Over the last few decades, technology has disrupted the news industry, changing the way that we consume and digest news content, as well as viewer expectations. But, what technologies are expected to impact live news broadcasts specifically? Let’s take a look.
Interactive News Broadcasts
Due to the development of innovative technologies, many entertainment-based media are shifting from passive to active entertainment. Just take a look at something like online casino games – on platforms like Paddy Power Games players can choose from a wide range of live casino games such as Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, and Live Baccarat. These games require players to input actions, which inform the host of the stream’s actions in real time. In other words, the decisions made by each virtual player impacts the physical game being played.
Similarly, television has seen a rise in interactive shows and films. This could include anything from simple live polls to something as complex as changing the structure of the narrative. Either way, this technique encourages viewers to stay engaged with the content, as their actions have a real impact on the content being shown.
With this in mind, there are several ways that live news can integrate interactive elements into their broadcasts. Of course, live polls would be a great way for news journalists to gather useful data in real time. In addition, submitting questions for interviewers can allow the anchor to ask the things that people really want to know.
Personalised Content
A study by Forbes found that customers value convenience – they want to get what they want, when they want, in whatever form works best for them. In addition, 81% of customers prefer when they are offered a personalised experience, with 70% going as far as to say they want the business to know their name, history, wants, and behaviours without prompting.
Of course, most news broadcasts and live streams provide the same content for everyone, everywhere. However, news media already employs some degree of personalisation in that there are local segments automatically determined by the location of the viewer, and different channels for news specific to different tastes. That said, it could go a lot further.
With the rise in online streaming and data analysis systems, it is not such a far stretch that news media may begin to recommend certain stories based on the media you typically consume, in the same way that platforms like Netflix do for entertainment.
Artificial Intelligence
AI has quickly become an essential tool for professionals in all kinds of industries, not least in newsrooms. Data from Statista shows that 71% of news publishers find AI important for news gathering, such as identifying stories and crunching data. Meanwhile, 72% find it important for starting content creation, like coming up with summaries or headlines.
This translates into all kinds of news media, as AI has the ability to analyse large sets of data quickly and accurately. This data can be used both in informing stories and in identifying patterns within the dataset, which can be used to inform decisions in what makes the cut for the live broadcast.
That said, AI still comes with a unique set of challenges that news media has to navigate. AI has been known to make up incorrect sources, and doesn’t always fact-check itself, so it still needs human oversight to avoid fake news.
And there you have it – just a few technologies that are set to transform the live news industry. All that’s left to do is stick your favourite news channel on, and see what the future has to hold.