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The 22nd birthday of the weekly investigative magazine show Carte Blanche on M-Net earlier this evening - infused with viewer interaction by integrating social networking - was by all accounts a big success almost doubling the show's interactive fans.
In terms of production values, format, scope, presentation and even immediate tangible numbers, the 22nd birthday episode of Carte Blanche anchored by Derek Watts live from Johannesburg was an (interactive!) viewer delight. (''Don't stop tweeting and contacting us on Facebook,'' said Derek Watts.)
Firstly, the show that made use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, almost doubled its Facebook fans through this (for now) once-off TV and social networking synergistic experiment. ''It's just about bringing our audience closer to the show,'' said Peter Griffiths, Carte Blanche's interactive editor during the show. ''It's probably the closest they've been to live TV in the history of television in South Africa. We've almost doubled our fan base on Facebook.''
Secondly Carte Blanche, produced by Combined Artists, pulled off another South African television first, a technically difficult feat for an production to even attempt to do. The 22nd birthday episode of Carte Blanche unequivocally once again cemented Carte Blanche's status as South Africa's premiere live weekly television hour and something that M-Net as a South African broadcaster can truly be very proud of.
By successfully, and seamlessly, integrating and embracing new technology and the heightened potential of viewer interaction through the use of the internet, Carte Blanche - on the air for longer than 22 years - gave viewers, M-Net and the local television industry a peek into the future of what's possible and what TV as a medium can grow into. By reaching out to viewers through innovative new ways, shows such as Carte Blanche are not just building a stronger relationship with viewers. They're finding new ones.
REVIEW. Carte Blanche's 22nd birthday broadcast a brilliant hour of television, creating pitch perfect interaction with viewers.
ALSO READ: Derek Watts on Carte Blanche turning 22: ''People say, 'You can't do that.' Then I say 'But it's Carte Blanche, of course we can.''
