TV is not dead, but it’s changing. The appetite for video has increased, but where audiences go to consume content now differs - and this is especially true for Millennials.

From 2011 to 2015, almost one third of this group’s traditional TV viewing migrated to streaming video services or over-the-top TV services such as Netflix. That’s a huge shift in just four years, making it even more challenging to capture a share of this audience

So we decided to reach our target market in a way that makes sense for them - by tapping into their huge appetite for drama and scandal. How? With fake tabloid news around real-life events.

We presented a mock Queen’s speech from star Elizabeth Hurley on YouTube and E!, complete with a user-friendly hashtag, to coincide with the actual Queen’s speech.

“His royal hotness” Prince Liam (played by William Moseley) took to Tinder on Valentine’s Day. The women who matched with the character were sent a personalised message, before the reveal that Liam was not truly asking them on a date but urging them to tune in.

The biggest viral push came in the shape of a king size hoax. We released a video of a naked man lowering himself down from a window at Buckingham Palace, using a bed sheet. Now that really set tongues wagging.

We also launched the show’s very own online tabloid D-Throned on Tumblr, to answer questions and dish more dirt on the show, before the big premiere.

The Royals beat all the odds and became the biggest scripted launch in the first half of 2015, opening to a massive 2.2 million viewers, with 9 in 10 viewers watching the show within the 3-day window.

The campaign activity created 21 million Facebook impressions, over 70% of which were organic. What’s more, the show created a sustained lift in 18-34 viewers and helped drive 30% year on year growth of E! primetime viewing in April 2015. Now that’s what we call a royal welcome.