Love them or hate them, participation shows have taken over TV and have always had a place in radio broadcasting. The arrival of SMS has given them a significant boost by serving as a new source of revenue and tapping into the channel of choice for the younger generations.

Going beyond SMS

The Button provides a richer, more immediate and cheaper way of interacting with large audiences through the mobile phone.

It is richer because it is based on Mobile Java. This means that the broadcaster has full control of the user interface. You can provide users with multiple choice buttons, appealing branding and clear instructions.

It is more immediate because the nation's votes, opinions or answers are available to you within 2-10 seconds. Not only that, but each button pressed is time-stamped with a 1/10 second precision, meaning that one would be able to tell who was the first viewer to get the correct answer.

It is cheaper because all communications are handled as data traffic rather then SMS messages. Even in the worst case scenario, the cost would be below 2p per interaction. The charging method is also more flexible: per message, per show, one off (as if it were a game), subscription. The combination of flexible charging and low transmission costs means that more revenue can reach the broadcaster without penalising the audience.

Accessibility

The Button is a downloadable application. Not everyone will be confident enough to download it (we have figures for this), but the ones who do will have a permanent icon on their phone reminding them of the show or broadcaster. For the ones that don't, we recommend setting-up a fall-back IVR response system.

Using The Button

The Button is owned exclusively by Future Platforms. It is available at a monthly charge, inclusive of server setup, mobile connectivity, mobile billing and 2nd line support.

The monthly charge is based on the predicted volumes and duration of the show. A setup charge is also applied to cover branding the interface, integrating with overlay systems and setting up hardware and software.