Unit 32: Assignment 1-Task One: Understanding the purpose of television idents and the opportunities they present

Identifying the channel
Tv idents is a simple function to let viewers identify the channel that they are watching. Tv indents was first introduced in 1953 on the BBC channel as commercial adverts began to rapidly expand and viewers needed to be able to identify different channels. And the BBC first ident was nicknamed bat wings. Through out the years indents have changed by use of new technology which has played a large role in indents in the modern world.
The emergence of TV satellites in the early 1990s meant that TV indents were beginning to become more important to the BBC. They could also use different to identify areas in where you watch the BBC this is called broadcast regime for example when you are watching the BBC when it shows the ident it shows global view in what area you are in. Sometimes the BBC would used the map of regional areas to reflect the different areas that the BBC channels where shown in, for example BBC London or BBC midlands. In 1963 the BBC introduced the first moving ident which was the the globe would rotated as the BBC logo and a voice would announce that ''this is the BBC".


In 1964 BBC 2 arrived as the second television channel to be operated by the BBC (British Broadcast Corporation) in the UK.

Back in the early 1990s was the arrival of satellites television which means that television indents where becoming more important because  satellite television allowed to spread channels around the country and it is important to interact with the viewers making sure that they watch the popular channels and programmes.

Organising the schedule
Television indents are mainly created for the purpose of giving a channel an identity so i can stand out from the rest of the channels so it can attract more viewers. This is linked to the importance and purpose of branding through the use of television idents. Idents are also designed in a specific way that represents the specific television channel. This shows that an idents plays an important role when it comes to a channel schedule organising. This works because the idents are designed to be shot, creative and to blend everything that the television channel is symbolised for and what it portrays itself towards the audience.

  
An ident is an ideal chance to give the audience key information about the programme. By giving key information about the programme it will make the viewers to continue watching the programme. For example the BBC 1 idents shows what will be up next for there  channel like bbc news and they would also suggest what will be happening on bbc 3 and could mention programs like the 'family guy' will be up next, rather than switching to channels like itv who are big competitors with the bbc.









Segmentation of the schedule
Segmenting the schedule is vital to keeping the channel organised. The indents play an important role  in doing this. For example you can use idents to add time in between programmes to regulate the scheduling so you can fill in the remainder of the time. The BBC is a non-commercial channel so it does use advertisement between their programmes like channels such as itv or channel 4. Channels like itv and channel 4 use advertisement because thats the way make money by slotting in commercials. The BBC is all about embodying their channel and marketing purposes which makes their idents have a brat purpose. It also provides a break for the studio workers to get sorted with different shifts and so that they are ready to release the next programmes. Placing idents during segmenting of the schedule can also promote other programmes. For example on the day they show the programme such as strictly come dancing which would usually start late in the evening, during the day the ident would show a ballroom to represent what is coming up during the day.


Creating the right tone and appealing to the audience
When identifying a channel an ident is a chance to provide the audience with information about the channel. It can easily reflect the type of programmes that are shown on the channel. It is important that an ident sets the right tone for the channel it is on and is appealing for the target audience because when BBC four arrived it built its reputation on having more factual and informative programmes. The initial idents therefore reflected this by being formally written.  It is also important that the tone is set for an appropriate age group of the channel. Channels like the CBBC and Cbeebies show different idents that are appropriate for the different age groups they relate to.

This is a bbc four ident and a cbeebies ident. As you can see they are for different types of age groups. The bbc four ident show a calmer approach something for an older audience. The cbeebies ident is for younger age group for children below the age of seven. The cbeebies ident is a short ident with two yellow bubbles bouncing around and having fun similar to what young children would do.


The idents are very loud and colourful with lost of movement and excitement about it so it can interest the kids which makes the parents happy because it is appropriate. Its also important not to bore children in this age group because the idents have to be colourful and give excitement to children. If i saw a cbeebies ident about books and with no colour it would be boring to children and they would show no interest in watching programmes on it.



Creating corporate identity 
Television channels are no longer restricted to one country. Creating corporate identity helps to create a brand image in a range of different locations. Consistency across a range of channels such as the bbc helps to establish a corporate identify that can the be sold across the world.

Creating a brand and encouraging brand loyalty
Building a brand is vitally important for a channel. This will encourage a brand to stay loyal to the particular channel. An ident helps to support the brand of a particular channel by showing the audience so that they can recognise and become familiar with the logo and the style of the channel. By doing this is could also make the channel more popular. It is also a visual reminder for the audience of what the particular channel is and sticks into the minds of the audience. This will then be more likely for them to watch it again.

Branding of a particular content
This when an ident can be used be used to identify that particular content or a particular program that belongs to a certain channel and therefore the content will be branded. For example sports and news have their idents to match in order to be successful ident.

A television ident must have the right the right tone so that it can be appealing to the viewers. A good example of this is More 4 which recently had to re brand the entire channel image. More 4 is an adult entertainment channel the focused on insightful documentaries and political dramas. The channel ident before was in black and green this which did not really appeal to many of the viewers so they change it to be more attractive and accessible. There is now more lifestyle to the idents and ranges of colour which appealed to a lot of the viewers.

A marketing opportunity
An ident is a clever promotional tool for attracting an audience. A good example of this is the Christmas period  ITV would have christmas idents to bring in a wider audience because of the time of the year it which is christmas all idents will dedicated it towards christmas. The idents could show the are showcasing christmas specials and Christmas family films. This is very beneficial for the programme.