Connected storytelling - one service, ten products, four screens
Post categories: #Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔOnline
| 12:00 UK time, Friday, 17 June 2011
Editor's note: the presentation above is the one Ralph made at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online industry briefing. You can see more Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ presentations - SB
The main thing I wanted to talk about today is storytelling and technology, and how we are bringing the two together in concert to make Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online better.
I believe that media is simply the intersection of storytelling and technology - whether it's the Gutenberg press, radio or television - technology has enabled more pervasive and immersive storytelling, and it will be that way with the internet.
It's in that spirit that we approach our digital future - not as a software company with content as a feature, but a storyteller with software as an enabler.
New strategy
In January we announced a new strategy for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online. The big picture here is a vision of quality and distinctiveness over quantity, the discipline and simplicity of going from hundreds of websites to 10 products, and the commitment to work with industry to build a sustainable digital public space. All of which will make Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online better for audiences.
One service
At the heart of this is looking at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online as one service. It is the gateway to content and experiences across the entirety of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. It provides the connective tissue that enables us to inform, educate and entertain as part of one narrative - not as a disjointed set of activities. We have reorganised the business around this principle. It also sets the boundaries of what we will do, and not do, online.
Ten Products
We will have ten products which are complete unto themselves, and in support of our five editorial priorities. Each are distinctive and clearly-defined, but will evolve to become even more powerful together, as we and our audiences create journeys that run fluidly between them. These will not be silos.
We continue to develop these products. Highlights since January include CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, a redesign we dubbed Shed No Tears (more on why from product manager Phil Buckley here). Radio player got off to a great start, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer interlinking went live and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News continues to be the place where audiences come for the big news stories, and stay.
Four screens
To date the bulk of our activity has been focused on the PC. We see the emergence of a post-PC world and we are embracing it as an opportunity to reach our audiences on whatever 'piece of glass' they choose to use, with an experience appropriate for each device.
We're making progress. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer can already be accessed through many different devices, with the growth rate in mobiles, tablets and TVs outstripping that of PCs.
We're experimenting with dual screen companion devices, where what you do on your tablet or phone is related to what you see on your TV, for instance with our Autumnwatch trial.
We have had 6 million downloads of our Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News application on Apple and Android smartphones and tablets globally. Coupled with the website, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News product is already present globally across three screens. And today, we announced its arrival on a fourth - the TV.
Connected storytelling
Of course, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ isn't the only broadcaster thinking four-screen and digital. It's the industry's direction of travel. And if I stopped here, this presentation could have been delivered by anyone at Google, Yahoo! or AOL.
What makes the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ different, what really sets it apart, is its ability to tell stories. Quality editorial, delivered in a way that people love and trust.
Radio 4, News at Ten, Doctor Who, Desert Island Discs, The Huey Show, Luther - these are not just brands, programmes, or networks but ideas. Ideas that mean something real to people, with stories that are crafted, nurtured and told over time.
It's been that way for 80 years on radio, it's that way now on TV, it's going to be that way on any internet-connected device, and it will be that way hundreds of years from now in the holodeck... (Yes, I am a Trekkie).
The internet is enabling connected storytelling. And by connected, I mean three things:
Audiences - connected to us and each other. Together we can create personalised, interactive and social experiences.
Editorial - the storytelling itself - connected through professional, algorithmic, and social curation. This creates a more complete and immersive experience than is possible from any one source, and;
Devices - connected to one another and working in concert. We can create experiences best suited for the capabilities of whichever of the four screens you happen to be on.
I think this adds up to a far better service for our audiences. And while all aspects are important, it's the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's traditional editorial strengths in professional storytelling that will make us truly distinctive.
Partnership
Finally, a word on partnership. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ cannot do this alone, and we are looking to our partners to help us realise these plans, whether that's developing better links with the start-ups that are putting the UK on the map as a hub for digital innovation, global deals with social networking sites, improving relationships with independent production companies or partnerships with consumer electronics companies - these partnerships will be the key to transforming Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online into the Connected Storyteller we all want it to be.
Ralph Rivera is Director of Future Media at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
Comment number 1.
At 17th Jun 2011, Kit Green wrote:I hope the future does include paragraphs to make it easier to read articles.
Audiences - connected to us and each other. Together we can create personalised, interactive and social experiences. Editorial - the storytelling itself - connected through professional, algorithmic, and social curation.
It may be useful to know what this means. If your new blog format is part of social experiences or social curation then I am at a loss to undersatand your thinking.
(See /blogs/theeditors/2011/06/a_new_home_for_ouch_at_bbc_new.html
and /blogs/theeditors/2011/05/our_next_step_in_news_blogging.html )
I think this is all think tank gobbledegook for how can we be cheap and stay on message.
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Comment number 2.
At 17th Jun 2011, Kit Green wrote:At least the paragraphs appeared as I posted my first comment!
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Comment number 3.
At 17th Jun 2011, Piet Boon wrote:Dear Ralph,
I think it is important to link content together, to serve your audience better. But, as I told you before, do not throw away the backbone we have now. We, the audience, need our landing pages. We need to have simple places we can visit. Do not make us wandering through a forrest of connected material without the right landing pages.
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Comment number 4.
At 17th Jun 2011, Lorenzo Martinez wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 5.
At 18th Jun 2011, Russ wrote:I think I must have missed a meeting. Are the ten products announced above related to the five products announced previously, or has the Eric Huggers' template now been ditched?
Russ
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Comment number 6.
At 19th Jun 2011, Russ wrote:Ok, I've discovered what the ten products now are (from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online workplan).
I think my biggest concern is the planned disconnection of Radio from iPlayer, the latter being promoted as a wholly TV scenario.
Russ
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Comment number 7.
At 19th Jun 2011, Piet Boon wrote:@Russ: Radio moves to the RadioPlayer (it already has)
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Comment number 8.
At 19th Jun 2011, Russ wrote:Yes, Piet, I'm aware of that. What I mean is I wouldn't want to see radio withdrawn from iPlayer until RadioPlayer is as good technically as the radio player in iPlayer; specifically, the granularity of the programme slider in RadioPlayer is bad compared to iPlayer, the RadioPlayer slider contains no time indication like iPlayer does, and the 'my stations' functionality is still very arcane. Also, I wouldn't want to see station schedules, A-Z listings and categories disappear from the radio area, unless it's planned to integrate those functions in the new 'Radio+Music product', and those functions have been satisfactorily proved to work in that product. Since there has been no indication about what the new Radio+Music product might be or look like, I'm concerned that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ will do its usual trick of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Russ
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Comment number 9.
At 20th Jun 2011, Piet Boon wrote:Wow, thanks to the reference you made to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online workplan. Reading that, I think that all reactions we give on these blogs are useless.
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Comment number 10.
At 3rd Aug 2011, eConundrum wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 11.
At 1st Dec 2011, marcus1972 wrote:Hi,
Please can you review the blogg on the new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ homepage. It has over 500 negative comments and no one is taking any notice about it.
Thanks
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Comment number 12.
At 1st Dec 2011, brian192 wrote:You have apparently disregarded your customers (the licence fee payers) in all this nonsense. Deal with the many negative comments about the new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ home page which will cause many regulars to leave in droves. About time your appointment is investigated by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Trust.
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