Season_Screen_TV_Review_№6-web

ANALYTICAL
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE TV-PROGRAMMING STRATEGY
a safe and stimulating environment. Parents trust us
and we have to constantly make sure to justify this. We
really want family viewing to lead to engagement with
the content — whether it’s building a volcano or going
to the backyard to dig up some fossils. That’s why a lot
of our shows emphasize creation, experimentation and
exploration.
Latina TV There is only answer to the question about
the secret of our programming effectiveness: it’s all about
the wheel of fortune. There is almost no precise technique
how to be successful at the screen, nobody knows this
secret formula. Which approaches do we use? First of all
we try to get to know our audience within the long period
of time. We investigate the preferences and values of the
audience. Moreover we are trying to be informed about
the main world TV trends: how does the news all over
the world are performed, which serials do family preferall
of this help us to make our final decision concerning
our programming. We also produce our own new and
unique content. We also try never losing the spirit of our
region being oriented at content with specific of national
authenticity. Finally we are trying to keep our finger
on a pulse of our competitors. It makes us more selfdemanding.
FOX TV A good selection of content, combining strong
and popular franchises with brand. As we can see some
of channels freely open their cards, other ones keep their
tips in secret. Every company has its own approach and
strategy. Any way all of them gave the same aim: to satisfy
and to overcome the growing demands of their audience
and to make it after all even larger. This task annually
worked out by different departments from defining the
audience values till financial statistics and dates.
As we can see, every channel has its own strategy for
programming and its individual approach. That is why
all of them the giants and are at list at the top 3 of their
region or state.
So how do they reach such results? Actually the secrets
are on the top: they feed their audience with a delicacy
which has never been tried before mixing them with
the most delicious content which is already known and
beloved by the audience.
Obviously that the process of content selection
depends on inner factors and the specific of the audience:
if some region is more patient and emotional or less,
what preferences and priorities does it have — all this
psychological factors pay a vital role. For analyzing
demand and consumption the channels usually try to
analyze their audience and in accordance with a general
image they create a further strategy.
What is the process of the content selection, which
factors do they pay their attention and which analysis
do they usually perform before? — our experts will try to
answer to all our questions.
At the very beginning let’s give a word to distributors
which cooperate with channels:
International Producers Group On a regular basis,
I contact most of the major US broadcasters and ask them
straight out, “what is your current programming strategy
“TODAY”. I do this because there are always new buyers
and management to consider which seems to take place
often. Each bring with them their own vision of what they
would consider as the type of programs (content) they
see the channel gaining the most viewers. It often does
not work which is another reason I am in touch with the
buyer to find out exactly what kind of content for which
they are open to screening as a possible license. This is a
big challenge because what you often see on the channel
is not necessarily what they are looking for. They may be
running out the clock on a series or license agreement.
The one thing I do NOT want to do is send my customers
new availabilities on programs that I know they would
not have an interest. BUT... then I have what I call the
“YA NEVER KNOW” category. I send them an availability
of a program that almost fits into their strategy, but
not quite. So, I ask them to take a look because, “Ya never
Know”!!! It is a challenge trying to keep up to date on
all the programming needs of my American Broadcaster
and VOD customers and I spend a great deal of time doing
this.
SAFE MEDIA SARL If there was a secret formula
for everything nothing would ever fail, there’s a huge
surprise part within! The psychology / emotions of the
consumer behaviors is the key element! This can never
be measured! Predicted may be but not measured. The
recommendation is “Know your audience”, that will
eventually lead to the content they want! The better
you know them, the better you can cater them, sit with
them, and listen! Give them attention, spend time, watch,
observe this helps understand their needs and attend to
their content needs.
It means that distributors and productions have
never known how the audience will meet their product.
It seems like tightrope walks: one wrong step and they
could fall down. It`s a kind of extreme activity especially
if there is your asset which are at a stake.
Does it really so hard process indeed? What is the
position of those who directly make a decision what are
going to be at their channel schedule in prime-time?
HTV Entertainment Limited First of all, we will
look for one of a kind unique content that isn’t available
anywhere or hard to get elsewhere. Then we will see
whether the content is relevant and appeal to the
platform/channel mission, “Connects you with fun and
unique content from the world”. This will attract audience
although not a big audience but maybe others have not
reached them yet.
Working with the right business partner is also part
of the content selection criteria. Since we are a new
channel, we want to build a strong business partnership
with producers and distributors who can work together
through thick and thin.
