TV Channel Website Research

George McKillop

BBCBBC UK includes the channels:• BBC One• BBC One HD (High-definition channel)• BBC Two• BBC Two HD (High-definition channel)• BBC Three• BBC Three HD (High-definition

channel)• BBC Four• BBC Four HD (High-definition channel)• BBC Parliament• BBC News (Also available online for

UK)• BBC News HD (High-definition

channel)• CBBC Channel (8 year-olds-)• CBBC Channel HD (8 year-olds-) (High-

definition channel)• CBeebies (1-7 year-olds)• CBeebies HD (1-7 year-olds) (High-

definition channel)• BBC Alba

BBC website:Navigation panes of website for several types of programming

Search bar for easy access of specific programmes

Large images of previous shows to entice people to watch them

List of popular shows, attempting to get audience to watch a range of programming

Another search bar to find shows

Navigation pane of all the different channels BBC has

Programme info includes channel, name of show, episode number/date of show and large inviting image

BBC Information:

• BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation• Type: Public Broadcasting• Industry: Mass media• Services: Television, radio, online• Founded: 1st January 1927• Area Served: Worldwide• Revenue: £5.1 billion• Owner: The Crown (BBC is publicly owned)

BBC Website analysis:The BBC website has a range of features that appeal to the audience and this is what makes their site so successful. Firstly, the logo appears on the top left of the page with the bright pink colour appearing as vibrant and exciting which therefore gives the sense of positivity about the channel, with the contrast against the dark colour highlighting it as an important aspect of the site. This logo stays in the same place throughout the site for consistency reasons which is also a positive, as it means that people will easily know where the logo is situated and it makes BBC look like a professional company subsequently.The navigation pane along the top of the page is an important feature as it allows people to look at all of the different features of the site – therefore also allowing the audience to be able to see the variety of options that the BBC offers. Furthermore, underneath this are the different channels that the BBC offers, meaning that if people have a preference of their channel then a simple navigation option allows them to see the logo and they can specify their search without even having to type anything in. Although, a search bar is still in place for access for the audience – so giving them a variety of options is an extremely paramount aspect. The main important shows on the BBC are shown with large images, depicting either the main stars of the show or just an image from the show in order to entice the audience towards the programmes. The images are dominating on the page which is a positive feature as it means that people can clearly get a good interpretation of what the show is about before looking to view it, the channel is shown as well as the episode number or date of show but then the largest typography is the name of the show so that people can see that as the most striking feature.The primary negatives of the BBC site are that space is not utilised fully and this looks slightly unprofessional in a sense due to the way that more information about the company or about their shows could be given rather than having a blank space, as although the link to the popular programmes is a good idea – it is not executed in the best possible way. Also, the dark colour on the site does not appear as massively appealing and perhaps a lighter colour to attract the audience to the shows more because although the images themselves stand out, the site background itself is not particularly eye-catching. There is also no synopsis or text for each show, this is a poor feature as it means that the audience are unable to get an interpretation about what the shows are, because an image can only support a programme so far – whereas supporting this with a synopsis would just entice the audience towards watching the shows.

BBC further analysis:BBC has to represent the programmes through images, this therefore means that they are mediated in a sense to represent something that will engage the audience and BBC do this successfully. Firstly, a documentary is shown ‘Lineker in Brazil: The Beautiful Game’ with even the language shown for the name as this programme that it is a positive representation of football. ‘The Beautiful Game’ acts as positive imagery towards football, with BBC constructing the positive image of football in order to engage the audience towards the show through positive connotations – and also towards future programming as the BBC broadcast football regularly. The image supports the name of the show, with two celebrities depicted in the image for further positive representation, this therefore gives the imagery of positivity being constructed by the BBC as it will make people watch the shows in future so this is all for a purpose. It reflects the BBC’s interest in football, through celebrities that are well known for it – meaning that giving a good image upon the particular type of programme is vital for the company.

ITVITV includes the channels:• ITV• ITV 2• ITV 3• ITV 4• ITVBe• ITV Encore• CITV• The Store

ITV Website:

Large dominating image for most important television shows

Horizontal navigation links, variety of options from the company

Range of different shows that the channel offers

Further opportunities for the audience to navigate around relating sites to ITV

Search bar to enable audience to search for any shows they wish to watch

Logo is centralised to highlight the ITV name of the site

Name of show is given, as well as a small synopsis about it also

ITV Information:

• TV Channel: ITV• Type: Public Broadcasting• Industry: Mass Media• Founded: 22nd September 1955• Services: Television, radio, online• Area served: United Kingdom only• Revenue: £327 million • Owner: ITV PLC, STV PLC, UTV Media PLC

