X Factor producer hoping to cash in on digital

by Jennifer Whitehead, revolutionmagazine.com 29-Oct-09, 16:25

LONDON - TalkbackThames, the production company behind hits like The Bill and The X Factor, is setting up a new digital division to help make more money from digital properties.

The division is being set up with FreemantleMedia Enterprises and will be called TalkbackThames Digital. The idea is to create a body that will focus on digital opportunities, both for TalkbackThames productions and those made by other companies, and maximise the commercial opportunities. It will also create bespoke digital content and bring television production and online closer together.

The division is to be headed by Robert Marsh, who was previously vice-president of interactive and telephony at FreemantleMedia Enterprises. He is responsible for driving the UK strategy for the extension of broadcast properties onto digital platforms, as well as across digital licensing, telephony and bespoke online commissions and reports to Rupert Brankin-Frisby, commercial director at TalkbackThames, and Dominic Burns, senior vice-president of licensing at FreemantleMedia Enterprises.

Marsh said: "Joining traditional and digital media production means that we'll be making content that not only complements the television viewing experience, but reaches audiences in new ways and gives them innovative and compelling opportunities to engage with their favourite TV shows."

Comments

Ally Scott - 30/10/2009

Shows like The X Factor attract millions of viewers each week, many of which will also interact with the 'brand' online. If producers, and indeed any brand with an online presence, want to capitalise on the opportunities of this direct consumer interaction, data collection must play a central role. In the case of The X Factor, users clicking on to the site hoping to watch extra content and interact in the various forums and chat rooms could be asked to provide simple registration details, as long as they're over 18 years of age. This basic contact information can then be supplemented with every subsequent visit, by presenting them with questions based on the data already held, and in line with data collection priorities of the brand and its partners and advertisers. Consumers are not bombarded with the same questions each time the log on, and the database is being continually populated with valuable insight.