Task 1: Using the questions below to help you structure your essay, answer the following question
How have advances in technology effected the TV industry and how have audiences changed as a result?
The popularity of Sky can be partly attributed to its ability to record, pause and rewind live programmes at the touch of a button. This is also available through Virgin on demand and TIVO. However, TIVO is currently not available in the UK and is the main satellite viewing in the USA. In the UK today there are five channels that still broadcast in analogue, those being BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, C4 AND C5. The majority of these channels are funded by advertising, the exception being BBC 1 and 2 which is funded by the Television License. Although, analogue will not be broadcast that much longer as all channels are moving to the modern digital signal and analogue is being phased out across the UK. Among the regions already on the digital switchover are Wales and the West Country and all regions will have switched over by the end of 2012. To find out more you can go to the DigitalUK website. All new televisions now come with freeview installed; freeview is a free service that offers a range of over 40 programmes including E4 and Film4. Freeview also offers an interactive service via the red button and over 20 digital radio stations. This means that there is no contract and some boxes are even able to record programmes and offer a HD option. OFCOM reported at the end of June 2009, 29,700,000 television sets were equipped to view digital terrestrial in the UK. Freeview is managed by DTV Services Ltd, a company owned and run by its five shareholders - BBC, BSkyB, Channel 4, ITV and Arqiva. http://www.freeview.co.uk/About-Us Satellite television is becoming more popular every day, with the main provider being BskyB. Satellite television can be accessed with an outdoor antenna such as a satellite dish and a tuner module either built into the TV or an external box plugged into the TV. This will give a viewer the widest choice of channels in the UK, this includes Sky Sports and over 50 HD channels. It is said that around 80% of British homes have subscribed to satellite television, highlighting the impact this form of television is having on the UK as a form of entertainment. Satellite offers over 300 basic channels which means it can cater to many niche markets, who can flick to find there preferred viewing material.
The popularity of Sky can be partly attributed to its ability to record, pause and rewind live programmes at the touch of a button. This is also available through Virgin on demand and TIVO. However, TIVO is currently not available in the UK and is the main satellite viewing in the USA.
Another aspect that has enabled viewers to interact with television is the red button, which has many functions. One being the ability find out certain information quickly and easily without leaving your seat. For example, the red button on BBC enables you to go straight to a recorded feed of the weather for the next 5 days that is updated regularly. Another feature it has is to create a multi-screen format. An example of this can be seen in a sporting event when you can choose which game you would like to watch and switch between whenever the viewer likes. The red button means that a viewer can participate in a programme, for example a competition. With the press of the red button the viewer can vote to keep their favourite contestant in the competition. This has created a whole new platform for viewer interactions.
The ways in which we can access TV has dramatically changed over the past decade and is still changing day by day. The greatest change has been the ever more accessible internet. This has meant a viewer can watch their favourite programmes practically whenever and wherever they choose. Platforms such as BBC iplayer and 4OD enable programmes to be watched on the internet as soon as the programme has been aired on TV for free, there is also the accessibility of viewing programming of a whole series. This enables viewers to catch up with programming they would have otherwise missed. This is in keeping with the fast paced lifestyle of viewers in these modern times. It is no longer just the box in the corner of the room that you can access programming anymore, you can access it from computers, laptop, iphones, ipads and many more technological advances. The viewer is now able to purchase films and programmes from such websites as itunes, the possibilities seem endless.
These endless ways to watch television has seen the decline of mass audiences, long gone is the days that a prime time slot would reel in a third of the UK population. There are some key factors in this decline, one of them being the boom in channel numbers, with over 800 being available to Sky viewers. Viewers are now able to find their niche, meaning channels now see viewers watching in their thousands rather than millions. The main advancement that has brought the demise of these mass audiences is the internet, viewers are now able to find their favourite programmes and films, whether that is legal or illegal, and watch them whenever they please.
However, television has not yet lost its effect on audiences throughout the UK. It is still the foundation of many a viewers social life, following the uses and gratification theory it has upheld many years. Diversion is still very much present for viewers are they seek out entertainment from comedy programming and live viewing such as Big Brother. While prime time viewing such as Strictly come Dancing highlights the personal relationships and personal identity between viewers with coverage on a nationwide scale being the main topic of conversation in the UK. Surveillance is highly present in television as news programming and channels are greatly watched, giving viewers an insight into the world’s events.
Viewers can access films on digital tv in a few ways. The first way is through channels that purely play films such as sky movies. There are some channels such as film4 that can be accessed on freeview which means viewers can access a variety of films for free. Sky also offers a box office, where the viewer can purchase newly brought out films, this can cost anything from £3.99. Sky+ also offers a movies anytime package in which you can access some of the most popular movies at anytime using the sky+ menu.
