ITV

Tag: Need

  • Need to build digital media strategies into content development stressed

    CANNES: “Simultaneous launching of a TV series and consumer products built around it is not a good idea. The strategy is to launch a show, let the emotional connect build up with the audience and then probably in 12 to 18 months time launch the products.” That was Nickelodeon and Viacom International consumer products VP Tanya Haider’s take on the session maximising impact of the brand across all platforms.

    “This is applicable only to certain markets like the US though. Having a window in Asia would kill the business due to piracy which would eat all the cake” Haider cautioned.

    Disney Internet (UK) Head Attila Gadzag shared the same view. ” We are developing a lot of original content for the web and mobile as well as migrating our traditional properties into the non traditional formats. Digital media will form a good part of licensing strategies in the future”

    Conclusion: Include digital media strategy and planning early on in the content development cycle. The challenge is to do creatives across platforms while retaining essence of the story.

  • All markets need regulation: Abernathy

    MUMBAI: The government and the regulator might be having to take a fair degree of flak over the direction it is providing the industry but take the opinion of the US regulator and one gets an interesting point of view.

    Which is that by and large India is on the right track in this area.
     
     
     

    Federal Communications Commission (the United States regulator) commissioner Kathleen Abernathy, speaking on the sidelines of the first ever India Television Summit, organised by Indiantelevision.com and Media Partners Asia, covered a wide range of issues. But one overarching point that came through was that if “you look at where India is compared to other countries, it is one of the shining stars. When it comes to broadband and telecom and competition and choice, I’ve been very impressed,” Abernathy said.

    This might well provide a sense of perspective to an increasingly agitated broadcast sector straining at the leash over its inability to leverage the opportunities a rapidly exploding economy provides.

    Commenting on the issue of content control Abernathy said, “Every country has to decide this content issue on their own, based on their culture and their values. I think it is up to the government to decide at what point is it harming their culture and at what point is it free speech so you don’t want to curtail it. This idea of having to protect children and cultures is a very valid line of argument for all governments.

    “And most successful companies will learn to accommodate the needs of other countries otherwise they will not be welcome in those countries.”
     
     
     

    Speaking on the role of the regulator, Abernathy said, “Ensuring that you have a regulatory environment that allows more investment and innovation and the introduction of new services. That is essentially what all regulators want. We sometimes come with different answers because of different economics and cultures.

    “All regulators fundamentally understand the importance of new technologies in bettering the situation of their respective populations.

    The regulators’ role is to ensure that the environment is more friendly for investments to flow into different technologies and platforms.

    “What we in the US are doing is also to encourage the use of technologies that bring more control in the hands of the parents over what their children can and should watch. For instance, there is a new remote out in the market that not only allows for the restriction of what programmes can be watched but also for how many hours and what time.”

    On the question of whether India is far from regulated compared to the developed countries, she pointed out, “I am very impressed with how India has dealt with these issues. When I look at all the steps that have been taken to encourage investment and innovation, if you look at where India is compared to other countries it is one of the shining stars. When it comes to broadband and telecom and competition and choice, I’ve been very impressed. “

    “From what I know, by and large the government and the regulator both have been on the right track as far as regulation is concerned.

    Abernathy had some words of appreciation for the direction being provided by the Indian regulator Trai and its chairman Pradip Baijal. “I know in my country and in this country the debate over content can get very emotional as it should because it goes to your culture. But if you look at the long term effect on the country to be provide jobs, education and new technology, well it is definitely heading in the right direction. And a lot of that is owed to the head of the regulator (Trai chairman Pradip Baijal). I think he’s taken a little bit of stick in India but that’s normal because most of the time when you’re a regulator you’re thinking about where you want your country to be in five or ten years while everyone else is thinking about today.”

    “As a regulator all that I really care about is that you have enough competitive forces so that you have to deliver quality and value to consumers.”

    To the query whether having no cross media restrictions help at all, she put it succinctly. “Well certainly, we are not ready to do that in the US.”

  • Need to keep communication channels open in ent sector stressed at ASEAN Summit

    MUMBAI: One of the sessions at the second India-ASEAN business summit on Saturday dealt with the entertainment industry. The speakers included Celestial Pictures’ CEO William Pfeiffer, CineColour Labs’ MD Les McKenzie and the Maharashtra government principal culture secretary Sanjay Narayan.

