It’s not only the year that is about to change but the whole paradigm of Entertainment business where change is imminent! We and many others have spoken about this in the recent past but the pace it is happening is certainly a surprise. Entertainment and Media businesses were rather simple businesses largely relying on content and funded through either subscription or advertisement. The business model lasted many decades till the strides in technology caught up and changed it irreversibly. Technology made it possible to consume content in any form, anytime and anywhere. With new capable devices and mobile the modus operandi of consumption had changed forever. However what has lagged behind is the ways and means of monetising that content which is benchmark of economic performance of all such businesses. It is changing now though understanding this change and recreating business models is challenging to put it mildly!
It is not only the business model that has changed, the change also becoming apparent in rise of new kind of Entertainment giants who it looks will dominate the Entertainment and Media Industry for the future. The holy grail of entertainment companies is rapidly being replaced by a new breed which is flush with funds and is very capable in technology. Whether they are content giants like Disney or distribution giants like Comcast or AT&T, statuesquo has ceased to be an option as they plan for the next decade. Their imposing size, their domination of access, their libraries, are all under threat. They are all on a sharp learning curve and their actions demonstrate that they still do not understand the impact of all these changes. Some are vertically integrating for size while others for content and some consolidating across markets. Is this going to be enough??
As we try to answer that question, one needs to understand the change. One fact which is apparent is that our consumer has changed. He is mobile, a little lazy, more connected, wants everything free and is interested in experiences. The changes in technology has given him the taste of what is possible and he wants it. Also his regular haunts where he congregated ie a movie theatre or a TV screen for that matter have also changed. His regular haunts are now the social media sites or the search engines or the e-commerce platforms which now interest him. Therefore this new consumer definition has a new service provider in the form of Facebook, Amazon, Google and Netflix. These providers have cash, are not in a hurry to make money and provide the ideal congregating ground. This what the traditional companies are up against.
Very difficult to say as to what strategies each of the companies will take to meet this challenge though one thing stands out. There is going to be a continuing and substantial demand for CONTENT! That’s possibly where lies the salvation of the Entertainment companies – what do you think…..??
eye on media blog 