More and more people are going online for watching their favorite television shows or various new content online. The Screen Actors Guild even lets actors get paid from the online television shows, also known as “new media”. When you’re starting an online television station, you may create your very own content, marketing it to the people that chose the Internet for staying in touch with television entertainment. Let’s see which are the steps and the tips to follow for launching your television website.
1. Create a station mind map
This is going to help you make an idea about where you want to go with this thing. Is your television station going to address teenagers? Men? Children? Knowing the type of television station, you’re going to create is going to help you further with marketing and advertising.
Here are some questions that are going to help you get a clearer picture:
- What content are you going to offer?
- What do you want to obtain from your TV station?
- What are the hours of operation going to be?
- Make a schedule of events and topics
- When will you be live? What about the pre-recorded times?
2. Choose the domain name for the online television station
The domain name is the website address that your future subscribers are going to use for reaching to your website. Even if the “.com” extension is still one of the most popular out there, the “.tv” is slowly winning its fans too. Best thing to do is to select an online television station domain name that contains both a .com and .tv extensions. You’re going to pay for the domain names somewhere between $1 and $14 yearly. You should know that .tv doesn’t stand for television. Not many know this, but it’s the extension for Tuvalu, the Polynesian island nation.
3. Hire an effective team for designing and coding the Web site
Your website is going to look a lot like any other Web site. A large TV will be in the middle of the screen for streaming videos/broadcasting live. Some may want to go with only news or reports on television stars, Tv movies or so on. Knowing precisely what you want your TV website to be about depends entirely on you. You may also find web templates on the Internet (free and paid) that help you design your website. However, you’re going to find this way a bit tricky due to the strict media content. There are plenty of freelance web designers out there willing to get the job done.
Here are some things that you need to display:
- Advertise the sponsors
- Include various sections where people may also browse your services and products or get in touch with you.
- You should change the site regularly so that you include the current features and promotions.
4. Choose a web host for your online TV station
You’re going to need to pay the extra buck for the web hosting. A web host is going to maintain the servers that house the content of your TV web site. You’re going to pay quite some money for uploading a video, and it’s better that you go with a web hosting package that is going to manage the video content just fine. You may pay from $3 to $100 and more per month for the web host. Some recommend choosing a cheaper package in the beginning. As the content and traffic are growing, you may upgrade to a higher package.
5. Obtain content for the television station
You may create your content and buy a good video camera and some actors, uploading your content. You can also be educated by individuals that have completed content and are interested in broadcasting it. Use Facebook, YouTube, Hulu to identify the people that are willing to upload their content to your TV Web site.
6. Create a dedicated area for filming
As you’re going to do the pre-recorded and the live videos, it’s mandatory that you create an area that has all the equipment you need.
7. Buy the right equipment for recording your videos& broadcasting live
Here’s what you need to buy:
- Audio equipment: clipped microphone, headset, wireless audio equipment
- HD camera
- Invest in good and reliable lights
- If you’re going to read from a script, you may need a teleprompter
- Green screens
- Connect the camera to the computer
8. Record content so that you load it onto your station
You’re not going to need hours of content for launching your station. A couple of hours of content are going to be enough in the beginning. Here are some ideas for content:
- Old video recordings
- Webcam broadcasting 24/7 (on special hours)
- Other people’s content that you’re allowed to use
- Some testimonials from customers or clients
Note: you don’t need to have content up 24/7
It’s not fundamental to have content non-stop. Instead, here’s what you can do:
- Repeat the content for 6 hours
- Use 4 hours of pre-recorded content every day, a couple of hours of live stuff. Add some commercials as well
- Run a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and music for 12 hours
9. Host live events from time to time
Live events are a great attraction. You should host your events on your Web site and not appear on someone else’s event.
10. Don’t forget about promoting your web site
You should advertise your TV website and look for the advertisers that pay you for including their commercial space and ads on your site. Charging the viewers for subscribing to your TV web site is another idea. Here are some other suggestions:
- Link your Web site to social sites and more
- Partner with other people in exchange for free advertising
- Send out several press releases using the special services for that
- Post in online magazines and forums
11. Always get better
The more popular your station becomes; the more variety of features or money-making possibilities you may explore.
Here are some recommendations:
- Banner ads on your site
- Paid advertising
- Some interviews with well-known guests.
Follow Us
