Why ABC understands Publicity better than the rest
ABC is again leaving commercial networks in their wake with online offerings -with a new online player for critics, journos and media.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
The ABC is again leaving commercial networks in their wake with online offerings -this time with a new online player for critics, journos and media.
From next week ABC will offer a streaming video player that allows accredited media to watch programs online for previewing purposes.
While all networks send out DVD copies (and one still sends VCDs!) of key programmes to media there are often times when shows record in the week that they screen or arrive late. The new player will allow media to watch such programmes online in an iView-style player.
The service joins ABC’s FTP media site which enables journalists to access photos and Press Releases at their leisure, a platform matched by SBS and several Pay TV channels.
Seven, Nine and TEN are still dragging their feet on a matching service, requiring media to liaise through Publicists for promotional material, which is not only labour intensive on staffing, but considerably slows the process.
Last year ABC’s Digital Communications Marketing Manager Liz Green told TV Tonight, “We developed our publicity website in consultation with journos and as a result, it delivers extremely well on its two key objectives. It gives journalists much greater control over accessing information and images – they can do so at the time best suited to them and choose the image they want.
“Secondly, it frees up publicists to strategise, publicise and pitch stories, as opposed to spending all their time selecting and emailing images and information.”
TV Tonight would also remind Publicists sending out Press Releases to attach an accompanying photo or risk having an image that does not communicate the message.
In online media it’s a simple rule of thumb: no photo / no story.
8 Responses
I believe I once saw someone with promo VCDs for My Name is Earl – so would the unnamed station be channel 7?
I might add TEN does regularly send out a DVD of photos to media. Nine and Seven still require press to liaise on every photo. Very sloowwwwww, very 9 – 5. ABC, SBS, Foxtel and a few other Pay channels all beat them.
JJabe: Yes that’s true not all journos want a large file clogging up inbox, good point. So the better answer is an FTP site. Not so much a whinge as a big tick for ABC. If I was going to whinge on this you would have read it ages ago. I believe readers like to know about behind-the-scenes machinations as much as on-screen. I touched on this subject last in April 2009 when some commercial networks told me they were looking to match ABC and free up staff, but it hasn’t happened. If you read that story you will see where several other online and print media backed up my point. I believe a big part of it is about networks wanting to control the story, only supplying pics when they know what the angle is. Some pics are exclusive for mag deals etc which is understandable, but as previously reported, they are also missing out on story opportunities, highlights in TV Guides etc by not offering an FTP site. Whinge or missed opportunities?
I would love to know who is sending out VCDs!!!
I wouldn’t go with that rule of thumb of sending an image. Many journalists do not like large files clogging up their inboxs without having asked for the image. And really should you be using your story to have a winge a publicists? not really very professional is it.
This is all very well, but it must have cost money and that money would have been better spent on something to publicise e.g. quality Australian drama and documentaries. The ABC now has fingers in myriad pies to the detriment of it’s core business ABC 1.
I agree David. They do well with answering questions from the public via social media especially. I would hope that the commercial networks have the same type of model for both journalists and viewers. Even if they do they don’t have it as to answering questions like the abc do.
Brilliant!!
Looks like they are catching up to the US network sites like abcmedianet.com that have advance schedules, press releases, photos, audio and streaming video for registered journos.