 (a convention of
a channel 4 ident) is being
created by objects that are
found in that area (like signs
and lights).
The tone of this ident is the same as the
ITV and the BBC ident, in the way that it
is a slow paced ident, with not much
going on all at once to distract the
audience from the channel logo. This
ident is both entertainment based and
information based, as the ident has a
voiceover that tells the audience what
program is coming on next, but it also has
a sense of entertainment in the way that
the 4 logo is being created. This ident is
also similar to the E4 ident, as it has lots
of things happening on the screen at
once, which gives a feeling of excitement,
which is what young adults and teenagers
would prefer in an ident. This ident is a
mix between the BBC ident and the E4
ident, since it has a feeling of being
relaxing (since there isn’t much going on
at once and the camera is moving very
slowly around the street), however with
the lights and all the people, it has the
feeling of being exciting and fun, which is
what the E4 ident had.
The ident is very bright, whilst
the camera is moving around
the area which is a typical way
to attract children/teenagers
since brighter colours are used
more for channels directed to
them. However, the programs
are either reality shows or they
are shows that are typical of
adults, so i would suggest that
the audience is 20+ year olds.
This ident could be seen as
being targeted at teenagers
since it has bright colours and
lots of different things going on
at once, however it could also
be for an older audience, since
there isn’t much going on in
terms of what was happening in
the E4 ident.

8. How do idents help with marketing opportunities?
Channels use idents as marketing opportunities, since idents are a great way for a channel to advertise a
program that is going to be coming up later on in that week, or even in the next month or two. One
example of this happening is the Channel 4 trailer of Great British Bake Off. The trailer itself is fully
dedicated to the Great British Bake Off, however the ending is a convention of Channel 4, with blocks
flying from the left (off screen) to the right of the screen. However, since it is a Great British Bake Off
advert, the ending of the advert is made of battenberg instead of having blocks. This is a marketing
opportunity since although the advert was about Great British Bake Off, that small section will stick in
people’s heads and will make them want to watch it, therefore advertising their program. Another
example is the BBC 1 ident/advert that has people dancing around, with a voiceover overlaying it talking
about the program it is advertising (Strictly Come Dancing). This is something that would stick in
people’s heads, since it suits the program that it is advertising, along with being eye catching. There is
another Strictly Come Dancing ident/advert that is of a golden disco ball, with the camera slowly moving
away from it revealing more.
Idents are a great way for an institution to advertise their other channels, such as BBC advertising BBC 2
on the BBC 1 channel. This helps them keep the audience watching their institution but also letting the
audience choose whether or not they like BBC 1 or 2 better, by flicking between the two. This is done by
many institutions, such as ITV (ITV1, ITV2, ITV3), Channel 4 (E4, Film 4). This helps the institution
advertise their other channels, but keeping their audience members within their institution.
GBBO
Trailer
GBBO
Battenburg
Trailer
Ending
(Channel 4
convention)
Strictly
Come
Dancing
Ident/Advert
Strictly
Come
Dancing
Ident/Advert
2

9. How is Brand Loyalty created in idents?
Brand loyalty is when a customer repeatedly buys products from the same company with
no care of price or issues. In the case of TV channels, brand loyalty means that when a
customer (audience member) goes on holiday to another country and they see the logo of
the channel, they immediately know what channel it is, and carry on watching since it’s a
channel that they know and love from back in their home. One way in which this can be
achieved is through the use of recurring themes, or conventions. This could be seasonal
themes, or just a simple convention such as BBC’s recurring use of circles for the channel
BBC 1. This is something that is used on every ident on BBC 1, which audiences have
gotten used to and have began to expect in their idents. If an audience member sees one
of these idents and these circles come up, they will immediately be familiar with that
channel, and therefore trust it. Another way that channels create brand loyalty is through
the logo of the channel. If a loyal audience member travels and sees the BBC 1 logo on
TV, they’re more likely to watch that channel as they’re familiar with it and aren’t familiar
with the other channels. This is a good way to create brand loyalty, since the audience
gets familiar with the logo, and then wherever they see that logo, they will know exactly
what it is.
If an audience member goes from England to Spain for example, and they can’t speak
Spanish, watching TV can be a hard task since they won’t understand anything that is
being said. This could be due to them not finding a suitable tv program that they know or
like, or simply because they don’t understand the language. Because of Brand Loyalty, the
audience member would know straight away as soon as they see the logo or a familiar
program name what channel it is, and then even though they’re in a different country, they
will carry on watching that program.
BBC 1
Circles
(convention)
BBC 1 Logo

10. What are the negatives/limitations of idents?
Idents do have some limitations however, since they are only a 30 second long clip in between
programs. One such limitation that these have due to them being so short, is that you have to find a
way in order to attract the audience and also get the information to them in that 30 second gap. This
can be hard sometimes, but one way that this is overcome is by having a voiceover. Idents that have a
voiceover are usually idents that people remember, and idents that interest audiences more. Another
limitation for idents is that if you want to do a stop motion ident, you must have a lot of free time. Stop
motion idents are very hard to make, since 1 mistake could cost you all the time and the money that
you spent on it. This is why a large majority of idents nowadays are live action idents, and not stop
motion.
One of the biggest limitations that idents face are that certain idents only sit certain seasons of the year.
For example, the BBC 1 Christmas Ident. This ident is made for Christmas, and can only be shown
during Christmas, therefore limiting the amount of use that ident can have. This is a huge negativity to
channels like BBC since idents like this cost lots of money, and only being able to use them 1 season a
year limits their use greatly. This is the same for the BBC Summer ident.
Institutions have to be very careful when making an ident, since if an ident has to be shot for a certain
date in the year (for example for christmas), they must create an ident for that date. This is also hard,
since every ident must be different from all the other idents. This causes institutions to sometimes
create similar idents, but with small changes in them which makes them a different ident in order to get
it done by the designated time. This can be difficult since if an ident is similar to another, audience
members won’t like it, and might even stop watching the channel completely.
BBC 1
Christmas
Ident
BBC
Summer
Ident