Grabyo partnered with IBC Accelerator project champions Warner Music & MTV International to deliver the proof of concept alongside never.no and Joi Polloi.

This time of the year the media and broadcast industry is usually gathering in Amsterdam for the annual IBC conference. However this year, the media and broadcast industry looks extremely different.

Responding to the new challenges faced by media organizations due to the pandemic, the IBC Accelerator Innovation Programme tasked industry-leading champions and innovative tech companies to collaborate on innovation projects that address complex media & entertainment industry business and technology challenges.

Grabyo worked closely with Warner Music MTV International/ViacomCBS, never.no and Joi Polloi to create a disruptive new content format for the music industry. More specifically: The live music talent show that has dominated our screens for the past 20 years

Consumers across the world are increasingly using social platforms to access live and on-demand video content. However, musical TV talent shows that are available on social platforms are simple re-broadcasts of TV content. This format doesn’t take full advantage of the unique features of live social video – they are simply not made for digital audiences and platforms.

This project has shown how music broadcasters, labels and publishers can create a digital-first programme that is immersive and engaging for a social audience, leveraging the interactive nature of live social video whilst ensuring that content is accessible across many devices and platforms.

The project: Singzta

Traditional TV talent shows demand huge amounts of resources and organization, from sourcing and managing contestants to producing shows to air. The Singzta project aimed to streamline this process, creating a fair and ethical talent formato a wider audience, which could spark even greater interest from consumers while bringing down the demands of production.

The concept: An entirely virtual singing competition hosted via a mobile application. The app allows anyone in the world to submit an audition from their mobile device, while other users can browse and vote for their favourites. Everything has to be simple and easy to use, in a smart user-experience that consumers expect from a social media app.

Contestants with enough votes, fairly judged using a unique, comprehensive AI algorithm make it on to a live show to be held weekly, broadcast to the app using Grabyo, with real-time engagement and voting from the audience.

Using Grabyo Producer, the show’s team are able to host a live show, with a live presenter, and mix in VOD auditions and graphic overlays to create a TV-quality broadcast, very similar to the traditional format.

However, the brief of the project was to take the viral and interactive nature of social media platforms and create a fair and positive space for performers and audience members to get involved with the competition.

Using Grabyo’s integration with audience participation platform never.no, the concept was built from the ground up with engagement and moderation in mind. From audience interaction to content moderation, a host of human and AI skills were used to ensure not only that content was suitable, but that performers could take part in the knowledge that they would be safe from inappropriate negativity.

Proof of concept

While there were challenges in forming the idea through to execution, the Accelerator project has shown the industry that the technology is available for this concept to work effectively.

The TV talent show format is ripe for disruption, with the experience of the broadcast, technology and music industry coming together, interest in these types of shows could be reinvigorated with younger consumers.

Consumption of video is moving rapidly online and to mobile devices. This type of production will help the music industry to get out in front of this trend and connect with its fanbase in a more personal way than ever before.

For more information about our IBC Accelerator project, contact us at hello@grabyo.com.