Media Law Reforms

Just have gone through all of the information we have looked at and re-written my piece on media ownership in Australia, in particular looking at the media law reforms. Promise to fix the links up soon. Here it is:
The Australian government's media law reforms and their implications for free-to -air television

Media ownership in Australia has been criticised by political and community groups for being too concentrated. (Wikipedia 2007) Australia’s newspaper ownership is ‘the most concentrated in the world’. (Tiffen 2006) Out of the eleven metropolitan papers Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited own six, Fairfax own three and only two are owned by “independents”. News Limited and Fairfax make up 88% of national newspaper circulation. (Tiffen 2006) Similarly, in radio, 80 per cent of the stations are in the hands of 12 radio networks (Nielson Media Research, 2007) and free-to-air television, which is the focus of this analysis, remains a ‘regulated oligopoly’. (Flew and Gilmour, 2006)

Who owns Free-to-Air Television?

· The Australian Government
ABC and SBS TV are both publicly owned stations.

· Publishing Broadcasting Limited (PBL) (Packer family)
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) wholly owns Channel 9. Their controller stakeholder of Channel 9 is Consolidated Press Holdings Limited. PBL is other interests include Pay TV, (with a 25% share of Foxtel), film production, newspapers and magazines. (Armstrong, M and Molnar H, 1996)

· CanWest Global
The Canadian company owns the majority of Channel 10 with a 56% stake in the network. (Wikipedia 2007)

· News Limited & Kerry Stokes
Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited and Kerry Stokes own 14% and 19% respectively of Channel 7. (Armstrong, M and Molnar H, 1996)

Current Television Laws

The current media laws for television as per the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 are:

· A person must not control television broadcasting licences whose combined licence area exceeds 75 per cent of the population of Australia, or more than one licence within a licence area (section 53).
· Foreign persons must not be in a position to control a licence and the total of foreign interests must not exceed 20 per cent (section 57).
· There are also limits on multiple directorships (section 55) and foreign directors (section 58).

Under section 60 a person must not control:

· a commercial television broadcasting licence and a commercial radio broadcasting licence having the same licence area;
· a commercial television broadcasting licence and a newspaper associated with that licence area;
· or a commercial radio broadcasting licence and newspaper associated with that licence area.

Changes to media ownership laws in Australia

Media ownership is a regularly debated topic in Australia. Previous attempts to change legislation by the current government had been rejected, most recently in 2002. However, the last election of October 2004 saw the Howard government gain a majority in both houses, meaning that they were able to introduce legislative changes with relative ease, examples of this seen in both the industrial relations reforms and of course the media law reforms.

On 13 July 2006 Federal Communications Minister, Information Technology and the Arts, Helen Coonan outlined the government’s proposed media law reforms. The reason given by Senator Coonan for the law reforms are that ‘Traditional media services are being challenged by new digital technologies… the impact of digital technologies means the current regulatory settings, which are largely designed for an analogue world, risk becoming outdated’ (Coonan 2006) (By October 2006, Federal Parliament had passed changes to deregulate current media ownership. The date of proclamation according to Coonan, is (somewhat confusing) but ‘certainly before about the middle of the year’ (Schulze 2007).

Significant Changes to Television Laws

· No new free-to-air television stations, however, multi-channelling of the current stations will be allowed for commercial free-to-air stations and public broadcasters. Those with a digital set top box could see an example of this via the government’s test channel ABC2, which offers some content not available on ABC TV and also repeats content aired on the primary station.
· Anti-syphoning laws – a ‘use it or lose it scheme’, (Connan, 2006) meaning that if a network purchases the rights to show a program, they must screen it. In the past there have been cases, particularly in relation to sport where networks would buy the rights to two events that would be broadcast at the same time then only screen one in an attempt to eliminate competition for ratings.
· Foreign ownership restrictions will be removed except in instances involving other legislation e.g. general competition law. Overseas parties interested in investing in the Australian media will need to be approved by the Treasurer. (Connan, 2006)
· Cross-media Ownership – conditional removal of these laws. For instance, there is still a requirement of there to be a number of ‘players’ in the marketplace – the proposed figures are five in state capitals and four in regional areas. This may sound like a significant number, but it is a reduction from the current figure of eleven.
· Two new digital channels named Channel A and Channel B will be introduced, however, the government has stressed heavily that these will not be two new commercial licences. Options for the services listed by the government include ‘subscription TV services, FTA niche ‘narrowcasting' services, as well as interactive and short video or ‘datacasting' services, whether delivered to fixed or mobile television receivers’. (Coonan 2006)
· The government will be legislating that it will be in control of any future commercial channels that will be created outside the BSB (Broadcasting Service Band) spectrum instead of current body ACMA.

