PREMIUM RATE, PREMIUM SERVICES
Premium Rate Services (PRS) have had a bad press. The media has enjoyed the opportunity to ‘name and shame’ selected presenters, TV and radio shows that have alledgedly mishandled phone-in calls. Especially when winners have already been selected or callers have been ineligible for inclusion in a vote or competition.
But PRS is still seen as one of the key elements in the growing ‘participation media’ market, and is of strategic interest to many Communications Providers.
RESTORING CONFIDENCE
The high profile of some of the names tainted by association with ill-judged or ill-managed premium rate ‘participation’ services has been surprising.
But following the widespread media interest and some public concern about the fairness of this type of activity and, in the light of increasing convergence and overlap between PRS and other areas of communications policy, Ofcom has taken action to strengthen consumer protection.
PhonepayPlus (formerly ICSTIS) is the body tasked by Ofcom with regulating premium rate. It will now regularly report policy issues and market trends, and Ofcom is scheduled to publish a wide-ranging review of the scope of PRS regulation in 2008. Ofcom has regulated PRS for many years but the integration of PRS with other media – principally tie-ins with popular TV shows – has changed the consumer and regulatory landscape.
It must be emphasised that the vast majority of services have been issue-free and also there is a real appetite among consumers for participating in media events. So the industry has taken steps to ensure consumers are protected and many industry players are working with the regulator to create charters of best practice.
IT’S THE TAKING PART THAT COUNTS
‘Participation Media’ is the term that describes media formats that promote interaction and engagement between consumers and media content. Participation can take place across a range of channels including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and online. It also includes wider aspects of new media relationships with social networks, user-generated destinations and charitable organisations.
Media experience is increasingly becoming a two-way relationship, with viewers, readers and listeners being invited to vote, express opinions, enter competitions, make donations and send in videos or photographs. This interactivity helps enrich the various media with which they are communicating, to the benefit of both consumers and producers.
In market terms, Communications Providers should expect the volume of consumer interaction to continue to increase over time. This is not simply a reflection of popular culture, in which mass participation game shows are flavour of the month, it’s a permanent shift in the cultural climate – and it’s here to stay.
The convergence of TV, telephony and broadband technologies is already blurring market boundaries, and the growth of social networking as a web phenomenon is going to increase the range, scope and volume of interactions between providers and their publics, (see our article on Web 2.0 in this edition of Between The Lines). Consumers will expect easy interactivity as standard. The value to content providers is potentially huge – the spread of ‘social networking’ norms to all media represents a huge growth market and a business opportunity for Communications Providers and production companies alike.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
BT recognises that the future of communications will be interactive, and that consumer confidence in the honesty and transparency of services is crucial. BT welcomes Ofcom’s new focus on assuring proper use of PRS as an essential prerequisite for restoring and maintaining confidence in legitimate and valuable premium rate services.
For the last 5 years, BT has supported this market through BT agilemedia, which offers a wide range of flexibly-priced PRS and other telemarketing services, including IVR, SMS, MMS, web micropayment and 08XX numbers, to help customers connect with their target consumers, however and wherever they engage with 'content'. Services range from supporting mass voting for top-rated talent and reality TV shows, to facilitating charitable donations via social networking. And from chat and dating services to quizzes, games and entries for local radio competitions. So it isn’t just for the ‘big names’.
BT agilemedia customers can confidently interact with their consumers to generate new revenues and develop in-depth relationships, knowing that their business is supported by high-quality, compliant, resilient and reliable infrastructure, and backed by secure and robust payment processes. For more information, speak to your BT Wholesale Account Manager. To find out more about our PRS portfolio, you can also call our Freefone Helpdesk on 0800 7313050 during office hours.