Digital First: a Better World for Audiences and Talent?

It’s undeniable: we’re living and working in a digital world dictated by data, metrics and personalisation. 

Whilst still treading the line between the old and the new, the UK’s TV industry is undergoing a seismic shift in the way it produces, packages and distributes content - one that may inadvertently also provide the solution to one of our sector’s other biggest challenges - representation on and off screen. 

Of course, digital isn't new, but we’re fast approaching a watershed moment (quite literally) with both the BBC and Channel 4 confirming plans to be digital-first broadcasters - the latter by 2030. 

The move away from linear broadcasting is effectively a re-shaping of the market, and many of us - freelancers and indies alike - are feeling first-hand the sharp impact of linear schedules being thinned out as we struggle to secure work.

But once the industry has found its feet again, could this switch-up present us with a critical opportunity to revitalise the industry, connect with audiences like never before and act on under-representation on a scale not yet seen? 

At Gritty Talent, we think the answer is yes - because digital first content changes how we think about core audiences, what stories to tell, and who has the skills and platform to tell them.

Digital first content presents an exciting possibility to reach global audiences, unconstrained by platform, genre or schedule.

Digital Media’s Got Talent   

Let’s take the challenge of trying to reach younger audiences. Research shows that as little as 10% of Gen Z audiences prefer TV over social media (70%) and SVoDs (20%).

As producers of world-class content, it is now our job to understand what is working well for this core audience group - who make up over 30% of the global population - and serve them in the places and spaces they love to consume content, with authentic characters and stories. 

A perfect example of this in action would be the ‘Sidemen’ - a collective of diverse creators who’ve built a media empire off the back of their friendship. Starting with video game streams, pranks and general antics, the group was able to capture a generation of global fans through their relatable, unserious and unfiltered content. They’re now all multimillionaires with a production quality on par with TV.

Amelia Dimoldenburg, who started her career with her wildly popular ‘Chicken Shop Date’ YouTube series of celebrity interviews, enjoys a presenter career in TV and is an Olay brand ambassador. She’s arguably the perfect example of more classic ‘Britishness’ (even if her dry, sarcastic and deadpan humour is exaggerated) translating to younger, global audiences. 

This year, content creator and biomedical post-grad Big Manny made his debut on Blue Peter, performing experiments for the young audience and speaking in his local East London dialect. His combination of education and London-centric vernacular has amassed him a total of 3.1 million global followers globally on TikTok and Instagram. This subversion of expectation challenges unconscious biases, and its success is a huge indicator of what new audiences want - authenticity; relatability; cultural relevance.

These examples are just a slice of what’s out there, but there really is a successful content creator for every audience. Think about the leap the industry could make in tackling under-representation if it was tapping into these creators and hiring teams of people who not only understand the content, but reflect the target audience too?

Now think what could happen if we were able to combine these grass roots, multiskilled diverse talent with the knowledge, experience and resources of our sector? Where can we take it to the next level? TikTok-first Drama series? Instagram-exclusive documentaries? Snapchat Game Show?! That might sound ridiculous now, but come back to this blog in two year’s time…

By tapping into upcoming talent from all backgrounds, not only would the industry be bringing new creatives and fresh ideas into the sector, it would also be producing a higher volume of content that would arguably be much more cost effective to produce. 

Getting on Track

That the TV industry is heading in this direction is no longer up for debate, but how do we do it well? Channel 4’s Content Creatives initiative aimed at young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds is a great sign that broadcasters are exploring the possibilities; as is BBC recent Creator Lab initiative, featuring disability activist and Gritty Talent’s Dr Amy Kavanagh. 

Whether this signals the sort of shift we’ve detailed in this blog is hard to say - there’s a lot going on right now. But we have a real opportunity to tackle some of the sector's biggest challenges by tapping into our diverse pool of tech-savvy, multiskilled, homegrown talent and working with them to shape the content of tomorrow and bring audiences, revenue and vitality back into the TV industry.