Just press the red button
a student’s guide to interactive television
What is interactive television, and how is it changing the way we watch? And how are institutions adapting to these changes? Elizabeth Vickers investigates.
Television has changed. Once we were assumed to be passively entertained by that magic box in the corner of the living room, fed a steady diet of sitcoms and soaps and expected to be grateful for it. However, slowly but surely those little red dots have started creeping on to our screens, almost begging to be pressed...
How technology has made it possible
The basic reason why interactive television (iTV) has become more prevalent in recent years is simple: it’s only possible with digital television. Digital television can be broadcast by cable, satellite or received, like analogue, through a normal rooftop aerial. The main difference to analogue is that the signals are compressed, which means much more information can be transmitted in the same amount of bandwidth. The immediate consequence of this has been the remarkable explosion of channels – Freeview has meant that even households which had previously been reluctant to pay for television can now enjoy a range of free-to-air channels undreamt of a few years ago. Freeview, cable and digital satellite viewers can all access interactive television content, meaning it is now available to well over half of all households. The number should grow, as there are plans to ‘switch off’ analogue transmitters by 2010 at the latest.
Some digital television boxes are connected to a telephone line, enabling a two-way transfer of information, similar to an internet connection. This has meant that Internet services such as banking and email have become available even to people without computers in their homes.
The basic reason why interactive television (iTV) has become more prevalent in recent years is simple: it’s only possible with digital television. Digital television can be broadcast by cable, satellite or received, like analogue, through a normal rooftop aerial. The main difference to analogue is that the signals are compressed, which means much more information can be transmitted in the same amount of bandwidth. The immediate consequence of this has been the remarkable explosion of channels – Freeview has meant that even households which had previously been reluctant to pay for television can now enjoy a range of free-to-air channels undreamt of a few years ago. Freeview, cable and digital satellite viewers can all access interactive television content, meaning it is now available to well over half of all households. The number should grow, as there are plans to ‘switch off’ analogue transmitters by 2010 at the latest.
Some digital television boxes are connected to a telephone line, enabling a two-way transfer of information, similar to an internet connection. This has meant that Internet services such as banking and email have become available even to people without computers in their homes.
What is currently available?
In the last few years, interactive television has become more and more widespread, with many channels offering some sort of interactive content. At present, this content ranges from the very basic to the highly sophisticated, and it is constantly evolving.
In the last few years, interactive television has become more and more widespread, with many channels offering some sort of interactive content. At present, this content ranges from the very basic to the highly sophisticated, and it is constantly evolving.
The simplest interactive television is simply an update of the outdated analogue text services such as Teletext and Oracle. Channel 4’s text service is generally of this type, with a familiar roster of lottery numbers, weather and cheap holidays. However, once a year Channel 4 makes better use of its interactive capabilities when it enters its annual Big Brother frenzy. What exactly they provide has varied from year to year but during various series viewers could choose camera angles, read about recent events in the house, and vote online through their set-top box. On E4, their entertainment-focused channel, Big Brother coverage is available all day, every day by pressing the red button, an indispensable service for those viewers who are worried they might miss an argument about which of the housemates should do the washing-up!
ITV is another broadcaster which has recognised the opportunities provided by reality television. Although latecomers to the interactive arena, their red button content offers viewers the chance to vote on popular shows such as I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! and The X-Factor. In addition, viewers can play games linked to the shows, read behind-the-scenes gossip and enter competitions. Interactive television gives broadcasters the chance to keep viewers interested 24 hours a day – a key weapon in the fight to keep hold of the fickle youth audience. Broadcasters are also linking more content with their websites and looking to mobile phone networks to help them widen their audiences. Channel 4 are offering mobile phone-only mini-episodes of Hollyoaks for download for 50p each. This could be a money-maker and a way of keeping one of their brands at the forefront of people’s minds.
Commercially, iTV has proven to be a revenue-generator for some institutions. Pay-per-play games are part of nearly all interactive television services apart from BBCi, and the UK’s rather relaxed gambling laws have meant gaming companies have been quick to exploit the possibilities of interactive television. A number of digital channels now offer ‘real money’ gambling, with virtual slot machines, poker games and horse racing just some of the games available. In these cases the channels themselves act as little more than portals to the more profitable interactive content, with the programmes themselves being low-quality time fillers.
