Broadcasters and Producers Interact

As the world of new media ceases to be so "new", broadcasters and producers are settling into a world of business that includes the Internet and other interactive platforms. As time goes on audiences will demand that they receive their "stories" on multiple platforms and we will see more and more "enhanced TV" properties created. In the face of this evolution of TV content we need to consider how interactive products related to television properties can get made in a landscape of seemingly competing interests. One way to innovate in this field is to have producers and broadcasters working in partnership to create compelling content for multiple platforms. By sharing in risk and reward, producers and broadcasters can capitalize on their unique strengths to create a successful property. This is a similar model to one that has worked well in television production for years. It is an approach, however, that is not yet widely used in the interactive space. When you discuss interactive content with broadcasters it becomes apparent that broadcasters struggle with the same questions that plague producers: How can we finance and produce interactive content? How do we monetize and make profit from that content? More importantly, who is going to create and control this interactive content? Many broadcasters believe the broadcasters will. After all, they are the ones used to finding the audience, selling ads and doing the marketing. But when you talk to producers their answer is that producers will. They are usually the creator of the content and control the property across different media and territories. I suggest that, much like with television content, enhanced TV content is "story" content and it is the producer’s role to create and control it. But where does that leave the broadcaster that wants to market a show and use the Internet to further audience reach? And where does it leave the producer that needs the broadcaster’s support to access funding and raise audience awareness? Let us assume that we are talking about Internet content related to a licensed TV show that has a life both at home and in foreign territories. In this case I believe it is possible for producers and broadcasters to work together to create valuable interactive experiences that benefit everyone. While producers are best positioned to develop the creative interactive concepts needed for a successful property, they require a great deal of financial and marketing support to be successful. They need to work together with the broadcaster to access funding sources and to exploit the property. In exchange for financial and marketing support, the broadcaster, quite reasonably, should expect to benefit from the exploitation of the property through interactive channels in other markets. In essence, the broadcaster becomes a partner in the interactive property by bringing financing and other support to the table. If broadcasters opt out of a financing model, there are still other tangible means of supporting the creation of an enhanced TV property, through marketing (especially on-air), promotion and other distribution efforts. In fact, broadcaster support is a requirement for many key funding agencies (such as the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund). At the very least, broadcasters should recognize that online properties, even ones that they do not pay for or control, add value to their TV program audience. In exchange for these other types of support the producer should be willing to work with the broadcaster to ensure that the online property is maximized to benefit the broadcaster’s own online strategy. A collaborative approach makes the producer and broadcaster partners in revenue derived from the online property. While it appears today that online-only properties rarely make money, if a property is pushed out over many platforms (TV, internet, iTV, wireless etc.), something which large integrated broadcasting companies are well-positioned to do, the total value of the property may well exceed the total expense while creating a loyal audience following. The financing of these projects starts to make a lot more sense when you look at the property as a whole across many outlets.

Broadcasters and Producers Interact

Broadcast | November 2, 2001

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