A T-Mobile Sidekick is a phone that lets you stay connected “the way you want, when you want”. You can do almost anything on a sidekick, and the development into a sidekick 3 with added features means it is beginning to replace conventional mobile phones, as well as MP3 players, as due to the large memory capacity people may feel that they don’t need both an MP3 player and a phone, when they can just have the sidekick. This is also similar with a camera, as although the picture quality is lower than most digital cameras, it is more convenient, as you have it built into your phone, which you take almost everywhere you go. The technology involved is a phone.
The main target audience for the Sidekick is girls aged 14-24 as it means that can constantly keep in touch with their friends. The fact that celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad (from Laguna Beach) also have one influences their opinion on the phone, as they want to be similar to them. Recently, however T-mobile have tried to make the Sidekick appeal to boys as well as girls by creating a D-wade Sidekick, designed by an NBA player.
The sidekick is quite a big phone, however this is mainly because it has a keypad on it, allowing for the audience to easily type email messages and AIM messages. The phone has a 1.3MP camera, internet access with instant messenger, email, phone and Bluetooth, and a music player, as well as an extra 1GB memory capacity through the use of a memory card.
However, these different groups may use it differently. Boys may be more interested in keeping up with the latest sports news, whereas girls like to constantly keep in touch with their friends. However, both groups probably find that all the features are relevant to them in some detail.
From an institutional point of view T-Mobile want to produce this phone to keep up with technology and also to keep the teenage audience, which is especially helped by the fact that Paris Hilton has her very own sidekick. The way the phone is exhibited is essential to the audience. The website ties in with the teenage age group, as it is set on a street, which you navigate around using your own sidekick. You can also choose the music that plays, mimicking one of the main features of the sidekick. It is also important for t-mobile, as it is a product, which no other company really has. It is a PDA style device, but with features that are aimed at teenagers, which puts them in a strong position within the market.
The sidekick is a good example of portability, as it allows you to consume media on the go, for example instant messaging due to the built in AIM and MSN capability, the sidekick 3 is also an example of miniaturisation, as even though the phone is slightly bigger than others on the market, it is much smaller than the previous models, the phone also allows for personalisation as the audience can adapt the technology to suit their lifestyle, for example by uploading on to it their favourite songs. Quality is increasing, which we can see from the 1.3MP camera, and we can also see convergence, due to all the different technologies that can now be consumed through the sidekick.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
8. BLOG – OHNOTHEYDIDNT
Ohnotheydidnt is a livejournal community where celebrity gossip is posted. In order to post and comment you have to join the community by having a livejournal, however this is free to do. If you don’t want to do this, you can just read the community for free regardless. The community is updated on a regular basis by people from all other the world, and it shows how much people can talk about things that interest them, and how the internet has allowed for niche communities such as this to be set up. The technology involved is the internet as this is an internet community.The main people who use this blog are females aged 15-25 who are interested in celebrity gossip. Although the majority of these people come from America, as it is accessible from all over the world it means there are also plenty of members from the UK and Canada. This is because they are the age most interested in celebrity gossip; particularly in their downfalls as it lets them feel better about themselves and in some cases can be humorous. The site is constantly updated so the audience always know what’s going on. This very different to how it used to be. Before gossip lovers depending on magazines to update them with what was going on and had to be content with one fixed opinion weekly. Now, they can visit many websites, get plenty of different opinions, at regular opportunities, as well as with the increased feature of embedded video, for example Hilary Duff on Loose Women. There is also the chat feature, allowing you to have instant conversations with anyone all over the world, who is currently on the ohnotheydidnt page. This allows you to instantly discuss your views with people who are interested in the same thing as you.
The livejournal its self is simply laid out with the headline at the top which has 4 links incorporated into it – info, for more information on the community itself for example number of members (48,783 members and counting ), chat, where using “gabbly” you can have online instant messenger chats with anyone in the world who is on ohnotheydidnt at that moment in time, join, which leads you to a link to join the website in order to post and finally email, which gives you the sites email address (weeatcelebs@gmail.com). Underneath is the gossip, ranked chronologically, with the most recent first.