Implications of changes

Major media players have already been circulating to increase their empires as the date of implementation draws closer – examples include the recent merger between Fairfax and Rural Press and rumours of Fairfax purchasing Channel 10. Currently, the cross-media laws are in place to ensure that there is a diversity of opinions, particularly in what is regarded as ‘media of influence’ – free-to-air television, newspapers and radios. In theory, the legislation means you could either be (as termed by former Prime Minister, Paul Keating) a ‘queen of the screen, prince of print or raja of radio’, (Murray, 2005). This theory has not yet proven prophetic, as these rules are based on geographic location and do not take into account Pay TV, the Internet or the effects of globalisation.

One of the implications of deregulating media ownership in Australia is that this could decrease diversity in a market that already has a concentrated media ownership. For example, Australian born come American citizen, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation owns approximately 55% of Australian newspapers, major international Pay TV stations Fox Television and online media including MySpace. With the removal of the foreign and cross-media ownership laws, Murdoch’s next investment could quite easily cross other media platforms including increasing his free-to-air television stake. For a company that through its investments has a global reach of 75% of the population, this is frightening. (Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s war on journalism) Journalist Eric Beecher raises a valid point, questioning who the new laws are set to benefit, stating they will increase the ‘power of a very small number of media owners using their media outlets to influence public debate, public policy, public decisions’. (Beecher, n.d.) Former Prime Minister, Paul Keating whose government introduced the Broadcast Act of 1992, restricting ownership, argues that the current governmental changes are set to benefit two parties – the Packer-controlled Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and the Murdoch-controlled News Limited. (Keating 2005) This is in stark contrast to Connan’s position that the laws are set to create a ‘richer and more diverse media environment for Australian consumers’. (Coonan 2006)


References

Armstrong, M and Molnar H, (eds) (Media and Telecommunications Policy Group), 1996, Control and Ownership of Australian Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne.

Beecher, E n.d., ‘The media gods must be crazy’, The Walkley Magazine, n.d.,
http://magazine.walkleys.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46
26 May 2007

Coonan, H 2006, Meeting the Digital Challenge: Reforming Australia 's media in the digital age, Australian Government, viewed 14 April 2007,
http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/meeting_the_digital_challenge_reforming_australias_media_in_the_digital_age

Flew, T and Gilmour, C 2006, ’Television and Pay TV’ in Cunningham, S & Turner, G The Media and Communications in Australia, 2nd edn, Allen & Unwin, Maryborough, pp175-192.

Keating, P 2005, ‘A crude end to cross-media laws signals a dangerous power trip’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 September:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/a-crude-end-to-crossmedia-laws-signals-a-dangerous-power-trip/2005/09/28/1127804547001.html
1 May 2007

Murray, S 2005,’Think Global, Act Global: Corporate Content Streaming and Australian Media Policy’, Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy, Vol 2005, No. 116, August, pp 100-116, viewed 1 May 2007, IngentaConnect.

Nielson Media Research 2007, ‘Radio’, AC Neilson, viewed 1 May 2007,
http://www.nielsenmedia.com.au/industry.asp?industryID=13&Go.x=20&Go.y=8&Go=Industry
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s war on journalism, 2004, video recording, ABC, USA, 23 April 2007.

Schulze, J 2007, ‘Coonan to OK laws by June’, The Australian (Media Section), 22 March:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21423667-7582,00.html
1 May 2007

Tiffen, R 2006, ‘The Press’ in Cunningham, S & Turner, G The Media and Communications in Australia, 2nd edn, Allen & Unwin, Maryborough, pp97-112.

Wikipedia, 2007, Concentration of Media Ownership, MediaWiki, viewed 19 April 2007,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership#Australia

Wikipedia, 2007, Network Ten, MediaWiki, viewed 23 May 2007,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Ten

The website link

This is the homepage

pretty minimal atm but it will look similar to the blog

if any of you guys want to make a new banner than feel free to make one with the same or similar proportions as the current banner.

