Building television programme brands in the digital multi-channel world – perspectives of the uk television professionals.

Abstract

This is a pioneering study of television programmes from a brand management perspective by bringing together published literature in line with industry perspectives on programme and channel branding in the UK. The research traces the development of broadcast branding from its visual brand image era to today’s strategic brand thinking and management of individual programme brands by studying the role brand management plays in broadcasting today in the UK. The study concludes that broadcast brands are being compared more often to retail brands with the TV channel being a store and a programme being a product or line. It establishes the growing prominence of programme brands, the reasons for it and how it affects the resulting changes in relationship between the producers and broadcasters, besides shedding light on how programme brand extensions will develop in the future. At the same time, it says that the channel brands are poised to grow and consolidated in this highly fragmented multi-channel digital world driven by interactive, convergent and user-friendly technologies. Finally, it underlines the growth of non-broadcast commercial brands (in terms of advertiser funded content) which will play a major role in shaping how the programme and channel brands are built. Conducted in three months time as part of a Master’s degree submission, the research uses qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled industry professionals within an interpretive research philosophy. Though it does not deduce any theory, it adds to the definitive knowledge of programme and channel brand management in broadcasting today in the UK.