Livejournal is the main institution involved, as they provide the hosting site for the blog its self. In general though not many institutions are involved as it is a blog, which members of the public contribute to and there are no adverts. The gossip posted is about everyone and anyone, so in theory a company could start a gossip trail, ending up with their product on the site however this is quite unlikely.
This blog is an example of interactivity as the people who are involved can edit and post their own input on the website, immediacy as it is done through the internet, personalisation as the media is for a specific group of people – those interested in celebrity gossip and flexibility as the media can be accessed 24 hours a day. Democratisation can be seen as anyone can join in, as long as they have a livejournal putting in any news stories they may have seen, as well as commenting on other people’s stories, and so can convergence due to the fact that videos can be placed on the site. Diversification can also be seen, as the site is made for a niche audience who have a special interest in gossip. Reach can be seen as the site is on the internet, and anyone can access it from all over the world – since the 17th of September
2005, 44, 544, 377 people had visited the site (figure taken on 17/04/07), as well as fragmentation through the specialist subject being discussed on the website. Finally regulation, or the lack of, can be seen as anything can be posted, and this includes water marked images from sites such as Getty Images, for example Paris and Nicole on the set of the simple life.
7.ONLINE MAGAZINE - PEOPLE
People.com is the online site for the American magazine people. With the tagline of “the number 1 celebrity site on the web”, the site provides the audience with extra celebrity gossip which may have happened during the week, and which otherwise the audience would have to wait for, as well as allowing for lots of advertisement for the actual magazine.
The main page is split up into several different featurettes however, the main one is the news now. If you follow any of the links from this area, you are also shown the top 5 news stories, which are updated hourly allowing the audience to keep up with the ever changing gossip.
Along the top of the page there are various links which allow you to explore the website in more detail. These links change from a black box, to a grey box if you are already on that particular section. Home, takes you to the main home page, news , takes you to the main selection of news, photos, takes you to a selection of pictures that deal with a specific issue PRINT SCEEEN, or quizzes, stylewatch, lets you see the latest celebrity trends, as well as letting you vote on current trends, insider, which lets you see predictions for the week ahead, as well as giving more information on certain news pieces, and finally magazine, which gives you more details on the magazine, as well as allowing you to subscribe to the magazine.
What the website doesn’t offer however, is the whole magazine online – instead it offers snippets meaning in order to see all of the news, you have to read the magazine. Some features are also specifically made for the magazine, and therefore are not included on the web, for example horoscopes.
The main target audience, is females aged 15 – 35, and as the site can be accessed all over the world, it it therefore targeted at people who may not have people in their country, as well as those who do, but want more news.
They use the website to get more gossip, to vote and to find out celebrity trends, which they may be then able to adapt to suit their lifestyle. They also can find out more information on the magazine its self, and subscribe to it, as well as make suggestions to the editors.
Institution wise the website acts as a defined target audience for advertisers to advertise too. It also helps to advertsise people magazine a lot, as aswell as adding links to subscribe, subscribtion links are built in at the end of certain features. The website also allows people to attract a wide audience all over the world, as the internet allows people who may not necessairily be able to buy the magazine to still “receive” it in some sense. It may have also encouraged people to buy the magazine, as by reading sneak previews of the stories online, and seeing the cover page story, they may want more information and so choose to uy the magazine, something they may not have thougt about doing before.
As you browse the website, you find a similar style throughout. The right third of the page contains an advertsiment and also links to tell you how to get more people – podcasts, live feeds, subscription and through a daily email. This is another way to constantly involve the audience, and keep them interested in the website.
The main page is split up into several different featurettes however, the main one is the news now. If you follow any of the links from this area, you are also shown the top 5 news stories, which are updated hourly allowing the audience to keep up with the ever changing gossip.