ITV Website Analysis:The ITV website is very successful, with the main positive features coming from the fact that it offers a very interesting visual experience, with images at the forefront of the page and these are in place to attract the audience to the shows – through the use of the bright colours and dominating graphics. The large image that takes up the width of the page is a massive positive for ITV, as people will see this image and instantly become engaged with the content on the site, drawing the audience in subsequently as it is extremely eye-catching and exciting on the page. Also, the combination of the image and then the text to show the programme being represented and then smaller typography to represent information about the show is a very good feature, as it is easy to see and access yet also gives relevant and appropriate information. The image is curved which gives an impression that the main features of the channel are dnyamic, shown through the shape of the image as it appears as innovative and exciting.The navigation pane along the page underneath this image allows the audience to be able to look at the different features and aspects that ITV can offer, this is a massive benefit to the site as it gives the range of options for the user to allow them to effectively see other aspects of the company and specific types of shows. This also includes a search bar so that people can easily specify the kinds of shows that they wish to look for, if they have a certain criteria then the search pane allows this simply – as well as categorising their options also – so ITV have allowed their audience to have several options. The logo is then depicted in the middle of the site, with the intention to represent the name of the company at the ‘heart of the site’ – conveying its importance and it easily connotes the importance of the name – with consistency of the site a feature to show professionalism as it consistently stays in the middle.Names of shows are highlighted by using the combination of text and images yet again, meaning that ITV have managed to focus on the idea of combining textual and graphical features for their benefit and then to also allow the audience that opportunity to get the relevant information whilst also being enticed by celebrities through the use of images. The names of shows are given, as well as a small synopsis and this is a good feature because it allows people to get a better interpretation of shows offered on the channel and what these shows consist of.A slight negative for the ITV website could be the fact that although it is visually pleasing, there is not a variety of options in terms of text so potentially not as much information is given as it could be – though this company has clearly chosen to focus on visuals and this still looks effective. Links are not shown to the other channels that ITV has – and considering the fact that ITV own a range of different channels this is a negative because if people could clearly navigate to the subsidiary channels then it would be easy access to just see specific shows – with ITV and ITV 2 having different audiences clearly, but this is not separated on the home page of the site.

Channel 5

Channel 5 includes the channels:• Channel 5• 5*• 5USA

Channel 5 Website:

Name of channel is large and contrasts with background

The most important channel information and shows take up the bulk of the page

The on demand service is shown clearly in a different colour

New shows are clearly highlighted

The navigation pane allows people to use internal links on the site

A box shows all of the different shows on the range of channels that the company own

Channel 5 Information:

• TV Channel: Channel 5• Type: Public broadcasting• Industry: Mass Media• Founded: 30th March 1997• Services: Television• Area served: United Kingdom only• Revenue: £70 million• Owner: Northern & Shell

Channel 5 Website Analysis:The Channel 5 website uses a range of features in order to entice the audience towards their shows, with the website working well in order to achieve this as programming is shown effectively. Firstly, the logo is placed in the top corner of the page which allows people to clearly see the logo of the company, with this placed in the same place throughout the site to allow people to easily be able to see the company name and this is a very consistent and professional feature that gives a good outlook upon them. Furthermore, the navigation pane to the right of the logo that contrasts with the background colour of the site allows people to see the range of features of Channel 5, with the on demand service conveyed as well as programming that is offered – with navigation links being effective because they allow the user to specifically be able to search for what they want. A search bar also allows the audience to specify a search easier, by simply typing in something if they have a certain preference and this is a positive of the site because it means that the user always has easy access to programmes. The imperative language used on the website is an important feature because it is persuasive and engages the audience as it tells them to watch it ‘watch these shows’ uses the direct imperative to get people to watch the shows and this is extremely successful, due to the fact it will purposely make someone want to use the website for shows.The main bulk of the page focuses on the different shows, with a sliding image showing the most important news stories as well as using web 2.0 features like linking to aspects like Twitter and also watching other clips of shows too – this is a massive positive to the Channel 5 site as it uses synergy successfully in order to get people enticed and engaged with the shows. A large image highlights what is being shown, with the specified Channel 5 channel (as there are a few other channels that the company also runs) shown in the top right, as well as what is being depicted in the image with the name of the show. The demand service is represented below, with the most important and popular shows shown horizontally through the use of images and then also the name of programme and date of show – this is conveyed with colour as the pink ‘Demand 5’ colour contrasts with the dark website and this highlights the important feature to draw the audience in because it appears as eye-catching. The final good feature of the site is the fact that TV listings are given on the right side of the page, with a rolling listing showing the types of shows that are on that day and at what time – conveying the type of channel (Channel 5/5 USA etc) with their logo. This is a huge positive for the company as it allows the audience to easily be able to see the shows that are on each channel, with a simple schedule given although the opportunity to see the entire schedule is given underneath too and this is another highlight of the website with the ‘on tonight’ section just giving the audience more opportunities to get more information about Channel 5.The main negatives of this site are the fact that there is a lot of blank space in the bottom corner where no information is given at all, this is a negative aspect as it looks unprofessional and empty – whereas it could be filled with a range of information both graphically and textually. The blank space makes the rest of the site look almost unfinished which is clearly poor. Moreover, the dark colour of the site means that the site does not look massively appealing to the audience, it is not hugely bright with the black colour not being hugely attractive, although colours are used to contrast this, more colour should be on the site to make it look more vibrant and eye-catching to allow the audience to become engaged with the site.

Features for our website:

From the textual analysis of the TV channel websites, I have decided upon a number of features that I wish to include on our website – as well as aspects that I definitely do not want to include. The research has allowed me to see features that definitely work, as well as those that are not such a positive and this will help our group to create a very good website for our brand new TV channel.

Ideas for Inclusion:• Consistent logo through the entire site to give our company a professional feel• Bright and attractive colours that contrast in order to highlight them

significantly and act as eye-catching for the audience• A navigation pane that gives different features of the company, meaning that

we do not just have to convey our programming• A small schedule to allow people to see the shows that are currently being

broadcasted on our channels• Highlighting the importance of an on demand service so that shows are

always accessible• Using web 2.0 and synergy by linking to social media sites to allow interaction

with viewers and to also convey more information• A combination of textual and graphical features so that people can get

information clearly, as well as enticing images representing our programmes successfully

Ideas for Exclusion:

• Boring colours that do not look enticing or attract the audience

• Leaving blank spaces on the site without any information about the channel or programmes

• Not having a combination of both textual an visual features

• Not including a variety of shows that the channel offers• Being inconsistent throughout the site with colour scheme

and the house style of our channel• Not giving sufficient information for programmes, as this

will disinterest the audience from watching them