TV And Video Studies

Promotional: In the creative media industry, a multi-channel marketing approach is important in order to get the most media coverage and visibility in order to promote your product, music videos are a good way to promote your song or production, due to being able to appeal to more platforms, videos offer a way to educate and entertain at the same time, this way you can promote a cause, or song, or production, through different forms of coverage.

This is a good comedic example of a promotional video, promoting an anime streaming site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfItou5aGso

Extension of income: Companies can extend the income they receive from a product in many ways, a good example of this would be by making a music video, this allows the song to go to different platforms and helps to boost sales of the song or album itself as well as other products that are linked to the product. A good example of this would be looking at Thriller by Michael Jackson, the video was played multiple times on the day of it airing and led to over 500 million dollars in sales.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA

Extension of outlets, (Music channel, direct DVD, and CD sales, website, download): Extending your outlets is when you give your audience multiple ways to access your product, an example of this for music videos would be how you could buy a DVD or soundtrack, you could see it on TV, or the internet. As well as this a music video is more easily shared, such as liking a music video on YouTube and sharing it to Facebook then. Music videos can also lead to more work for a director, such as is the case of The Daniels, who started creating short films and music videos and have now moved onto being proficient and influential directors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU

Synergy, (Films, TV programmes): Synergy is where two different forms of media, or two different products or companies come together to make a video in order to mutually benefit each other, which is usually done in the form of seeking mutual financial gain from doing so. For example, a music video could be made in order to promote a film or TV show, and the film itself promotes the song whenever it’s used in the soundtrack. A good example of this is Heathens by Twenty One Pilots promoting the movie Suicide Squad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UprcpdwuwCg

Producers’ strategies (Major label, independent, artist self-produced): Producers when making a music video always have a strategy in mind to gain the artist more publicity and sales, this is normally easier in a major label company because a company already provides a lot of publicity, as well as handling the marketing and distribution of a song. There are 3 main approaches to producing a music video, Major, independent, or art self-produced. Independent producers have substantially smaller budgets and presence, however offer more creative freedom to the artist, and self-produced

music videos, while offering little to no media coverage for an unknown artist, it offers complete creative freedom and expression, a popular place to post self-produced music videos is on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv9YoYCKNoE

Assignment 1 - Task 1 - Organization and Income Generation

What is a PSB?: A Public Service broadcaster, or PSB, is a service that could be distributed through many media platforms, such as television, radio, and other electronic media outlets. A Public Service Broadcaster is made to convey relevant information that would benefit the public in ways other than for strictly commercial benefit. A large portion of funding for public service broadcasters comes from the government itself, be it from annual fees charged to people subscribed to the service, or from other sources. Such as having funding coming from foundations and businesses ranging in size.

Public service broadcasters could end up conveying biased information this way however, with the main funders abusing their financial superiority to push the station to broadcast content that in biased in opinions that adhere to them and people likeminded to them. This is why a lot of broadcasters want the funding to come from the public, as then it would reflect the public’s interest.

An example of a public service broadcaster would be the BBC, or British Broadcasting Cooperation. It’s the world’s oldest national broadcaster, and also largest broadcaster in the world. This is in part due to its success meaning it could branch off in so many different directions thanks to public demand. Having specialised stations for different interests, from BBC Sport to Weather, not just involving general news. The BBC is founded primarily by the public, and likes it this way as it means that they can’t broadcast biased content, and not be under political control. The BBC prides itself on offering correct up to date, relevant and publically beneficial news that is an unbiased by the government as it can be.

There is some controversy on whether or not PSB’s are relevant today due to the accessibility of news outlets on other platforms. As less and less people are sitting down to watch the news that public service broadcasters provide, opting to find out on their own via different outlets on their phones or laptops on various social media platforms. This posed the question of whether PSB’s will continue to be relevant and needed in the years to come, with younger generations not being so reliant on one major news outlet. I feel like PSB’s have their pros and cons, for one, they’re providing information to a very large audience, however they are just one news source, and the large scale of a PSB might disillusion some impressionable people into thinking what they say is always right, this could stop people from reaching out and forming their own personal opinion on a matter. Sacrificing

handiness for insight can be detrimental at times, however you can’t really have one and also have the other immediately in passing.