I can't open the page via the media.rmit.edu.au/home/sites/media/projects/2007/futuretv/index.html page so I put it up on my raws server, for now.
_________________________

In relation to ratings and whether it is affective I found a current article by Matthew Ricketson, who "investigates the people-meter system by which programs live and die". Perhaps I will have somethings to say about this since the networks rely heavily on ratings to determine what content to produce.

Updated survey questions

Question1

What is your age?

Up to 18, 19-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, Over 60


Question 2

Do you use a digital set top box (including those built into the television) within your home?

Yes
No
Unsure


Question 3

Have you ever downloaded or watched television, episodes or fragments, from the internet?

Yes
No


Question 4

If so, how often? If no, you may proceed to Question 6

-rarely ever
-once a week
-2-3 times a week
-daily or very regularly

Question 5

Where do you acquire these episodes from? Eg. YouTube, BitTorrent, iTunes, etc. You may list more than one.

[Box]


Question 6

Through what sources do you view television episodes or segments? (You may answer more than once)

Free to air television
Ivideo (and other portable mp4 devices such as iRiver)
Mobile phone
Internet
On DVD
Subscription television
Game console
Other – please specify [Box]


Broadcast television: a visual presentation transmitted to the public over the airways of a licensed Television station

Question 7

Do you feel that watching television through sources OTHER than a television set, make you watch less broadcast television?
-yes
-no
-unsure


Question 8

How much broadcast television do you watch per week, on average?

None
0-2 hours
3-5 hours
5-8 hours
8-12 hours
12+hours


Question 9

How much television do you watch per week from sources OTHER than a television set, on average?
None
0-2 hours
3-5 hours
5-8 hours
8-12 hours
12+hours


Question 10

Would you say a majority of the television you watch is Australian-made or from overseas (eg.the US)?
-mostly Australian made
-mostly from overseas
-fairly balanced between Australian made and from overseas
-unsure


Question 11

In your opinion, what do you believe the future holds for Australian free to air television?

(Consider whether it can remain successful, or are there too many other entertainment mediums out there for it to survive.)

[box]


ok guys if you could let me know what you think, anything changed anything added anything scrapped that would be awesome. probably want this sent tomorrow.

cheers!

ratings and 2007 schedules for the three major networks

At the end of the last MI1 research post I proposed that I'd talk about Ratings and how affective they are considering how ratings are collated. SO is the ratings system affective (enough)?

Based on what I've read, I have come to the conclusion that YES, yes it is indeed affective (dammit I wanted there to be flaws in the ratings system so I can critically discuss the pros and cons of this system for the mi1 research task... hmmm maybe theres a cover up... read between the lines darwin, read between the lines!... or not.)

2007 schedules for the three major networks

Channel 10 lineup
Ten stated that they will offer a new family entertainment series – Teen Fit Camp and Celebrity Dog School, a game show – The Cont Test, as well as two factual series which includes Saving Babies. Ten has also entered into new programming deals with 20th Century Fox and CBS Entertainment. The new overseas products that will screen this year include At Home with Jamie Oliver, Jamie Oliver’s Return to School Dinners and Jamie’s Chefs: Cutting the Apron Strings and three New US series, which are 3 Pounds, Raines and Rules of Engagement.

Ten's current Australian programming lineup consists of television shows including; 9am with David and Kim, Australian Idol, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, Neighbours, Rove Live, Joker Poker, The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, Thank God You're Here, and The Wedge. On February 7, 2007, Ten debuted the Australian version of the The Con Test, based on the British TV show Poker Face. Also premiered early in 2007 is Saving Babies, and also the return of Bondi Rescue. Along with Ten's Early News, Ten's Morning News, Ten News, Ten's Late News, and Sports Tonight.

Channel Ten relies heavily on its CBS and FOX output deals. Overseas programming on Ten includes; Futurama, House, Jericho, the Late Show with David Letterman, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Medium, NCIS, NUMB3RS, Smallville, Supernatural, The Bold and the Beautiful, The O.C., The Simpsons, and Veronica Mars.

TEN LAUNCHES BEST EVER LINEUP FOR 2007

Channel 7 lineup
Seven’s announcement of the first phase of its plans for 2007 featured just one new local program, the format show Australia’s Got Talent but they did buy Kath and Kim off the ABC. They also bought six new US series, which include 30 Rock, Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, Shark, Ugly Betty and What About Brian. They will also focus heavily on sporting coverage. So Seven – at the moment – will not be contributing to new local drama content.

