Clever Strategy to Broadcaster Apps

Clever Strategy to Broadcaster Apps – Part I: Introduction

Watch the video to learn:

• How broadcasters can improve their audience engagement
• What are entertainment apps and why they exist

Find the written version of the interview below the video.

Clever Strategy to Broadcaster Apps – Part I: Introduction

Broadcaster, would you like to glue your audience in front of your brand and shows?

Would you like to collect more 1st party data? Win a bigger share of your audience's time?

Draw in younger audiences?

That can be done with a clever strategy to broadcaster apps.

The idea is to centralize your audience into one Entertainment app, and improve the ROI of your prestigious entertainment shows.

This Entertainment app is a key to doing better business and making your audience stick with your broadcaster brand longer.

To learn more about using Entertainment apps for growing Broadcaster businesses, we’re interviewing Heikki Rotko.

Heikki has previously worked as the CEO of Finland's biggest commercial broadcaster MTV Oy. Currently he is the Honorary president of Egta, the association of television and radio sales houses, and works as the Executive Chairman at Choicely.

Could you tell us about yourself?

“I have been in broadcasting pretty much my whole professional life, starting with commercial radio, then TV, online, streaming, OTT and apps.”, Heikki Rotko says, “So I have a fairly vast experience.”

Why and how could broadcasters improve their audience engagement?

“Nowadays, audience engagement is crucial since the platform players have come to the market 10–15 years ago.”, Heikki states.

He adds that getting broadcasters’ audiences to their own platforms is crucial, so they can gather first party data of their audiences – and keep the data for themselves. Social media platforms should be used as supporting channels for their main activities.

“Those platforms are owned by other people, as we know”, Heikki states, and adds “The broadcasters have a good opportunity to be strong in this game, although the competition is fierce.”

“Keeping audiences on your own digital platforms is crucial.

Building this media ecosystem with great content and strong marketing activities, channels and capabilities are really keys to successful audience engagement.

What are entertainment apps and why do they exist?

“First of all, the input to an idea of an entertainment app came from a broadcaster. There’s many program specific apps out there for different program types.”, Heikki describes.

“The broadcaster asked us if we could create a holistic entertainment app that could run a year round, 365 days and 24/7.”

The app would include multiple entertainment shows that run around the year. The big and prestigious entertainment shows – that usually run in a chronological order and don’t overlap with each other – would take the center stage in the app.

Still, the app could also incorporate smaller TV shows and audience activations. The app would engage the broadcaster audience around the year.

Engagement plays a big part in the large TV shows.

“The main shows, the biggest reality shows, all include an interactive component, i.e. a component where the audience can participate by voting or giving their opinion on something.”, says Heikki.

Having constant interactions 365 days a year with their audience on one platform would be a strong competitive advantage for broadcasters.

“You can cross market shows in the app. When one show, let's say Dancing With the Stars ends, you could start promoting Idol that will start in two weeks in the same app, and of course on the big screen.”

“And this is exactly the same as what the broadcasters already do, cross-promoting everything: from web to TV, radio to TV.”, Heikki notes. “The app is a new channel that supports their big screen efforts and gives the interactive tool – that everybody has in their hands as they watch TV, as we know from research.”

“So how do you activate your audience in doing something? By using the phone.”

“It’s a strong concept and it's client driven. When the idea comes from the client side, usually it's good.”

Learn more about 365 Entertainment apps for Broadcasters