Welcome to our new head of development

Welcome to Amber D’Albert who joins The Connected Set as Head of Development.

Amber joins from content strategy agency Ignite where she worked for clients including BBC Worldwide, ITV Studios, Unilever, and most recently Channel 4 looking after their Fuel4 programme of events.

Amber will be leading the drive to invent the next transformative converged TV format that can work with today’s living room technology. Amber’s appointment completes the company’s development team; mixing great TV producers, digital developers and content strategists into one central creative unit.

Amber arrives at a busy time for the company as we kick off mobile, TV and web projects for Channel 4, Virgin Media, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, New Art Gallery Walsall and Cass Sculpture Foundation.

Posted by Jason 2012.08.08 BBC, Channel 4, General, ITV, Multiscreen, Museums, TV Apps, Uncategorized No Comments

British TV broadcasting: 2012 Predictions

It’s that time of the year where it’s obligatory to make a few predictions about the year ahead. Here’s my topline thoughts on what’s in-store for British TV broadcasters and producers in 2012:

5 things that are likely to happen

1. Massive upheaval in TV commissioning teams
For those commissioners that have their fingers firmly in their ears when it comes to multi-platform storytelling 2012 will be the year they get found out. Maybe five years ago it was cute to say “I’m no good with computers”, now it’s frankly embarrassing when you’re supposed to be in touch with how your audience are behaving. Channel 4 will probably be the most visible broadcaster to transform its commissioning team – weeding out people that are either not capable in a convergent age or are stale from too many years in the same place, and unlike in previous years where it was a case of musical chairs in the TV commissioning job market expect to see new types of producer stepping into their empty shoes. With some big departures already announced at C4 it will be interesting to see who they hire. Where Channel 4 lead expect others to follow – not least at UKTV now 50% owned by US network Scripps who will be looking to drive revenues through their digital lifestyle properties. ITV on the other hand will probably continue to flail around in a state of utter confusion.

2. Reform of independent production commissioning quotas
With NewsCorp, NBC Universal & Time Warner rapidly snapping up indies (plus Endemol and All3Media likely candidates for acquisition in 2012) there will be an increasing pressure to reconsider the effectiveness of indie commissioning quotas in supporting grassroots creative TV production businesses. I’m told that when Jeremy Hunt recommends reform to quotas in the forthcoming Communications Act he’ll be under considerable pressure from the BBC to replace the current ‘catch all’ indie quotas with a quota for start-up and small independent producers. The likely effect on the big indies will be marginal as they already have diverse and often international businesses, but for smaller players this could be a huge boost and precipitate a new wave of startups (particularly led by key talent currently in broadcasters and the bigger indie groups).

3. The Rise and Rise of YouTube
2011 was the year where Google’s Eric Schmidt extended the hand of friendship to the TV broadcast and production community at Edinburgh TV Festival – wanting to bring together the ‘luvvies’ and the ‘boffins’ (all of course mediated by Google technologies and platforms). Burnt by the lack of interest in Google TV in the US during 2011 Google were in overdrive wooing the British TV community as they prepare to launch Google TV in the UK. Now in 2012 we’ll see how far Google are willing to go when the broadcasters most likely don’t play ball. Google already have thousands of hours of professional content in production for a new suite of YouTube ‘channels’ and expect them to ramp this up further. I’d put money on YouTube securing exclusivity with a number of key TV personalities to front content for them (is Jamie Oliver’s contract up soon? Or what about Oprah or Doctor Phil?) plus they’ll go after sports rights, first look movies, bring back TV series – expect Google to write some big cheques for content in 2012.

4. Battle of the connected TV services
Putting Google TV to one side there will be a huge push by Microsoft to turn the XBox in to a premiere entertainment hub with a number of high profile content deals coming on stream in early 2012. There’s the launch of youview *sometime* next year which, if done correctly, could be the logical next generation of Freeview for 8million+ homes. There’s the increasing sales of connected TV’s from the likes of Samsung, Panasonic, LG etc as people upgrade their TV’s for the summer olympics (although a continuing lack of compelling ‘app’ content will remain on these CE devices because of platform fragmentation), and finally there’s the rumoured entry of Apple in Q3 with an Apple TV set which will inevitably have a fantastic product design, intuitive UI (possibly using Siri) and great content via iTunes. Away from the consumer electronics space there will also be some big entrants on the content distribution front – not least Netflix launching in the UK in early 2012, but don’t be surprised in Tesco does something clever too following its purchase of Blinkbox.