Seven's current Australian programming lineup consists of television shows including; All Saints, Better Homes and Gardens, Home and Away, Border Security: Australia's Front Line, Dancing with the Stars, Deal or No Deal, Medical Emergency, The Great Outdoors and The Real Seachange. Seven also screen Australia's Got Talent, an Australian version of the successful US program America's Got Talent. On March 31, 2007, it was announced that Kath and Kim will be shown on the channel. Along with Weekend Sunrise, Seven Morning News, Seven's 4.30pm News, Seven News, Seven's Late News Updates, and Today Tonight.

Seven has programming output deals with a number of American production studios, including NBC Studios, Disney (including Touchstone Television) and 20th Century Fox (concluding mid-2007). American programming on Seven includes; 24, The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Prison Break, How I Met Your Mother and My Name Is Earl. New programs in Seven's 2007 lineup include; 30 Rock, Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, Shark, Ugly Betty and What About Brian.

Channel 9
Nine’s line-up includes the mini-series Tsunami and Sea Patrol. It will also screen the NZ-set reality series The Lost Tribes, two new local factual series; and talk show The Dame Edna Experience, NZ’s Outrageous Fortune as well as 6 series from the US which include Kidnapped, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Nine, Runaway, and Smith, however all have been cancelled by their US networks.

Nine's current Australian programming lineup consists of television shows including; 1 vs 100, Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, Bert's Family Feud, Comedy Inc. The Late Shift, Getaway, McLeod's Daughters, Missing Persons Unit, Mornings with Kerri-Anne, Quizmania, Temptation, The Footy Show, The Catch-Up and What's Good For You?.

American programming on Nine includes; Close to Home, Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, ER, Justice, Men In Trees, Nip/Tuck, Rome, Super Nanny, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Closer, Weeds, and Without a Trace. New programs soon to air for Nine's 2007 lineup include; Kidnapped, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Nine, Runaway, and Smith. However, several of the shows introduced in 2007 have already been cancelled by their US networks.

Although the reality is that purchasing series from overseas is cheaper than creating the show locally as well as more appealing to viewers, Nick Murray, an independent producer and former president of the Screen Producers Association of Australia, stated that “Australian audiences [DO] like watching local drama… series such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers and McLeod’s Daughters[, they] are the “engine room” of the industry.

Based on my findings it is clear that the state of Australian drama content is in peril, with major networks focusing on variety shows or drama content from overseas that appeal to a range of viewers.

With this programming trend, it is likely that it will affect the employment industry within the next five years. It is only through legislation that a minimum amount of drama is produced. To help local drama the Screen Producers Association is planning a TV and cinema advertising campaign focusing on the issue of Australian drama, or the lack of it, starting during July 2007’s federal parliamentary session.

some rough questions for a survey

What is your age?
>21, 21-30. 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61+

Do you have a digital set top box?

Do you download or watch television episodes from the internet?

If so, how often?
-rarely ever
-once a week
-2-3 times a week
-daily or very regularly

Where do you acquire these episodes from? Eg. YouTube, BitTorrent, BigPond(?)
[Box to write in]

*How satisfied are you with the quality of these downloads?
-the quality of the vision does not concern me.
-its ok, wish it was better
-

Do you choose to watch television episodes on other sources INSTEAD of a television?
-

How much television do you watch every week on average,
-|
How much online?

What kind of programming

Would you say a majority of the television you watch is Australian-made or overseas(eg. US series)?


let me know if there's any questions you want in the survey, so i can hopefully get it ready tonight. cheers guys, by the way, these questions are very rough and need to be fixed, but giving an idea of the things we want answered.

Media Industries Projects 2006

Just been having a look at the projects from last year again to get an idea of what was produced at the end of the semester.

Here is the tally:

Websites - 4 projects
PDF - 4 projects
Wiki - 2, but one that was really a PDF
Blog - 1

Things we might want to do...

Have a link to our collaborative blog, in case we change anything for the final version (rewriting in slightly different style for instance).

Do we want images?

etc etc

Australian TV Content Laws

Here is a condensed version of the current Broadcasting Services (Australian Content) Standard has been in effect since 30 December 2005. Commercial broadcasters are required by law as a conditional part of their licence to comply with the Standard.

The objective of the Standard is to:

promote the role of commercial television broadcasting services in developing and reflecting a sense of Australian identity, character and cultural diversity by supporting the community's continued access to television programs produced under the Australian creative control.