Advances in technology have meant that film makers now have many more advertising opportunities to advertise their films and target the right demographic. Tv now has many more channels to advertise from that suit niche audience, therefore film makers can choose which channel would suit an advertisement of their film. The Internet means that films can be advertised on almost any website. Films can now be accessed through the internet, which may have hindered the film industry, this is because films can easily be pirated and copied. Websites such as youtube mean that films can be accessed for free.
Referencing:
DigitalUK. (2011). DigitalUK. Available: http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/home. Last accessed 24th feb 2011.
Freeview. (2008). aboutus. Available: http://www.freeview.co.uk/About-Us. Last accessed 24th feb 2011.
RadioandTelly. (2002-2010). Satellite TV - Sky Digital and Freesat Explored. Available: http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/satellitetv.html. Last accessed 14th march 2011.
Wikipedia. (2011). Satellite television. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television. Last accessed 16th march 2011.
Task 2: Choose a TV broadcasting organisation, such as, Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and create a short case study on how your chosen organisation uses technology at the moment and how it is looking to use technology in the future.
The BBC or British Broadcasting Corporation is state owned and paid for via the UK television licence. It states that ‘The BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world. Its mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/what.shtml
The BBC began production in 1922, when the government licensed the six main UK manufacturers of radio to form the BBC for the public.
Currently the BBC is made up of 8 national TV channels and regional programming, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and a up to date website. However the BBC plan to extent this vast amount of technology even further. They have set out plans to deliver internet-connected televisions, extend their BBC iplayer and harness the full potential of BBC online. With the ever advancing mobile technology such as the 'android' phone, the BBC website and apps are readily available on the go through your phone. The BBC have laid out a structure to improve their technology and advancements:
‘• Extending partnership between BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 (section 2)
• Sharing BBC news content with newspapers (section 3)
• Exploring new approaches to the delivery of content over the internet and helping stimulate
investment in digital networks (section 3)
• Partnering with the commercial radio sector, including around digital radio but also on
technology and development (section 3)’
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/future/pdf/digital_britain_exec.pdf
The BBC have made adjectives to improve their website and iplayer, they have set out to create a archive library of all its programming. They are also taking steps to create a strong connection with digital TV, HD programming and play a leading role in the digital TV switchover in order to help and aid the UK viewers. The BBC have now begun to show some of its programming in HD and plan by 2012 to show the majority of its programming in HD.
Referencing:
BBC. (2010). BBC objectives 2010/11. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/objectives.shtml. Last accessed 18th april 2011.
BBC. (2011). Aboutus. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/what.shtml. Last accessed 17th april 2011.
BBC. (2002). A short history of the BBC. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1231593.stm. Last accessed 17th april 2011.
BBC Executive . (2009). Digital Britain: the BBC’s role. Available: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/future/pdf/digital_britain_exec.pdf. Last accessed 17th april 2011.
Task 3: How is the TV industry funded and how does this effect programming? (Include a breakdown of British TV – who are the main players?)
There are a varied range of financially sustained TV programming in Britain today, the effects of which can change a channels context and viewing population. The first format is public service broadcasting, mainly the BBC, they are funded by the public through the television licence which is paid on a yearly basis by any household owner that owns a television. This means that the public get a better opinion and input into the type of programming they choose to watch. The licence costs £145 per year for a colour television in the home. Being a public broadcaster the BBC has the responsibility to provide a wide range of viewing for its audience, caters to all tastes and views. As a result the BBC now has a specialist range of channels such as BBC3 that caters to comedy fans with such programmes as 'Russell Howards Good News' and BBC4 that has a variety of history and geographical based programming to entertain the niche audience. As the BBC is publically financed it means they are able to take risks with the choice of programming, comedians and off the wall actors have become hugely popular because of this. One of the most popular examples being 'The Office' which started off with a some audience, channels who were not in this was financially looked after would not have carried on to show this programme but the BBC did and now the programme has been watched in many places in the world.
