With Joost coming out of its Beta phase, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what's the point of television channels? If the Joost concept of Drag and Drop content (similar to the Drag and Drop technology that we use when we build our iTunes music playlist) comes to fruition, then what's the point of television channels?
What are they actually needed for?
Do television channels become like record labels, a place that buys up and launches talent? But less of brand in and of themselves?
Or does the role of the television channel get more important as the sheer amount of content increases - almost like a navigator or a seal of approval?
I don't think that the answer is about giving the creative control over to the viewer, UGC is fine but up to a point. When I want to watch something on a screen larger than a mobile one, I want to see quality stuff. I think it's more to do with understanding how people want to engage with certain programs. C4 showed an incredible program last night, The Mark of Cain about prisoner torture in Iraq . It was the most compelling, incredible piece of content that I had seen for a really long time. I went online afterwards as I wanted to learn more about the show - I wanted to hear about the direction, how far it was based on truth, whether they had worked with members of the armed forces to bring it to life, I wanted to talk with other people who had watched it, but I couldn't find anything like that at all. I was looking to engage, but couldn't.
On a lighter note, the new series of Peep Show - the funniest thing around at the moment - starts tonight on C4. Today I will watch it on the television. Tomorrow, I'll be able to download it in chunks on YouTube. Next year will I download it all directly from www.peepshow.tv? .
Anyway, enjoy these clips - they're brilliant.
I think people are already beyond the channel as the only branded provider idea. HBO's shows have really made them a household name and arguably, in their own way, endemon. Interesting that they could be sen as a seal of approval type brand (more like a retailer I guess).
Posted by: David Brain | Monday, 16 April 2007 at 02:52 PM
Agree - HBO are probably the best example of this as everything that they show is original content. And I do think that it is a "seal of approval", I wondered though if this was a seal of approval that was known well in the UK? I am a huge HBO advocate but I was out in the States for almost 6 years so had a relationship with it there.
Seems that in the future channels can be originators, aggregators or navigators.
Posted by: Amelia | Monday, 16 April 2007 at 04:44 PM
Agree - just look at the vast majority of content on current.tv to see that the democratisation of the production process doesn't necessarily mean great viewing fodder! There are some interesting examples popping up on the big terrestrial channels - Grand Designs on More4, Skins on E4 etc.
This is also an argument that's particularly pertinent to the radio industry. What do radio stations offer the ipod generation - as we become ever more efficient programmers in our own right, what can radio offer as a USP? The UK radio market is only just beginning to give the necessary level of attention to this quandary in my opinion.
Posted by: Dave | Tuesday, 17 April 2007 at 12:56 PM
Have been chatting with Jess over at Contagious Magazine about some work that we did for Channel Five and their show Prison Break. It was this project that really started me thinking about how channels need to shift to their focus in order to build communities not simply audiences.
Anyway, she wrote up the case. Thank you!
http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/News%20Article.aspx?REF=475&IsArchive=false
Posted by: Amelia | Friday, 20 April 2007 at 11:04 AM