In this post we will talk about 5 elements that are creating a new genre of media watching. Many people call it "interactive media."
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio etc. Television viewing has been a passive experience in the past, but that is all changing now. Look at how many reality shows you can phone or text in your vote. What about broadcast news? They are asking for your opinions on certain news stories, and viewers will go to their websites and tally the results. However, this is just the beginning on how it is all evolving because now the advertising companies what to be interactive as well.
Let's focus on just the entertainment aspects of interactive media and why it will be important for your productions in the future.
1. It builds viewer loyalty because of people engaging with your show.
Let's create an example of this point. Soap opera fans are loyal fans to begin with, but what if they had an opportunity every week to chat online with the actors in the soap opera drama. They could ask questions about the show, their life, the character, likes/dislikes, etc. Do you think fans will race to that website every week? Ohhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhh. Thus creating even more loyalty to the website because of the interaction with the show.
This type of loyalty also engages an emotional response. When emotions are brought into the equation this is the stickiness that is needed for fans/viewers to return to any website. Another example would be dating websites. Because people have an emotional need to be loved, or find a mate to marry, they will continue to return to the site to find that special someone because the emotions are involved.
2. Pilots are tested to see if the audience likes your idea.
Why spend thousands of dollars on a 22 minute or even 44 minute pilot when you could create a low budget 2-3 min. episode of your show idea and test it with a small audience for feedback. If it is a hit then people will want to see more and tell you about it. If it is a mediocre show, then your audience may have good suggestions to make it great. If it is a bomb, then you have not really lost anything and you can try your next show idea.
3. You can even modify your show based on viewer responses to make it better
I touched on this idea in the previous point, but it is worth mentioning again. Consider when "Hello Dolly" was first given birth. They tested the show in a small theater outside of New York city in a small town. The audience was smaller in order to see how to make the show better before presenting it to Broadway. They noticed it needed something else, and they added the big parade scene to give it more life.
Why not use the same concept for TV or online media? Build an audience yourself online and get their opinions.
4. Receive analytics on who is watching and for how long. Valuable information when approaching corporate advertisers or selling a pitch to networks.
Statistics don't lie and can be used as a great alliance. The more data that you have that proves that your show is successful and people are interested, the better your chances of producing a full TV series or full online series.
5. Interactive gaming elements also create a new genre of TV that today's audience is ready for.
Kids and young adults are playing with electronic and computer games. Everyone and their grandmother has some sort of ipod, mp3 player, iphone, cell phone, computer, laptop, HD screen, and the list will go on in the future. These devices had more interactive experience for your audience. Use as many of these devices as possible to engage your audience with your show. It becomes more fun for the viewer, especially those viewers who like to multi-task during shows.
Try these concepts out. At Kurrents, we are applying these concepts to help make a more interactive experience. We hope you will stop by to check it out or submit your pilot proposal into our system for the viewing audience.
Lauch date is coming soon for our beta version. http://kurrents.com
See you soon,
John Harding
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