Advertisers, too, have recognised the potential, with the red dot appearing in the corner of more and more advertising slots. These offer the chance to enter competitions, read more about the product, get a free sample or test drive, or even watch an extended version of the advert itself. Volvo used a recent advertising campaign as a trailer for a documentary about its cars, and we can expect to see more of this sort of thing as the technology develops. In addition, the interactive portals themselves often carry banner ads or embedded advertisements in much the same way as web pages do – so if you thought you could switch to the interactive content to avoid advert breaks, forget it – they’re way ahead of you. The blurring of the lines between entertainment and advertisement has been predicted for a long time, and this is one way that it could happen.
Pushing the boundaries – 2 case studies
In the UK the main institutions pioneering the use of interactive television are the BBC and Sky. Their different remits mean they have made very different use of the technology, demonstrating the true versatility of iTV.
In the UK the main institutions pioneering the use of interactive television are the BBC and Sky. Their different remits mean they have made very different use of the technology, demonstrating the true versatility of iTV.
1. The BBC
As a public service broadcaster, the BBC has a responsibility to provide services to the widest audience possible, including those minorities which may find they are not adequately catered for by commercial television. Their iTV system is known as BBCi, and has largely replaced the Ceefax system on analogue television.
As a public service broadcaster, the BBC has a responsibility to provide services to the widest audience possible, including those minorities which may find they are not adequately catered for by commercial television. Their iTV system is known as BBCi, and has largely replaced the Ceefax system on analogue television.
The BBC’s system of page numbering on its interactive content means users can easily find the page they want by inputting a number using their remote control. This has superseded their previous system, which involved an often lengthy and frustrating search through a series of menus. The slow response of the BBCi pages to the remote control meant casual browsers were discouraged from investigating further and, in some cases, stopped using it altogether. However, it has now been subject to a series of improvements and users have reported that they are much happier with the service.
To date, BBCi encompasses a wide range of content, from ‘added-value’ content that provides extra information about BBC programmes, to stand-alone content. The added-value pages cover the same things as Ceefax, for example recipes from cookery shows or the names and addresses of organisations mentioned in factual programming. It moves beyond the limited capabilities of Ceefax, though, to include things such as games for children based on their favourite Tweenies and Balamory characters.
For sporting events such as the Olympic Games and Wimbledon, BBCi has had great success with running multiple games or events concurrently on BBCi. In 2005, the number of people watching Wimbledon via BBCi went up by 30% – demonstrating that viewers respond positively to true choice.
The BBC have also been exploring ways to add interactive content to shows that have traditionally inspired some level of interactivity from home audiences – even if that used to take the form of shouting at the screen! Their Test the Nation quizzes offer the audience the chance to take part, by answering the questions shown on screen and comparing theirscores against those of the studio audience. This tactic is not only an enjoyable experience, it also encourages viewer loyalty, as you need to watch the whole programme in order to get the most out of it.
In keeping with its public service remit, BBCi has also begun to offer viewers the chance to have their own say, putting viewer-generated content on BBCi. Previously this has only been possible through public access television, rare in the UK, and could be a real chance to make television production truly interactive.
2. Sky
Sky Television, on the other hand, is a purely commercial business which has no public service obligations, and is free to exploit the new interactive technologies for profit. It is significant that Sky’s most lavish interactive services have been aimed at the demographic with the greatest amount of disposable income – young men. Or, to be more specific, young football-watching men.
Sky Television, on the other hand, is a purely commercial business which has no public service obligations, and is free to exploit the new interactive technologies for profit. It is significant that Sky’s most lavish interactive services have been aimed at the demographic with the greatest amount of disposable income – young men. Or, to be more specific, young football-watching men.
Sky Sports, a series of ‘premium’ subscriber-only channels that come only with Sky’s most expensive packages, is aimed overwhelmingly at men and, due to the cost, attracts a self-selecting group of viewers who are very attractive to advertisers. This provides a powerful incentive for Sky to use iTV facilities as a USP to make Sky Sports indispensable for sports fans.
On days where more than one match is being played simultaneously, such as Champions League heats, the interactive button takes you to a selection of screens where the viewer can watch one, four or even eight matches at once. During Premiership matches, the sports fan can choose the commentary they wish to accompany the match, from the professional Sky commentators to the Fanzone, where supporters of each team provide their own, often very entertaining, view of the game. Alternatively, they can use ‘Playercam’, where one footballer is tracked for ten minutes of the match.
