TV.NXT: Content still remains the king in the business of news

BBC's Phu Truong spoke about the importance of the art of storytelling and how to make the story relevant for the readers by ensuring reach across the various apparatus of media.

News is nothing but an art of storytelling; what matters is how interestingly the story is being told, and at the same time, ensuring that the story finds its way to its readers across all mediums, ranging from desktops, laptops, to an iPad, and more.

On Day 1 of TV.NXT, held on September 29, 2011, at the JW Marriott, Mumbai, Phu Truong, director, digital sales and commercial development, BBC.com, discussed the relevance of content, and how it still plays a vital role in the business of news.

He opened the session by saying that the BBC has a huge pool of content that ranges from entertainment, to drama and news. "However, we have always faced the challenge of how to take this large content of news that we have and make it relevant in the space of digital," said Truong.

He added that for BBC, content is king, so it boils down to the art of storytelling. He said, "Everyone loves a story, they love hearing a story and people also like reading stories. Stories are like viruses that are around everywhere, are contagious as they spread very fast from one to another, and have a tendency to stay with you."

Truong further explained that stories are also fundamental to the way we live our lives. We educate ourselves and educate others, and also get educated through stories. Furthermore, we understand about the world and shape our values and beliefs through the stories we hear or read. Stories also tell us about the mistakes we made in the past, giving a further sense of the world, thus helping us create a better world around us.

He next talked about how stories re-inform us about the world and connect us across the globe, thus making us a part of one big family. "Stories are also about emotions -- while some stories can bring happiness, there are some that can bring sadness and make people cry, especially those about nature's fury," he said.

Citing the example of BBC, Truong remarked that a media house loves its stories, since it is through the craft of storytelling, that the media house is able to tell its news to millions of people around the world in an interesting manner.

According to him, all stories have a beginning, middle and an end -- all stories have a plot, and to build an interesting story depends on how we weave all three legs and create an interesting plot. Truong said that at BBC, all stories done by the media company have been researched and analysed in great depth and detail before being published.

Apart from this, stories also keep hope alive, they continuously move you into action -- in short, the business of journalism is all about story-telling.

He then explained the importance of news, and why news matters to people around the globe.

According to Truong, about 92 per cent of people across the world consume news in various forms, and about 81 per cent of the world's population is interested in news. However, the world does not follow a script. Therefore, the story, once again, has to be told in an exciting manner.

He then gave the example of BBC once again, and how over the years, it has earned an unrivalled reputation when it comes to coverage of news. He stated, "Any piece of news has to be covered in great detail. The depth of coverage should include a balanced, global and multicultural perspective, apart from impartial presentation of facts and stimulating content."

He next emphasised on the advancement of technology, and stressed that for any news organisation, it is pertinent the company adapts with changes in technology.

Truong explained, "The BBC understood the need of the hour in case of technology, and ensured that its news reaches every one, irrespective of the device one has. The BBC World News on television has 70 million viewers on a weekly basis, while BBC.com has 62 million unique monthly online viewers. On Facebook, the BBC page has a total following of 1.1 million users, and generates over 115 million page views per month on mobile."

In the end, Truong talked about the five learnings -- tell the story that fits the page; tell the story where people want to hear them; never underestimate more more more; don't be afraid when they tell you stories; be true to why you started in the first place.

TV.NXT is being held at JW Marriot, Mumbai, on September 29-30, 2011.

(TV.NXT is organised by afaqs!, in association with STAR News (presenting sponsor). The other sponsors include Zee 24 Ghante Chhattisgarh, Amagi, HeadHonchos, ApnaCircle.com, Fox History & Traveller, and Lukup.)