In the early hours of Friday, some 22.8 million Americans tuned in to watch the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and of the many companies that capitalized on the substantial local interest, TLC's effort was perhaps the largest and most ambitious. Looking to marry the live coverage of the ceremony and stately procession with its talent and bridal programs, the TV network hosted a viewing party in Times Square that gathered more than 1,000 people for the broadcast, plus three more weddings, a Say Yes to the Dress reunion fashion show, concert, and the premiere of new series Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss.
"These events are what keep it interesting. The ability to bring TLC, one of our biggest brands in the portfolio, to arguably one of the most famous pieces of real estate in the world and own it, is tremendous," said Discovery Communications vice president of global events Jeff Kaplan, whose team worked closely with the TLC marketing crew to oversee the production, design, and execution of the five-hour public event. "Having the opportunity to build an experience that ties live television and a live event together is special. The ability to seamlessly integrate content created from the live event into the telecast is the best R.O.I. you can have."
The concept for the endeavor was the brainchild of TLC senior vice president of marketing Tom Carr, who came up with it in January. To combine the live telecast from TLC in London with broadcast elements in New York, planning involved a collaboration between the internal departments at TLC and Discovery Communications.
Putting together an event in a public place like Times Square is complicated enough, but with an official 5 a.m. start time, the temperamental weather of April, and laws regarding amplified sound in the Midtown neighborhood, the producers had an extra set of challenges. Naturally, there was a tight load-in schedule; and the round-the-clock build-out, which started on April 26, was restricted by the fact that Duffy Square and the TKTS pavilion are open to the public during the day. To control the sound, the organizers handed out radio transmitters and headphones to the audience as they entered the site, handheld devices that allowed anyone in the area to hear the audio from the telecast as well as the hosts at the event. And with strong winds and heavy rain forecast for Thursday, the crew rushed to get all elements secured. Thankfully, the weather held up on Friday, which allowed for a quick load-out to make way for the Entertainment Industry Foundation Revlon Run/Walk for Women, which took place Saturday morning.
"You build at all hours of the day and night, but the payoff was worth it. To see the fans' excitement and cheer the royals from thousands of miles away was great," Kaplan said.
Plenty of experiential components kept the guests entertained throughout the morning, including live commentary from Say Yes to the Dress host Randy Fenoli, photo ops with a royal carriage and actors dressed in Queen's Guard costumes, a special performance by Colbie Caillat, and wedding ceremonies for three couples. Inside a V.I.P. tent for media, talent, and network executives, British accents abounded, and TLC's red logo was combined with the red, blue, and white colors of the Union Jack. Even the menu from caterer Abigail Kirsch took inspiration from England and included scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves, traditional shortbread wafers, smoked chicken sausage with caramelized apples, fennel, and sage, and home-fried potatoes.