However, the majority of television is financed by advertising. Channels such as ITV, channel 4 and 5 are all reliant on advertising to bring in their funding. In turn companies have the ability to advertise their product on a nationwide scale, giving the channels great revenue to take hold of. Therefore, channels with a higher audience rating will attract higher advertising fees, for example a prime time Saturday evening slot. The focus on advertising has led to an increase in reality TV in recent years, these programmes on ITV and channel 4 especially have yielded a massive audience with a wide range target audience from the young to old, being open to all. Examples being 'XFactor' and 'Big Brother' have been some of the highest watched programmes of recent times, therefore resulting in astronomical advertising prices. Massive revenue can also be secured by sponsorship of programming, some of the biggest being such programming as Coronation Street, with the sponsor being Harvey's Furniture. Another avenue for profit, product placement, has recently come into place on UK television. This has given channels the chance to create another form of income. OFCOM regulates this, some of the exceptions in this advertising includes alcohol and cigarettes.As this type of funding is not sustainable or assured as the BBC is these channels cannot take the programming risks and instead choose to pick programme that will appeal to the nation as a whole, rather than the niche audiences.
TV Licence . (2011).
TV Licence costs. Available: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/tv-licence-types-and-costs-top2/. Last accessed 20th April 2011.
Task 4: Write a report on the film industry covering the following points…..
In the genre of the film industry there are two main types that exist, independent and mainstream cinema. These form of cinema contrast greatly in their production, target audience and approach to cinema. The majority of the worlds cinema is made by mainstream industry, this is primarily made up of companies based in and around Hollywood, Los Angeles: Paramount, Colombia, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros. In total, they represent 97% of the total world film industry, highlighting the massive influence the 'big 6' have on the worlds film audience.
This dominance can not always been seen as a positive though, the 'big 6' have a great influence on its audience, with its production having primarily western ideals and culture, therefore limiting viewers from seeing the vibrancy and different cultures of the rest of the world. Therefore viewers are subjected to typical happy endings and unrealistic violence as their main film viewing, not being able to access independent alternative films.
Although, alternative industries have been breaking though and have become popular in recent years, one of the most successful being Bollywood, India's alternative to Hollywood. This industry is one of the biggest makers of film production in india and now the world. In 2006, Bollywood was valued at over $10.7 billion and had gathered viewing in cinemas worldwide of up to 3.7 tickets. Bollywood produces dozens of films a year, many of which become hugely popular.
Meanwhile, Britain has several film corporations, those being 'Film4' and BBC film as the biggest. These companies have created many successful films over the years, recently Film4 have worked on such production as Slumdog millionaire and Borat, the first of which gained 7 BAFTA's. These films created great audience income and Slumdog Millionaire created a total gross revenue of $377,910,544. However, many films from these companies follow the codes and conventions of many western films, limiting the extent of the vibrancy from other cultures and genres.
The United kingdom Film Council was founded in 2000 by the labour government with an aim to 'stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK. The UKFC has a mandate that spans culture, social and economic priorities.' The council secured lottery funding of £160 million which has been distributed to over 900 films. Although the council has helped many films over the past decade the council has been closed and now most of the responsibilities from the council have been taken over by the British Film Institute.
Task 5: Ownership and control – Does it matter who owns the media?
The vast media structure that dominates programming audiences spend their life watching is dominated by 6 global powerhouses also know as the 'big 6' which consist of: New corp, Viacom, Disney, Time Warner, CBS and General Electric. Each company boast a range of high shares and influences in the media sphere, which collectively amounts to 86% of the worlds media. This is made up with the biggest company Time Warner with 18% followed by Viacom with 16%.
The six conglomerates have generally similar global reach and influence which extents to various reaches of the media spectrum. All of the big 6 have reached out with other ventures than they were origionally known for to increase their power and influence in the media world, also massivly increasing their profits. This venture is known as vertical integration, this is where a company extends its influence or power by reaching out into varying outlets to the business they originally established under a means of ' securing the supplies needed by the firm to produce its product and the market needed to sell the product. The result is a more efficient business with lower cost and more profits'.
All of the big 6 have completed and followed this process, therefore suggesting why they have achieved such an extent of influence and wealth. For example, the most successful of the conglomerates, General Electric, acheived a revenue in 2009 of $157billion with involved in TV, online, publishing and film industries. All of the big 6 are in simular situations to this. Vertigal intergration is used with the hope to boost profits and power in the media worlds and the worlds markets. A recent example of this can be seen the UK media industry with the takeover of BskyB by News corp. The head of New corp, who already owns a plethera of tabloid newspapers, will now have controll of one of the biggest salitille television services in the country. This will therefore strengthen Murdocks power and influence further in the media world. "The combination of Sky with his newspapers, such as the Sun and the Sunday Times, would generate annual revenues of around £8bn, compared with the £4.6bn income of the next largest player, the BBC."
The Western world is having massive influence on the rest of the world through the medium of the media. The vast amount of western idealist movies being shown to the rest of the world has meant that it has influenced people greatly. For example, when Sex and the City is shown in an eastern country, the fashion culture shown in the film who highly influence the women of these different countries. This is known as cultural hegemony. This influence gives these companies a platform to sell their products and gain massive profits. For example if a company show a certain car in a film they will get profit from the car company.