Co-productions (Australia Government production with another country's government e.g. UK) and New Zealand programs are seen equally with Australian programs for the purposes of the standard. The latter relates to the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement.

Key Facts

• Transmission Quota - 55% of Australian free-to-air television content per year has to be Australian made between 6am-12pm.


• Drama - There is concessions, but generally speaking, there is a 'drama score' which is a formula:
  drama score=format factor x duration (in hours). Format factor means whether it is a serial, feature film, taking into account the duration and acquiring fee. They are then rated e.g. 1 for a serial of more than hour per week to 4 for a 90 minute or less telemovie, miniseries or drama e.g. BlackJack. According to the Standard, the drama score required for first release drama in Australia in prime time has to equal 860.


• Children's Drama - Again, there is a lot of exceptions, but in general a station needs to broadcast within a 3 year period, drama classified as children's drama of at least 96 hours in total. A station must also broadcast, with a few exceptions at least 25 hours of Australian children's drama If a station shows a first release children's drama or at least 80 mins (without ads) and show it in prime time, then ACMA rewards them by changing tripling the duration for content purposes.


• Documentaries - Between 6am-12am need to show at least 20 hours first release Australian documentaries that are at least 30 minutes long.

Terminology


Prime Time
Is defined as from 5pm-11pm each day.

What Qualifies as an Australian Program?

(1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), a program is an Australian program if:
(a) it is produced under the creative control of Australians; and
(b) it was made without financial assistance from the television production fund.
(2) For paragraph (1) (a), a program is produced under the creative control of
Australians if:
(a) the producer of the program is, or the producers of the program are, Australian
(whether or not the program is produced in conjunction with a co-producer, or
an executive producer, who is not an Australian); and
(b) either:
(i) the director of the program is, or the directors of the program are,
Australian; or
(ii) the writer of the program is, or the writers of the program are, Australian;
and
(c) at least 50% of the leading actors, including voice actors, or on-screen
presenters appearing in the program are Australians; and
(d) in the case of a drama program — at least 75% of the major supporting cast
appearing in the program are Australians; and
(e) subject to subsection (5), the program is produced and post-produced in
Australia (whether or not it is filmed in Australia); and
(f) in the case of an animated program — the program satisfies at least 3 of the
following requirements:
(i) the production designer is Australian;
(ii) the character designer is Australian;
(iii) the supervising layout artist is Australian;
(iv) the supervising storyboard artist is Australian;
(v) the key background artist is Australian.
(3) If a program (except a news, current affairs or sports program) includes segments
that, if they were individual programs, would not comply with subsection (2), only
a segment that, if it were an individual program, would comply with subsection (2)
is taken to be an Australian program.
Example:
A music video program including Australian clips and children’s cartoon programs that is presented
by an Australian host.
(4) A documentary program that complies with subsection (2) is not an Australian
program if it is a reversioning of one or more existing documentary programs that
are not Australian programs, Australian official co-productions, New Zealand
programs or Australian/New Zealand programs.
(5) For paragraph (2) (e), a news, current affairs or sports program that is filmed
outside Australia and produced or post-produced outside Australia because it is
impractical to produce or post-produce the program in Australia is taken to be
produced and post-produced in Australia.

First Release Programs

(1) A program (except a telemovie or feature film) is a first release program when it is
first broadcast in the licence area if it has been acquired within 2 years of the
completion of production of the program.
(2) A program that is a telemovie is a first release program when it is first broadcast by
a licensee in the licence area (whether or not the program has already been
broadcast in the licence area by a subscription television broadcasting service) if it
has been acquired within 2 years of the completion of production of the program.
(3) A program that is a feature film is a first release program when it is first broadcast
by a licensee in the licence area (whether or not the program has already been
broadcast in the licence area by a subscription television broadcasting service) if it
has been acquired within 5 years of the completion of production of the program.

What is Defined as Australian Drama?

Includes fully or partially scripted screenplay where dramatic elements (theme, character and plot) are used to form a narrative, can include improvisation by actors. Drama strangely enough includes fully scripted sketch comedy, animated drama and dramatised documentary.

Sources:
ACMA TV Content Requirements

Broadcasting Services (Australian Content) Standard 2005

Will online videos, such as on YouTube, really detract from free-to-air television viewing?

this is just a bit of a rough draft i'm working on to put up on our project website.

