Maybe it's simply down to significant cross-promotion across myriad cable channels, but the boundaries of genre seem to be becomingincreasingly blurred. Trailers for shows about 'survivors' in the jungle, ghost-hunters and real pirates of the Caribbean seem more suitedto general-entertainment and movie channels than the pillar channels of the factual entertainment space. Shows about strange facts and occurrences almost beyond credibility, or the limits to which the human body can be pushed, might seem more at home on channels within the gen-ent camp. And there seem to be people investigating crime scenes on, well, a plethora of gen-ent cable channels from Hallmark, STAR World, and AXN, through to BBC Entertainment and FOXCrime. And that's not forgetting factual forensic shows on the likes of Discovery Channel and the Crime & Investigation Network. So is the factual space taking its lead from the fictional, or do many cult and high-rating genent shows have their provenance in the infotainment genre? "There is a trend for general entertainment shows to take their lead from the factual space," says Michael Katz, Vice President, Programming & Production for AETN International. "A good example of this is in the crime and justice genre, where series like CSI are truly global hits. The A&E Network introduced the nonfiction, investigative program genre to US television in 1991 with Investigative Reports, followed by American Justice in 1992, Cold Case Files in 1998 and more recently The First 48 and Crime Scene 360. Since then many other networks have successfully launched justice series, all of which have probably inspired dramas like CSI and Cold Case." "What's interesting," says Katz, "is that both fiction and nonfiction investigative programs hold enormous appeal to viewers. We certainly see that in the US with the strong and steady performance of our investigative series on A&E, and internationally on Crime & Investigation Network."As to whether the factual space is increasingly taking, or havingto take, its lead from general entertainment, Discovery Networks' Asia's Vice President Content Vikram Channa, says this is not any more or less the case than in the past. "It feels that way because the industry itself has grown and there are many more factual channels out there," he says. "Topicality has always been a key driver because it is imperative that we stay relevant to our audiences. We continue toproduce shows like True Asian Horror on the phenomenon of scary movies in Asia, and in the case of China's Raging Sands, on environmental issues. Marketing and promotional activities by networks also enhance this connection." Says AETN's Katz, "Factual entertainment is influenced by popular culture in different ways, from movie tie-ins to looking at what's hot in current events. However, when producing pop culture-inspired programs, broadcasters must retain their integrity. One example is how The History Channel produces 'true story' versions of epic, history-based feature films. For instance, last year Warner Bros. released the movie 300 which was based on the Battle of Thermopylae. In conjunction with the film, The History Channel produced documentary called Last Stand of the 300 which told the true story of the battle. The History Channel worked with the (movie's) effects company to achieve the same look and feel for the documentary which was very well received by viewers." Katz says another successful movie-inspired documentary was True Caribbean Pirates, which aired on The History Channel around the release of the feature film Pirates of the Caribbean. The documentary included dramatic re-enactments shot on location in the Caribbean, but also featured a number of historians and experts whodebunked some of the myths of pirate society. "Another trend we're seeing today is the increase in 'green' programs available from broadcasters worldwide. With global warming and environmental issues front and center in the news, it's only natural that we see music, movies, books and television reflect these concerns and the interest of the public," says Katz. But with the proliferation of movie- tie-ins, and the 'docudrama' treatment of topics – whereby non-fiction events are told following the narrative conventions of fictional storytelling - is infotainment becoming more about entertaining rather than informing?Says Discovery's Channa, "We have produced shows like Science of Star Wars, which was premiered in conjunction with the launch of the final installment of George Lucas' epic Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and we have used famous Chinese director Chen Kaige to direct reenactments in Emperor of the Seas: The Voyage of Zheng. These one-off tie-ins have worked but they do not drive our production related decisions. Ultimately it is a question of balance and sound editorial judgement. Each time, we do what we think is appropriate forthat project and we will continue to experiment with new ways of bringing factual entertainment to our viewers." AETN's Katz says that the two concepts are not, and should not be, mutually exclusive. "Nonfiction programming can and should be both entertaining and informative. With hundreds of television channels available in some countries, not to mention the proliferation of programming on digital distribution platforms like VOD, broadband and portable devices, the TV landscape is more competitive than it has ever been. Viewers are very sophisticated and they will give you permission as to how far you can push your brand and programs. Channels like The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network have been shooting series and specials in HD, and successfully using dramatic recreations and computer graphics along with expert interviews to illustrate a story. The feedback we've seen in every market around the world has been very positive. The thing to remember is that your programs must offer compelling storytelling, otherwise viewers won't stick around. "Ultimately, non-fiction networks like The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network do not rely entirely on pop culture fortheir programming inspiration. It is imperative to mine sources like books, news and history itself to make good TV." Concludes Channa, "In fact, the makers of CSI do not hide the fact that they were inspired by Discovery Channel forensic series like New Detectives. Our latest shows like Mythbusters, Deadliest Catch and Everest: Beyond TheLimit continue to deliver on that promise and, who knows, may well inspire someone in the world of fiction to push boundaries. We see this as a positive."

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