Along the top of the page there are various links which allow you to explore the website in more detail. These links change from a black box, to a grey box if you are already on that particular section. Home, takes you to the main home page, news , takes you to the main selection of news, photos, takes you to a selection of pictures that deal with a specific issue PRINT SCEEEN, or quizzes, stylewatch, lets you see the latest celebrity trends, as well as letting you vote on current trends, insider, which lets you see predictions for the week ahead, as well as giving more information on certain news pieces, and finally magazine, which gives you more details on the magazine, as well as allowing you to subscribe to the magazine.
What the website doesn’t offer however, is the whole magazine online – instead it offers snippets meaning in order to see all of the news, you have to read the magazine. Some features are also specifically made for the magazine, and therefore are not included on the web, for example horoscopes.
The main target audience, is females aged 15 – 35, and as the site can be accessed all over the world, it it therefore targeted at people who may not have people in their country, as well as those who do, but want more news.
They use the website to get more gossip, to vote and to find out celebrity trends, which they may be then able to adapt to suit their lifestyle. They also can find out more information on the magazine its self, and subscribe to it, as well as make suggestions to the editors.
Institution wise the website acts as a defined target audience for advertisers to advertise too. It also helps to advertsise people magazine a lot, as aswell as adding links to subscribe, subscribtion links are built in at the end of certain features. The website also allows people to attract a wide audience all over the world, as the internet allows people who may not necessairily be able to buy the magazine to still “receive” it in some sense. It may have also encouraged people to buy the magazine, as by reading sneak previews of the stories online, and seeing the cover page story, they may want more information and so choose to uy the magazine, something they may not have thougt about doing before.
As you browse the website, you find a similar style throughout. The right third of the page contains an advertsiment and also links to tell you how to get more people – podcasts, live feeds, subscription and through a daily email. This is another way to constantly involve the audience, and keep them interested in the website.
6. ONLINE FILM MARKETING – CINDERELLA STORY
You navigate through the film website using the phone on the left hand side, which is a recurring feature throughout the film its self.
You are provided with a link in order to buy the film and a taster of the soundtrack plays throughout to give the audience a sample of what they could buy in order to entice them too it.
As you go around the site, the photo on the phone changes to the different main characters in the film.
The games are all themed to fit in with the Cinderella aspect for example, find your prince or princess
You can also send a personalised message from Hilary Duff.
The phone will buzz every now and again in order to get your attention, and show you other things you can do.
You can watch the trailer for the film, and the website also helps to advertise Duff’s music career, as you can watch a music video of her, for a song that appears in the film
You can also look at production notes, which gets the audience involved, and helps them feel part of the production
Finally, you can look at photos, which show the audience a taster and make them want to watch the film.
You are provided with a link in order to buy the film and a taster of the soundtrack plays throughout to give the audience a sample of what they could buy in order to entice them too it.
As you go around the site, the photo on the phone changes to the different main characters in the film.
The games are all themed to fit in with the Cinderella aspect for example, find your prince or princess
You can also send a personalised message from Hilary Duff.
The phone will buzz every now and again in order to get your attention, and show you other things you can do.
You can watch the trailer for the film, and the website also helps to advertise Duff’s music career, as you can watch a music video of her, for a song that appears in the film
You can also look at production notes, which gets the audience involved, and helps them feel part of the production
Finally, you can look at photos, which show the audience a taster and make them want to watch the film.
3. PROGRAMME EXAMPLE – WAGS BOUTIQUE
The WAGs Boutique homepage, part of the ITV website, is the official online home page of the TV show Wags Boutique which is on ITV 2 every Tuesday at 9pm. It shows how interactivity plays a huge part in the promotion of a TV show through the web and for WAGs boutique in particular, the role of advertising within the web page. It uses the internet in order to produce the web page.
