1b. The Apprentice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/

Technology used

The technology involved includes the internet and live streaming of video clips and the latest programme.

Websites such as these are replacing technologies such as TV guide reviews and the special episodes, which usually follow the programme giving ‘more detail’ into the programme. They are important as they provide a service to the audience, which they haven’t used up until this point. The detail and extra footage as well as information on the programme is not accessible anywhere else, meaning that if the audience want to know more about the programme, they have to come here for such detail.

The Media being used
The website includes a variety of types of media including related websites, video clips and a blog

Related websites
Related websites include http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/ which is a programme which may appeal to people who enjoy watching the Apprentice.

Video clips
There are many links to video clips on the front page, including catch-ups, live streaming on the BBCi player and a video link on the lefthand toolbar. The videos are to be informative and give the viewers something more than those who just watch the TV programme. It gives them additional clips and exclusives which help to draw in current viewers whilst the clips also help to give prospective viewers a taste of the show. The clips also provide a summary on what has happened so far in the series for those who are late joiners.

Blog
A former contestant, Tre, writes the blog on the website. This has the effect of appealing to the audience by giving them the point of view of someone who has been in the current contestant’s position.

Audience
I think the main target audience are young career minded people or middle-aged people who wish to aspire to a better job. I think that they use the website as a way of finding out more about the people who are going into business and possible ways for them to get into it.

The benefits of using the website are catch up clips, previews of the coming weeks show, news on who got eliminated from the previous week and exclusive interviews provide a more detailed view of the programme.

Institutions
The only institution involved is BBC which the programme is show on. It does this to promote its own programmes and encourage viewer loyalty.

The BBC uses the video clips and the blogs to make the audience feel as if they are getting something unique, which is putting them ahead of their peers in terms of knowledge of the latest news in 'The Apprentice'. It works by offering them details information and ‘exclusives’ to market the programme to them and people they will recommend the programme too. They are exhibiting and distributing their media via clips and the BBCi player.

Key concepts
Key concepts which are work on this website are interactivity and fragmentation.

Fragmentation
This works, as there are contestants on the show and people will like certain contestants and hate others. Once on the website they can look up profiles of their favourite contestants and through the news bulletins and video clips see how they did in that weeks or the previous weeks challenge. It divides the audience into which contestants they like.

Interactivity
Interactivity comes in the form of being able to watch clips, read the latest news on the programme and the blogs.