Case Study
TVN Warner Bros. Discovery innovates in delivering the Live Final of Poland’s Next Top Model 2022.
TVN Warner Bros. Discovery and NativeWaves collaborate to trial second screen usage.
As part of the trial, apart from the main TV feed, four additional camera feeds were made available as either single feeds or a split view to NativeWaves App viewers.
With terrestrial television, cable and internet streaming services now offering so much viewing choice, broadcasters are increasingly looking for new ways to attract audiences and retain existing ones.
With research¹ showing that the live streaming market is expected to grow at a rate of 28.8% until at least 2028 – and it being the first-choice source of entertainment and engagement with content for people of all ages – it is no surprise that many broadcasters are exploring this avenue in a bid to boost audience engagement.
Equally important is the use of second screen technology that delivers a personalised viewing experience across multiple screens. According to a Facebook IQ² in-home eye-tracking survey, 94% of participants kept a second screen – in this case a Smartphone – in their hand while watching TV.
Another survey³ reinforced this by finding that 95% of Gen Z online users utilized another device while watching TV. These 16-21-year-olds were most commonly using their smartphones to access social media (72%) and only one third of them were engaged in content related to the TV programme they were watching. According to the survey report, offering an engaging + experience on a connected device is key to shoring up advertising revenue and reducing churn, otherwise current customers and viewers may look for entertainment elsewhere.
Second screen technology undoubtedly has a major role to play in the future of broadcasting. Having the ability to download an App and gain access, via digital TVs, smartphones and tablets, to a wealth of additional content is now what viewers are demanding. According to the Mediakind 2021 Sports D2C Forecast⁴, there are four key features that rights holders need to employ if they want to keeping audiences engaged. These include highlights, which were requested by 88% of viewers; personalisation, which was requested by 48%; live stats, requested by 35%, and different camera angles, 30%.
There is also evidence that personalisation is something viewers are prepared to pay for – 96%, according to Sports Pro Media⁵, would pay an extra Euro 17 a month for a personalised channel if it was offered by broadcasters. That is more than the average monthly subscription price for most current streaming services.
Combining easy access to relevant content with the opportunity to consume it from a personalised perspective is highly appealing to viewers. It is also highly appealing to advertisers because it allows them to target campaigns at specific audiences.
In a recent White Paper published by SBS Belgium⁶, the authors argue that Addressable advertising could benefit nearly all stakeholders in the TV advertising ecosystem because it combines the strength of TV with the advantages of digital advertising, thus offers interesting opportunities for advertisers and consumers. “Broadcasters and distributors can charge higher prices and more targeted advertising can decrease advertising avoidance behaviour,” the authors say.
Video Week⁷ agrees, stating in a recent article that Addressable TV offers particularly interesting opportunities in Europe because of the widespread availability of premium free TV. “In the context of increased TV viewing over the past two years, both digitally and via broadcast, the ability to individually target ads within traditional TV programmes is an increasingly strong offering from an advertiser’s point of view,” it says.
It is against this backdrop that Poland’s premier media and entertainment company TVN Warner Bros. Discovery became one of the first to recognise the potential of Addressable TV Advertising – a market that, in 2022, accounted for 5% of global video advertising expenditure (approximately $7.5 billion per annum), according to Deloitte estimates.
The aim of TVN Warner Bros. Discovery’s trial was to investigate whether second screen innovation and personalisation might enhance its Addressable offering. NativeWaves EXP was deployed because the technology complements today’s standard broadcast and streaming experience by giving audiences the chance to explore a wealth of additional content at their leisure.
The programme chosen for the trial was the live final of Poland’s Next Top Model, a flagship series, which episodes reach up to over a million viewers. Based on Tyra Banks’ America’s Next Top Model, the show sees aspiring models compete against each other in a variety of competitions to win the title of Top Model and hopefully a successful career in the modelling business.
Christof Haslauer, CEO of NativeWaves, says: “The Multiview concept has been used to great effect on sports programming, but it was TVN Warner Bros. Discovery’s idea to trial it on a reality show. They chose NativeWaves EXP technology because we successfully partnered with them earlier in 2022 on the Individual Speedway World Championships, which were held in Poland and broadcast on TTV, the Group’s nationwide, free-to-air channel. NativeWaves EXP was used to make additional camera angles, including shots from the paddock and interviews with the riders, available to audiences watching on TV screens, computers, tablets, and smartphones. This was well received, and the Top Model trial was effective the follow up project.”
Iwona Kowalska, NativeWaves SVP Global Sales, adds: “The trial was conducted internally and was supported by the TVN Warner Bros. Discovery’s live production team. Its aim was to showcase the commercial opportunities of innovative personalisation that brings excitement to viewers and provides currently untapped opportunities to monetise the content already produced. The potential for using NativeWaves technology for multiple targeted product placements, via different cameras, had been identified as a very interesting tool that could increase ad revenues. The trial highlighted this to group stakeholders and key advertising sales customers who are looking to generate revenue from Addressable Advertising.”
The Top Model final, which took place on December 7th, 2022, was broadcast live from TVN’s studio in Warsaw. Apart from the main TV feed, four additional camera feeds were made available as either single feeds or a split view to NativeWaves App viewers. These captured the action from the model’s runway, the contestants and studio presenters. A fifth camera feed was located in the ‘Goggle Box’ – a second studio located offsite where two Polish stand up comediennes gave an alternative commentary on the action. The final camera feed was a smartphone operated by a celebrity fashion industry influencer who moved around the studio reporting on the event.