Identify 3 commercial broadcasters. How do they obtain their revenue compared to BBC? What debates have there been recently on product placement on commercial television?:

- Sky

- ITV

- Channel 4

Commercial broadcasters provide media content to be able to engage a large audience, the general public is the goal.

Unlike the BBC, which is funded by the government, Commercial broadcasters usually get their revenue via advertisements, advertising revenue is got by showing advertisements for various companies and products after shows or in between parts, or through product placement in the shows that are shown on the channel.

Here’s an example of product placement from Wayne’s World, a very popular movie franchise in the 90’s, by using product placement commercial broadcasters could get their revenue, Product placement increases profit margins for the broadcasters, and gives brands and products more visibility, however product placement has become an increasingly competitive market, and the director sometimes doesn’t have creative control of when where and how the products are placed, and this can greatly take away from the enjoyment of the viewing experience. Product placement is a fine art and has to be done correctly in order for it to be fully effective and liner, it not being done correctly has led to many debates in whether or not it is a good thing to implement into TV shows and movies in recent years, however in my opinion, if done correctly, product placement can be used to the benefit of both the broadcaster and the brand that wants their products showcased.

Key benefits of Sky1? E.g franchising, merchandising and spinoffs:

Franchising: Sky is able to branch out and produce different products and vastly improve their availability and visibility in other areas of their market and expand their demographic and outreach.

Merchandising: Merchandising goes hand in hand with franchising and allows Sky to create merchandise. An example of this is how sky blew up the minion franchise (from despicable me) and created a massive market for merchandising products that are minion related.

Spinoffs: Sky offers coverage and release of spinoffs that would not be shown in the UK otherwise, and keeps their audience up to date on spinoffs they think their demographic would be interested in.

What is a multi-national Media Conglomerate and give 4 examples, name 5 well known organisations/companies that they own:

A multi-national media conglomerate owns numerous smaller companies that are involved heavily in producing media in mass for a large audience, usually trying to make media that would be appealing to the general public, and therefore increasing their revenue. These conglomerates produce media in many different areas, be this in television, radio, film, music or internet among other things.

Media conglomerates became commonplace in the 1950s with over 50 companies owning a majority of the media output in the US, however now there are only six big companies in the US, Comcast being the biggest.

Some examples of big media conglomerates are:

- Comcast: Which owns Universial Studios, NBC, Cozi TV, NBCUniversal Cable and NBCUniversal News Group.

- Walt Disney: Which owns Walt Disney Studios, UTV Pictures, ABC Studios, Disney Television Animation, and Marvel Television.

- Sony: Which owns Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, Sony Music Entertainment, PlayStation Network, and GetTV.

- Time Warner: Which owns companies such as Warner Bros, Cartoon Network Studios, DC Comics, CNN, as well as HLN.

What is the difference between a Monopoly and an Oligopoly with examples:

A monopoly is where one seller or cooperation vastly upsells and dominates any other competition in the market, thus giving it a monopoly over the other competitors in their market. A good example of this would be Microsoft, who utilises bundles such as selling PowerPoint, Excel and Word together, this is done to make it harder for other competitors to enter their market.

An oligopoly, in comparison is a much more open example of a market, with a few cooperation’s and firms dominating the market, however it also possible for smaller firms to operate successfully in the same market, a good example of this would be the media industry for music and film, as it serves as a highly competitive market, but there is still an audience and support for smaller firms and cooperation’s within the market.

What is the difference between vertical and horizontal integration, with examples:

A horizontal integration is when a company (Usually a cooperation that has a monopoly, or an upcoming monopoly over the market it’s already in) buys a similar company which is also in their market, such Porsche acquiring the Volkswagen brand. This strategy vastly increases production and services within the same area of the market, and if done right can rocket up their earnings.

