Understanding the purpose of television idents and the opportunities they present

Stefan ConstantinouUnit 32 – Task 1

Identifying the channel

More 4 has a very obscure way of identifying itself due to its variety of colours which is quite positive. The More4 logo is identified the way it is supposedly because of the number of colours on it emphasizes the variety of shows they offer. They offer a range of diverse programmes such as: One Born Every Minute USA, Grand Designs Australia, Heston’s Italian Revolutionaries, Britain: My New Home and Afghan Army Girls.

Organising the schedule All programmes on More4 are shown at a common time in comparison to BBC and ITV. This shows that unlike channels like BBC Three that air at 7pm, this is viewable for all ages at all times before the watershed. A narrative is used usually on BBC programs with the TV ident in the background moving with an animation.

An example of another way they organize the schedule is showing an ident associated with the program on next, such as a football ident relating to ‘Match of the Day’.

Segmentation of the scheduling TV shows are more explicit after the watershed as they are then given permission to swear and portray things seen offensive. E4 air shows such as ‘2 Broke Girls’ after 9pm as they say things such as ‘Bitch… Slag… Slut…’. Shows such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’ use intellectual humour and have no need to use explicit humor.

This ice skating ident is shown before ice skating associated shows such as Strictly Come Dancing. This is done so the audience can easily recognize what program is on through the BBC One ident.

Corporate identityA successful corporate identity would

be making people be able to recognize your ident with small detail.

Even when the channel is off or on air, the ident should be immediately noticeable by the audience.

BBC Three is a good example because it has a distinctive colour of pink.

This unique colour of pink and the informal font makes a suggestion that it’s for a selective audience, in this case young people aged 16-30.

Creating a brand and encouraging brand loyalty

Creating a group/loyal atmosphere involving the audience in their brand makes them feel a part of building on the original identity. For example, if E4 brought out a really good program that someone really enjoyed, but that series ended, the person would look for another series or program to watch on the same channel.

Branding of particular content

Another benefit is that the ident can be corresponded with the program that is on next. For example, FOX are famous for the show ‘Family Guy’ and display a short ident before the program starts to let the audience know that the two shows are related. Another example is ‘The Walking Dead’ on FOX, they are famous for this and it brings attraction towards the channel.

Creating the right tone and appealing to the target audience

It is important that an ident sets the right tone for the channel it’s displayed on and is appealing for the set target audience. As well as simply identifying a channel an ident is a chance to provide the audience with information about that channel. When BBC Two arrived, it built it’s reputation on having more factual and informative programming. The initial idents therefore reflected this by being formally written.

Packaging and Repackaging a series of programs or events

Channels will rebrand and repackage TV idents so they are associated with the holiday or event at the time. For example, during Christmas time, they will display snowmen and other Christmas themes.

A marketing opportunity

An ident is a clever promotional tool for attracting an audience. An example of this is during Christmas time ITV would have Christmas idents to bring in a wider audience due to there dedication to the time of year. The films they display relevant to the time of year also make people want to tune in, this is beneficial toward there programming.