The third day of the NEM conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, was all about the newest trends and their effects on the media market. The experts compared on-demand platforms with TV channels, being optimistic about future generations as customers. Participants had a chance to learn about the great overall digital experience from Applicaster.
Quality content is the key to success
The discussion revolving around the never-ending frenemies, on-demand platforms and TV channels, featured strong arguments for adjusting technology to a specific market.
“We are in the golden age of television, which means there are bigger competition, bigger budgets and more investments. However, our focus should remain on creating content because the moment we start focusing on distribution rather than content, we are in trouble”, claims BBC Studios’ Salim Mukaddam.
The discussion was directed towards the necessity of various technologies used in the media today.
“Our strategy is to look for specifics of the market when planning the implementation of a program and introducing new technology. Adapting to the local market is crucial, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution in this case” said Katharina Behrends, Managing Director of NBCUniversal International Networks for Central and Eastern Europe.
Discussing the role of millennials as customers, Katarina Pavlović, Program Director at Prva Srpska Televizija, said:
“The majority of the regional audience is 40 years or older, therefore we can’t ignore them. I expect millennials to change their behavior once they grow older. I believe they will change their habits and come back to linear television. In this environment broadcasters’ role is to provide them with great content in order to attract them to come back to us.”
Also, regarding the slow technological progress in the CEE region Miloš Tomić, Manager of Section for Multimedia Content Contracting at Telekom Serbia, said:
“OTT will definitely come to this region but this is not that time because of economic reasons, but even more because of the misunderstanding of the product value.”
Learning on the examples of good practice
Discussing a resilient content strategy, Alberto Mari, Director of Sales at Applicaster, offered a solution for stepping up the overall experience game. Emphasizing that content quality alone is not enough for a competitive digital content or OTT business, Mari insists on including design, usability and streaming quality into the entire experience in order to go an extra mile to satisfy customers. Sharing his experience with Applicaster, Mr. Mari gave insight into the digital experience knowledge needed for a great overall experience.
“All the technology needed for great customer experience is already available on the market; therefore, you can focus on content and user experience. ZAPP, the newest Applicaster product, allows you to do just that. Great design is a mix of creativity and data.”
Presenting other innovations on the market, JW Player’s Alex Vigebo emphasized the role of videos for articles:
“Article Matching, JW Player’s service, matches the content of the article with a relevant video in the library and in that way enables enrichment of the content presented in the article.”
Mia Pećina, Head of the newly established Zagreb Film Office, presented the big step the capital of Croatia made for aspiring productions looking for undiscovered locations in this region. “The coast is usually the first image when thinking of Croatia, but now we want to switch focus on inland cities and other parts of the country”, said Pećina.
The day was concluded with presenting partnerships between Viacom International Media Networks and distributors:
“We are consuming less and less of the linear TV, but we are consuming more content”, said Maja Porczynska, Senior Director at Viacom.
During the day filled with various discussions and lectures, participants had a series of opportunities for refreshment and networking on breaks powered by NBCUniversal and Happy Hour by Viacom. The evening was reserved for a JW Player Party at Banje Beach Club in Dubrovnik’s Old City.
