主播大秀 iPlayer: Trail blazing on demand viewing with exclusive content
Victoria Jaye
Head of TV Content for 主播大秀 iPlayer
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主播大秀 iPlayer is changing…
Last year, we re-launched 主播大秀 iPlayer across 1,200 devices and four screens - TV, mobile, tablet and computers. iPlayer’s new ‘browse and discover’ design focus points to how we’re transforming its promise for audiencesyou, the audience. It’s no longer just a place for catching up on familiar TV shows, it’s also a service where audiences you can seek out and enjoy whatever they’re you’re in the mood for from across the full breadth and range of the 主播大秀 – from fFilms and kKids’ content, to sSport, mMusic and aArts.
This Christmas, iPlayer saw a fantastic 25% increase in reach. Whilst TV programmes continue to form the backbone of the service, for 主播大秀 iPlayer to remain relevant to audiences in an increasingly on demand entertainment environment, we need to pioneer beyond the distribution of our existing TV programmes. iPlayer presents a tremendous creative opportunity to experiment and push the boundaries of the way we tell stories and produce content to meet the ever evolving expectations of our audienceof iPlayer users. Competitively, we cannot rest on our broadcast laurels as a host of services from Netflix to YouTtube are originating at scale and eating into our audiences’ precious entertainment time.
More exclusive and experimental content…
Over the last year, we’ve commissioned more new and different shaped content, exclusive to 主播大秀 iPlayer. The intention is not to compete with our own broadcast channels and programmes, but to complement them – find the gaps, explore what’s missing, experiment.
In March last year, I outlined the key role new talent, new forms of storytelling and new ways of collaborating with partners would play in defining our content innovation focus for iPlayer. Unlike broadcast, our starting point for innovation is the ‘on demand’ need states of our audience, rather than the requirements of the TV schedule. These ‘need states’ are essentially mood based and interest led – ‘cheer me up’, ‘help me escape’, ‘something thought-provoking’. In terms of delivering to mood and interest, the stand out genres in 主播大秀 iPlayer are Comedy, Film and Documentary, so these are the genres we have focused on in the immediate term.
Also central to our innovation focusthinking for new content on 主播大秀 iPlayer is topicality - tapping into what matters to people throughout the rhythm of the calendar year, across high and popular culture, in world news and politics. The creative opportunity for us is identifying these moments and thinking imaginatively about commissioning content that marks them in ways that delight, surprise or provoke. Topicality also provides us with new opportunities to collaborate with partners. In 2014, we commissioned content exclusive to 主播大秀 iPlayer to celebrate London Fashion Week in collaboration with the British Fashion Council and working with the Tate we were able to innovate around how we bring block buster art exhibitions like Matisse: The Cut-Outs to iPlayer audiences.
The draw of big name artists is as powerful, if not more so, in on demand as in broadcast, so British talent – writers, directors, journalists etc…and the powerful stories they want to tell and share remain central to innovation. For iPlayer, it’s about giving talent the creative freedom as authors and personalities to tell the stories they want to tell in new ways, unbridled by the format requirements of the broadcast schedule. Hence we welcomed huge names to iPlayer throughout 2014, for example Bob Mortimer, Frankie Boyle, Goldie, Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as exciting emerging talent like Cat Jones, Shakeel Ahmed, Katherine Chandler and the Geek Syndicate. The brief was simple: tell us the stories you want to tell, in the way you want to tell them. Don’t worry about how long or short they are and feel free to leave as many of the conventions of traditional programme-making behind you, as you wish.
New forms of documentaries
On 25th January, we will release our first feature length film, commissioned exclusively for 主播大秀 iPlayer - Bitter Lake, written and directed by acclaimed journalist Adam Curtis. The narrative takes us to America, Britain, Russia and Saudi Arabia - but the country at the heart of the film is Afghanistan. 2014 was the year that saw the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan – it was a significant cultural moment. Adam’s approach to the iPlayer creative opportunity was to build a very different and more emotional way of depicting what really happened in Afghanistan and its legacy today. He has taken the unedited rushes of everything that the 主播大秀 has ever shot in Afghanistan and used them in new and radical ways to push the boundaries of the documentary form and unveil the extraordinary stories that lie behind events in a powerful and experiential way.
New forms of Comedy
On Friday, 13th February, 主播大秀 iPlayer will host ‘Funny Valentines’, a comedy collection of nine original short films written and starring many of Britain’s finest comedians. Each artist was invited to create an original piece of work based around the theme of love. The films are intended to provide a comedic antidote to the romantic hype that surrounds Valentines’ Day. We’ve been overwhelmed by the amazing talent coming forward to take part and the range of ideas.