The target group for WAGs boutique the show is female teenagers and young adults between the ages of 14 and 30, and this is similar to the website target age group. This is due to the clothes that the shop sells and also because these people can relate to the WAGs in some way as even though they are going out with footballers, they are still relatively normal people, trying to work. The fame side of the situation may also attract some parts of the audience. When visiting the site it is generally accepted that you know something about the show already, as the site uses first name terms for all the WAGs. The audience who are interested in the show use the site to find out more detail on the WAGs themselves, and also on the shop as a whole, as well as discussing elements about the boutique in the forums. This is different to before, as the discussion of such TV programmes would have been restricted to people’s friendship groups, whereas now anyone from all over the world can put their input in.
There is a lot on offer for the audience and people who are interested in the boutique. On the main page, there is a video which plays little clips of the programme with Diet Coke advert breaks built into this, as they are the sponsors of the programme. The colour scheme is blue and there are diamonds scattered over the page to fit in with the lavish life style of the WAGs. There is a competition featured on the main page, and there are two pictures with the Wags from either team centred around their team name, which as you scroll over them, causes their names to appear. The things on offer to the audience are located on the right and left hand side of the page framed in grey scrolls. There are a lot of different things for the audience to do – read about recent episodes, get more information on the teams (Bows and Better Half), general news on the show and the boutiques, a link to the forum under the name “Wagging Tongues”, general information on the shows, behind the scenes gossip, a gallery of pictures from the show and finally downloads. There are also the opening hours of the shops listed, reminding the audience that as well as being a TV show, there is also a shop which they can go and visit.
Diet Coke plays a part in this website as they are the sponsors of the programme. The have an advert which plays, which as well as generating revenue for ITV, also creates extra advertisement for Coke. The benefit of this technology for ITV however, is that they can see how well Wags is going down with the audience, especially with the viewer vote, which this week is “Which is worse?” – Cassie closing early to prepare for the sale, Michaela leaving early to get ready for a party or neither – both girls did nothing wrong, which allows ITV to see how active the audience are on the site, as well as through the forum, where they can get honest impressions on different aspects of the show, from viewers all over the world. The fact that the website allows the audience to receive extra gossip entices them to the website, as this is something they wouldn't be able to get from just watching the TV programme.
This website shows interactivity, as there a lot of features that the audience can look at, immediacy, due to the use of the internet meaning the audience can quickly get onto the website, and democratisation, as the forum allows anyone to contribute their views to the site. Convergence can also be seen through the use of videos and vertical integration through the ITV logos and links back to the main website, and to Diet Coke through the adverts built into the WAGs boutique information. Reach is also increased, as the internet allows a global audience to access the website, and finally online surveillance, as ITV can see the audiences view through the forums and the voting opportunities.
The target group for WAGs boutique the show is female teenagers and young adults between the ages of 14 and 30, and this is similar to the website target age group. This is due to the clothes that the shop sells and also because these people can relate to the WAGs in some way as even though they are going out with footballers, they are still relatively normal people, trying to work. The fame side of the situation may also attract some parts of the audience. When visiting the site it is generally accepted that you know something about the show already, as the site uses first name terms for all the WAGs. The audience who are interested in the show use the site to find out more detail on the WAGs themselves, and also on the shop as a whole, as well as discussing elements about the boutique in the forums. This is different to before, as the discussion of such TV programmes would have been restricted to people’s friendship groups, whereas now anyone from all over the world can put their input in.
There is a lot on offer for the audience and people who are interested in the boutique. On the main page, there is a video which plays little clips of the programme with Diet Coke advert breaks built into this, as they are the sponsors of the programme. The colour scheme is blue and there are diamonds scattered over the page to fit in with the lavish life style of the WAGs. There is a competition featured on the main page, and there are two pictures with the Wags from either team centred around their team name, which as you scroll over them, causes their names to appear. The things on offer to the audience are located on the right and left hand side of the page framed in grey scrolls. There are a lot of different things for the audience to do – read about recent episodes, get more information on the teams (Bows and Better Half), general news on the show and the boutiques, a link to the forum under the name “Wagging Tongues”, general information on the shows, behind the scenes gossip, a gallery of pictures from the show and finally downloads. There are also the opening hours of the shops listed, reminding the audience that as well as being a TV show, there is also a shop which they can go and visit.
