Forscene introduces new tool designed to increase broadcast audience engagement

Posted: 10/01/2017

Broadcasters and programme-makers can now easily incorporate user generated content into their edits and on social media with a new software development kit available on the Forscene cloud video platform. Dubbed Camera SDK, the tool is being used for the first time by Licklemor Productions to increase audience engagement on the popular Sky1 youth magazine show, What’s Up TV.

Camera SDK will allow Forscene clients to integrate Forscene’s Mobile Upload app into their existing applications – so that content recorded on mobile devices can be transcoded, uploaded to the cloud and made available in targeted projects on the cloud video platform.  In this way, high quality user generated content can be gathered at speed, reviewed by team members anywhere in the world and included in edits or published to social media directly from Forscene.

“The days of TV audiences passively consuming television programmes are over,” said Aziz Musa CEO of Forbidden.  “Today’s audiences want to engage with content, comment and contribute.  Producers that make it easy for their audiences to actively take part in their programmes will win the loyalty of their audience – and be able to use the insights from their viewers’ content to create programming that appeals to them – it’s a win-win situation.  Forscene is renowned for helping teams all over the world collaborate to create compelling video content – now we’re making it possible for the audience to become part of that team.”

Licklemor Productions incorporated Forscene into What’s Up TV’s workflow late in 2016, primarily as a tool for producers to create rough cuts of inserts before the formal edit.  After experimenting with  Forscene’s Mobile Upload App to incorporate behind-the-scenes footage into their stories, the producers saw the potential for using an app to increase audience engagement.  This led to the decision to create MYapp – an Android app that will use Forscene’s Camera SDK to gather content from the What’s Up TV audience. Initially user generated content will be featured on What’s Up TV’s social channels –  giving the audience an opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences relating to topics raised in the broadcast.

“When we were first approached by the Forscene team to use the SDK technology, I saw the instant benefits that this could add to our production work-flow and our engagement with the What’s Up TV audience,” said Bob Clarke, CEO of MAMA Youth Project which owns Licklmor Productions.  “We cater to a 16 to 35-year-old demographic who expect brands to engage with them on social media, but we think they’ll be excited by this new opportunity to use social media to participate in a broadcast television programme.  We’re looking forward to rolling it out over the coming months.”