The Broadcasting landscape is changing. The advent of view-when-you-want-to TV has driven down advertising revenues and broadcasters are looking for new ways to monetise their airtime. Converge Media’s expertise and contacts within the broadcasting industry are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this change. Here are just a few ways we can help your brand leverage the ever-more-accessible power of TV, where player values and customer loyalty are higher (primarily as many new acquisitions are first-time players thus haven’t been through the usual affiliate-mill).
Broadcasting is traditionally one of the most unquantifiable methods of advertising. Advertisement “spots” are still sold on the basis of a BARB rating – an auditing system consisting of c. 5100 television sets across the UK. These 5100 TV sets are monitored (it is worth noting that only c.4ooo of these homes have any form of satellite), and the home owners have to keep electronic diaries as to who is in and out of the room while certain channels are being viewed. This information is fed back to BARB. In order to get the correct viewing figures, the auditors simply multiply the results by a few tens of thousands!
Imagine if the reporting in your business was so haphazard? You wouldn’t know which campaigns were profitable or which were losing your organisation money. However, online industry is far more adept at tracking the commercial viability of TV advertising than most, and no aspect of TV promotion is more profitable than the TV simulcast. Perhaps the best way to explain a simulcast is by using a real-life example, co-founded by Julian Morel for one of the Europe’s most successful online casino groups – The Palace Group.
Bingo on the Box
www.bingoonthebox.com was set up in early 2008 primarily to acquire players through television in the UK. The TV show is live and shows the balls being drawn in real time on TV, as they are online. The leader board represents who is winning online at that present moment, and the leader’s game card is also presented on screen. The effectiveness of certain broadcast slots is tracked through bonus codes (and other more secretive methods that we can implement). The actual presenter is only recorded once, in a series of clips which come together to form a seamless Television programme which conforms to all OFCOM standards. Thus there is no need to maintain a permanent studio or presenter which keeps the costs to a minimum. The production is a one off cost – the first key to creating a profitable simulcast. Get in touch with Converge Media to find out how to make your simulcast dream a reality.
Bingo on the Box
Why do you need a simulcast?
Recruiting new customers is getting more and more competitive. As still more operators enter the market, acquiring players is getting harder. Acquiring players at a reasonable rate with decent ARPU (average revenue per user) and lifetime value is even more difficult. Though Converge Media can also help you improve your overall online affiliate marketing and retention strategy, there are three main reasons why a simulcast just might be the best way of all to recruit large numbers of very good value players:
1. Acquisition
- Your bingo brand can reach more potential players through a simulcast simply because it is on TV for a longer period of time than a spot advert. Many more potential viewers are going to see the simulcast than a normal broadcast advertisement. On top of this, as many of the players are first time bingo players, they are far more loyal as they are aware of less options. Viewers are also more likely to deposit as what is the point of watching the simulcast if they can’t play? To get up off the couch, switch on the PC, log in and sign up shows significant willing. Those viewers that can be bothered to go through the process will invariably play.
2. Retention
– Players buy into a TV/ Web experience, not just a web experience. Differentiation has always been the key in online gaming, and simulcasts are still new enough that they add considerable value to your existing gaming operation. Players love seeing their name up in lights on Live TV. They are effectively “on the TV” and actively refer their friends to watch their fifteen minutes of fame.
3. Branding
– With most of our airtime deals, the bingo/ casino brand will appear on the EPG (the Electronic programme guide, the blue channel surfer on Sky/ Freeview). As a great deal of the airtime we sell is in the 100’s on Sky and in the doubles on Freeview, most of the traffic comes from people “channel surfing”. I.e. flicking from one channel to another up and down the EPG. When the customer sees “Live TV bingo with www.Yourcobingo.com”, even if they don’t sign up straight away (or are already players), your brand is still visible on TV for huge blocks of time. Viewers can’t help but become familiar with your URL. This underpins the brands integrity and creates familiarity. The teleshopping industry will tell you that on average a consumer has to see a brand three times before they actually sign up.
What is there to consider when producing a simulcast?
Technical
Obviously there is considerable technical expertise involved in producing a live show, as well as considerable redundancy that has to be in place in case of any and all types of failure. The simulcast has to be broadcast quality and delivered Live to the broadcaster, invariably via BT tower, sometimes through another play-out provider as well. The show simply cannot go off air for any reason (which is why we have full redundancy and 24/7 technical support as standard). Converge Media are experts at negotiating these various and expensive-to-the-uninitiated minefields in a cost effective way. We also have the necessary hardware to get your brand on air, or can consult if you wish to buy your own.
Design
Each simulcast requires its’ own branding, infrastructure and clips. Obviously the technical integration is easier if you are on a bingo network we have previously worked with, but as long as you can submit an XML feed in the format we require, we can simulcast any bingo platform. Converge Media can work with your designers (or ours) to produce the entire show, from sourcing the presenter and working on the script (that adheres to OFCOM regulations) right through to the first broadcast.
Play out
“Play Out” is the term for physically getting the TV programme to air. When you advertise on TV, the advert needs to be put into the correct format and sent either to the individual broadcasters or to the play-out providers (essentially aggregators for TV channels). In the case of a simulcast, the bingo operator has to find a way to get the live feed to the broadcaster in the most cost effective way possible. On top of this, one has to pay “switching-costs” every time the Bingo TV simulcast is switched onto a different channel. Again, this is a minefield which if handled incorrectly can dwarf the actual airtime costs. Luckily, at Converge Media, we have negotiated this minefield on numerous occasions, and through our existing connections and expertise can resolve the technical side and save you money on all things “play out” related.
Airtime
What is the use of having a great looking cost effective simulcast if you have nowhere to show it? There are two main methodologies to purchasing airtime.
Buying airtime where you know your customer are. E.g. In the gaming section of SKY (the 800’s)
Buying airtime where your customer might stumble upon your brand. We call this “EPG surfing” – when potential customers are flicking up and down the EPG and stumble upon the simulcast.
Both types of traffic have their merits. Players that frequent the gaming section of the EPG are invariably savvier and, if the offer is competitive enough, can be picked up fast. Of course they are harder to retain as many of these players are aware of bingo competitors, thus are constantly looking for a good offer. On the other hand, EPG surfers invariably are stickier and of a higher player value as many of them are first time bingo players – they have bought into the TV aspect of the offering, rather than just the web. For many, this is their first foray onto any bingo site. As soon as players are recruited, the simulcast forms part of the bingo operator’s retention strategy. Clips can be updated; promotions can be advertised on the live simulcast. You are no longer just an online bingo site; you are now on TV as well – product differentiation. We have deep-rooted contacts with all of the relevant broadcasters. A few of the channels will ONLY sell airtime for simulcasts through Converge Media as we have a proven track record in broadcasting on time and reliably. Depending on budget, in the UK and parts of Ireland we can broadcast on SKY, FREEVIEW, VIRGIN and TERRESTRIAL. We also have the facilities to broadcast in Spain and many Central and South American Countries.
Compliance
Broadcasting a simulcast is a compliance minefield. All simulcasts have to be OFCOM compliant, PRS exempt (or PRS registered) and teleshopping compliant. Broadcasters need to be satisfied that the simulcast adheres to all current legislation. Converge Media will ensure that all is above board.
