theibcdaily executive summary 9 The producers pay TV around
Marc Goodchild BAFTA-winning producer
Walking With Beasts Consultant, IpDipSkyBlue Region: UK
Year of the second screen
A year ago there was still debate about which would take-off: second screen or connected TV.
Right now it absolutely has to be second screen partly because connected TV still does not have a huge install base and second screen viewing has evolved naturally with people leaving their computers and connected devices running as companions while they’re watching TV shows. 2013 will be the year of the second screen.
Most second screen apps currently perform a programme support role You could Google about it or tweet about it but they take the pain out of it.The real challenge however will be in creating apps that add a secondary layer to your programming and make it far more personalised. With a detective drama like the BBC’s Sherlock, for example – on the main screen there are scenes that allow you to see inside Sherlock’s mind when he’s deducing something - it’s core to the show’s narrative. So for a second screen app you could serve an audience that wants to get inside the brain of the character a little more, to get more of an analytical viewpoint.
The initial wave of second screen apps will be directed at niche shows that can afford to fail, or big Saturday night entertainment vehicles. Apps would also work well in children’s TV, although they tend not to have the budget. I think most broadcasters and TV companies are thinking cross platform but the hurdle they face is how to actually implement those ideas. Another challenge is the pace of innovation in the technology - there are tech start-ups pitching to TV companies who are left wondering ‘How do I know that this is better than that?’ There’s a lot of bench-testing going on.
The broadcast and digital industries are two very different cultures. Digital companies tend to partner with people left right and centre but that’s less part of the language of television produc- tion, which is more ideas-driven and where the onus is on owning and developing or licensing IP or taking an option out on something. So rather than thinking “we should build an app” maybe TV producers can learn from those in digital firms who are more likely to ask: “Is there an app already out there that does what we need it to do?” AMC