At the moment, we are in a time of great uncertainty over the future relationship between YouTube and television networks. Australian television network Ten has claimed YouTube should be welcomed “as allies rather than being treated as the enemy in the emerging online video battle” (article 12) Channel Ten has taken initiative with the online arena in encouraging viewers to interact with the network both through broadcast AND online, for example Big Brother and The Biggest Loser. Channel Ten’s standpoint is the internet can be used as a source to garner attention of their television shows and draw viewers to watching the broadcast. In terms of Australian television productions, they are aired first through broadcast, and those who watch it later on YouTube are either unavailable to watch the show at the certain time or wouldn’t watch it anyway televised, so not a substanial amount of viewers are being lost. Unless television networks allow episodes to be available outside of one broadcast time, and preferably without cost, will viewers actually partake in seeking television shows through the station.

A successful mission Channel Ten has taken in using YouTube as a viable resource for viewing their shows is uploading comedy hit “Thank God You’re Here” with sponsorship announcements at the start and finish of uploaded clips. The sponsorship is short enough to endure without skipping over and isn’t worth someone uploading the clips without them, with enough skits provided by channel Ten for it to not be necessary for any more clips without sponsorship to be provided.

In terms of the short term future of Australian television networks losing audience due to YouTube or the internet in general, digital general manager of Ten Damian Smith states, “I don’t think it’s going to change in Australia tomorrow. There are a whole lot of reasons that things move a little bit slower here, most notably broadband speeds and penetration”.

Even programmes such as ABC’s “Chaser’s War on Everything”
-is a show where, it grew such a cult following on the internet, as it was so badly time placed on Friday nights, when its target audience, the youth, was out on Friday nights. Now that its on Wednesday nights it’s a ratings hit.

However, that’s not to completely undermine the reality that yes, people are tuning into YouTube to watch their television shows over sitting in front of the telly to watch an episode in its entirety, with advertisements. Even if the television broadcast may be the first airing of the episode, there is not as big a drive for audiences to tune in

blah this is all i can do right now without making my head explode. Shall expand soon!

Youtube/ podcasts related/ programming trends

Battle for eyeballs shaping television's future

"Hollywood is battling for consumers' eyeballs on more fronts than ever before. As people spend more time on their cellphones and computers, television studios find themselves pursuing viewers on at least three screens.

In the meantime, there is no downside in getting their content out to all these platforms, said Ian Blane, CEO of thePlatform and an executive at Comcast Interactive Media, during last week's Digital Media Summit. The exploration will benefit content creators regardless in the end, he added.

"I think five years from now it's still going to look a lot like it looks today,'' said Bill Binford, director of programming at Verizon Fios TV. "It all begins with developing quality programming that captures a viewer's attention.''

While people are directing their eyes on more screens than ever before, it doesn't mean they're watching less television, they're just multi-tasking, he said. TV viewership has remained relatively flat, he added. Indeed, Rose said there's a consistent lull in Facebook traffic during the weekly broadcast of Grey's Anatomy-so noticeable to the point that usage even comes up a few times during commercial breaks then spikes again immediately after the show concludes.

Linear, long-form content is not in danger, it's just that the demand for short highlights is increasingly each day, AOL Video executive Fred McIntyre said.

Tenzer concluded: "It's not the end of television, it's another necessary tool.''"

Interview re consumer content on TV

The following is a 2006 interview with Pushkar Sane director of IR Northeast Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group and Sunita Rajan vice president of sales, Asia and Australia, BBC World. The interview talks about how TV content needs to have more consumer content to risk becoming irrelevant. I sourced it via Proquest

DOUBLE STANDARDS
News channels are scrambling to feature more consumer content. But is the industry convinced of the benefits?

Pushkar Sane director of IR Northeast Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group

What do the networks have to gain by featuring consumer content?

Networks gain consumer involvement and rich content. For many years TV was pure monologue... now it is becoming a dialogue between consumers and programme creators. This creates a sense of ownership among the audience.

What opportunities does consumer content give advertisers?

Opportunities are many as long as we don't think of consume- generated content as one more platform to bombard with advertising. For example advertisers can get invaluable insights by observing consumer generated content.They can also create brand advocates by providing a platform for people to create content related to their passions, brands and products.

Is it possible to measure consumer interaction on TV?

Yes it is. Most TV networks are measuring interaction through mobile messaging.email response, web surveys and content posts, and even telecalling. With IPTV,consumer interaction will become even more measurable.