Financial models of distribution channel deals,
legal rights to air and content suitability based on local
requirements, for example no to nudity, story theme
based on gay / lesbian or high level of violence in film is
also banned.
Armenia TV We believe that except of news we need
to broadcast comedy stand ups, sitcoms and soap operas
of our national production. In addition, we actively use
the Brazilian soap operas, which are already more than
20 years of presence in our market. 90% of the grid takes
our content: sitcoms, morning shows, food-shows, socialoriented
talk show. It is more reasonable to create our
own content as we want it for ourselves.
Fox TV CHANNELS We work with two genres for
prime time: series and feature films. In terms of films we
always look for strong blockbusters, easily recognized for
the audience. Regarding series we create our prime time
plan with the more mainstream content in the slots with
more consumption. We have a deep knowledge of the
market, trends and – even programming is not an exact
science – we have enough tools for creating a successful
prime time.
Da Vinci Media GmbH Our channel is somewhat
unique insofar as during the day our primary audience
is children, while access primetime is reserved for joint
family viewing and from 8 PM (or 9 PM in certain regions)
onwards we present documentary content for adults.
Because we offer a wide range of educational content
for all ages, we have different primetimes for different
audiences.
TRACE TV Selecting the content for prime time is
based on our own criteria of ‘heat’. We make sure that
these evening slots are filled with content that is a hot
topic amongst our young audiences at the time. With our
urban music channels, the schedulers are working around
the clock to determine the artists that will be trending
at periods in the year, as well as continuing to monitor
the popularity of urban singles around the world.
NBC Universal With the recent influx of Video-
On-Demand players in Asia and globally, we’ve had to
take a stand of late with the type of content and the
rights we require when choosing content for primetime.
The fight is no longer with other linear channels (new
or established), but rather with these players who are
spending an inordinate amount of money to snap up first
run and exclusive global rights to prime time content. In
the initial launch and investment stages, some of these
companies are driving up the costs of content that has
traditionally been the staple of Pan-Regional general
entertainment channels — US studio based content.
We’re now forced to be creative in choosing our content,
to ensure we’re still offering our subscribers something
fresh, unique, and entertaining.
Thus, we can highlight a few key points we create
our formula of success: it should be the high quality new
unique product; someone relies on their intuition and experience;
it happens that a key role to play for content is
genre; for the world’s major channels it is also important
to be recognized as brand; and sometimes, it is necessary
to look at the competitors, to determine what makes
them ratings, and create a similar or even better product.
An important factor was the business partner’s requirements
of reputation and financial transactions distribution
model.
We decided to clarify in which extent is hard to work
for TV channels with their “business partner”.
SAFE MEDIA SARL Handling a Channel is not an
easy job or task! This clearly reflects on transactions with
all its supply chain management, even more complicated
when comes to content. The decision making process
is long, takes a lot of time especially with a selection
committee, then chasing the payment. As we are evolving
so fast in TV into the unknown, audiences is harder to
please, the risk factor is very high causing the advertisers
to spend less. All this makes it not an easy! We all know
that all TV channels when cutting down cost the first
they take out is budget for content! The simplest would be
government channels as all they do is media propaganda
of the honoring the governments, and content to them is
basic wall paper!
International Producers Group It is difficult
importing foreign Independent documentary programming
to an American channel mainly because they have
a very high standard for the quality and the content must
have a strong appeal to American audiences. Oh yes, it is
also important to have English dubbed versions with a
few sub titles as possible. AND... today only HD programs
are acceptable.
All of them try to create their own unique product
which would be able to differ qualitatively and concur at
the world media market. All of them bet on horse of fun
which traditionally winning and dark horse of national
consciousness.
All of them have both as something in common as
well precise differences. Thus all media companies, which
were interviewed, in average give from 75% till 90% of
their air-space to national content produced and released
by themselves or their national fellow colleagues.
1+1 TV We try to invest approximately 75%-80% of
our budget on prime, most off time filled with reruns
of our old, proven products. The average cost of an hour
of the product in prime off time more than 3-4 times.
Taking into consideration the optimistic estimation
of the Ukrainian advertising market volumes in 2016
which is in average $200 million the most economically
reasonable price for an hour of ready-made product is
approximately $30-35 housed. Any way it’s quite hard to
talk about some definite figures and content cost recovery
by the advertiser. Sharp changes at the price of currency
make this task even more complicated. It is clearly that
18 ▪ Issue 6 JUNE 2016 Season Screen TV Review
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Issue 6 JUNE 2016 ▪ 19