BT Premium Rate Services (PRS) ‘In a Box’ New Revenue Streams for Your TV Channel

PRS – The ConceptOne of the largest costs for any digital TV channel is that of the transmission and playout service, and a major concern is themaximisation of revenue opportunities for the channel. BT Mediaand Broadcast has therefore teamed up with BT agilemedia, and is delighted to offer you the opportunity to offset the cost of your transmission service using BT’s Premium Rate Services (PRS) ‘In a Box’. PRS is based on audience interactivity and the service will help you whether you are an emergent or anestablished TV channel.

With PRS, digital channels can incorporate professionalparticipation media services into their programming formats. PRS is suitable for all channels, whether the audience is in the1000’s or 100,000’s.

The revenues gained from PRS are generated by Premium Ratemechanics both on the telephone and SMS.

BT Media and Broadcast BT Media and Broadcast has worked with broadcasters for over 40 years. We offer a fully managed and integrated worldwidesatellite and fibre network. A combination of digital fibre, aworldwide fixed and mobile uplink infrastructure, and unrivalledsatellite capacity means total global coverage for broadcasters’ full time or ad hoc contribution and distribution requirements, for video, audio and data transmissions.

Our Eurobird Direct To Home (DTH) service provides broadcastersaccess to an audience of 7 million UK households. BT Media andBroadcast currently have over 20 customers, operating more than55 channels on our Eurobird Multiplexes.

BT agilemediaBT agilemedia provides premium rate services and solutions for the participation media marketplace. It has a strong track record of managing mass televotes and competitions for many of themajor TV campaigns such as Pop Idol, The X-Factor, Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. BT agilemedia understandshow to maximise response and revenues for a channel and offersan extensive portfolio of tried and tested products.

BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communication services, and is at the forefront of media and broadcasttechnologies. We develop innovative applications to enable broadcasters, content owners, service providers andproduction companies to maximise opportunities in this sector.

Features and Benefits

No Additional OverheadsRevenue generation stems from interactivity, withabsolutely no increase in overheads. It is driven bycontent that can sit alongside your channel’s editorialand requires no additional technical resources, orincreased facilities. With PRS, digital channels canincorporate professional participation media servicesinto their programming formats. PRS is completely free of set up costs.

Extra RevenuesMany channels already benefit from the extra revenuesderived from direct response interactivity, and it hasbecome core revenue for many. In almost all cases, this is with no prior knowledge of this market area. It is quite common for a channel with an average rating of only 0.1 to generate in excess of £50,000 per month from services promoted on air.

MeasurementOn-line reporting via username and password enablesthe channel to check response levels on a real timebasis. This offers valuable insight into audiencebehaviour by time of day and shows the revenue returns being generated.

Easy Set UpImplementing BT’s PRS is easy with pre-packed voiceand data products that suit any channel, irrespective of the content or viewing audience. The service is fully managed.

Competitions With this format, a viewer responds to a multiple-choicecompetition question and the winner is selected at random from allthe correct entries.

Viewers respond to a multiple-choice question by pressing 1, 2 or 3then leave their contact details. They can also text KEYWORD andthe letter A, B OR C to a 5-digit short code.

Competitions can accompany almost any programme either withineditorial or as an adjoined slot at the end of a programme or section(into commercial break). They are already popular and viewers arefamiliar with the formats. Prizes are relevant to the theme of theprogramme or the channel.

Data captureViewers call to request a brochure or information and their detailsare captured and passed to the Channel. The viewer’s voice filesincluding name, address, postcode and contact telephone numberare then either accessed or downloaded onto CD.

Promotions for data capture services are often a text overlay at thebottom of the screen. It is particularly useful for holiday andshopping channels or where a database of potential customers isvaluable for future targeted marketing. Subscription channels withassociated print titles can also benefit.

VotingWith live or ‘as live’ programmes, audience voting is a popularformat. The viewer registers their vote by pressing the relevant keyon the telephone keypad. If using SMS, the viewer texts KEYWORDto a 5-digit short code.

BT’s voting products can also be automated to provide real timeresults on screen with overlays.

Mobile content Includes ring tones, alerts, pictures, graphics, wallpapers, and logos.

The viewer keys in the reference code of the product they require orcan browse through available content by category. Then they key inthe mobile phone number to which the content should be delivered.They can also text the reference number to the short code and thecontent will be delivered to that handset.

The telecommunications services described in this publication are subject to availability and may be modified from time to time. Services and equipmentare provided subject to British Telecommunications plc’s respective standard conditions of contract. Nothing in this publication forms any part of a contact.© British Telecommunications plc 2005. Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. Registered in England No: 1800000.

The PRS ‘In a Box’ Products:

For more information, contact

Email: btmediabroadcast@bt.com

Why Choose BT?A fully managed service can often be the easiest way tosee the gain without the pain. BT Media and Broadcastand BT agilemedia will find the correct solution for yourneeds, and our specialists are ready to talk to you.

Deployment is fast – campaigns can be set up inminutes. BT also has specialists who can offer advice on how best to use the formats in line with yourchannel’s content and target audience. We would bedelighted to discuss this opportunity in detail with you.

Auction / reverse auctionViewers key in the value of their bid and leave their contactdetails. There are various options: a straightforward auction looksfor the highest bid, while reverse auctions seek the lowest uniquebid. SMS users will text KEYWORD NNNN (i.e. value) to thespecial BT-provided short code.

Auction services are similar to competitions on production andprizes. They can either be used by auction channels themselves,where the bids are relayed to the channel’s own bidding engine or as an alternative to competitions. With the latter, either thehighest bid or lowest unique bid wins