A First Look Back - International Media Congress
Opening of the International Media Congress
Digital is now! The Opportunities and Risks of Digitalization for Germany as a Content Producer.
After a welcome greeting by Medienboard managing director Elmar Gigliner, the opening debate of the International Media Congress at this year’s Medienwoche@IFA got underway with a discussion of what form the architecture of the media industry should take in the digital age. After keynote addresses by Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and Media, Bernd Neumann and Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, a number of high-ranking participants joined the discussion, including ZDF program director Thomas Bellut, wooga founder and CEO Jens Begemann, Christian Franckenstein, board spokeman at MME Moviement, RBB director general Dagmar Reim, Marco de Ruiter, COO, MTV Networks North, and René Schuster, CEO Telefónica Germany. The discussion was hosted by Frank Thomsen, editor-in-chief of stern.de. In his keynote speech titled “Taking Advantage of the Opportunities of Digitalization – Supporting Culture and Creativity”, Minister Bernd Neumann examined the manifold opportunities and challenges facing the cultural and creative industries in the digital age. "Generation iPad – The Future of Journalism on the Internet: Innovations, Opportunities, Perspectives" was the title of Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner’s address on the challenges facing publishers. The follow-up discussion explored the opportunities and risks facing Germany as a content producer.
TOP Keynote by William Uricchio: When the Social Becomes Civic
When conditions change, so too do the rules. This was the approach taken by William Uricchio (MIT, USA/Utrecht University, NL) in his keynote address. This process can be slowed down to a certain extent with the help of lawyers, but it cannot be stopped. History is always on the side of change, Uricchio argued. For this reason, he called for a more relaxed approach to the implementation of copyright laws. Indeed, he argued, it is human nature to integrate and process things that we find. And we should look at the creation of works as a collaboration between an author and his/her audience, specifically when relating to the passing on of stories, music sampling and the use of popular characters for social purposes, for example as done by the Friends of Harry Potter. Uricchio explained further that participation is an essential characteristic of human interaction and cooperation. In pre-industrial times, stories were common property, much like folk music and religion; they were passed on and given an unending array of new contexts. Only with the advent of industrialization did the notion of copyright emerge. And now, as a result of the new opportunities for participation resulting from social media, the algorithms of the computer world and digital networking, the culture of participation is emerging new once again. This leads to a renewal of the notion of community and its ongoing growth in importance. However, Uricchio notes that it is not yet at all clear what social media are capable of. We must continue to learn about the distribution and technology involved in social media and to understand how and why people use them, he argued.
Entertainment Summit: The Value of Entertainment
“What constitutes good entertainment in the first place?” At the Entertainment Summit on Monday afternoon, a number of industry professionals, including Jörg Grabosch (Brainpool), Tom Sänger (RTL), Jörg Pilawa (ZDF), Klaas Heuer-Umlauf (host) and Joko Winterscheidt discussed the question of how the Internet influences traditional TV formats. The Internet and mobile devices offer a constant flow of new opportunities for interaction and innovative entertainment offerings. All participants agreed that it wasn’t enough just to broadcast a well-made program; rather, first and foremost, the emphasis should be on that special gut feeling, i.e. the emotional moment. The value of entertainment, they argued, always depends on emotional moments and the minds involved – no matter whether it’s shown on the Internet or on television. More
FFG 3.0. Back to the Beginning!
Discussions on Germany’s New Film Funding Law Get Underway!
The next scheduled update of Germany’s film funding law (FFG) on January 1, 2014 is fast approaching. After years of legal disputes, Monday morning saw representatives of all sides come together for the first time at the International Media Congress in Berlin. The panel with the title "FFG 3.0 Back to the Beginning!" provided the opportunity to take an early look at the ideas and wishes of those who contribute to the FFA and those who receive its funding. Participants in the podium discussions included producers Til Schweiger (Barefoot Films) and Stefan Arndt (X Filme Creative Pool) along with Dr. Stefan Gärtner (ProSiebenSat.1/SevenPictures), Johannes Klingsporn (VdF), Thomas Kufus (zero one film/German Film Academy), Dr. Thomas Negele (HDF Kino) and Peter Weber (ZDF), all of whom formulated their distinct positions on the matter. The key theme focused on questions relating to the level of contributions and funding criteria. Industry representatives agreed to continue the discussion and were optimistic about the possibilities of coming to an agreement. FFA head Peter Dinges suggested using the promising principle of “ask and listen” by which each different industry sector could submit their opinions and suggestions to one another. More
New Television: Broadcast, Broadband & Mobile
In his keynote address, Marco de Ruiter (COO, MTV Networks) explained the decision to transform MTV into a pay-TV broadcaster and dismissed the prejudice that there is no market in Germany for subscription TV. The key condition necessary to take this step was an exact definition of the target group, i.e. young viewers who have grown up with a fluent transition between television and the Internet and who are able and interested in using and exploring the related possibilities. The ability to access the content of your choice everywhere and at all times has resulted in the emergence of the MTV window strategy which, in addition to the linear TV programs, also makes available previews, catch-ups and archive material on all possible Internet-ready and mobile screens. This approach is being implemented via a dual financing model consisting of subscription and advertising.