Diet Coke plays a part in this website as they are the sponsors of the programme. The have an advert which plays, which as well as generating revenue for ITV, also creates extra advertisement for Coke. The benefit of this technology for ITV however, is that they can see how well Wags is going down with the audience, especially with the viewer vote, which this week is “Which is worse?” – Cassie closing early to prepare for the sale, Michaela leaving early to get ready for a party or neither – both girls did nothing wrong, which allows ITV to see how active the audience are on the site, as well as through the forum, where they can get honest impressions on different aspects of the show, from viewers all over the world. The fact that the website allows the audience to receive extra gossip entices them to the website, as this is something they wouldn't be able to get from just watching the TV programme.
This website shows interactivity, as there a lot of features that the audience can look at, immediacy, due to the use of the internet meaning the audience can quickly get onto the website, and democratisation, as the forum allows anyone to contribute their views to the site. Convergence can also be seen through the use of videos and vertical integration through the ITV logos and links back to the main website, and to Diet Coke through the adverts built into the WAGs boutique information. Reach is also increased, as the internet allows a global audience to access the website, and finally online surveillance, as ITV can see the audiences view through the forums and the voting opportunities.
2.TV SUB-SECTION FROM WWW.ITV.COM – ITV 2
The ITV2 subsection of the ITV website is the online site for the television channel ITV 2. It is relevant to show the increase in the digital channel network and how popular they can be, and also to show the things listed for ITV. The technology involved is the internet.
Similarly to ITV, anyone who watches ITV 2 would be interested in this website as it follows up on TV shows on ITV 2. The main target group however is females aged 16-35, as the majority of shows shown on ITV 2 are shows that would interest them such as Wags Boutique and Smallville. Although Coronation Street repeats are shown on this channel as this is primarily associated with ITV, there is not a section on this part of the site dedicated to Corrie however, there are links back to the ITV website with specific links for the most commercial programs. There are also main links to features such as entertainment and sport along the top of the page, again meaning that even if you are not interested in ITV 2 as such, there is still something that may interest you on the website. There are a range of activities on offer on the website. The website offers a lot of interactive features and the experience you take again depends on what you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in American drama, smallville, might interest you but if you prefer more reality type shows then wags boutique might interest you more. Generally however people that come on to the ITV website already know what they have come to the website for, as the ITV 2 site doesn’t offer anything extra other than things that are shown on ITV2.
The layout of the website is similar to ITV but with a colour scheme of green. The main layout is the same however, which connects the two sites. With the ITV2 website a 7 day TV guide is shown along the bottom of the page, rather than a 1 day TV guide on the side of the page like ITV.com. There are links to videos however these are more focused on ITV1, which can also be seen through the change in colour scheme, back to blue. . There are no adverts on this site built into the main body and instead a focus on the 6 main shows of the channel – Wags, Supernatural, Smallville, American Idol, Haunted Homes and Comedy Cuts. This is also done through the scrolling options, of which ITV have the same feature which advertise the most commercial programs for ITV2 such as American Idol. However, unlike ITV1 these options do not change daily, and this could be because there are less commercial shows to advertise, and ITV want to keep their audience loyal to the current shows.
ITV can entice people to watch new programs through their ITV 2 website. This is because the sneak preview videos may make people want to keep watching and the snippets of information under the 6 main programmes may make people more interested, in turn causing them to click the link and then find out more about the programme. The general theme of this site, which keeps with the undertaking of the ITV website, makes the audience loyal to the channel. The interactivity of the site then encourages the audience to explore the site in more detail, as do the various links, referencing to the more popular shows, as well as those on ITV. The various formats used, for example video, advertising shows such as Supernatural, and pictures, of the main characters of different shows, makes the audience more inclined to stay and explore, as it creates a more exciting site for them to explore.
