3rd IGEM Insiderlunch on the topic of Second Screen
At the third Insider Lunch hosted by the Electronic Media Interest Group (IGEM) on the topic of second screen and social media, SRF presented its experiences with its applications.
"The Million Trap" and "The Voice of Switzerland" were the focus of Romain Haenni's presentation from the SRF Multimedia Center. The most popular application was the music program, which also achieved a correspondingly high Onair rating. An average of 35,000 people took part in each of these broadcasts in the first quarter of 2013, with the final three live broadcasts attracting as many as 50,000 people. There was also the opportunity to take part as a virtual jury member. These votes had no influence on the result. However, those who took part were able to follow the trend among the online audience even before the result was announced. Of course, the support via a second screen is particularly interesting for a quiz. An average of 5000 people logged in to the Million Trap and then competed against each other.
Promotion is particularly important for the success of second-screen applications. For example, on November 11, 2013, the number of people playing the Million Trap increased by around 1,000 in one fell swoop after it was displayed that 68% of all online players had passed this question. As all players are logged in and have to provide various personal details, any number of evaluations are possible, such as the proportion of men or women who are still playing or which cantons have the most players, etc. The opportunity to qualify as an online candidate for participation in the studio was also particularly attractive.
Quiz programs are particularly suitable for accompanying activities on the second screen, but these must be based on simple question/answer pairs. In the case of live programs, the main focus is on discussing the current events. For documentary and fiction programs, on the other hand, the focus is on more in-depth information about the program. For SRF, the activities have resulted in higher usage in the target group of 15 to 49-year-olds. The reach increased by 45% and the market share by 18%. In terms of quality, second-screen activities have led to greater viewer integration and improved brand loyalty.
In terms of access technology, it has been shown that the app is far more popular than the website. Initially, 65% participated via the website, but this figure quickly fell to 15%. According to Romain Haenni, the remainder use an app, which quickly costs as much to develop as a mid-range car. The personnel costs should also not be underestimated. For example, the broadcasts of "The Voice" were accompanied by five people and "The Million Trap" by two people who sat directly in the broadcasting management.
However, there are still questions for the future. For example, a broadcaster must consider whether it makes more sense to offer an adaptable app for the broadcaster or for each individual program. This is because the station app is rather unfavorable for advertising, as it generates comparatively small numbers of users. For SRF, the ban on advertising on the internet also raises some tricky questions of definition. On the other hand, the app is increasingly becoming part of the license package for purchased formats (such as Millionenfalle).
