Questions 28-32
Reading Passage 3 has seven
sections, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for
paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix,
in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet.
List of headings
|
i
|
An
application of short codes on the TV screen
|
ii
|
An overview of a fast-growing
business
|
iii
|
The trend
that profitable games are gaining more concerns
|
iv
|
Why Netherlands takes the
leading role
|
v
|
A new
perspective towards sharing the business opportunities
|
vi
|
Factors relevant to the rapid
increase in interactive TV
|
vii
|
The revenue
gains and bonus share
|
viii
|
The possibility of the complex
technology replaced by the simpler ones
|
ix
|
The mind
change of set-top box providers
|
Example: Section A:
|
Answer ii
|
28
|
SECTION B
|
29
|
SECTION C
|
30
|
SECTION D
|
31
|
SECTION E
|
Example: Section F:
|
Answer ix
|
INTERACTIVE TELEVISION
|
A
|
Once upon a
time, if a television show with any self-respect wanted to target a young
audience, it needed to have an e-mail address. However, in Europe’s TV
shows, such addresses are gradually substituted by telephone numbers so
that audiences can text the show from their mobile phones. Therefore, it
comes as no shock that according to Gartner’s research, texting has
recently surpassed Internet usage across Europe. Besides, among the many
uses of text messaging, one of the fastest-growing uses is to interact with
television. The statistics provided by Gartner can display that 20% of
French teenagers, 11% in Britain and 9% in Germany have responded to TV
programmes by sending a text message.
|
B
|
This phenomenon can be largely
attributed to the rapid growth of reality TV shows such as ‘Big Brother’,
where viewers get to decide the result through voting. The majority of
reality shows are now open to text-message voting, and in some shows like
the latest series of Norway’s ‘Big Brother’, most votes are collected in
this manner. But TV-texting isn’t just about voting. News shows encourage
viewers to, comment by texting messages; game shows enable the audience to
be part of the competition; music shows answer requests by taking text
messages; and broadcasters set up on-screen chatrooms. TV audiences tend to
sit on the sofa with their mobile phones right by their sides, and ‘it’s a
supernatural way to interact.’ says Adam Daum of Gartner.
|
C
|
Mobile
service providers charge appreciable rates for messages to certain numbers,
which is why TV-texting can bring in a lot of cash. Take the latest British
series of ‘Big Brother’ as an example. It brought about 5.4m text-message
votes and £1.35m ($2,1m) of profit. In Germany, MTV’s ‘Videoclash’
encourages the audience to vote for one of two rival videos, and induces up
to 40,000 texts per hour, and each one of those texts costs €0.30 ($0.29),
according to a consultancy based in Amsterdam. The Belgian quiz show ‘1
Against 100’ had an eight-round texting match on the side, which brought in
110,000 participants in one month, and each of them paid €0.50 for each
question. In Spain, a cryptic-crossword clue invites the audience to send
their answers through text at the expense of €1, so that they can be
enrolled in the poll to win a €300 prize. Normally, 6,000 viewers would
participate within one day.
At the
moment, TV-related text messaging takes up a considerable proportion of
mobile service providers’ data revenues. In July, Mm02 (a British operator)
reported an unexpectedly satisfactory result, which could be attributed to
the massive text waves created by ‘Big Brother’. Providers usually own
40%-50% of the profits from each text, and the rest is divided among the
broadcaster, the programme producer and the company which supplies the
message-processing technology. So far, revenues generated from text
messages have been an indispensable part of the business model for various
shows. Obviously, there has been grumbling that the providers take too much
of the share. Endemol, the Netherlands-based production firm that is
responsible for many reality TV, shows including ‘Big Brother’, has begun
constructing its own database for mobile-phone users. It plans to set up a
direct billing system with the users and bypass the providers.
|
D
|
How come the joining forces of
television and text message turn out to be this successful? One crucial
aspect is the emergence of one-of-a-kind four-, five- or six-digit numbers
known as ‘short codes’. Every provider has control over its own short
codes, but not until recently have they come to realise that it would make
much more sense to work together to offer short codes compatible with all
networks. The emergence of this universal short codes was a game-changer,
because short codes are much easier to remember on the screen, according to
Lars Becker of Flytxt, a mobile-marketing company.
|
E
|
Operators’
co-operation on enlarging the market is by a larger trend, observes Katrina
Bond of Analysys, a consultancy. When challenged by the dilemma between
holding on tight to their margins and permitting the emergence of a new
medium, no provider has ever chosen the latter WAP, a technology for
mobile-phone users to read cut-down web pages on their screens, failed
because of service providers’ reluctance towards revenue sharing with
content providers. Now that they’ve learnt their lesson, they are altering
the way of operating. Orange, a French operator, has come such a long way
as to launch a rate card for sharing revenue of text messages, a new level
of transparency that used to be unimaginable.
|
F
|
At a recent conference, Han
Weegink of CMG, a company that offers the television market text-message
infrastructure, pointed out that the television industry is changing in a
subtle yet fundamental way. Instead of the traditional one-way
presentation, more and more TV shows are now getting viewers’ reactions
involved.
Certainly, engaging the
audiences more has always been the promise of interactive TV. An
interactive TV was originally designed to work with exquisite set-top
devices, which could be directly plugged into the TV. However, as Mr Daum
points out, that method was flawed in many ways. Developing and testing
software for multiple and incompatible types of set-top box could be
costly, not to mention that the 40% (or lower) market penetration is below
that of mobile phones (around 85%). What’s more, it’s quicker to develop
and set up apps for mobile phones. ‘You can approach the market quicker,
and you don’t have to go through as many greedy middlemen,’ Mr Daum says.
Providers of set-top box technology are now adding texting function to the
design of their products.
|
G
|
The triumph
of TV-related texting reminds everyone in the business of how easily a
fancy technology can all of a sudden be replaced by a less complicated,
lower-tech method. That being said, the old-fashioned approach to
interactive TV is not necessarily over; at least it proves that strong
demands for interactive services still exist. It appears that the viewers
would sincerely like to do more than simply staring at the TV screen. After
all, couch potatoes would love some thumb exercises.
|
Questions 33-35
Choose the correct letter, A,
B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes
33-35 on your answer sheet.
33
|
In Europe, a
research hints that young audiences spend more money on
|
A
|
thumbing text
messages.
|
B
|
writing e-mails.
|
C
|
watching TV
programmes.
|
D
|
talking through mobile phones.
|
34
|
What would
happen when reality TV shows invite the audience to vote?
|
A
|
Viewers would get attractive
bonus.
|
B
|
They would be
part of the competition.
|
C
|
Their questions would be
replied.
|
D
|
Their
participation could change the result.
|
35
|
Interactive TV will change
from concentrating on set-top devices to
|
A
|
increasing
their share in the market.
|
B
|
setting up a modified set-top
box.
|
C
|
building an
embedded message platform.
|
D
|
marching into the European
market.
|
Questions 36-40
Look at the following
descriptions (Questions 36-40) and the list of companies below.
Match each description with the
correct company, A-F.
Write the correct letter, A-F,
in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
List of companies
|
A
|
flytxt
|
B
|
Analysys
|
C
|
Endemol
|
D
|
CMG
|
E
|
MmO2
|
F
|
Gartner
|
36
|
offered mobile phone message technology
|
37
|
earned considerable amount of money through a famous programme
|
38
|
expressed
the view that short codes are convenient to remember when turning up
|
39
|
built their own mobile phone operating applications
|
40
|
indicated
that it is easy for people to send message in an interactive TV
|
|
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