Connecting media: tv + internet

From viewers to communities

Television now and then
The way we think about television is changing. For over 50 years, tv was a broadcast medium. Programmes and contents were produced by the big broadcasting corporations and then delivered to the tv sets at home. The viewers had almost no opportunity to participate in the creation of tv contents.

The internet brought change to this situation. Nowadays, everyone is talking about IPTV, video on demand, non-linear storytelling, video-blogging etc. It seems that television is about to be transformed into an interactive, participatory medium.

However, we believe that the great challenge of this transformation is not a technical but a conceptual and creative challenge. If anything is possible - what are we going to do?

500 tv channels - which one is yours?
Today, we have access to an almost endless list of tv channels. Stations with a very specific content compete with the traditional big broadcasting corporations. So what is your favourite channel and your favourite programme? The internet enables tv stations to create new and deeper relationships with their viewers. Being involved in a tv programme, viewers will make a tv station their own. They participate in their tv programme.

The possibilities of participation and articulation lead to the creation of communities. Viewers are no longer a silent audience. The internet gives them the opportunity to form lively communities of interest around tv stations or specific programmes.

User generated content
Viewers can not only use the internet to comment and discuss the programmes - they can generate content themselves. Web applications like the VIVA Clipcreator allow viewers to design broadcast-quality movie clips. This user generated content enriches the visual and contextual appearance of a tv channel, as new content is continuously generated by the viewers.

Furthermore, it creates a closer relation between the tv channel and the viewers. Communities can form around the creation of the content. And the viewers feel, that they actively participated in the programme of »their« tv station.

What we do
We conceive, develop and design solutions for community building and user generated content for tv stations and tv programmes.