Vertical Integration is where a company or cooperation expands its operation in the same production market, but in different areas, either before or after the company in the distribution line. An example of this would be in 2015 when Ikea bought Romanian Baltic Forests in order to control its raw materials used in its products.

What is an independent production company and give 3 examples, name 4 TV programmes that they make:

An independent production company produces films and productions completely separate from the main conglomerate production companies. This offers a lot more freedom in the creation of content, and lets other independent agencies contribute during the marketing and distribution, thus, helping each other thrive in the industry.

- Warner Independent Pictures have made multiple productions, such as A Scanner Darkly, Snow Angels, December Boys and Chaos Theory.

- Hat Trick Productions have made multiple shows such as Derry Girls, Father Ted, Fake News, and Game On.

- Roughcut TV have made productions such as People Just Do Nothing, Cuckoo, Trollied, and Delete Delete Delete.

Assignment 1 - Task 2 – Technologies

What is Channel Proliferation and Multi Channel TV?:

Channel Proliferation is a result of Channels wanting to provide a better service to their customers and expanding, this lead to their channels proliferating in order to become more specialised and customised, meaning their customers had a bigger selection of channels to choose from, and therefore resulting in multi-channel options.

Identify when and how Multi Channel TV came about (research the 1990 and 1996 Broadcasting Act):

Multi-channel TV is a direct result of the 1990 Broadcasting Act, the broadcasting act was passed in order to create a legal framework on electronic communication and thus allowed more channels to be created, such as Channel 5. The act was passed with the assumption that it would result in more consumer choice, leading to a wider variety of options for the consumers to choose from and therefore increasing the overall revenue for film and TV in general, creating less stringent regulations for independent television and allowed various other broadcasters to have an increased revenues as well.

How is the Internet now being used to broadcast television programmes?:

As social media is becoming more and more predominant in today’s society, the film and television industry are having to rethink and keep up with the times in order to best advertise and promote their product, something that social media does impeccably due to the wide variety of apps and platforms that could be used for promotions and advertising. In light of people choosing to use online services in comparison to other services, the film and television industry has adapted and made various streaming website such as Netflix and Amazon to meet the consumers demands. As well as this, TV broadcasters themselves have also adapted to a multi-media platform, both broadcasting shows on television and streaming them on online services, such as BBC with BBC iplayer, and Channel 4 with Channel 4 on demand.

What is the difference between satellite, digital and cable?:

- Satellite television is broadcasted via satellite signals

- Digital television is broadcasted via a digital device that is primarily in or attached to the television

- Cable television is broadcasted through radio signals

Assignment 1 - Task 3 - Regulation

What does the terms ‘regulation’ and ‘de-regulation’ mean?

Regulation is mainly dictated and reinforced by the government in order to control and therefore ‘regulate’ the media that is produced and shown in mass to the public. In comparison to this, de-regulation is the opposite, and means that the media being shown has no rules and regulations to stick to.

What does ‘desensitisation’ mean?

Desensitization is a big topic of interest in the media nowadays, with violent video games, films and explicit material more easily assessable then ever. Desensitization is where typically ‘violent’ or obscene content becomes normalised to the viewer on the screen and therefore dulls their immediate reaction entirely if faced with that same obscene or upsetting image in real life, meaning that they don’t react with the empathy or concern that they should in that situation.

How has the concept of the Watershed become blurred?

The watershed is the time where programs that include nsfw adult content or explicit language are allowed to be shown and broadcasted, this is typically around 9pm, the main reason that the

watershed has been blurred today is societies shifting standards of what is and isn’t considered explicit today in comparison to what used to be seen as explicit in previous years. This has put broadcasters under fire however, as parents and concerned adults are concerned about the younger generation being exposed to such content, and want content to be more stringent with the correct code and conduct when it comes to what media is appropriate to show at what time.

What are the main roles of Ofcom and briefly the ASA?

Ofcom, or the Office Of Communications, are the communications regulator for the UK, and make sure that the TV, Radio, and other services are properly regulated.

