TV-Whitepaper

01/19RAWNET
THE CHANGING FACE OF
TV 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 DATA
WAS 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 CONSUMER
ATTITUDES
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 IMPACT
OF 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 AND
ADAPT - 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’).

BALANCING
REAL-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
PRODUCER
It 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 VIEWING
BEHAVIOURS
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.

UNDERSTANDING
YOUR 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.
PewDiePie
YouTube 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 Street
The 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 BEYOND
What 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.

CONCLUSION
The 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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