Rupert Murdock, one of the main players in media, owns some of the biggest companies in the UK such as tabloid newspapers, The Times and The Sun, as well as BSkyB. He also has big influence in America owning some important newspapers and TV networks such as the Fox TV Network. He also has influence on TV in countries such as Australia and Italy. Recently, he was given permission to take over a majority share of BSkyB, this decision could be argued as one more step in Rupert Murdocks bid for power. This way, Murdock is able to sway his employees to filter his own views down through the media. As he is a right wing conservative some would say this recent passing of his takeover was happily completed by the conservative party, which is in power at the moment. However, because of this Sky news has been regularly accused of being bias in its news broadcasts, this demonstrates how too much power can effect the media in a negative way.
Perhaps one of the greatest examples is the merger of AOL and Time Warner, which is said to have created a company worth over $350billion. This merger demonstrated the intergration of one of the largest internet suppliers with one of the largest film industry providers, this meant that together they could dominate all aspects of media. An example in which they could do this would be producing a film and advertising it on their internet space to create a great revenue from that film. 'The merger’s potential to change the news, entertainment, Internet, and e-commerce landscape is staggering.' This merger has however met objection and opposers, this giant powerful company has meant that other companies cannot compete have lost profit, in some cases shut down. The viewing public therfore do not have much alternitive to comply with this merger and are not able to choose an aternative, a dangerous view in the western world.
Refercenes:
Freepress. (2011).
Ownership Chart. Available: http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/main. Last accessed 26 April 2011
QuickMBA. (1999).
Vertigal Integration . Available: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/vertical-integration/. Last accessed 26 April 2011.
BBCNews. (2010).
Murdoch's News Corporation in BSkyB takeover bid. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10316087. Last accessed 26 April 2011
BBCNews. (2000).
The AOL - Time Warner merger. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/597782.stm. Last accessed 26 April 2011
Paul Baldwin. (2000).
Your guide to the AOL-Time Warner merger. Available: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/your-guide-to-the-aol-time-warner-merger/5033093. Last accessed 26th April 2011
Task 6: Use the resources below to create an organisational chart/essay/powerpoint/speech package/short film that highlights the different jobs available in the TV and Film Industries.
The various job roles in the TV and film industry play an equally important role in creating a professional piece of film. One of the sectors of this is management with such job roles including director. The director of a production has some important roles, they must have the ability to make careful and detailed preparations to enable a production to run smoothly, they must also have great communications skills and be able to lead a team. Around the directing position there may be side positions such as 1st assistant director, this job would involve taking on some of the responsibilities of a director such as organising script changes. To achieve this position it is vital that you have had extensive experience in the field of media. It is typical of this position to be employed by a company which a fixed term contract.
A makeup and hair artist, a job found in the creative sector, is another role to help keep the cogs turning on a film and TV production. This position involves a large amount of face to face interaction and presentational skills. To achieve this position you must have the relevant qualifications in hair and beauty and extensive experience. To achieve this, a person may have to start out as a trainee and work their way up. This position is usually freelance and piece work with companies hiring this service for a day or short term. This means they are paid on an hourly basis.
Another sector in this industry is editorial, with a job role such as a vision mixer. This position involves fast paced editing and tough decisions. There are two main scenarios that a vision mixer can be found in, a live TV programme or a pre recorded multi camera setting. In a live situation a vision mixer is in charge of editing what we see with a use of cuts, wipes and mixes etc. However in a pre recorded format the mixer will be working from a running order previously produced, this will outline all the shots required in the production. This role requires previous experience in camera skills and the relevant technology. These positions are usually fixed terms contracts, working with a company of differing projects.
A researcher is another vital role in a production, there job is to make all the starting preparations in a project, such as finding relevant locations and making sure copyright requirements are met. They may also negotiate fees with such people as freelance workers or location owners, this will be overviewed by the producers and directors at every stage in the project. Although researchers play an important role in productions they are often only contracted for one project and work on a freelance basis.
A production manager is responsible for all organisational aspects of production scheduling and budgeting. One job they have is to produce a production schedule of script breakdown to verify time scales, budget limits and schedules. This job must include sufficient technical experience 'On drama productions they use Movie Magic (a specialist scheduling and budgeting software package) which provides logistical breakdowns of scripts, detailing all aspects of production requirements.' This role is one of the most highly pressured, with overseeing and time limited responsibilities.Throughout a production all persons involved must liaise and work together to enable the production to run smoothly and to finish with a high standard piece.
