TV IS DEAD?

PROGRAMME 3: HOW TO MAKE GREAT TV SHOWS

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00 – 00:50

A general overview of the challenges facing the TV industry is given.

00:50 – 02:00

Revenues for commercial television fell by £234million last year. With over 1,000 channels to watch, competition is hot. Teens spend an average of two hours a day on the net. TV companies have to raise their game if they are to survive.

02:00 – 04:00
How to make great TV shows

We meet the development team at Betty TV, one of over 700 independent production companies competing to get their ideas commissioned.

04:00 – 05:39
Stand-out title

How we select programmes has changed. Nowadays, viewers usually use the EPG (electronic programme guide), and with so many programmes, the first few words of a title have to register. Titles are becoming like the headlines in tabloid newspapers.

05:39 – 07:42
Break-out TV

Broadcasters want their programme talked about, but in a positive way. 'Shocking' can be risky: for example, Channel 4's series about masturbation, which got negative attention, was postponed.

07:42 – 09:29
Rooted in the real world

Programmes about real people in the real world appeal to people. 'The Apprentice' and 'Jamie's School Dinners' are winning formats attracting big audiences.

09:29 – 13:29
Jeopardy

To succeed, programmes need arresting titles, gripping content and jeopardy (the possibility of incurring loss or misfortune), and they must fit a particular slot in the schedule. Jeopardy is important as the audience keeps watching to find out what the outcome will be. The Betty team discusses its idea for a programme about mass STI testing.

13:29 – 18:38
Great access

Getting interesting people to feature in a programme is essential. Cheaper, less intrusive kit, such as handheld video cameras, makes filming easier. A more media-aware public means a more demanding audience, so programme-makers have to be innovative. Real-time television, like Big Brother, is one development.

18:38 – 24:00
Of the moment

Real-time television, business, obesity and property are topical, but programme-makers have to predict what will be interesting for viewers in the future. Creating original ideas or a different take on a familiar idea, is tough. Production companies must understand the market. Betty TV pitches four new ideas to a Channel 4 commissioning editor. Different commissioners focus on different areas, and ideas with potential may be given development money.