Yoichiro Tsunoda × Hiroki Nakamura × Masayoshi Park × Yoshimitsu Sawamoto "Creating Tomorrow's Television" Meeting! (Part 1)

Dentsu Design Talk #96 (held March 5, 2013), titled "The 'Creating Tomorrow's Television' Meeting!", featured a discussion on producing interactive television programs with viewer participation. The panelists were: Yoichiro Tsunoda from TBS Television; Hiroki Nakamura from PARTY, known for creative work utilizing digital technology; Masayoshi Park, President of VASQUEL, leading the development of interactive program expression; and Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, CM Planner and Creative Director (Dentsu Inc. Communication Design Center).

(Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Human Resources Bureau, Aki Kanahara / Article Editing: Sugatsuke Office / Composition Cooperation: Eiji Kobayashi)

First, we introduce footage from the TBS live interactive program 'MAKE TV' (aired late night on March 6, 2012), produced with the involvement of Tsunoda, Nakamura, and Park. The program featured a project to create the music video for American pop duo Kermin's debut song "Crash Your Party," allowing viewers to participate in real-time via a dedicated smartphone or tablet app. During the recording, the two members of Kermin moved around a set inside a huge warehouse. When the word "PUSH" appeared on TV screens at various locations, viewers rapidly tapped the switch in the app. Once the number of pushes exceeded a certain threshold, a "CRASH" mechanism on the set activated, progressively destroying the party set. The total number of pushes recorded exceeded 7 million. The program also linked with Twitter and Facebook, displaying participants' account names on screen when they pushed.

Regarding the project's intent, Nakamura stated, "It was created with a prototype feel, demonstrating a future vision that synthesizes the multi-screen world of smartphones and tablets with television." In contrast, Mr. Tsunoda revealed from the broadcaster's perspective, "There was considerable debate internally about whether it was acceptable to display the 'PUSH' prompt at the center of the TV screen, or whether to insert a wipe showing the talent in the studio in the top left corner." He further pointed out that the question, "Will people who aren't participating actually watch the TV? Will they find it entertaining?" will be a key consideration when producing future interactive programs.

Next, Mr. Park introduced another TBS viewer-participation live discussion program, 'Great Flaming Live TV' (aired late night on September 28, 2012). Viewers could vote YES or NO via an app on opinions stated by panelists during the show. Voting results were displayed in real-time on screen, alongside Twitter tweets linked to their accounts. What distinguished it from 'MAKE TV' was that the app screen also changed in real time. "It was the first program that truly challenged us by having the smartphone screen completely synchronized with the program's progress," he stated. Regarding the future direction of "TV and smartphone" linked programs, Nakamura expressed his sense that "a growing number of people, primarily younger individuals within the TV industry, are starting to feel a sense of crisis that television must change."

Meanwhile, Kakuta explains his interest in digital and events stemmed from questioning the reliance of TV programs on sponsor revenue, primarily driven by ratings. "The current thinking is that if we first generate revenue from live events as content, then allow viewers to enjoy that content on TV too, we can generate revenue from both. Furthermore, by incorporating elements during the broadcast that allow viewers to participate via their smartphones or other devices, we could significantly lower the barrier to entry for participants in such media."

So, is this "TV and smartphone" integrated style merely transitional? And what form will "tomorrow's television" take beyond this?

[Continued in the second half ]
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