Unit 3: Awareness of Converging Digital Technology in the Creative Media Sector

1.1 Describe the uses of digital technology within the Creative Media sector and the relationships this has created between industries in the sector.

Mobile phones can now be used for several different things. Photos and videos can be shared through apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We can also read news and share information in these apps. You can also listen to music through apps such as Spotify and TuneIn Radio.

We can now also use apps such as Facebook as well as TV apps such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix on Smart TV's and game consoles, giving us a wider range of ways to view media.

Convergence has allowed TV companies to get their programs out to more people in many different ways. E.g. Channel 4 has 4OD, which is an app that allows people to catch up on channel 4 programs at any time they want. They also have a channel on YouTube, which allows them to be able to advertise their programs by showing snippets of upcoming shows. Advertising companies also work with social networking sites such as Facebook to find out what people want, allowing them to create a better product and get it out to the right people and in the right way. Also, companies that create the programs can have their shows shown on apps such as Netflix, allowing their programs to be viewed at any time and for a longer period of time, rather than them only being available on TV and for a week on demand.

1.2 Describe key Intellectual Property and copyright issues, related to digital technology and content creation.

An example of intellectual property is a piece of creative material. It is illegal to use this material without the permission of its creator due to the Copyright, Designs and Patents act.

The Copyright, Designs and Patents act only protects literary work, dramatic work, musical work, artistic work, films, sound recording and broadcasts.

An example of an issue between 2 companies that concerns the Copyright, Designs and Patents act is the feud between Samsung and Apple. The reason these 2 companies are at each other is due to how Samsung have allegedly copied Apple technology in their smart phones and tablets rather than creating their own, which has caused Apple to file a lawsuit against Samsung.

2.1 Explain what is meant by 'Converging Technology'

Technological convergence is when different technological systems evolve towards performing similar tasks. E.g. many people used to listen to music through the radio but now, due to technological convergence, most people will listen to music through their phones.

Before technological convergence started to really take place as big as it has today, we would need several pieces of equipment to perform different tasks. We would need a radio to listen to music, a TV to watch programs and a camera to take photos. Due to the evolution of mobile phones, we can now do all of these things with a smart phone, a small device that fits into our pocket and saves us a lot of money and effort.

2.2 Explain the impact of converging technology on the workforce within a specific Creative Media industry

Convergence has changed the music industry quite a lot. This is mostly due to the fact that nearly anybody can produce their own music and share it with the world using websites such as Sound Cloud, allowing even more music to be shared with the world.

However, due to the multiple ways to access music, the music industry has been stunted by a lot due to illegal downloads, which has caused the industry to lose out on millions of dollars.

In an attempt to cut down on the amount of people that illegally downloaded music, applications with subscription/ pay as you view fees have emerged. The biggest being Spotify, which actually allows people to listen to a lot of music for free but puts a limit on how much they can listen to and constantly interrupts the listener with adverts. This is a way to persuade more people to actually put in a subscription fee to Spotify to remove the limits and adverts.

3.1 Describe the changing expectations of audiences and consumers within a chosen Creative Media industry. 

Due to the advancements of technology, people now expect to be able to access to internet and watch TV shows 24 hours a day. This has a huge influence on how modern technology is created as a company will be reluctant to release a product that doesn't allow people to access the internet and watch TV as this is the standard people now expect and will not buy something that doesn't allow them to do so.

3.2 Describe examples of how ideas for multi-platform content have been used to reach new audiences and generate revenue

A multi-platform content is something that can be shown in multiple different ways such as through TV shows, online videos and video games.

An example of this is The Walking Dead, which is shown in a TV show, comics, video games and webisodes. All of these different versions differ in slightly different ways to give customers who view it in all ways something to different to see through each. This widens their audience by quite a lot by reaching to fans of the different platforms, thus generating more revenue.

3.3 Describe examples of commissioning processes and funding opportunities in relation to converging technology

The process of commissioning will be set through a series of briefs or specifications that will be sent to the appropriate parties. These will outline what needs to be done, how it should be done, who needs to do it and when it needs to be done by.

The way that technology has converged has made these briefs easier to send and access. This is due to the fact that pretty much every device now can access e-mails. Briefs can be sent via e-mail then accessed from a computer, a mobile phone, a tablet or even a games console (as long as the brief isn’t an attachment). This means it is easier to get funding as you can contact more people quicker and easier and can constantly make sure that everyone knows what they are doing.

4.1 Explain opportunities for exploiting converging technology

One way to exploit converging technology is to put adverts onto smart phone applications. This is due to the fact that pretty much everyone uses smart phones now and uses multiple different apps in them. This means that businesses can put little ads into popular applications so that when people are using the app they will see this

advert. They can also put them into specific ads that relate to the product they are advertising e.g. advertise a song in a music app.