Development of Content Innovation with Cross-media Content Strategy For Television Program

Abstract

This article explores strategy aspects of cross-media content expansion in television sector. How will television program cope with losing audience and revenue? One of the ways is to use the strength of old media and new media altogether to create content innovation, also known as cross-media strategy and transmedia storytelling. Cross-media becomes an innovation strategy to bridges the audience from different platform and engage people with various personalization behavior. The paper focuses on analysis cross-media content strategy of Channel 4, UK as example of television staying valuable and create impact for society. Study also expand to focus group with university students who experiment cross-media content strategy for television program, and followed with in-depth interview with broadcast professional on how television production process change to embrace multi-platforms media ecology. It found that cross-media content strategy with transmedia storytelling can expand storyworld of television program while engage audience through experience and different aspects of stories on different platforms, it draws audience to issues or programme on television as well as build participation and engagement levels on social media platforms. Some strategy even found ways to gain alternative revenue from sponsorship of online native content as additional to television programme advertising. Most importantly, the paper raises the question of the ability of cross media not just to innovate storytelling and audience participation, but also to innovate movement and social change which impact the whole society and strengthen value of television as medium society can rely on. Cross-media strategy involves understanding audience insight, achieving cross-media distribution and participation, designing transmedia story world and business model, and having issue-based approach when producing cross-media innovative content.