Task One - Understanding the purpose of television idents and the opportunities they present

TV idents are a channels log that is played during the adverts and between that signifies the channel you are watching. This is important because it tells the audience that you are on a channel so they can make an informed decision on what to watch.   TV indents have been running since the beginning of television. The first ident appeared on the first channel to be created which was BBC 1.  The first indent was introduced in 1953. The indents for BBC evolved since then due to the changing time and new technologies. But the indents all included a circular shape. This is used to keep a brand identity. This is so audiences remember which channel it is and to show how the channel is still the same, but with new programming. The first ident was named bat wings. In the 1960s a new ident was introduced which more resembles the current idents. This ident is the BBC logo in front of the globe with the UK in the middle. This was used to represent that the BBC broadcast all over the UK. Also it is to show that the content is from around the world especially the news. This eventually to become the standard ident with it evolving by adding color voices and in other situations.

In 1964 the second channel was introduced. BBC brought out BBC 2. This channel showed the more serious programs like documentaries. This meant the indents had to match this more serious ones. This meant the indents were more serious with more basic colours and shape. This more serious indents is more  appropriate for the audience it is aimed at. An example of this is the ident with the BBC 2 logo on a book. This ident was used because e the channel has more of a serious tone because of what was shown on the channels it is more appraise for the audience

During the 1990's satellite was introduced. This meant audiences had over 663 different channels they can watch. Meaning there was a greater need to have indents. This is so audiences can differentiate between channels. This is  important so audiences do not get confused what channel they are one. An example of this is comedy central. The Comedy central indents all include the logo and all predominately feature the colour red. The focus on the red keeps brand identity so audience know it is that channel.

Idents have many purposes for a channel making them very important

Organising a schedule

  

The first important use of an ident is organising the schedule. Idents help keep the channel organised because it sets out what is on the channel and any other channels run by the company.  The ident is a great opportunity to advertise other programs he channels. This is important to advertise the shows on the channel to keep the audience watching this channel or to make the audience come back to the channel to watch these shows. This is done so views of the show and channel increase making the channel more popular. This scheduling has become a key part of idents especially for the audience because it sets up what they might watch in that day. An example of this is the BBC 3 scheduling ident. These idents always show what is on now next and later on BBC 3. This is done to make the audience want to stay and watch the channel to see the shows in the next few hours. Also if they don't want to watch all of they can see when one show on later.

Segmentation of the scheduling

The second most important use of a ident is segmenting the schedule. Idents fill up small gaps of times between the shows on the channel. This is especially important on non-commercial channels. This is because there are no adverts on the channels so there are gaps of time those needs to be filled. The shows are not a full 30 minuets or an hour, so there is gaps of time that need to be filled. This is important for the audience because there interest is not lowered by there being gaps of nothing. Another reason to have these idents is when there is a needed set or area changes. This is especially important on news and sports shows because they change scene and locations because they are live unlike the normal shows. Am example of this is BBC news. They use it when they are changing from segment (e.g. weather to news) or when they are changing from national to local new or vice versa. This is important so the audience know that there was a change in segments so the audience understands.

Creating the right tone

The idents are not only used to show the channel, it is also used to represent the themes of the channel and to show what sort of shows the channel includes. It is done to set the right to for the audience for a channel so the audience knows what to expect when they view the channel. This is so the audience can decide which channel they want to watch. For a kids channel there is going to be bright colours and big shapes, where as a documentary channel would have more serious features like nature or business. When creating a ident it has to fit its tone because you do not want a cartoon rabbit bouncing with a cartoon fox on a horror movie channel. The tone also has to fit in the right age group. This is so the audiences is kept interested in the channel because the ident represents what they want to watch and dose not offend them making them switch channel. An example of this is playhouse Disney. The ident will always include bright colors, shapes kids and animals that will keep interest for the children making them stay on the channel.

Creating a corporate identity

  

Another role of idents is creating a corporate identity. Channels do not have to stay in one country it can spread to other countries. This brand identity helps this spread because there is one brand logo but it can be changes to fit different types of channel but will always be part of one identity. This will mean the brand will be recognized and views more because they know the other channel it had come from. This helps the audience chose a channel because they loo for channels or brands they know instead of a unknown channel increasing channel views. The one main feature that helps the brand is consistency because all the different channels that branch off one brand will have the same features (e.g. the logos will be similar) which will keep this identity that people will know so they are more likely to view it. This band identity dose not stick to TV this identity also spreads to radio and the Internet with new catch-up features and channel websites. This identity helps the audience understand the channels are one company so watches the channel.  An example of this is sky movies  There are 11 different movie channels ,all of them including different movies. But all the idents look similar with the same logo and the background all use bright neon lights in the background keeping the brand identity.

Creating a brand and encouraging brand loyalty

Channels are not just one channel ,they are part of a bigger brand. It is important to form brands for the channel because it helps audience recognise a channel because the brand is repeatedly shown making it memorable. This helps increase brand loyalty so audiences keep coming back to watch the channel. This brand will be engrained in the audience's mind so they will always remember that channel. It also shows the style of channel so audiences see the brand and know what sort of channel it is. If it is a home channel it will feature basic bright colours and calming images. This is important to the audience because they know what to expect when they are viewing the channel. The brand shows the content of the channel also to convince people to watch this channel by showing features that the audience might like increasing the chance of them view the channel.  An example of this is itv. All the idents from itv include the same logo. This helps build the brand identity because audiences will see the logo and recognise the itv log and likely watch it if they like other itv channels. Rebranding is also important. Channels have to change to keep audiences, one way of doing that is rebranding the idents. This gives the channel a new look and feel which will attract new audiences to the channel. This is important for audiences because they get bored of the same brand again and again, so evolution is needed to keep interest. An example of this is Citv. In 2006 citv went though big changes after it got its own channel. For the new channel the creators made a new logo to increases interest on this channel over other kids channels,.

Marketing and packaging a series

Idents can also be a used as a marketing tool. When big events happen during the year tv channels use these idents to promote what is coming on tv. This is to show what is going to be on tv during these times of the year so they can plan what to watch. This will increase increase view view on these shows at these times of year. An example of this is TLC'S Christmas ident. Audiences see their favorite shows in the ident and also see shows that they have never seen so audiences are more likely want to watch them. The audience sees there favorite shows in the idents so are more likely to watch the channel. Idents also package a big series event. This is to get as many views as possible on the channel. The audience see their shows in the advert and get excited for the show and increases popularity of the show and channel. They are shown during the series so audiences are more interested in the idents so more people view the show. This both promotes the channel and the shows and example of this is the doctor who Christmas ident. Doctor who is a annual Christmas event. So the ident mirrors this by including the doctor so it increases popularity.