MIPCOM 2021: Harnessing audiences, to grow audiences

According to Forbes, primetime ratings for broadcast television have dropped precipitously in the last year or so. But this is nothing new.

Ratings for broadcast TV have been declining since the emergence of cable TV in the 1980s. With the growth of streaming video in the past few years, the ratings of broadcast TV, and now also cable TV, have been falling further; this trend was exacerbated in 2020 with coronavirus causing havoc to production schedules, resulting in fewer of those rating-winning original scripted shows making it to the screen.

 No wonder audience growth strategies are anticipated to be a key talking point at MIPCOM next month. Everyone, buyers and sellers alike, wants to know how to capture the most eyeballs and build the most attentive audiences.

I would however add another reason to the decline… storytelling is no longer just the realm of professional TV production.

Today we all have the tools needed to tell our own stories in an equally compelling and narrative-driven way, as well as easy access to audiences. This is particularly true of younger audiences - who prefer to play video games, stream music, and engage on social media, often simultaneously, rather than watch TV or movies.    In fact, only 12% of Gen Z say that they get their daily dose of information about the world around them from network or cable TV.

The most attentive audiences are UGV audiences.

The rise of user-generated video

It’s clear that audience viewing habits and the ways in which we all choose to consume entertainment are changing rapidly. Audiences increasingly want non-linear content, on the go, and as such incumbent broadcasters are facing growing competition for audience eyeballs and attention.

Attracting these eyeballs means producers must deliver more and deliver it faster. User-generated Video (UGV) is available, you can get it straight into production, and it grabs audience attention and keeps hold of it. A recent series that uses our UGV almost exclusively resulted in viewing figures 58% above the slot average, and racked up the channel’s highest rated daily viewing figure. This stuff is engaging and compelling.

Source the very latest and very best content in every genre

UGV provides TV producers with the ability to collect and share the vast quantity of content needed to make unique programmes that attract and retain audiences, whilst at the same time tapping into the growing desire to be entertained and inspired with authentic storytelling. To illustrate how vast this quantity and quality is, we just delivered enough clips to satisfy over 1500 minutes of viewing.

As I’ve mentioned previously in my blogs, it’s possible to find user-generated videos of just about anything – viral clips of course, but also animals, nature, sport, science, weather, travel, news and events.

UGV is not just cute cats and people falling over, it provides access to amazing stories that are proven to capture and hold the attention of audiences.

Let us help you harness audiences so you can help broadcasters grow audiences

Life, with all its colour and craziness, sights and sounds, triumphs, and tragedies, is the greatest show on earth. A spectacle that demands to be shared with audiences everywhere, through engaging captivating and enthralling user-generated video.

Newsflare’s constantly growing global membership of content creators are out there capturing life as it happens, uploading new clips all day, every day, to our huge, ever-expanding vault. It’s alive with diverse, emotionally powerful content and fresh ideas that will resonate deeply with audiences.

Don’t wait for MIPCOM to start talking audience growth strategies. Book a meeting with us today to find out more about the audience boosting power of UGV.