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NBC DEBUTS "LIVE" INTERACTIVE WEBSITE ON APRIL 26

gregg75

gregg75

from TV Guide magazine

NBC is starting a live interactive interface on their website on April 26th (www.nbc.com/live). Polls,
trivia, photos and similar content will compliment what is being shown on NBC at that time. A live moderator will enable visitors to interact with other visitors (post comments and questions).

This is an attempt to get viewers to turn off their DVRs, watch live and increase add rates (according to NBC Universal Digital Entertainment President, Vivi Zigler). The first show to have it will be the new program "The Voice" (debuts 26th) but eventually all NBC shows will be featured.

COMMENT: Does this sound like some kind of trend which others may follow? Or, is this just another Comcast idea from left field?
 
I remember when NBC Bay Area, KNTV, (San Jose - San Francisco) did this with their 5pm newscast. It was interesting, but must have been exhausting. Because it seemed like after 8 months, nothing was said, they just reverted back to regular news without any mention or the interaction.
 
Let's see.....NBC wants you to go elsewhere and surf for trivia on the show you are supposed to be watching? These leads to two alternatives:

1. You watch the show until the commercial block comes on then you have five minutes to ignore the commercials and go to the Internet. Whether you come back to the TV or not depends on what you discover online.

2. You watch the show on your DVR because when your interest wanes on the TV show you can pause it and go surf the 'net. This practically ensures you will be using your DVR and bypassing those long, irritating commercial blocks.

My question is.....how does this increase ad rates when even fewer eyeballs watch the commercial?

Oh....and now you have a staff of IT people who have to design, set up and operate the web site while the show is on the air - in multiple time zones. Not only have you ensured fewer eyeballs are watching your ads but now you've increased your production costs. Are network suits REALLY this stupid?

Hey.....I have an idea! Why not invest in quality programming and skip the whiz-bang untested techie fluff?
 
Also, what if an NBC program is delayed or pre-empted in your area? For example -- your local station bumps "30 Rock" for Billy Graham. Will access to the site be blocked?
 
Not sure how they are going to do it, but I know they can tell where you're coming from (many
websites have that). I guess they could direct you to the "feed" for your time zone/area. Even if
the program is preempted, they'd probably go with what NBC is showing.

Looks like it would work best for reality and live shows, where people would like to discuss what is going on, much like tweeting.
 
NBCU's Bravo has a late-night show titled "Watch What Happens Live" which appears to thrive on interactivity based on the ads for it that I've seen - Facebook, Twitter, even Skype are promoted.

Same model for "The Voice" and other such programming?
 
We are in unfamiliar waters in the digital age and it is time for innovation from Broadcasters to stay relevant. Who knows? It may work. It may not. To those of you who just KNOW this won't work: It must be very difficult carrying that big brain around all the time!
 
ABC had an interactive feature online in its website during the later years of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Although I don't do much on interactive websites I watch TV and surf the web at the same time on a regular basis, and lots of others probably do as well. So don't get the idea that this will be a flop.
 
landtuna said:
My question is.....how does this increase ad rates when even fewer eyeballs watch the commercial?

Oh....and now you have a staff of IT people who have to design, set up and operate the web site while the show is on the air - in multiple time zones. Not only have you ensured fewer eyeballs are watching your ads but now you've increased your production costs. Are network suits REALLY this stupid?

Hey.....I have an idea! Why not invest in quality programming and skip the whiz-bang untested techie fluff?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say it's untested techie fluff because the cable nets do it all the time with Twitter & Facebook & they're quite successful at it. But I agree that due to the very nature of the Internet, there's NO WAY it could possibly work with an OTA net like NBC no matter how good or bad the program is.

The reason I say this is because the cable nets have the luxury of either broadcasting one feed across the country LIVE with (Maybe) repeats for the West Coast or offering two feeds (Usually a West Coast feed that follows the East Coast feed by three hours) whereas OTA nets (Except the sub nets, PBS & ION which don't need it to begin with) do not

Cheers :D
 
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