Matt Berry voices Wildlove, written by Bob Mortimer, which brings a whole new level of meaning to animal courtship and is a sequel to his maverick wildlife ‘documentary’ Lone Wolf, exclusive to 主播大秀 iPlayer in 2014. In Last Chance, Russ Abbot prepares to make his exit from life in a black comedy written by the multi-award winning Roy Clarke, OBE. Katy Wix reads from a love letter she’s preparing to send to her ex, in Dear Jean-Pierre; Bill Bailey’s Love Song tells the sad tale of love lost to a traffic warden; while Sara Pascoe’s Music Lovers explores the romantic love triangle behind spoof Nordic pop band sensation ‘Persephonic’. In A Wee Video For The Lassies, Limmy aka Brian Limmond tries to show his softer side in a video clip for a dating site and in Elephant, Nick Helm avoids telling his best friend, he’s fallen in love with her. In Romesh Ranganathan’s Rom Com, his alter ego tears apart his first date seduction techniques and animators Modern Toss bring us the melodramatic love story of The Lady and The Fly, voiced by Mackenzie Crook and Paul Kaye.
Last year, was the first time we commissioned original short form comedy, exclusive to iPlayer. Bob Mortimer, Meera Syal, Matt Berry and other brilliant British comedians came on the adventure to create new work. The collection of shorts attracted 1.9 million requests, which was fantastic. Matt Berry’s Lone Wolf was nominated for a British Comedy Award. We hope that by tying this year’s shorts into a Valentines’ theme, will give them even more impact.
Films by new writers and directors
In March, we’ll offer our second season of drama short films, exclusive to 主播大秀 iPlayer, written and directed by emerging British talent. Last year, Flea, My Jihad and Tag attracted 1. 2 million requests in iPlayer. This year, the writers and directors of all three films will be gaining their first ever TV drama credit. Oakwood, Playing Ball and Is This Thing On? explore a diverse range of subjects - the challenges of growing up in rural Britain, complex mother-daughter relationships and a young man’s announcement that he’s going to kill himself, live online.
Last year, our drama shorts featured in the list of top 3 ‘Most Shared’ titles in 主播大秀 iPlayer. This was the first time a drama title had ever appeared in the ‘Most Shared’ list. ‘Most shared’ content tends to be issue based factual and current affairs. We’re really encouraged to see our new talent drama films cut through in this way, as it demonstrates a real audience passion for the stories and issues they explore.
In the summer, we’ll be launching two follow-up films to My Jihad, by Shakeel Ahmed, following its success as part our first season of drama shorts. Follow up films for My Jihad will explore the blossoming relationship between Nazir and Fahmida since they first met at a Muslim speed dating event. It’s a wonderfully refreshing take on a relationship drama and struck a real chord with iPlayer audiences.
New cultural collaborations
Throughout 2015, as the doors open to the public on blockbuster art exhibitions across the UK, we will continue to collaborate with galleries to bring ‘Private Views’ of these exhibitions to iPlayer audiences. Private Views are hosted by contemporary artists and personalities with a real passion for the work featured in the exhibition. They give viewers the opportunity to get to know more about the personalities hosting the Private View, as well as experience the exhibition up close, as if they were actually at the gallery themselves, walking round with a friend. They’re intended to be very different from traditional TV arts programmes -more intimate and informal.
Last year, Goldie gave us his highly original and passionate Private View of ‘Matisse: The Cut-Outs’ exhibition at Tate Modern; Benjamin Zephaniah took us around ‘Late Turner, Painting Set Free’ at the Tate and told us just why Turner is the rebels’ painter and Mike Eavis, gave us his Private View of ‘Constable, The Making of A Master’ at the V&A and showed us an entirely different side to his public image. In March this year, British rapper and style icon Tinie Tempah will offer us his Private View of Alexander McQueen’s ‘Savage Beauty’ exhibition at the V&A. Tinie is a huge ambassador for British fashion, with a wealth of knowledge - we’re so excited he’s agreed to share his passion for McQueen’s work with iPlayer audiences.
Other Private Views will follow, in May, for Grayson Perry’s exhibition at Turner Contemporary and in July, for Jackson Pollock at Tate Liverpool.
In September, as the fashion world descends upon our capital city, we’ll be collaborating with the British Fashion Council to bring exclusive coverage of London Fashion Week to iPlayer audiences with model and mother-to-be Abbey Clancy. Last year, was the first time we covered London Fashion Week as an event and Abbey proved a real hit with younger, female audiences in particular.
As well as originating new titles, 主播大秀 iPlayer will also be the go to place for exclusive, innovative content around some of the 主播大秀’s most loved TV programmes. This month, in collaboration with 主播大秀 Worldwide, we hosted an iPlayer exclusive ‘Evening with Top Gear’ - a live Q & A with the stars of the show, featuring clips of the forthcoming series on 主播大秀 Two. January also sees the launch of iPlayer’s exclusive ‘Eastenders: Back to Ours’ series to celebrate the programme’s 30th Anniversary.
When 主播大秀 iPlayer first launched over 6 years ago, its innovation was the distribution of 主播大秀 TV programmes online. iPlayer grew the video on demand industry and the audience for it. Our ambition today, is to continue to trail blaze and grow our audience, but our next wave of innovation is around content. We want iPlayer to celebrate the best of British creativity and allow it to flourish in new ways on demand. Our plans for 2015 are just a glimpse of what’s possible. Here’s to an exciting year ahead.
Victoria Jaye is Head of TV Content, 主播大秀 iPlayer.