In September of 2009 the UK became the only major economy where online advertising outsold television. It is now obvious to everyone that this is where the budgets will go for years to come.

The rise in demand for multi-platform content actually offers amazing potential for production companies, advertisers and broadcasters, as viewers are finding new ways to experience content.

Here at Boxharry we have definitely seen an increase in demand for interactive websites to accompany TV programmes. Over the last eighteen months enquiries from producers have gone through the roof!

Advertisers are also beginning to see television as being a point-of-sale device.  The TV marketing body found that 94% of viewers are saying that they have gone online after watching a TV advert.

Research by Thinkbox has found that 54% of the broadband-enabled population claim to watch TV concurrently with being online every day.

So what does this mean for production companies?

It means that we are all now in the business of creating online content not just programmes. We all know that budgets are hard to come by in the economic climate left by last year so we have to make sure that we are appealing to advertisers and trustees alike.

Interactive websites to accompany shows offer huge potential for the advertisers; they can track usage, get multiple visits from the same viewer and—with a simple click—actually get people buying products.

It’s not all about the advertisers, though! Interactive sites are of most benefit to the artist, the subject and above all, the viewer. Now whole communities can be easily generated around the content, drawing in interest from anyone who is keen on the subject whether they watched the program or not. Blogs, forums and Facebook groups can now be effortlessly linked with sources of information such as Wiki and video archives to further deepen and enhance viewer engagement.

This interactivity also offers fantastic opportunities for feedback from the audience. The opportunity to find out whether the audience has been touched by the artist is like nothing seen before! 

Boxharry hosts Moving Image Network Event

On the 21st July 2010 Boxharry, in conjunction with Wired Sussex and The Producers Forum, hosted a barbecue get-together for anyone in the moving image industry at their offices in central Brighton.

The event was a great success and a good time was had by all. The purpose of the event was to try and get the indie community in Sussex more connected and foster strength in numbers during these tricky times. Read more Boxharry news.