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MUMBAI: "My time is prime time. Today consumers want to watch
television at their own time, place and convenience. The scenario
is moving from a phase when the broadcaster used to define prime
time… now it's the consumer who takes the call," said
The Walt Disney Company India managing director Rajat Jain.
Jain attributed this phenomenon to the changing times, dynamic
technology, the changing consumer, changing media scenario and rise
in consumer friendly technological devises.
He also stressed on the three screens that will gain importance
in the future: television, mobile and computer. "India has
80 million phones, 37.5 million internet and broadband users, 4.3
million computer and 473,000 laptops. The buying power among Indians
is also on the rise and there is an emergence of a new tribe 'Technobabies'
who are born to be wired and tech savvy. They do their homework
online and also buy CDs and books online," he said.
Jain reiterated the point that technologies like IPTV, DTH, TiVo
and broadband will make the environment more dynamic with interactivity
coming in. He gave examples of BBC and ITV teaming up in a "multicasting"
trial to broadcast their main channels over the Internet for the
first time.
Jain emphasized on the breakthrough iPod technology, wherein television
shows could be downloaded on the iPod for 99 cents. However, Sony
Pictures Television International vice president international networks
Superna Kalle pointed out that while it was brilliant that people
were downloading and watching shows on the iPod; but it also meant
that they were not watching them on their television sets and hence
broadcasters and advertisers were both losing out. "These disruptive
technologies are reshaping the broadcast landscape. Broadcasters
have to rethink their strategy," Kalle emphasized.
She further added, "Channel brands do not matter anymore as
most people in the US are using the TiVo technology where you can
zap ads and watch what you want to watch. It is the shows that are
becoming a brand now."
Kalle also pointed out the various opportunities in digital broadcast.
"Do not alienate existing audiences but continue to march towards
the inevitable future. Each approach requires a different device
and each changes viewers in a different way. Emerging digital technologies
can be an opportunity or a threat for broadcasters," she concluded.
"Consumers today want seamless availability of content for
their personalized viewing. They want control over time and place
of viewing content and pay per view could well be the new norm in
the near future," Jain said.
He signed off by quoting The Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger
as saying, "Technology also powers creativity and innovation.
Across our company, we are using technology to improve our product
and remain on the leading edge of entertainment offerings. We firmly
believe in a platform agnostic approach to distribution. Applying
technology to enhance our content and extend its distribution enables
us to get closer to our increasingly more sophisticated customers
worldwide."
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