Reality TV alive and well despite demise of 'Big Brother'

MEDIA & MARKETING:Both British and home-produced reality TV shows still garner huge audiences here

BIG BROTHER, the longest- running reality TV show in the UK, reaches its "climax" tomorrow after clogging up Channel 4's schedules for more than three months. Audience figures for the show have been in steady decline and Channel 4 has signalled that Big Brother 2010will be the final series.

The next most likely reality shows for the axe, according to bookmaker Paddy Power, are I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here, Dancing On Iceand Strictly Come Dancing.

Despite Big Brother'sdemise, British reality TV shows of one form or another garner huge audiences in Ireland, while home- produced versions also do well for RTÉ and TV3. The Rose Of Traleeis Ireland's longest-running reality TV show and 885,000 people were watching well after bedtime last week when Charmaine Kenny was announced the winner.

Ben Frow, director of programmes at TV3, admits he is surprised that X Factoris still such a big hit with viewers. This season's X Factordebut on August 22nd secured 240,000 viewers for TV3, an increase of 90,000 on the 2008 debut.

Frow says the show is on its last legs, however. "I would give the X Factortwo more years. There is a danger for programmes like this that they tinker too much with the original format and they start to try and manipulate the viewers. Audiences are very sophisticated and they don't like being messed about. I watched X Factorlast weekend and for the first time I was bored by it."

The challenge for programme makers is to come up with new reality formats. TV3 was on the money with Total Exposure, which was all about finding a new presenter for the channel's daily tittle-tattle show, Xposé.

"I couldn't believe the amount of press exposure for Total Exposure," says Frow. "Irish people seem to love celebrities and my job is to give the viewers what they want. As soon as they stop watching reality TV, I'll stop doing it."

Fans of the format will not be stuck for choice this autumn. TV3 is serving up X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talentand I'm A Celebrity, while RTÉ has its own All Ireland Talent Show. Other programmes in the genre include: Feargal Quinn's Retail Therapyon RTÉ; weight- loss programmes Operation Transformation(RTÉ) and the Big Fat Diet Show(TV3); another series of the Apprenticeon TV3; and a plethora of property- related series.

Garrett Tallon, broadcast manager at advertising agency Initiative, says reality TV has prospered because it delivers advertisers large numbers of 15- to 34-year-olds. But, he adds, “quality will out”.

" The Apprenticehas worked very well for TV3 and so has Dragon's Denon RTÉ1 because you could see they spent money producing it. However, the recent Charity Lords of the Ringon RTÉ was poor."

Not all advertisers want their brand to be associated with reality TV. “Clients are happy to associate with reality, lifestyle and light-entertainment shows,” says Audrey Clarke, head of broadcast with advertising agency Vizeum.

"However, sensationalist programmes like Half-Ton Manand Help! I Smell Of Fishwould be deemed as 'must avoid'."

Steve Carson, director of programmes at RTÉ, says “authenticity” is the key to the station’s reality programming.

“Celebrity Bainisteoir is a good example of a reality show with a format unique to Ireland which works,” he says. “Our tone is warmer and our talent shows are more authentic. Commercially that’s a better environment for our advertisers to be in.”

Paul McCabe, managing director of MCM Communications, agrees that reality TV in Ireland is “more wholesome” than some of the programmes created in other markets.

“The success of reality TV is indicative of how people want to be entertained now,” he says.

“They want to have much more interaction with what they watch, and even have an impact on the outcome.”

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THIRTY LEADING Irish food brands including Barry’s Tea, Tayto, Cadbury and Avonmore have joined together for a €1.2 million marketing campaign to promote authentic Irish food.

But standing on the sidelines for the Love Irish Food initiative is Kerry Group, owner of some of the country’s biggest dairy and meat brands. Frank Hayes, Kerry Group’s director of corporate affairs, says Kerry is involved with the Bord Bia Quality Assurance campaign and is in discussions with the National Dairy Council over its plans to launch a branding campaign for dairy products.

“Irish food producers have to be very careful not to end up confusing consumers with too many different marketing campaigns urging them to buy Irish,” he says. “In Kerry Group, we must be conscious of our branding communication messages . . . We have our own major brand marketing initiative coming up in the autumn.”

siobhan@businessplus.ie