Channel 4 – Crufts

Dizplai powered a deeper interactive viewing experience for Crufts, the International dog show on Channel 4. Whatsapp and QR codes were introduced for the first time on the channel, alongside live polling and a 3D social cube, central to the live-broadcast programme – seeing 33,000 direct interactions recorded on WhatsApp during the four day event.

The project:

The biggest dog show of its kind in the world returned to British TV screens following a brief pandemic-led hiatus. Sunset+Vine, the production company and Broadcaster, Channel 4 wanted to boost reach and tune-in to a wider demographic, while rewarding loyal viewers and dog lovers who engaged with the show and shared dog-rich content via a multitude of messaging and social platforms.

Crufts had a fresh look with new graphics on Channel 4 this year, so producers looked to upgrade the interactive elements of the show with a multi-platform strategy. Dizplai, and production partners Hypothesis Media were brought on board to inspire and enable an interactive viewing experience that not only the audience could enjoy and interact with, but also make it a seamless experience for the host, Clare Balding, and the production team.

Production:

Kicking off the live event and throughout, clear calls-to-action for viewers to share their questions for guests, and images of their dogs at home, were directed by the host. Producers supported this with a range of graphic overlays highlighting social names and hashtags to connect with, and also featured a QR code linking to a WhatsApp number, proving to be very successful.

Sunset+Vine integrated Dizplai into the virtual workflow alongside tech-partner Vizrt’s software. Within the environment, Dizplai powered the curation of live data, including social content – such as images, videos, and comments – and aggregated live poll data from Twitter and WhatsApp. Live poll results, and a range of graphic overlays including the social data, were redisplayed throughout the show, while the rotating 3D social cube on the in-studio display featured viewer reaction that the host referred to throughout interviews and audience-led segments of the show.

Results:

The four day event delivered a truly interactive viewing experience. The ‘Social Cube’ enabled more viewers than ever to feature on screen due to its layered 3D design. Viewers engaged on a number of different platforms, with WhatsApp receiving over 33,000 direct interactions – a total of 65% of all direct interactions alongside Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. While 14,500 direct interactions were received on WhatsApp on the final day, which was used as a voting platform to find out who the audience thought would be the winner of the “best in show” award. Twitter was also a hot bed over Crufts-led conversations, with 385k mentions of the #Crufts hashtag in the build up, during and after the event.

“We worked with Dizplai and Hypothesis Media to enhance the interactive elements of the show and also enable us to reach a wider audience and create more opportunities to connect with the show and Clare, our host. We’re delighted with the ‘Social Cube’ and increased viewer participation throughout the event, it was a resounding success” – Gary Franses, Executive Producer of Sunset+Vine

“Introducing our ‘Social Cube’ concept to Crufts with the extra engagement route of Whatsapp and QR codes enabled more Channel 4 viewers of Crufts to be closer to the heart of programme editorial than ever before” – Tom Bowers, Founder of Hypothesis Media