Children’s and youth television and the convergence of media: A look at the interactive cross-media case “puggandplay” EuroITV 2005, Ålborg 1. april 2005 Brit Svoen, Ph.D Student, Lillehammer University College, Norway

Introduction Background for the project –Trends Digital and converging technological development New and interactive services, user patterns and ways of social interactions –(Traditional) television is challenged by its “digital environment” The interest for television decreases by viewers also having access to internet and broadband – e.g. Internet more popular than television among young adults in USA –Interactive Digital Television will be an option for most households in less than five years Digital terristerial broadcast network will be completed in Norway in 2009 ): Television is in a kind of intermediate phase where it is important to gain experiences My Ph.D project is part of the research project Television in a digital environment (TiDE) at Lillehammer University College, which aim is to analyse the consequences of digitalisation, convergence and new media for television.

The PhD project ”at a glance” How do young people respond to the interactive possibilities they are offered? How do cross-media aesthetics develop? How do producers use the different media (television, internet, mobile phone)? Audience / usersTelevision and new mediaProduction Television Web site Database Main objective: How television for children and youth is influenced by the ongoing technological media convergence Media convergence Interactivity New media User interface - new modi – new forms of expressions

The project’s target group: Children and youth They are enthusiastic and among the firsts to use new technology, they are the social group using most media, often combining them, they are exploring and they utilize the interactive possibilities in media according both to services and social relationships ): Producers often address this people when they experiment with new programme concepts, ways of communications and aesthetics

Case study: “Puggandplay” A Cross-media learning resource –three weekly TV broadcasts at NRK1 (Norway's public broadcaster and major broadcasting institution) –a web site ( consisting ofhttp:// an answer database with more than questions and answers (“homework help”), a link collection (2400 secured links to learning resources), pedagogical games and streamed versions of earlier TV broadcasts. –SMS and The production is a cooperation between an independent television production company (Fabelaktiv as), an academic institution (Hedmark University College) and a private Internet company (Apropos Internett as) Target group: years old childrenMedia Use: Television, Internet, Mobile Phone Production A Television Production Company (Fabelaktiv as ) An Academic Institution (Hedmark University College) An Internet Company (Apropos Internet as)

Interactivity Framework Bordewijk & van Kaam, 1986, Jens F. Jensen 1998, 2001 Transmissional interactivity A measure of a media’s potential ability to let the user choose from a continuous stream of information in a one way media system without a return channel and therefore without a possibility for making requests. Registrational interactivity A measure of a media’s potential ability to registrer information from and thereby also adapt and or respond to a given user’s needs and actions, whether they be the user’s explicit choice of communication method or the system’s built-in ability to automatically “sense” and adapt. Consultational interactivity A measure of a media’s potential ability to let the user choose by request, from an existing selection of preproduced information in a two way media system with a return channel. Conversational interactivity A measure of a media’s potential ability to let the user produce and input his/her own information in a two way media system, to be stored or in real time. Information produced by a central provider Information produced by the consumer Distribution controlled by a central provider Distribution controlled by the consumer Interactivity may be defined as a measure of a media’s potential ability to let the user exert an influence on the content and/or form of the mediated communication. (Jensen 1998:201)

Interactivity may be defined as a measure of a media’s potential ability to let the user exert an influence on the content and/or form of the mediated communication. (Jensen 1998:201) Interactivity in Puggandplay Bordewijk & van Kaam, 1986, Jens F. Jensen 1998, 2001 Information produced by a central provider Information produced by the consumer Distribution controlled by a central provider Distribution controlled by the consumer Transmissional interactivity TV broadcasts 3 times a week (Monday – Wednesday pm.) Registrational interactivity The webbased “homework help” database (questions and answers), response to competitions ( , SMS/MMS), voting Consultational interactivity The web site, including link collection, Web-TV and internet games Conversational interactivity and SMS/MMS communication with the production team and the subject expertices

[Early findings:Q1] Do the new media open up for a broader participation in the programme production? No representatives from the target group in the production team, but most of the programme topics are based on suggestions from the audience (users) through conversational interactivity Close collaboration and “responsibility sharing” between three production partners Teachers and students involved in answering the questions asked on the website, making it possible to have an response rate close to 90% ): The case– by means of various interactive possibilities, cross media use and organisational model - seems to have a broader participation than most traditional concepts.

[Early findings:Q2] For what purposes are the different media used? –The various media seem to have explicit functions: TV is the direct and ”live” contact with the audiences, trying to motivate and make them curious. ): Guide the users to the website The website is the arena for further explorations, and the main medium for interactivity (consultational) The mobile phone is mainly used for competions – least used medium –Users primarily do not respond to the TV producer, but mainly uses the website

–The internet activity shows a significant increase during broadcast time, indicating that the users have access to Internet while watching television –For non-broadcast days, the internet activity is typically lower and more evenly spread - even if the website is increasingly used as a stand-alone learning resource [Early findings:Q3] How, and to what degree, will the audience become activated because of the increased possibilities for interactivity? Table: Example on Puggandplay website activity on a day with and without TV broadcast.

Tendencies Further studies necessary, but it may seem that –According to the case-study, use of various media cross- media use can be used and combined in building a service in a way that seems to increase the total use of it, including use of the various interactive possibilities and the total use of the service –An organisational structure involving different kind of institutions may enhance the quality of the service and the user participation