The ITV 2 website is an example of interactivity as the audience can explore in more detail programmes shown on ITV 2 such as American Idol and get closer the programme by finding out more detail on it. The website is also an example of immediacy, as it is done through the internet which is relatively fast. Diversification is also shown, as ITV 2 shows a more niche variety of programmes than ITV which may not appeal to everyone, this creates a more diverse audience overall. Vertical integration is also seen as even though we are on the ITV 2 website, ITV are still advertising Dancing on Ice and Corrie. Reach is also relevant, as this website is on the internet as so can easily reach a global audience. Finally online surveillance is appropriate as ITV can look at the number of people visiting each section of the website, in order to work out what are the most popular features that they offer, as well as the favoured shows.
Similarly to ITV, anyone who watches ITV 2 would be interested in this website as it follows up on TV shows on ITV 2. The main target group however is females aged 16-35, as the majority of shows shown on ITV 2 are shows that would interest them such as Wags Boutique and Smallville. Although Coronation Street repeats are shown on this channel as this is primarily associated with ITV, there is not a section on this part of the site dedicated to Corrie however, there are links back to the ITV website with specific links for the most commercial programs. There are also main links to features such as entertainment and sport along the top of the page, again meaning that even if you are not interested in ITV 2 as such, there is still something that may interest you on the website. There are a range of activities on offer on the website. The website offers a lot of interactive features and the experience you take again depends on what you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in American drama, smallville, might interest you but if you prefer more reality type shows then wags boutique might interest you more. Generally however people that come on to the ITV website already know what they have come to the website for, as the ITV 2 site doesn’t offer anything extra other than things that are shown on ITV2.
The layout of the website is similar to ITV but with a colour scheme of green. The main layout is the same however, which connects the two sites. With the ITV2 website a 7 day TV guide is shown along the bottom of the page, rather than a 1 day TV guide on the side of the page like ITV.com. There are links to videos however these are more focused on ITV1, which can also be seen through the change in colour scheme, back to blue. . There are no adverts on this site built into the main body and instead a focus on the 6 main shows of the channel – Wags, Supernatural, Smallville, American Idol, Haunted Homes and Comedy Cuts. This is also done through the scrolling options, of which ITV have the same feature which advertise the most commercial programs for ITV2 such as American Idol. However, unlike ITV1 these options do not change daily, and this could be because there are less commercial shows to advertise, and ITV want to keep their audience loyal to the current shows.
ITV can entice people to watch new programs through their ITV 2 website. This is because the sneak preview videos may make people want to keep watching and the snippets of information under the 6 main programmes may make people more interested, in turn causing them to click the link and then find out more about the programme. The general theme of this site, which keeps with the undertaking of the ITV website, makes the audience loyal to the channel. The interactivity of the site then encourages the audience to explore the site in more detail, as do the various links, referencing to the more popular shows, as well as those on ITV. The various formats used, for example video, advertising shows such as Supernatural, and pictures, of the main characters of different shows, makes the audience more inclined to stay and explore, as it creates a more exciting site for them to explore.
The ITV 2 website is an example of interactivity as the audience can explore in more detail programmes shown on ITV 2 such as American Idol and get closer the programme by finding out more detail on it. The website is also an example of immediacy, as it is done through the internet which is relatively fast. Diversification is also shown, as ITV 2 shows a more niche variety of programmes than ITV which may not appeal to everyone, this creates a more diverse audience overall. Vertical integration is also seen as even though we are on the ITV 2 website, ITV are still advertising Dancing on Ice and Corrie. Reach is also relevant, as this website is on the internet as so can easily reach a global audience. Finally online surveillance is appropriate as ITV can look at the number of people visiting each section of the website, in order to work out what are the most popular features that they offer, as well as the favoured shows.
