Despite Gordon’s gaffe, UK debates still win in online video
Visible Measures: “Online video adds an extra dimension to political theatre, highlighting the good, magnifying the bad, and amplifying the embarrassing”…
As the UK heads into the final days before electing its next Prime Minister, it faces a distinctly new and different media landscape for consuming political news.
Television is stronger than ever, with this election marking the first ever televised ministerial debates in the UK. Each of these debates were uploaded online, enabling viewers to watch and re-watch the candidates’ every answer, look, and move.
Beyond helping viewers watch debates they may have missed, online video adds an extra dimension to political theatre, highlighting the good, magnifying the bad, and amplifying the embarrassing.
Gordon’s Gaffe
Gordon Brown is learning about these pitfalls now after calling a woman “bigoted,” unaware his microphone was still on. The verbal misstep occurred just a day before the final debate, quickly generating nearly 170 clips, from the original remark, to Brown’s multiple apologies, to the interviews with the woman in question. Altogether, these clips have generated over 670,000 views and 7,000 comments.
With these hefty numbers, this political sideshow has given the electoral debates a run for their money in online video. Combined, the first two debates have garnered 780,000 views. The first debate has scored over 695,000 views across the web, with a clip of the full debate leading the way with 250,000 views.
The second debate has seen a markedly less amount of views – 85,000. The main difference between the two debates in online video is that ITV1, the network of the first debate, uploaded official videos of the contest, which account for over 70% of its views.
Sky News, home of the second debate, has yet to upload a clip of the event. And, though there are a few clips of the third debate, we’re still waiting for them to develop before reporting their results.
Given the performance of Brown’s blunder in online video, do you think it will help drive audiences to videos of the third debate online? Or, could they get tired of all the buzz? Whatever the case, we’ll see how voters interpret the results on May 6.
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