(9 May 2008 3:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: Consumers should be allowed to pay for what they want to watch, said Rediff.com chairman and CEO Ajit Balkrishnan while speaking at the NDTV Convergence New Media Congress.

"You can't demand a price and hope that content gets sold. It doesn't work in this day and age. If consumers don't want to pay anything, you might as well tag along an advertisement with the content."

Speakers at the seminar agreed that content in the new age media can't be as lengthy as it used to be and should be targeted for short duration. "A 45-second entertainment is what a consumer is looking at while waiting for a bus or during a short break he takes," explained Balakrishnan.

The reach of mobile phones has made convergence of the new media a possibility in the country. According to Motorola Marketing Director (India and South-West Asia) Lloyd Mathias, India has over 260 million mobiles in use with a penetration of about 27 per cent.

Remarking on government regulation, Big FM COO Tarun Katial said that the emergence of media has made it difficult for the regulators to keep an eye on the content.

"Understandably, regulating content on the Internet is going to be a hassle for the regulators. But I believe they have to treat it at par with traditional media," Katial suggested.

Talking about advertising, speakers argued that very few brands have been created through internet advertising. Corporate houses still prefer television over advertising on the internet. For example, Dabur India spends about 90 per cent of their advertising budget on television commercials.

"As of today, I don't think choosing only the internet for advertisement would create a brand. The new media is the future, so it is important that you look at it as a viable option. But at the same time, I feel that a 360 degree advertising approach is necessary," said Smile Interactive Technology Group co-founder and chief business officer Manish Vij.