1. MAINSTREAM BROADCASTER WEBSITE - WWW.ITV.COM
ITV.com is the online site for the television channel ITV. It is relevant in order to show the way that TV channels are using the web to further their viewers experience and to advertise their channel in more detail and similarly how the audience increased consumption of the web has allowed for the development of such websites.
Everyone who has internet has access to this webpage, however the main people who will be drawn to this website are viewers of ITV or its sister channels such as ITV 2, who watch the commercial shows on the channel such as X Factor. This is because they know the shows and therefore know what they will be interested in on the website. They can use the website to extend their viewing experience by looking at the extra features that the website has on offer, or to discuss their interest in more detail with like minded people through the forums. However even if you are not that interested in ITV itself, the website may still attract you as you can look at other aspects, unrelated to the ITV network itself such as sport. The experience that the audience then have however is dependant on their own personal tastes. For example, if you are a kid, the CITV section of the website may interest you as it has games and more details on shows which are shown on CITV, if you are a soap fan, the dedicated forums for Coronation Street and Emmerdale may be of more interest to you, as they allow you to discuss your interest further. The fact that there are links to this on the main page also entices the audience to discuss this further, as this is something they may not have thought about before going on the site. This is different to in the past, as now the audience can follow up their viewing experience in order to get more information on it, and even discuss it in the forums.
The site in itself offers a lot to people who are interested in shows within the ITV network. The main page is split up with links and pictures to the most popular shows under the categories soaps, sports – F1 news, play – glitter ball, sports – Newcastle vs. Charlton, mobile and ITV dating. Advertising is built into this with ITV dating, and mobile being two of the links planted in to the layout, with the same design as the other links on the site. These links change daily according to what ITV deem will be popular. For example, dancing on ice played a huge part in the ITV layout, however now it is finished, ITV have changed the options. At the top of the page there are further categories such as CITV. Advertisement is also built in here with links to Friends Reunited. A TV guide which shows “tonight’s top shows”, is included on the main page, so you can see the shows which ITV recommend for you. As this is done across all of ITV channels it encourages loyalty to the brand. There is also a scrolling box, which has 5 options for you to choose from. This changes daily, depending on what ITV want to advertise to their audience. For example as it is Sunday, they want to advertise Wild at Heart, which is done by offering the audience a sneak peak, and the focus has been lessened on Dancing on Ice, although there are still inks enticing you to get further information on the final
ITV can entice people to watch their programmes through the website. For example, ITV can play on the hype surrounding the dancing on ice final to produce a greater focus on the website. If people then visit the page and see this hype, they may choose to have a look, which in turn may entice them to watch the final. The website encourages loyalty and gets the audience even further involved within the brand. Exhibition is a key thing with this site. The ITV logo brands the website, as do the colour blue which is connected to the channel. The website also encourages consumption of other media texts for example cookery tips through your mobile phone. It can also act as an advertisement for other TV shows for example the enigma of “who killed Tom King?” and the holiday competition, may entice people to start watching Emmerdale. Enticing people to watch ITV is essential after the huge audience share drop ITV has encountered in recent years to 19.2%. The website also allows ITV to stay on the forefront of technology and keep up with the increasing internet use amongst people nowadays.
It shows an example of interactivity, as the audience can get more from the channel by following it up through the website, immediacy, as the experience is through the internet which is relatively quick, reach as a global audience can be attracted, and online surveillance as ITV can keep tabs on how popular certain parts of the website is. Convergence and non-linear programming is also taking place, as you can watch live streaming of the UFEA cup football either when it is happening or at a later date if that suits you better. This reflects the changing demands of the audience and how they like to be able to watch things when it suits them. Vertical Integration is seen through the advertisement of ITV mobile – a service which allows you to “get the best bits of your favourite ITV programmes... EASY!”, and the use of friends reunited throughout the website – here ITV are playing on their popularity to entice people to go onto friends reunited, generating revenue for themselves from this. Finally it can be see through the links to other ITV TV channels such as ITV 2 which encourages loyalty to the brand.
