The game show I would choose to converge (if I could) is Robot Wars; the game show where contestants create their own robots and then throw them into battle with one another. There are many media formats that Robot Wars could be converged with; those of video games, iPhone apps, webcam/internet streams, internet competitions and perhaps betting.
Production
Converging robot wars with various media formats other than television could lead to changes in production with the original programme. One of these changes maybe how contestants would gain the chance to appear on the show; instead of traditionally applying by post or phone call a competition could be created in which would-be contestants would have to compete in order to appear on the TV show. For example, an online multiplayer game could be made (in the theme of Robot Wars of course) in which people could customise & build virtual robots and then fight each other with them. When players would win matches they would gain points, those with the most points by a certain date would be those who could build their own real-life robot and fight with it on the programme. Further more, if webcam streaming would become a part of the show then it would need to be considered where the webcams could be placed during production. The most obvious ideas could be on the battling robots themselves, this way people on the internet could watch different aspects of the matches. If this happened, another element could be introduced – that of betting on matches. While watching live webcam streams spectators could bet online (perhaps with points they had earned on the online multiplayer game) which robot they thought would win the current match, or future ones.
Distribution
The aforementioned idea of webcam streaming links to distribution as it provides another format on which the television programme can be accessed & watched, and thus distributed to viewers. Depending on which channel Robot Wars would be broadcast on at the time, downloadable or stream-able episodes of the series could be available to the public on internet players such as 4 OnDemand and BBCiPlayer. DVD boxsets could also be sold.
Marketing
In terms of marketing, as well as online multiplayer games, there could be a range of various other video games produced based upon Robot Wars that could be marketed to gain profit. DVD box-sets of the series’ could also be sold. Furthermore, the show & its merchandise would mainly be advertised on television as well as on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to ensure that all audiences are reached. Also applications such as news feeds could be available for download to mobile phones to raise audience awareness of upcoming episodes and release of merchandise.
Technologies
Assessing all that I have already mentioned, aside from all the conventional TV-show-making equipment, other technologies we would need to utilise would mainly be that of the internet and its many qualities (especially since the internet can be accessed not only from a computer, but also from mobile phones, PSPs and other handheld devices). Also, mobile phones and gaming systems are also being addressed if phone applications and video games are also to be produced. Thus, audiences can interact with the game show on all manner of formats, depending on their preference – the more formats the game show accesses the larger audience it reaches.
