By Adam Wakefield
On Tuesday, 31 May, Discovery Networks CEEMA presented the findings of their latest report,
The Age of Curiosity, at Multichoice City in Johannesburg. The report, in association with Discovery Insights, focused on curiosity in the modern world and how it affects the way people view non-factual content.
A preview of some of the Discovery Network’s new content was also presented, with the likes of TLC, the Discovery Channel and ID X being the platforms where the new shows will air.
Speaking to Media Update after the presentation, Hobbs was asked where social media’s place is in relation to Discovery’s content, including new shows. His reply left no doubt about social media’s importance to Discovery Networks.
He pointed out that the curiosity research really showed that through
curiosity modes like going down the rabbit hole and fact farming, a lot of people are using social media and sites such as Wikipedia to satisfy their curiosity.
“We think it’s complimentary to what we offer. So often, what we’re finding from our research is that a programme on Discovery Channel is what stimulates, ‘Oh my word. I never knew that’, then they go into the rabbit hole, then they do their own online search and then they will come back to the channel, thinking ‘I’ve got to watch the next episode. It was so fascinating’,” Hobbs saud.
Discovery had seen a “real swing” between viewers watching a channel, moving onto social media and other online sites, then returning.
As such, Discovery had recently launched its own website for the Africa region, offering another platform viewers could engage on. It also allowed their viewers a place where they can do more fact farming and rabbit holing.
“People are using social media to talk about our channels and that’s one of the reasons why we
refreshed TLC’s brand recently,” Hobbs says.
“We created our own bespoke emojis, and the idea for this is when you are watching a programme like Two In A Million and you’re really touched by it, you text your friend or you comment on Facebook or Twitter about it. We’ve given them the collateral, the tools to do it even more and really express themselves, and we see TLC very much as a social brand.”
Discovery Networks broadcasts all over the world, so choosing content for a local markets such as South Africa is a considered process where local conditions and sensitivities are taken into consideration.
“Our team, the whole of emerging business, Africa, Middle East, Turkey and some of the Mediterranean countries, really work closely together to look at what content we think will work for viewer tastes, for the affiliates we have,” Hobbs explains.
“When looking at shows on Discovery Channel, TLC, ID X and Discovery Family, for us its really thinking what will really inspire viewers to stay with us. We’re really proud of the average-time-spent that we have for all of our channels.”
Every time Discovery look at a possible new show, there is a list they go through with the first item being whether a core Discovery or TLC viewer would say “That is brilliant. I love it”.
Another factor is if the show is “something different”, with Hobbs stating that Discovery prides itself on having programmes that cannot be found on any other channel. This is taken into account in concert with local cultural conditions, which Hobbs said are very important from Discovery’s standpoint.
Ultimately though, their primary focus is producing content that gives a firm “yes” to the question, “Is this really going to win over a viewer, make them stay with us and make them want to come back to us?”
“I think over the last 30 years, we’ve honed a tight strategy to really do that,” Hobbs said.