5. A breakthrough multiplatform format
This is the one I’m really hoping for! There’s been success with shows like “Million Pound Drop” and tomorrow Channel 4′s next big interactive gameshow “The Bank Job” is due to launch, but I hope 2012 will deliver something truly transmedia that breaks all the rules. I’m not saying “Million Pound Drop” isn’t a great show – it is – but I’m not sure how much we’ve really moved on in terms of play-along since BBC’s “The National IQ Test” which is now officially 10 years old! Yes achieving 12% playalong levels is very good but I would love to see something that is so compelling to the audience they just have to participate! I’m not saying all TV should be like that – lean back television is what the audience want most of the time – but I’m hoping 2012 will see at least a couple of new immersive formats that push boundaries, particularly in genres other than traditional studio gameshows… that’s certainly my personal focus for 2012.

Posted by Jason 2012.01.01 BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, General, GoogleTV, ITV, Multiscreen, PayTV, TV Apps, Uncategorized, Youview No Comments

Supporting SMEs: Is it time Channel 4 ask ‘what is an indie’?

I read this weekend in Broadcast that the DCMS is thinking about ways to safeguard smaller indies when it writes the new Communications Act… and one of the more radical suggestions is to do away with broad-brush indie quotas and introduce a minimum quota for broadcasters to commission from SME indies.

Whether you like regulation or not, there’s no denying the positive impact the creation of Channel 4, the establishment of indie commissioning quotas and the BBC window of creative competition has had on the health of the indie sector. Take All3Media for example, it’s got a turnover approaching £500million and it still has independent status (although maybe not for long as it seeks a buyer). All3 are a great British success story and I congratulate them, but there’s no denying how much power is now concentrated in a small number of giant media groups… and if SMEs are going to lead the economic recovery this could become a problem.

But surely it’s all about the quality of the ideas – everyone is equal no? If only that were true but commissioners are human – they prefer to give work to people they like and have worked with in the past (or if you’re skeptical like me they particularly like giving work to media companies that might employ them in the future). It makes total sense to work with people you trust, however is there a way we can get commissioners to work with a handful of companies they don’t know on top of the usual preferred supplier list? Sometimes obliging them to do this is the only way to make it happen.

And then there’s the reality that size is strength and the big media groups have the resources to negotiate better terms of trade, they can overspend on a pilot or completely self-fund a development, and they have their own distribution arms to retain profits. I don’t begrudge them their success, but when you’re a startup who has to pay £600 an hour for legal advice to try and get halfway to the terms the big boys can negotiate it becomes a problem – the rich just get richer (one specific recommendation on that point: broadcasters should be consistent with their terms of trade (don’t screw your small suppliers while you’re getting screwed by the big suppliers – all you’re doing is making the big suppliers bigger so they can screw you even harder)).

I think an SME indie quota would certainly help redress some of the imbalances in the indie sector – but let’s not forget an SME is any company with a turnover of up to £50million or under 250 employees – there needs to be real focus on the ‘S’ end of the scale… these are the people who can innovate quickly, who can think in new ways and formats, and will ultimately determine the future direction of TV.

Which takes me to Channel 4. I personally have no issue with indie quotas being scrapped altogether then it comes to BBC and ITV, but one of the key reasons Channel 4 was set up was to help nurture and develop the independent sector – and what an amazing job they’ve done. It’s great that the network are again being proactive in investing in ideas from small indies from within and outside of traditional TV, but isn’t it time for a more radical approach? Isn’t it time Channel 4 redefine what an indie is – to return to their roots – to invest in the kinds of ideas that could only come from an enthusiastic, often-naive, idealistic boot-strapped startups? I know I run the risk of sounding like a xenophobic protectionist but is it Channel 4′s job to line the pockets of NewsCorp, NBC Uni and TimeWarner – or nurture new British businesses? Isn’t it time to rip up the schedule and become a genuinely alternative voice in broadcasting? Yes advertising revenues may dip slightly, and in turn there may be less money for the ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix’es and ‘Come Dine With Me’s of this world, but is that really a disaster? Is success just ratings and ad-revenue, or could it be in kick-starting a new dawn in British independent production, in innovation and alternative types of format, and in reshaping broadcasting?

I know I have a vested interest – but as the whole world is on the cusp of economic reorganisation maybe it’s time for Channel 4 to change with it?