Skillset. (2011).
Production Manager - TV. Available: http://www.skillset.org/tv/jobs/production/article_5481_1.asp. Last accessed 26 April 2011.
Task 7: You are a special guest on a radio programme and you are on the show as an industry specialist. Choose a specific job role, preferably a role that you are interested in pursuing in the future and research the role. You will be asked the questions that are listed below and you are expected to give comprehensive answers.
Task 8: Explain some of the different types of jobs and contracts that are being advertised currently at the BBC. One job that is being advertised at the BBC at the moment is the position of Commerical Analyst, this role has a continuing contract type with the aim of supporting all financial planning and analysis reporting activities. The BBC website states that you must possess 'Strong analytical skills reflecting an ability to manipulate and interpret data, to provide meaningful and useful analysis for decision making purposes'.
Another job currently available at the BBC is a Broadcast Journalist for BBC Radio Devon. This position is a 12 months fixed role contract with the opportunity to produce creative radio and breaking news stories for the station. For this position you need to demonstrate 'You'll need to be able to demonstrate that you've got the journalism skills, voice and enthusiasm to work in this busy news team.'
Alot of people who work in the media industry have to work on a confidentiality agreement. This agreement is for privacy, to say they wont reveal any company information to outside sources. This may be for people who work on the set of a TV programme such as Eastenders to keep upcoming storylines private. Accountants may have to sign this agreement to keep financial information private.
Aswell as confidentiality agreements companies also have exclusivity agreements, this is an agreement where employers only engage with one business and do not liase with other companies. An example of this would be Jonathon Ross. He will be contracted by the BBC to only take on jobs that are requested of him by the BBC. Therefore he wouldn’t be able to start another show on a different channel, as it would break his working contract.
Task 9: Fill in a PGS Media Risk Assessment or create a hyperlink to a form that you have filled out for another unit.
Task 10: Provide definitions of and examples relating to the following terms of Media Legislation
Employment Equality (Age) Regulations Act 2006- This act of legislation has now been superseded by the Equality Act 2010, though its principal is the same as before: to ensure that people are not discriminated upon due to their age. However, recently, it has been disputed that the BBC have breached this act of legislation. There has been accusations that the programme ‘Countryfile’ has axed presenters Miriam O’Reilly, as well as Juliet Morris and Michaela Strachan from the show an replaced them with someone who was younger. O’Reilly successfully sued the BBC in an employment tribunal on the grounds of ageism.
Employers Liability- All employers are responsible for their staff, and should therefore insure their employees so that they are covered in case anything should happen. Employers are responsible for the health and safety, so if the employee encouters an illness or injury that was work related, it falls on to the employer to take responsability. then the employer has to pay out compensation to the employee. So, if you were an investigating undercover journalist the project would have to be tested to see the risk involved.
Employee Rights- Employee’s have rights to be entitled a minimum wage and sick pay. The minimum wage for over 21 is £5.93 and this is so that the employer pays you a satisfactory amount. Due to the high work demand in the media industry jobs are paid at the minimum wage. Another right that you are legally obliged to have is a contract of employment, to ensure that both the employer and employee are protected. The contract may state the amount of holidays that you can have, as well as including the details of what happens when the employee is ill and sick pay has to be paid.
Belonging to a Trade Union- A trade union is a group in which the employer pays a membership fee to, and in return they are protected should the worker feel unhappy about any work related issues. The trade union is dependent on the job you have: Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) if you work in any of these fields, for Journalists there is the National Union of Journalists or, if you work in London, the London Freelance Branch is for freelance journalists. In the media industry, it is essential that you are part of a trade union to ensure that you are protected, should anything happen, i.e. your pay could decrease, and the trade union would fight for you.
Intellectual Property: Copyright- The Intellectual Property Office Copyright protects work of literary, art, music, layouts, recordings and broadcastings. The © is a symbol that marks copyright, though all work that has a ‘physical’ recording is automatically covered as being copyrighted. In the media, the most common types of plagiarism would be articles, as they can be difficult to source, because of the internet; it is quite easy to copy someone else’s work. For example, The Pop Idol vs. X Factor issue between Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell has been a long debated issue concerning the formatting of ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Pop Idol’ (American Idol) as there have been claims that Cowell has stolen the format.
Trademarks- These are symbols (logos and brand names) ™ that allow the public to recognise one brand from another. Recently, there have been quite a lot of disputes in the media regarding trademarks, as supermarkets are copying the leading brands colour scheme for their own branded products, in the hope that the customer doesn't notice. Leading brands claim that supermarkets’ brands market share is increasing, therefore their sales are decreasing.
