Production trends for 2022: It’s crazy (we agree) but 2022 is just a few weeks away.
2021 has been another one for the record books, proving yet again that the only constant is change. Changes in how (and even where) you can produce programming. Changes in how your audience wants to expects to absorb and interact with content.
With production planning in full swing for next year, we want to make sure you’re one step ahead of the change. Team Tagboard is fortunate to work alongside some of the most innovative organizations in media, sports, and entertainment who are constantly evolving the ways in which they produce content and tell stories. With these innovators in mind, here are the top four production trends we have our eyes on for 2022. 👀
#1. Two screens are still better than one
Consider this: what are you doing while you’re on your couch watching TV…scrolling Twitter? Texting your friends about the show? You’re not alone.
45% of people say they always, or very often use a digital device while watching TV, and 71% of people say they’re looking up information related to the content they’re watching (Nielsen). It’s a ripe time to capitalize on an audience that has already made it a habit to look at their phone.
While people can access their favorite shows or streams from pretty much any device these days, the majority of people are still opting to watch streaming video on television sets (AudienceProduct), leaving their phones and tablets free to further engage with what they are watching (more on that later).
So how can you do it?
- Additive social live streams: Need an example of someone killing the game? Look no further than FOX Sports’ watch parties that are built around both events live on their air and events they don’t have rights to broadcast.
FOX Sports Vice President of Digital Content Michael Bucklin said, “we thought, how do we put together a complementary experience for those events that is specifically engineered for the digital fan?…These interactive experiences are just a different way to enjoy a game. We think they’re the future.” Check out their College Football Live Tailgate (and peep the graphics Produced with Tagboard while you’re watching!).
We’re getting first half grades on @OhioStateFB QB CJ Stroud from @BeanieWells26, @CJ1two, @geoffschwartz and @RJ_Young. https://t.co/MKnhejtMkH
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 27, 2021
(Sponsored by @indeedforSMB #FindYourMVP)
- Gamify it: Your viewer is smart, and they want the chance to prove just how smart they are. The Detroit Lions did a great job of gamifying the NFL Draft Day experience by creating a “Play GM” game for fans at home, powered by Tagboard Interactive. They received more than 500 votes, and drove every participant right into their own website in the process.
- Extended digital coverage: You likely have more content than you have space for in the rundown, so 2022 is a great time to leverage it in a digital second-screen experience. #Tip: Use a QR code to drive your audience from one screen to another. News 12 used a QR code to drive viewers on air to extended weather coverage online, and got 19,000 scans in just a few hours.
#2. Do it live…from anywhere
If you had told me 10 years ago that someday I’d be able to produce the news from my living room, I probably would have laughed at you. It was difficult then to picture a world where you didn’t need a control room full of multi-million dollar equipment, and a staff 23 people deep to put a few hours of news live on the air. Today, I’m laughing at 2011 me.
Let’s break it down: Out of more than 500 broadcast & video streaming professionals surveyed by Haivision:
- 59% of organizations have more than half of their workforce working from home
- 39% say they are already using remote production
- 46% say at-home technology will be one of the most important trends for their organization in the future
The past few years have proven that remote production is not only doable, but that it has some big benefits. Allowing your crew to be anywhere in the world is more cost effective, and reduces the amount of equipment you have to buy. Have a laptop? You can be a producer. This year Tagboard helped remotely produce the Emmy Awards, the College Football Playoff, and a post-Super Bowl concert, to name a few things, all from hundreds if not thousands of miles away from the master control rooms.
Producing in the cloud is flexible and quicker to implement. (I’m certainly no designer but I can spin up a graphic in Tagboard Graphics in about 10 seconds, which would have easily taken me 5-10 minutes to create on the hardware system I won’t name, but used to use.) Plus, remote production opens the door to be more collaborative since you no longer have to cram people into a tiny (and let’s be honest, probably overly air-conditioned) production truck.
Remote production simplifies the process, without jeopardizing the complexity or professionalism of the output. TL;DR It’s here to stay. If you haven’t started yet, 2022’s your time and Tagboard’s ready to help.
#3. Make your productions shoppable and earn 💰
Let’s keep it plain and simple. It’s the trend that the industry doesn’t just want, but needs in 2022: make money.
As the world continues to return to normalcy, we’re seeing organizations seek creative opportunities to drive revenue in a way that’s more than just a logo slap or selling an extra commercial break. Hasbro hosted its first-ever livestream shopping event, Hulu jumped into the ecommerce game, and social networks themselves like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are rolling out more shoppable features.
So in 2022, try adding a QR code to drive viewers to your other revenue-driving platforms, such as your app or website. (Did we mention Tagboard Graphics has a one-click QR code generator?) Or try hosting real-time trivia or polling, and pop a sponsor discount code into the post-vote message. Creating content with an organic sponsorship opportunity attached can give you three easy wins:
- Keep viewers in your owned properties from start to finish vs. sending them into another commercial break and risking tune out
- Cross-channel campaigns that span across broadcast, digital, and in venue mean opportunities for more $$$
- And at the end of the day, your content gets more creative. #WinWinWin
#4. Engagement is more than showing selfies
There’s nothing wrong with a social wall. Don’t get us wrong. But in 2022, your viewer wants more than that. Viewers don’t want to be spoken to anymore. They want to be spoken with.
Between linear television, digital media, social feeds, an ever-expanding OTT field…viewers have so many competing options of where to consume content. Offering a truly interactive experience where the viewer has a deliberate voice to drive programming won’t just make your content richer; it creates a competitive advantage.
So instead of slapping a post on a ticker and calling it good, how about sourcing real-time questions using Tagboard to drive your interview? Or polling your audience and stacking your rundown based on their responses? There’s certainly no shortage of content; according to Twitter, there are six new Tweets about TV every second.
The unexpected side effect of encouraging participation is your viewer will amplify your brand’s reach, driving additional awareness and tune-in from an audience you may not have touched otherwise. According to AdAge, people exposed to fandom conversation on Twitter tuned in at a rate 2.5 times higher than people exposed to paid media alone.
Whatever it is you’re planning for 2022, we can’t wait to tune in. To join the conversation and post about it. To help you make money on it. Better yet, can we help you produce it? 😉
