THE breaking down of boundaries traditionally erected between television, radio, print and online was a major theme emerging from the first day of the Media and Broadcasting Conference 2010 held in Sydney this week.
Pippa Leary, Managing Director of Media at Fairfax, and Jeremy Macvean, Head of Digital Strategy at Austereo, both spoke about their companys' significant investment in online video.
“We are beginning to resemble a TV station more than a newspaper,” Ms Leary said.
“When news breaks on the Fairfax Digitial news sites, what our audience wants more than anything – they want to see motion media.”
Ms Leary said that due to the high demand for video, they maintained a team of 22 people dedicated to video.
She also said that Fairfax Digital has been approached by companies such as Samsung and Sony to discuss content distribution due to the impending release of internet-capable TV sets.
“They come knocking to us first and say: 'Can we distribute you because you're a recognised brand?'” News and TV sites are also going to be facing increased competition in the online video realm from radio, as Mr Macvean highlighted Austereo's increasing video output.
On the late afternoon panel, David Higgins, editor of News Limited’s news.com.au said to expect his company to start to referring to itself as a media and technology company, not just a publishing company.
On the same panel, PANPA CEO Mark Hollands gave numerous examples of the diversification of publishing companies across the region into areas like the property markets and online television. Even with growing diversification, Mr Hollands said, the notion that there is a ‘shift’ from print to digital is a myth. “The print product is not dead, which is most obviously seen in the investment publishing companies have made over the last few years to their print infrastructure.”
News Limited has spent over A$300million on upgrades to its printing presses since 2004 and the West Australian has spend over A$210million.
“The total investment made by the four main publishing companies on their printing presses between 2004 -2009 sits at over A$730million,” Mr Hollands said.
Sandra Hook, CEO of News Magazine, echoed this point: “I am here to tell you that print is certainly not dead”.
Brand power held by traditional media companies, for example News Magazines Vogue, gives leveraging force to products in the digital realm, Ms Hooks explained.
“I read today that 33 per cent of the leading iPad apps come from well known brands.”
“And well known brands don’t emerge overnight,” Ms Hooks said.
It is these brands embedded within well-entrenched media companies which continue to create the majority of content. Smaller upcoming media companies such as Australian media comment and analysis site Mumbrella were not seen as challenges by any of the panellists, on the contrary such sites were seen as a sign of the health of the Australian media industry.
“It’s not on our radar to be competing with niche publications. I think it’s fantastic to see sites like Mumbrealla and (editor) Tim Burrowes doing so well,” Mr Higgins said.
WATCH TWO PANPA VIDEOS OF THE EVENT:
Chris Wharton, CEO of West Australian Newspaper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGkRlz0-puc
Pippa Leary, Managing Director of Media at Fairfax
http://www.youtube.com/user/PANPAEditor#p/a/u/0/uQNmkwiCCkA
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