    The aim of the session was to talk about the common entertainment sectors where India and the ten ASEAN nations were all participants in. ASEAN is looking to learn from India as Asia as a whole has not been able to develop a workable model from the financial, content sharing positions that it could offer the world.

    Pfeiffer said that Celestial Pictures was formalising its strategy for investing in India. On a business expansion spree, Celestial Pictures recently bought an animation studio in the Phillipines. The major initiative now after securing a strong strategy in Greater China is to buy very important assets in Indonesia and India. One area being looked at is the megaplex phenomenon in India.

    Celestial Pictures recently merged with Malaysia’s DTH platform Astro, which offers 45 channels. There is a Tamil Indian channel on it as well as Prima, which plays Hindi movies. In fact Astro had looked at the DTH platform in India a few years ago. Doordarshan wanted to launch the DTH platform, which did not happen. Now that DTH is coming in, Celestial Pictures is looking to see in what way it could contribute its experience in this area. Partnerships are being looked at, he said.

    Ficci entertainment committee chairman Yash Chopra asked ASEAN to open its doors in the fields of marketing and distribution. Pfeifer’s reply was that as far as Indian films were concerned, while the format is popular in some countries like Indonesia, the international audience does not like sitting for three hours. They are used to two hours or less. “Therefore we could help you tailor your content to suit international requirements. People in other countries may wonder what the connection is between Switzerland and Mumbai. It can be jarring. However Indonesia and Malaysia are already using Indian writers. They write the basic script, which is then converted into the local language. So there is a welcome transfer of knowledge which is already going on.”

    Pfeiffer also said that India could learn from Hollywood. “Why is Hollywood so dominant? I do not think it has anything to do with the looks or lifestyle of Americans. It is because of production values. The dollar goes further in India than it those in most other places. Therefore India can compete on a world scale over time in this area. Working with companies like ours will ensure that things move forward.”

    He also reminisced about working for Sony Pictures when they launched SET in India eight or nine years ago. At that time, people were skeptical because Sony did not have any people here and they were not clear initially about what they were doing in India. It was because of the dynamic people in the market that Sony was able to catch on Pfeiffer said.

    Narayan said, “There is a huge opportunity for India and the ASEAN countries because despite being noticed the entertainment industry itself is still largely unorganised. It is just beginning to be organised. This offers opportunities for corporatisation to all you investors. 100 percent FDI is allowed in the film industry on the automatic route. India is one of the few countries in the world, which has more holidays than working days, and so there is plenty of opportunity for entertainment content providers. Therefore the film and entertainment industries have started working overtime.

    “In the late 1970s, we had just one television channel. Today there are over 300 and the number is still growing. The entertainment industry has been growing at the rate of 16 per cent over the past four years. The total revenues for the entertainment sector are expected to be in the vicinity of $6.7 billion by 2005.”

    He went on to offer Film City as an area in which ASEAN could actively participate in. “Mumbai lacks open land for growth. However Film city has about 500 acres of land to offer. 300 of them are open for development. We are hoping to get an extra 500 acres, which would mean 1000 acres of land for developing facilities for television and films. This land is located 20 minutes from the airport. There are plans for development of a teleport, construction of studios for visual effects as well as animation.

    In fact, the effort is to develop the area for all pre, production and post- production activities. It will also have a theme park and a world-class film training institute which we hope will be ready by next year. It will have affiliations with institutes in Europe, Australia and other countries. Private banks in India have started looking at the sector as an investment opportunity. In Hyderabad at a private sector studio, seven Hollywood movies were made from the script stage to the final print stage. The private sector is also setting up facilities for digital cinema broadcasts. This means that with one projection you can broadcast the movie in 300-400 small cinema halls in towns and villages.”

    Narayan added that there is also an opportunity for India and ASEAN nations in the import and export of films. The export of Indian films, which right now is 18 per cent of total revenue, is expected to grow to about 45 per cent in the next few years. There are also opportunities in entertainment, event management and tourism entertainment activities in the country for ASEAN. In Asia, the entertainment sector is going to be worth $ 279 billion dollars in 2006.