Ofcom make sure that the public has the best communications services, and it offers various services that ensure this. Such as protecting the public from scams and offensive material, making sure that people aren’t being discriminated against on mass media platforms such as television and radio, and making sure that the public have high quality media provided to them among other things.

Working hand in hand with Ofcom is the ASA, who regulate advertisements and marketing among other things.

The ASA generally investigates complaints that were made in regards to advertisements and sales promotions etc, their job is to respond to these complaints and make sure that there is no violation of regulations in regards to discrimination or audience protection, as well as other things.

Assignment 2 - Task 1/Task3 – Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Why is Brooklyn Nine-Nine important to the broadcaster?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police television sitcom that premiered on Fox on September 17, 2013 on FOX, The series follows a quirky, immature and lovable police detective Jake Peralta through his funny and touching escapades in the 99th Precinct.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine was an immediate hit, and over the seasons that have premiered, it has amassed a huge cult following of fans internationally who fight for it to be renewed every season. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is important to the broadcaster because it has such a huge following and brings in a lot of advertising, praise and views for the broadcaster, therefore leading to the audience of Brooklyn Nine-Nine to watch more shows that are airing on the various channels that fox owns, Fox also had aired various sitcoms before Brooklyn Nine-Nine, such as New Girl, That 70’s Show, and Family Guy, therefore the audience for comedy was already there, however Brooklyn Nine-Nine has amplified that audience and brought in a new, generally younger community for the broadcaster.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a wonderful series, and I’m a huge fan of it myself. With a very diverse cast and witty, dynamic and fast paced humour that makes the series so distinct and loveable. The characters grow throughout the seasons and never fail to learn and fight for what they believe in, you get to see their friendships and relationships grow and progress in a truly human and touching way very subtly throughout, but it’s told in an engaging and comedic way with the use of amazing scripting and acting. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is told in a non-linear format, with multiple storylines coinciding in the same episode, however they tie together beautifully due to the amazing writing and portrayal of each characters perceptive.

Quality and standards

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has kept the same level of quality throughout, using the same clever writing and camera work to achieve high quality and engaging comedy, Fox hasn’t released a budget for each episode, however I assume that it’s a decent budget due to the fact that Fox has to have a quality standard on what they air in their channel, creator of the show, Dan Goor, was initially worried that the show wasn’t going to do well and get axed, however Brooklyn Nine-Nine, since the unsure start has pulled in an impressive amount of awards and acknowledgement for the inclusive and extremely forward thinking comedy series.

Audience ratings

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has only got official feedback on rotten tomatoes from critics on the first two seasons, of which it has only good feedback, that being, “Led by the surprisingly effective pairing of Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a charming, intelligently written take on the cop show format.” For the first season. As well as, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine's winning cast, appealing characters and wacky gags make it good comfort food.” On the second season.

There is overwhelmingly positive feedback for Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, how from audience reviews, there are a few people who dislike the show. In reference to the first season, one person said, “This is one of the best comedies I've seen in a long time. The characters have developed well throughout the series and the cast work really well together. The scripts are always engaging and funny, and some of the situations and humour is laugh out loud funny. I'm looking forward to the second series.”, however, comparatively, someone else had a deep dislike for the show, saying that “It’s badly written.... And it’s horribly miscast.” (http://www.metacritic.com/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine)

On the airing of each episode of the 5th season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine brought in on average 1.7 million views, which isn’t as high of a viewership as previous seasons had gotten. 1.7 million views per episode is a moderate amount of views for a FOX show, however I do strongly believe that it’s fan base more than makes up for the viewership with support and love for the show and the cast, as well as their dedication to the show and spreading its popularity through word of mouth as well as fighting for it’s renewal season after season.

(https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-five-ratings/)

Complaints

I’ve scoured the internet and cannot find any scandals of complaints surrounding Brooklyn Nine-Nine, that’s possibly why I love the show so much, it’s light hearted and non-problematic and has one of the most diverse and welcoming casts on television today,