Dariusz Kałamarski, TVN Warner Bros. Discovery’s Technical Director, took charge of installation and managing all delivery services to prepare camera feeds for the Proof of Concept trial. Polish company Digital Terrestrial Services (DTS) took responsibility for systems integration and on-site support. The company also worked closely with the NativeWaves software team to embed NativeWaves EXP into the production workflow and capture the various camera angles, audio feeds and pre-produced clips and logos.
DTS Technical Director Christof Lubinski says: “We have worked with TVN Warner Bros. Discovery since its inception and have delivered many technical installations over the years. On this occasion the most complex part of the job was collaborating with the data team and understanding each other’s language. We also had to contend with a very short timeframe – we had less than two weeks from the original idea being mooted to the show going live.”
Christof Haslauer adds: “It was a very straightforward project because NativeWaves EXP was only handling Multiview, which can be easily delivered by our standard, off the shelf App. With NativeWaves EXP there are options to add overlays giving viewers additional information and to link through to social media, but that would have required a custom build and, on this occasion, there wasn’t time to do that.”
To test the concept, TVN Warner Bros. Discovery sent emails to approximately 100 stakeholders inviting them to download the NativeWaves EXP App and experience a premium production of Top Model Final in Poland. Nearly 150 people clicked on the link and even more watched the final online, switching between different camera angles at least three times.
“We assumed that a maximum of 100 people would watch the event on the App, so we were delighted with the interest shown and the uptake,” Iwona Kowalska says. “Given how much we exceeded our own expectations, I am really thankful that TVmNuWcharner Bros. Discovery, DTS and NativeWaves were able to collaborate with full success in such a short timeframe. Sitting at the event and being able to experience ultra-low latency streaming was very rewarding.”
All those involved in this project have deemed it a success. It was delivered without any technical issues and exceeded expectations in terms of the number of people taking part.
Christof Haslauer says: “What I really liked was the creativity this project inspired. In a Multiview sports programme, you tend to get the same action but just from different camera angles. In this trial, however, there was footage from a second studio, from an influencer’s smartphone and from the actual studio so the viewer got plenty of added value.”
Haslauer adds that TVN Warner Bros. Discovery’s focus on quality meant that the content was very well produced and was therefore able to tell a better story.
“To incorporate a camera and audio from a second studio does require more budget, but the people watching really liked it because they were getting something extra,” he says. “However, for content creators who don’t have large budgets there are things you can do with smartphone footage that would also work. It may be raw, but it still adds a different dimension to the story telling.”
From a business perspective, Iwona Kowalska believes this trial has highlighted a huge, untapped market that will ultimately benefit from personalised viewing.
“This trial has the potential to open up a huge market for second screen technology, and in particular NativeWaves EXP,” she says. “Until now the focus has been mainly on sports programming, but TVN Warner Bros. Discovery has shown that it also suits other formats such as reality TV, hobby-oriented programming, morning shows etc. This will be very interesting to advertisers because it allows them to see what content audience are choosing to watch and, by using Dynamic Ad Insertion, target campaigns directly at them. It is very exciting.”
At DTS, Christof Lubinski adds: “I was in TVN’s control room while the Top Model Final was being broadcast, supporting people who were watching with NativeWaves EXP and explaining how viewers and advertising agencies might use this creative technology in the future. With this trial we didn’t have time to integrate advertising content and direct viewers to company web pages, but all of that is feasible and I hope the next trial we carry out will be fully synchronised with ad content. This was a perfect adventure and a great start that highlighted many more possibilities.”
TVN Warner Bros. Discovery was also delighted with the trial. Coverage of the trial, including a screenshot of the NativeWaves App, featured on Warner Bros. Discovery’s corporate workplace, and was seen by WBD staff around the world. Wiktor Przeorski, the broadcaster’s Chief Production Officer, held several business presentations internally targeting Advertising and business planning teams.
Commenting after the event Wiktor Przeorski said: “We took the risk of running the test with a very stretched timeline of 14 days. We invested in comedians and an influencer’s feed and can say that everyone was delighted with the results. It looked fantastic and I am happy with the outcome, which exceeded our expectations as more viewers than we assumed were interested in watching the finale of the 11th season of Poland’s Next Top Model on the NativeWaves App. Their engagement drove switching between different, fully synchronized camera angles. I liked the ultra-low latency achieved, as well.”
Technical Director Dariusz Kalamarski, who championed the technical implementation and first technical test of NativeWaves EXP, adds: “Everything worked perfectly, and we all felt the excitement of creating something new. NativeWaves EXP offered an experience that will be something we think about implementing in future projects.”
¹ www.databridgemarketresearch.com/
² www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/mobile-and-tv-between-the-screens
³ www.statista.com/statistics/295016/teens-tv-internet-second-screen-usage
⁴ www.mediakind.com/2021SportsD2CForecast
⁵ www.sportspromedia.com/news/uk-soccer-fans-personalised-tv-channels-subscription-premier-league-study
⁶ www.v-net.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Whitepaper-Future-of-TV-Advertising.pdf
⁷ videoweek.com/2022/02/01/international-advertisers-tap-into-addressable-tv-for-new-opportunities-to-reach-european-audiences/
