RTL and The Project Factory reveal the future of broadcasting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Cannes, Sydney: October 11, 2012
(Virtual Press Office) -- RTL, Europe's largest media group and digital entertainment company, The Project Factory have revealed the secrets to increasing viewer engagement via a ground-breaking transmedia production executed for RTL's s highest rating soap opera GTST.
The mobile and web based production is a first for RTL and has been developed in conjunction with Endemol.
Speaking at a panel session at Mipcom in Cannes, RTL Netherland's Sr Development Manager Digital Media, Annemarieke Loderus revealed that the project increased the TV audience share by 25%.
The project for The Netherlands' most watched soap GTST, centers around an inter-series mobile application featuring nine weeks of scripted content, video mobisodes, nine games, competitions, and hidden content, all forming part of a hand-written notebook that viewers "unlock" week-by-week.
"Consumer engagement is the future of broadcasting. In order to strengthen consumer engagement, it is key to extend and deepen the broadcast experience. Broadcasters need to create a total experience around a show not just TV content," Loderus told delegates.
The cross platform content project branded 'Who is Tim?' was designed to engage audiences between season, running from the end of series cliff- hanger through to the new series launch.
Screened over European Summer, market analysis shows that one out of six viewers downloaded the app and that GTST: Who is Tim? successfully bridged the summer break and resulted in significantly more engagement into the next season.
The Project Factory Managing Director UK, Kirsty Hunter said, "Television networks worldwide are looking for ways to keep their audiences in between series, and this project shows the future of how digital media can fill the gap."
GTST is based on the original 1970's Australian format The Restless Years and has been broadcast since 1990, drawing an audience of 1.5m each episode.
The transmedia version of GTST is a co-production between The Project Factory and RTL Netherlands and is supported by an extensive promotional campaign across television, online and print.
"We can see broadcasters leaping at this digital format as a way to maintain the engagement and sponsor interest in shows around the world," Hunter said.
The project has already attracted significant sponsorship support from Samsung and local telco Sizz.
"This is a highly narrative-driven project with storylines written specially for the mobile application to create a bridge between the end of the current series, and the first episode of the new one. Innovations like streaming a preview of the next series opener exclusively into the app, and offering such a rich mix of digital content alongside the show set this project apart in a competitive media landscape," Hunter told the Mipcom audience.
The RTL deal is one of a raft of Project Factory wins with global broadcasters and production companies for television extension content strategies.
Recent projects include the Australian launch of the 'Underbelly' game Skirmish with Screentime, social media execution for the UK's Monkey Kingdom produced 'Made in Chelsea' and Tiger Aspect's 'The Great British Property Scandal' for the UK's Channel 4.
The RTL project was led by The Project Factory's new London offices, with production developed in the company's production headquarters in Surry Hills.
For further information contact Kirsty Hunter- kirsty@theprojectfactory.com
About The Project Factory
The Project Factory is an award-winning digital production company that creates transmedia entertainment across web, mobile, social media and games platforms. Founded in 2005 with offices in Sydney and London, we produce interactive entertainment for movie, television, brands and digital media companies. Our partners include the ABC, Accenture, Cordell Jigsaw, Hopscotch, ninemsn and the RTL Group.
For more information, please visit www.theprojectfactory.com