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BBC unveils interactive election vote

Neil Wilkes
Updated

From Digital Spy

As the country goes to the polls on June 7, the BBC is offering digital viewers a chance to capture every result coming in with a range of interactive services on all digital television platforms, to keep them in the thick of the Election action.The showpiece of the interactive services is a Vote 2001 Interactive Election Special on the digital terrestrial platform. Created by BBC News in conjunction with BBC New Media, the service offers everything from a textual breakdown of declared seats and visual representations of the leading parties, to a fun interactive quiz for those wanting to take a break from the electoral tension. Digital terrestrial viewers tuning in to the BBC’s election coverage on digital BBC ONE and NEWS 24 access the service by pressing the red button on their handset or through the shortcuts key while accessing BBC Text. The picture shrinks to quarter screen and offers the following options:

  • Results - An alphabetical guide to each constituency in the UK - from Aberavon to Yorkshire East - with results of declared seats announced as they happen.

  • Battlegrounds - A visual guide depicting the seats Labour need to retain power, and those the Conservatives need to win to take the majority.

  • Swing with Snow - The swingometer made famous by Peter Snow offers viewers a visual guide to shifts in support between the two main parties. This section also includes a selection of colourful statistics no political junky should be without, broken down by nations and regions (where applicable) and offering comparable results from the ’97 Election. State of the parties provides a breakdown of Parliament’s 659 seats by party; Share of the Vote gives a percentage view of how each of the main parties fared in the polls; while Turnout and Votes provides an insight into the percentage of those eligible who did go to the polls. Latest Prediction is based on the BBC’s exit poll and offers a forecast based on the trends shown by these counts. As the evening progresses and seats are declared the predicted result becomes more precise.

  • Latest news headlines - Find out who’s out and who’s in as the votes decide the fate of the political heavyweights.

  • What’s happening - A timetable of events outlining when seats are expected to be declared.

  • Quiz - Viewers can take a break from the tension and test their political nous by pitting themselves against the interactive quiz.

The service will continue the following day, so that the final result in Northern Ireland can be included, along with a full archive of the results. As the BBC is the only UK broadcaster with digital services on the three major television platforms, it will also be offering digital cable and digital satellite viewers text services to keep them up to speed on the latest Election news. Digital cable viewers with Telewest have benefited from a comprehensive information service in the run up to the Election. The service provides viewers with content ranging from the latest stories on the campaign trail, and a guide to parties and their policies to details of the latest opinion polls. On election night, viewers will access the Vote 2001 service through the BBC News page. There they will have access to:

  • Election News - Breaking stories on who’s in and who’s out, as and when it happens.

  • Election Latest - Up-to-the-minute statistics including the UK share of the vote, the latest results, details of how the well-known names are doing and projected results based upon a BBC exit poll.

  • Constituency Results - A comprehensive guide to the results of each constituency, outlining how each party has fared. Results are broken down by Nation and English Region.

  • State of the Parties - A breakdown of each party’s seats in Parliament by Nation and English Region.

By pressing the text key on their handset, digital satellite viewers access the Vote 2001 service through BBC Text, where they will find:

  • Election News - All the latest stories on who’s won and who’s lost, dynamically updated as the news breaks

  • Election Latest - Every statistic needed, including voter turn-out, up-to-the-minute results, and latest predictions based on a BBC exit poll

  • Constituency Results - As the seats are declared, the winning party is announced in each constituency - from Aberavon to Yorkshire East.

  • State of the Parties - Every party’s seats in the new Parliament, broken down by Nation and English Region.

Scott Gronmark, BBC Head of Interactive Television says, “These interactive services are designed to complement the BBC’s comprehensive coverage of the Election. At the touch of a button, our licence fee payers have access to the information and results they want, so they know who is in charge of the country as soon as the Prime Minister does."

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