Giving Viewers The Controller To Take Over Reality Shows Like A Video Game
As the absolutely massive popularity streak of various types of streamers on various livestreaming services has shown in recent years, today’s viewers are not content with simply passively watching the content - they wish to feel involved in it and interact with the people they are following on the other side of the screen.
The traditional forms of TV shows are currently trying to catch up to this, and reality television is among those genres exploring how to adapt to more viewer-involving formats. Many shows are having sort of spin-off content to the main series on social media, with participants posting show-related content on various platforms, and even going live, similarly to streamers.
Yet this new format for reality television may take a step ahead for such a viewer-involving approach. In this highly interactive format, viewers can go beyond the streaming sort of involvement and more towards the control that a player would have of a video game. Amongst the ways shows will involve their viewers are the opportunity to give participants feedback in real-time and affect what sort of adventures they have to compete in by voting for available options.
Blending Reality TV Together With Different Television Genres And Platforms
As over two decades have passed since reality shows really blew up in the mainstream consciousness and took over television with numerous record-shattering shows, it has been getting harder and harder to surprise viewers. This is why this new reality TV format will take a cue from other corners of television, including even scripted series.
By creating a hybrid format for reality television, it will unite unscripted reality with scripted fiction while adding documentary observation aspects to the episodes, as well as game show competition elements. Similarly, reality television will start to branch out away from traditional television broadcasts and streaming platforms, expanding to multiple platforms, including social media and user-generated content, all at the same time, thus taking a cue from the fact that viewers these days have shorter attention spans and a higher demand for a constant influx of new and exciting content.
These hybrid formats aim to explore social dynamics in a way where participants to display authentic emotions while remaining entertaining for the viewers. It is an ambitious vision for reality television, and the world is yet to see how it can really work out, but viewers will surely be in for the treat of something groundbreaking.
Allowing Viewers To Join Reality Show From The Comfort Of Their Home
As previously mentioned, viewers in 2026 and beyond will be increasingly searching for content formats that involve them as well. At the same time, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies are rapidly advancing and becoming more accessible to the average person than ever before.
While brand new VR and AR-based platforms like Metaverse have recently stalled, reality television is only gearing up to enter the realm of possibilities by introducing these technologies to the viewer’s overall experience. By using these new immersive technologies, the reality shows can give fans the chance to remotely join the show themselves instead of simply passively viewing it.
Whether involving VR and AR would mean that the reality shows also must be broadcast live has yet to be seen, but as the possibilities for immersion become more convenient and common, e.g., faster connection speeds, it is just a matter of time before the line between being a viewer or a participant becomes blurrier.
