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C3’s ‘seteca’ Helps Broadcasters Avoid Sting Of Participation Tv Fines
TV voting shows play an integral part in today’s broadcast industry. Revenue is generated from the price of the call - unlike the shows in which viewers pledge money to charities - so they’re a good way of replacing much of the vital income that used to come from advertising. The price of a phone call Unfortunately, because TV voting shows rely heavily on premium rate services, the price of those calls was a source of considerable confusion. Prices were clear for people calling from a fixed line, but for those using mobiles, which continue to make up the vast majority, they were considerably less so. In fact, many viewers felt they had been cheated by the broadcast companies. Overnight, public confidence vanished. Service providers were in the frame but it was the broadcasters who were held accountable for failing to protect their viewers. As a result of these transgressions, reports were issued by regulatory bodies, ICSTIS and OFCOM, and independent organisations, which stipulate that broadcasters must take direct responsibility for the communication technology used for interactive TV. One option for the future is cross network ‘voice short codes’ (VSC) which are easy to remember codes that can be linked to a range of services. Callers will benefit from greater transparency in pricing, although, on the downside, voice codes cannot currently be accessed from fixed line networks. To introduce this value added service with confidence, good quality mass call handling systems that support interactive voice response (IVR) and voice recognition functionality will be crucial for broadcasters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was yet another strand in this tangled mess. When ITV was fined a record £5.675 million in 2008 for being in breach of the broadcast codes of practice, OFCOM claimed that the broadcaster was unable to provide them with sufficient data and evidence to enable them to carry out a full investigation. The apparent lack of information about questions and caller details pointed to overwhelming inadequacies in the systems that are vital for operating premium rate services (PRS) in regional programming. A tougher, more reliable structure was needed. The Gambling Act gets tough The new Gambling Act further exacerbates matters. Introduced in September 2008, it has additional implications for TV quiz shows. It was felt that many of them were operating as ‘lotteries’, with the questions being either so easy that no skill whatsoever was needed to answer them, or conversely, so obscure that it was nigh impossible to get them right. Winning was more about luck than skill. The Gambling Act now defines the term ‘lottery’ in two ways. Both lotteries involve payment to enter and allocation of prizes, but the outcome of a ‘simple lottery’ is determined by chance, while a ‘complex lottery’, comprises two or more stages but with the first involving chance. The result is that if TV quiz shows want to continue broadcasting then they must comply with these new laws by making their competitions more complicated and ensuring that a number of entrants are ‘knocked out’ in the first round. Participants must also be kept to date, and detailed information must be stored on resilient databases for cross reference purposes. Also, where appropriate, they could either obtain a lottery license from the Gambling Commission, which would require the broadcaster to donate 20% of all profits made to charity, or qualify as a ‘free draw quiz’. Smart ‘SeTeCa’ technology All of these changes mean that it is more important than ever that broadcasters meet Ofcom’s guidelines by managing huge volumes of calls fairly and efficiently, while at the same time providing accurate database and reporting information. C3’s ‘SeTeCa’ multimedia platform is unwaveringly resilient. It has the capacity to cope with huge volumes of traffic generated by TV quiz shows and reality TV show like ‘Big Brother’, and comprises a sophisticated database that stores the details of all callers. It also contains complex reporting facilities that can generate accurate competition results within minutes of it closing. Designed and developed by multimedia experts, C3, SeTeCa can form the heart of any participation TV show. It consists of best-of-breed technology and satisfies UK regulators, OFCOM and ICSTIS. Most importantly, it doesn’t curb broadcasters’ creativity, instead it allows them to run innovative services that generate revenue and restore viewer trust, and in doing so build lasting relationships that benefit everyone. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Sue Hunt is the Head of Marketing at C3 - Experts in multimedia communications. www.c3.co.uk |
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