Everyone who has internet has access to this webpage, however the main people who will be drawn to this website are viewers of ITV or its sister channels such as ITV 2, who watch the commercial shows on the channel such as X Factor. This is because they know the shows and therefore know what they will be interested in on the website. They can use the website to extend their viewing experience by looking at the extra features that the website has on offer, or to discuss their interest in more detail with like minded people through the forums. However even if you are not that interested in ITV itself, the website may still attract you as you can look at other aspects, unrelated to the ITV network itself such as sport. The experience that the audience then have however is dependant on their own personal tastes. For example, if you are a kid, the CITV section of the website may interest you as it has games and more details on shows which are shown on CITV, if you are a soap fan, the dedicated forums for Coronation Street and Emmerdale may be of more interest to you, as they allow you to discuss your interest further. The fact that there are links to this on the main page also entices the audience to discuss this further, as this is something they may not have thought about before going on the site. This is different to in the past, as now the audience can follow up their viewing experience in order to get more information on it, and even discuss it in the forums.
The site in itself offers a lot to people who are interested in shows within the ITV network. The main page is split up with links and pictures to the most popular shows under the categories soaps, sports – F1 news, play – glitter ball, sports – Newcastle vs. Charlton, mobile and ITV dating. Advertising is built into this with ITV dating, and mobile being two of the links planted in to the layout, with the same design as the other links on the site. These links change daily according to what ITV deem will be popular. For example, dancing on ice played a huge part in the ITV layout, however now it is finished, ITV have changed the options. At the top of the page there are further categories such as CITV. Advertisement is also built in here with links to Friends Reunited. A TV guide which shows “tonight’s top shows”, is included on the main page, so you can see the shows which ITV recommend for you. As this is done across all of ITV channels it encourages loyalty to the brand. There is also a scrolling box, which has 5 options for you to choose from. This changes daily, depending on what ITV want to advertise to their audience. For example as it is Sunday, they want to advertise Wild at Heart, which is done by offering the audience a sneak peak, and the focus has been lessened on Dancing on Ice, although there are still inks enticing you to get further information on the final
ITV can entice people to watch their programmes through the website. For example, ITV can play on the hype surrounding the dancing on ice final to produce a greater focus on the website. If people then visit the page and see this hype, they may choose to have a look, which in turn may entice them to watch the final. The website encourages loyalty and gets the audience even further involved within the brand. Exhibition is a key thing with this site. The ITV logo brands the website, as do the colour blue which is connected to the channel. The website also encourages consumption of other media texts for example cookery tips through your mobile phone. It can also act as an advertisement for other TV shows for example the enigma of “who killed Tom King?” and the holiday competition, may entice people to start watching Emmerdale. Enticing people to watch ITV is essential after the huge audience share drop ITV has encountered in recent years to 19.2%. The website also allows ITV to stay on the forefront of technology and keep up with the increasing internet use amongst people nowadays.
It shows an example of interactivity, as the audience can get more from the channel by following it up through the website, immediacy, as the experience is through the internet which is relatively quick, reach as a global audience can be attracted, and online surveillance as ITV can keep tabs on how popular certain parts of the website is. Convergence and non-linear programming is also taking place, as you can watch live streaming of the UFEA cup football either when it is happening or at a later date if that suits you better. This reflects the changing demands of the audience and how they like to be able to watch things when it suits them. Vertical Integration is seen through the advertisement of ITV mobile – a service which allows you to “get the best bits of your favourite ITV programmes... EASY!”, and the use of friends reunited throughout the website – here ITV are playing on their popularity to entice people to go onto friends reunited, generating revenue for themselves from this. Finally it can be see through the links to other ITV TV channels such as ITV 2 which encourages loyalty to the brand.
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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