Sky has also exploited interactive technology for another set of premium channels – the movie channels, where the most prestigious film premieres are available as Multi-Start movies. By pressing the red button, the viewer is given the choice of starting the movie every ten minutes between two certain times. Not quite the much-anticipated ‘video on demand’ that has been ‘around the corner’ for many years now, but certainly a useful service.
As with BBCi, Sky also offers extensive interactive news content, with channels devoted to headlines, other news, politics, sport and entertainment.
This gives the main Sky News channels the freedom to drop scheduled programming when major news stories break, such as the 7 July London bombings, while continuing to cover stories of lesser importance that will nevertheless be of interest to some viewers.
What does this mean?
One side effect of the rise of iTV is the potential that has arisen for fictional programming to become truly interactive. Channel 4 have been one of the first broadcasters to explore this, producing an urban drama aimed at young people called Dubplate Drama. Broadcast in December 2005, episodes were available to view not just on Channel 4, but on MTV, E4, and available to download from the PSP website and on 3 mobile phones. The BBC has also begin to look at interactive drama, with viewers of an episode of Holby City having a choice of two characters to kill off.
One side effect of the rise of iTV is the potential that has arisen for fictional programming to become truly interactive. Channel 4 have been one of the first broadcasters to explore this, producing an urban drama aimed at young people called Dubplate Drama. Broadcast in December 2005, episodes were available to view not just on Channel 4, but on MTV, E4, and available to download from the PSP website and on 3 mobile phones. The BBC has also begin to look at interactive drama, with viewers of an episode of Holby City having a choice of two characters to kill off.
However, these programmes exemplify the limited ‘choose one of two alternative endings’ format which, up to now, has been the extent of interactive fictional programming. One of the attractive features of iTV is that it offers instant feedback. Imagine a scenario in which the interactive content offers viewers four choices at each key point in the narrative, selectable by using the four coloured keys on the remote control. The number of choices effectively means the viewer is choosing their own programme from one of dozens or even hundreds of potential programmes.
This raises some interesting subjects for debate. First, the cost of producing such a programme would be much higher than one that followed a normal script – how would such a venture be commercially viable?
Secondly, do audiences really want choice? Part of the appeal of television it that it delivers narrative to its audience with little or no effort demanded on their part. Maybe a television viewer wouldn’t enjoy making narrative decisions, seeing it more as a burden or a chore.
However, the trend in recent years has been towards personalisation, with iPods and PVRs letting consumers create, respectively, their own radio stations and television channels. The Internet is awash with re-interpretations of popular texts, such as re-cut edits of Star Wars, re-written versions of Harry Potter and even Lord of the Rings re-created in Lego! Perhaps this shows that young, tech-savvy media consumers would welcome a legitimate arena for such creativity.
Another area for concern is the question of advertising. If embedded advertising in interactive content becomes the norm (and it certainly appears to be), and we see more blurring of the boundaries between programming and interactive content, will we eventually end up with some sort of advertising on screen at all times? PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) such as Sky+ have already worried advertisers, as they drastically cut down the amount of time people spend watching advertising. As more and more people adopt new technologies, institutions will be forced to find ways to make up for the loss in revenue, and this may mean exploiting iTV more. Ofcom will be keeping a close eye on developments, but there is little doubt that things will change.
Thinking points for students
When studying interactive television, perhaps the best way to start is to keep an eye on how different generations approach new technology. Are the younger members of your household more comfortable with interactive television, or does it tend to be older people who use it more often, finding it less intimidating than the Internet? What would encourage you to use iTV more often, and for what services would you be prepared to pay?
When studying interactive television, perhaps the best way to start is to keep an eye on how different generations approach new technology. Are the younger members of your household more comfortable with interactive television, or does it tend to be older people who use it more often, finding it less intimidating than the Internet? What would encourage you to use iTV more often, and for what services would you be prepared to pay?
Watch out for news stories about iTV and how it is being used in conjunction with programming, especially in programmes aimed at teenagers. Youth programmes often give broadcasters a chance to experiment with new technologies, knowing that their target audience will be comfortable with the interfaces and concepts involved. Take note of the ways people you know interact with television programmes – do they text to vote for winners of reality shows, for example?
Think about whether the technology is driving the changes, or whether it is just keeping up with the new demands institutions are making. Do you think we have reached the limit of what can be achieved using the technology available, or should institutions be doing more with it?
To find out you’ll need to keep pressing the red button!
To find out you’ll need to keep pressing the red button!
This article was first published in MediaMagazine 15.
No comments:
Post a Comment