Friday, November 29, 2013

Follow up thoughts on wine tv.


I'm a vegetarian. Why aren't there more vegetarian cooking TV programmes for people like me and my fellow vegetarians?

I love ballet. So do lots of my friends. Why don't the TV companies put on more dance programmes for us?

I'm a beer fanatic. I'm sick and tired of the BBC not broadcasting shows about serious ales. My mates at the Dog & Parrot would all tune in.

I'm passionate about wine. I want more wine TV.

Unless he is dealing with an established audience - such as soccer fans or people interested in cooking - the very last people whom any broadcaster needs to listen to when deciding what to commission are the hard-core enthusiasts. Of course they want more TV programming about their favourite subject - for the same reason my kids want more time playing computer games: that's what they like.

The real challenge lies in lining up non vegetarians, non ballet-lovers, non beer-fans and non wine-enthusiasts who are likely to tune in. The genius of Strictly has been to attract the interest of millions of people with no interest in ballroom dancing. And I'd say that a large part of that particular success lies in combining celebrities with the narrative arc of watching people struggle to achieve something difficult.

Afterthought: whether Strictly has actually made many people rush off to join dance classes is another question - as is the number of cookery show viewers who've really cooked more than a handful of the recipes they've seen.

PS I'm not a vegetarian by the way - or a ballet lover. I do love beer and wine but don't expect there to be more TV programmes on either

1 comment:

  1. I think it is also about adding something of value to peoples lifestyle - which is why Strictly et al I have never watched

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