What are the risks associated with consumer content?

There is only one big risk - it is the risk of not participating in consumer generated content because whether we like it or not, consumers are going to talk about brands and products. So it is better to participate in consumer generated content or else we'll not have a chance to tell our side of the story.

Are media agencies tapping into the potential?

It is early days and like any other new phenomenon there is a lot of skepticism. But some forward-thinking agencies are already exploring projects in this area, and collectively we will learn from our success and failure.

Are initiatives like this enough to maintain TVs appeal in the face of similar interactive elements online?

Frankly speaking TV will have to reinvent itself to stay relevant to consumers. It is making TV a hit more interactive and dialogue-oriented hut going forward this will not be enough - mainly because the internet and mobile space is evolving at a rapid speed.

Sunita Rajan vice president of sales, Asia and Australia, BBC World

What do the networks have to gain by featuring consumer content?

There are many benefits to having user-generated content (UGC). During the recent My World Cup on BBC World, hundreds of people around the globe were able to contribute their thoughts, views, experiences and pictures to the eclectic blend of media, providing a richer mix of content and helping to increase viewer loyalty.

What opportunities does consumer content give advertisers?

UGC gives advertisers a fantastic opportunity to interact with viewers and get closer to the channel's audience. BBC World offered sponsorship packages with interactive options such as My World Cup, that allow advertisers and the network to form a deeper relationship with viewers and strengthen their brand association.

Is it possible to measure consumer interaction on TV?

Yes, mainstream channels have tools for measuring response to text messaging and call lines on competitions. In Asia, research companies are investigating ways of fusing data with current people-meter methodologies.

What are the risks associated with consumer content?

The biggest risk is being unsure of the veracity of the material submitted, the accuracy, truth or balance of any assertions made and technical quality could be sub-standard. This can cause viewers to question the professionalism and integrity of the content.

Are media agencies tapping into the potential?

Agencies are always looking for new ways to develop their clients' relationship with audiences and, along with the media owners, are pushing for more innovative ways to build their clients brands.

Are initiatives like this enough to maintain TVs appeal in the face of similar interactive elements online?

This remains to be seen. However, by not being involved with UGC there is a great danger for any broadcaster to succumb to increased irrelevance and eventual demise. You cannot ignore the interests,needs and demands of today's audience,and our task as broadcasters is to meet those demands.

Reference: Consumer-generated content on TV: hype or here to stay?Anonymous. Media. Hong Kong: Aug 11, 2006. pg. 14, 1 pgs

Possible questions for AJT and interesting points

There is a theory that broadcast television will become a solely live medium, airing programming such as the news, event and interactive programming, and sport in order to attract audiences to watching broadcast television within their timeframes over “networked media”. What are your thoughts on this idea?

It was claimed that “18th October 2004 is the day TV died”. Could you explain what is meant by this and whether you agree?
(Read http://www.mindjack.com/feature/piracy051305.html to get background of this claim)

“Australians are the most profligate downloaders of television programming in the entire world” (http://www.mindjack.com/feature/piracy051305.html)

Advertising is still very possible through downloads, eg. The station ID that is placed on screen on a program (eg. Bottom right hand corner) can be replaced with an advertisement/business logo.

What do you believe television programmers/stations shall do to earn revenue if they abolish the “30 second ad interruption” method of advertising?

If we could interview Mark Pesce we would find this EXTREMELY beneficial!!!

For someone looking into television laws – check out this site http://www.mindjack.com/feature/newlaws052105.html

You’ve claimed that the future of television “is already here, we just haven’t noticed it yet”. What is that future and why haven’t we noticed?

Will the broadcast television drama be able to survive against the easily accessible dramas available over the internet and their wide range of interactivity and entertainment?

In terms of audience viewing, will the introduction of Australian television digitisation have a negative or positive effect?

What is the difference between broadcast television and digital television?

What is the (audience) appeal of networked media over broadcast media?

Check out - http://www.changethis.com/4.DRM

Will broadcast television ever be able to accept working towards content for “communities of interest” over controlling content for mass audiences?

We (content producers) are not in control, our users are!

“If you want to know what future media will look like, think games, not stories.” AJT

Australian TV News

I've been checking The Australian regularly for articles about Australian TV, there’s a lot going on in the industry at the moment. These articles were actually put on the site today, so how's that for my up-to-the minute reporting!

