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'TV users will rule'
11/04/2006 19:01 - (SA)
Cannes - Tomorrow's television on multiple screens, wherever and whenever viewers want to watch, is just around the corner.
The problem is that not even the brightest brains in the audiovisual and digital worlds know what it will look like - yet.
Only one thing seems certain. It will be the audiences, users and viewers that will shape the audiovisual content and the devices of the future.
That was the one of the few predictions shared by thousands of the world's top movers and shakers of the TV and digital entertainment media, who crowded the French resort of Cannes for the busiest "MIPTV featuring Milia" trade fair yet.
At the show, BBC's senior new media executive Ashley Highfield said: "It's all about putting the audience in the driving seat."
Another leading media visionary, Gary Carter of FreemantleMedia, agreed: "The reason we're all struggling to identify new business models is because the audience hasn't told us what they are yet."
TV is being shared
Most industry experts agreed however, the television set in the sitting room looks as if it will stay there, at least for the moment.
But, it will be sharing time with other new screens popping up all over the place, from mobile phones, to portable TV devices, the video-enabled iconic iPod, and the PC.
Experts also agreed that, in today's digital universe, the audience was more directly active than before, feeling at ease with new digital devices and wanting to get more involved in content.
They said creating communities where viewers and users could connect to share their audiovisual experiences was vital to the future of television, and nowhere was this becoming more evident than on the internet.
American On Line chief Jonathan Miller said TV, gaming and internet users were "going to be in for lots of treats".
AOL will shortly launch its first online reality game, Gold Rush.
Yahoo attends show
The revolution sweeping the television landscape meant one of the biggest and most active MIPTV/Milia trade shows ever, said organisers.
Paul Johnson, director of television for the show's organisers said the show was about where the industry was going and how it should plan for the digital future.
He said about a third of the 12 000 people who jetted in for the show were programme buyers.
Key new audiovisual entertainment players - such as internet giants AOL and Yahoo - attended the show for the first time, as well as heavyweight telecom players, including Nokia, Ericsson, and Virgin Mobile.
Digital hi-tech powerhouses South Korea and Japan both notched up more business at this show than last year, said Johnson.
He said China was buying more, particularly documentaries, and India was promising to be one of the next big successes.
- AFP
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