Industry veterans talk about their passion for television, high-budget drama series, new distribution models, and audience attention and high-quality OTT services
The third day of NEM Dubrovnik 2021 has shown just how powerful the TV industry actually is, with the industry’s leaders reminding all of the attendees on the importance of creating great stories that can change the world.
NEM Dubrovnik 2021 was supported by Nina Obuljen Koržinek, the Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, who said: “An event like NEM Dubrovnik is of significant importance for the development of audiovisual industry, both in Croatia and the world. The media market is drastically changing and intertwining with the world of technology. Simultaneously, the role of the media is growing stronger by day, having a direct influence on the society, which is exactly why it is essential to keep track of the trends that dictate our everyday life. I am proud that Croatia is hosting an event that is gathering the heads of the new age of media.”
The long-awaited panel Why We Love Industry? has gathered TV veterans who have talked about their long-lasting careers, motivation for outstanding accomplishments and the importance of quality content production.
Frank Spotnitz, CEO and executive producer of the company Big Light Productions, shared with the audience his love of creating stories and series, and posed an interesting comparison: “Just like we’re being careful about the quality of the food we are eating, we have to be careful about the type of content we are consuming.”
He recalled a time when TV content depended on big co-productions, whereas today, streamers are independently investing in their production which leads to more content and opportunities for more diverse genres: “In the last 11 years, the industry has completely changed. Thanks to the streamers, big budgets are becoming more and more available to producers and writers, and the opportunities for realization of projects are increasing. There are numerous opportunities for expressing creativity; we can impact the world with our stories. We live in the golden age of television.”
In a somewhat further future of the TV industry, Spotnitz envisions the use of technology, e.g. the virtual reality.
Louise Pedersen, CEO All3Media International pointed out that she is looking forward to seeing more diversity and inclusion in the future as well as equal opportunities for everybody that want to be involved in the TV industry. “Streamers are opening doors, and local content can turn into a global hit!”
Vlad Riashyn, the President of the production house Star Media, presented a new TV series “Land of Legends” that can be seen on their newly presented streaming service Lava, which is for the Russian speaking audiences. “In the age of various information, technological achievements and fake news, we have great responsibility to tell stories in the right way.” he pointed out.
As industry develops, efforts to maintain viewers’ attention grow as well. During the panel The Battle For Eyeballs – How Today’s New Distribution Models Create Opportunities For New Service Providers, the panelists discussed how can telecoms maximize the growth of smart TV, how can pay TV and streaming services additionally unite and, at the same time, lower new user acquisition costs.
Attention was also the main topic of the presentation Do We Have Their Attention by Atlantic Group, one of the leading companies in South East Europe in the food and beverage sector, as well as during the panel FTA And Pay-Tv Perspective: Premieres Or Well-Known Content? The panelists discussed if the public has more interest in new and expensive content or familiar favorites.
The presentation High-Quality Streams: How Do OTT Giants Create The Best Experiences? posed questions like: do OTT giants offer the best content and what kind of tools and techniques do they use. After the presentation, all attendees held meetings accompanied by the summer breeze and the view of the Adriatic.
The last evening of NEM Dubrovnik 2021, called Beta Night, belonged to the leading independent film and television production company Beta Film. The audience saw the TV series “Dead Mountain – The Dyatlov Pass Incident” and the world premiere of the TV series “The Silence” which will be aired during the first half of 2022 on Croatian Radiotelevision. During the following Q&A panels, visitors were given an additional insight to both series and the directors’ vision.
This was followed by a big party full of socializing and additional networking, which continued during the next morning at the final gathering called All Morning Coffee by Pickbox in the Sunset Lounge of the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. It was an ideal opportunity for last greetings and exchange of contacts until everyone meets again at NEM Dubrovnik 2022.