Price too high for merger mania
Mark Day and Nick Tabakoff
May 10, 2007

Article about a possible merger that now doesn’t look like happening, between Austar and Foxtel.

* “Austar reported a significantly higher level of customer disconnections than Foxtel in its quarterly results briefing”

* “Austar has 620,000 pay-TV subscribers in Australian regional markets”

* Austar has been approached with takeover bids, and “Foxtel was identified as the logical bidder. As the supplier of most of Austar's content, it could see benefits from adding the regional operator's subscribers to its base of 1.35 million capital city customers”. Although, the price got too high, and Foxtel pulled out of negotiations. The article stated “relations between the two pay-TV operators are strained”.

Fourth Movie Channel on way
Amanda Meade
May 10, 2007

* “Premium Movie Partnership, owner of the Showtime pay-TV film channel, is expected to launch a fourth channel to beef up its package ahead of changes to competition rules at the end of the year.

* The new channel will be called "Showcase" and is likely to run a mix of quality TV drama as well as movies”.

* “At the end of the year, a five-year 2002 commercial agreement - termed the buy-through - between Premium and rival channel Movie Network comes to an end. The buy-through deal dictated that subscribers who bought their pay-TV package through Foxtel could only purchase Optus's Movie Network channels as a second-tier movie package after Showtime.”

* “Showtime's investment strategy has shifted away from film towards TV, including funding in the acclaimed drama Love My Way."Showtime a long time ago decided to keep quality movies and add iconic mini-series and drama," Mr Rose told Media. "The whole success of subscription television is about doing things differently."


Network Chiefs go fishing in LA
Michael Bodey
May 10 2007

This article talks about how all the Australian TV executives from the free-to-air networks and executives from Foxtel are about to go to LA for the “annual LA screenings, in which executives see pilots of upcoming American TV series, are a lottery in which a US studio output deal is more likely to deliver a failed program than the next Desperate Housewives”.
What I found interesting about it was finding out which free-to-air networks get their content from which US network, I didn’t realize they all have deals which determines the shows they can buy.

* It says that “by sheer weight of numbers, the Ten network is more likely that Seven or Nine to be dealt the next hit for 2007-08”.

* “Ten's output deals with the Paramount-CBS, NBC Universal (it splits with Seven) and Twentieth Century Fox Television (split with Fox) studios will provide it with the bulk of the pilots commissioned by US networks, although there's always the issue of how many get picked up by the networks and then succeed with US audiences later this year”.

* “Up to 100 pilots were commissioned for the next US season, which begins in September”, which is obviously a lot more that we get commissioned in Australia.

* Nine has deals with Sony and Warner Bros, which are said to “look more positive than they have in years”

* Seven has a deal with American network ABC

* “The NBC Universal deal, is split between Ten and Seven. However, Ten is more likely to benefit from the most productive studio during the pilot season, Twentieth Century Fox Television. It shares Fox's product with Foxtel in a deal whereby programs are split according to commercially confidential criteria”.

Online prospects push Emitch into web TV
Lara Sinclair
May 10 2007

This article talks about some new developments in Internet TV, and some of the innovations TV and advertising companies are making in the online world.

* Head of one of Australia’s biggest advertising films, “Harold Mitchell's listed digital advertising agency Emitch is set to become a content creator with the launch of a broadband television arm called Digital Artists”.

* “Ninemsn will this week launch paid-for video content on its site for St George Bank, branded Money Minutes, and is believed to be close to launching Ralph TV in partnership with ACP's Ralph magazine. It also recently relaunched its Catch-Up TV service, which allows people to download episodes of selected shows for less than $2 each. Director of content and services Jane O'Connell said content producers had realised that they needed to shift their content to the internet, supported by user charges or advertising”.

* “Yesterday SBS announced plans for a multi-platform version of The Movie Show that will allow users to upload their own film reviews”.

* “Last month music television channel MTV launched an on-demand web TV service called Overdrive, which screens advertising as it serves up music videos”.

* “Sources said internet TV services such as Brightcove.com and Permissiontv.com, which run branded content channels in the US, were examining the Australian market”.

* “WPP-owned media agency alliance GroupM Australia has said it will ramp up its video branded content initiatives by hiring TV producers”.

* “Digital Artists, which is understood to be testing broadband TV projects with a couple of existing advertisers, expects internet TV will take off in Australia by next year, despite broadband speeds that trail those in markets such as the UK and the US”.