A new concept from Revision3 as presented by CEO Jim Louderbeck is equally as target-oriented. Programs are currently being made for male consumers between the ages of 13-34 that can be watched on all Internet-ready screens and focus on the fields of technology, games, media and food. The business idea is based on getting young, authentic and energetic experts to talk about these themes and, in doing so, to create a fan-based community that meets to talk about stars, moderators and actors. This innovative approach to content, which creates a high level of identification of users with their hosts, allows for the innovative placement of advertising, i.e. the broadcasts are not interrupted with ad clips, but rather the hosts themselves test and recommend products and position sponsors on an almost personal level within the program itself.
Reid Genauer (Vice President Marketing Bitbop) presented the business idea of Bitbop, an ad-free on-demand television platform for TV series. A subscription allows users to access the available content at all times and on all Internet-ready screens, computers, tablets and smart phones, but also to create playlists and switch from one device to another for free. This model is based first and foremost on the notion of time management. In other words, time limitations often prevent users from watching a program at a fixed time, but when they do have time – for example on a trip - irregular time windows are opened and they can access their favorite program. Bipbop’s model could be expanded to fit to film, sport events, games, etc….
Christoph Schaaf, head of new technologies at Kabel Deutschland, provided insights into the technical advancements that are designed to secure Kabel Deutschland’s competitiveness in the future. In order to be able to continue to guarantee the efficiency of data transmission – and to live up to increasing demand – current developments are focusing on HEVC (high efficiency video coding), which is an improved video compression system that guarantees first-rate image and sound quality at a lower bit rate. The technology is scheduled to come to market in 2-3 years.
A new end-user device called HbbTV (hybrid broadcast broadband TV) was at the center of the presentation given by Lars Friedrich (head of teletext and hybrid TV, Pro Sieben). The device connects TV programs and value-added offerings from the Internet by means of open standards. This prevents zapping effects and, for example, opens up the possibility to personalize advertising. Friedrich also sees in HbbTV the successor to teletext, which represents its own market segment. He predicted the increasing expansion of HbbTV devices starting in 2012.
Power Briefings: New Devices, Big Screens and New Usages
In ten-minute power briefings held at the White Box, five speakers presented the latest trends and innovations in the field of TV technology and the growing opportunities provided by new TV sets. Two core themes are determining current technological developments: Smart TV and the digital networking of home and 3D. Discussion participants included André Schneider (Head of Product Strategy, Samsung Electronics), Matthias Krömer (Head of Marketing Video & Connected Home, Vodafone), Roland Raithel (Public Relations Director, Loewe), Michael Russo (CEO, Tridelity) and Burkard Brache (Product Group Manager Home Entertainment, LG Electronics). The host was Helmut Hartung (Chefredakteur, promedia Das medienpolitische Magazin).
Much like developments in the field of smart phones, manufacturers are currently working on the optimization of Smart TV. Seeing as the networking of the Internet with televisions has proved successful, the focus is now on simplifying operability with respect to accessing online content via the television set. Samsung Electronics’ own specific in-house apps, for example, allow users to access online offerings comfortably. Assuring user friendliness in digital home networking is at the core of Loewe’s efforts, as well. They are already performing research into the controlling of devices via hand gestures. The theme of 3D is the major focus in the field of image quality. While Tridelity is performing pioneering work on the development of technology for a non-glasses 3D experience and the conversion of 2D to 3D, LG Electronics is focusing mainly on comfortable and simple 3D pleasures using light glasses and a high-level viewing ease.
medienpolitik@IFA: Full Speed Ahead for Digital Media TV
At this year’s first medienpolitik@IFA panel, Kurt Beck, chairman of the broadcasting commission of Germany’s federal states, spoke in favor of offering media providers equal competitive conditions in all digital networks. “But we’re going to need regulations,” Beck argued. In doing so, Beck also supported the ZVEI’s position which calls for accepting limitations with respect to neutral access to distribution channels only when transmission capacities are limited. A discrimination of content providers should be ruled out.
