Content is King … but will it be so tomorrow?

Guy Berger, Rhodes University18th Annual General Meeting of the

Southern African Broadcasting AssociationLuanda, 12-14 September 2010

Question 1: Is Content really King?

• Some say that today Conversation is King:– No longer one way transmission!

• Some say Community is King:– Create communities around interactive content

like elimination voting, let them decide… • Some say: the King’s writ has been Cancelled:– The commoners have seized the castle!

• So is it outdated to say “Content is King”?

Question 2: What’s going on?

• Debate is a sign that no one is 100% sure …• Yet Content is still today’s King, because–Conversation agenda is set by Content;–Community is mobilised by Content;–Commoner activities don’t eclipse the scale

or spectacle of traditional broadcast Content.• But clearly some things are a-changing…

Question 3: the future?

• Tomorrow: The King is dead! Long live the (new) King!

• Will the new day change who is the King of Content?

• Is it the same kind of Content that rules with credibility tomorrow?

• Does change chip away at the claims by state-owned broadcasters to wear the crown of Public Service Broadcasting?

Coming up

1. Better content in a digital era: Why?2. What kind of content?3. How?4. Where?5. When?6. So what?7. Who8. Signing off

1. Better content in a digital era

• UNESCO: knowledge societies, information age• Imbalances in global flows of cultural goods

Why? A new ecology for broadcasting

• “The mission and mandate for PSB was framed in a social context that no longer exists” – Hujanen & Lowe

• “Broadcasters’ attempts to redefine their public service role in the new digital environment are often troubled and unclear” - Padovani & Tracey

• Digital means, in time, much more broadcasting…

Even though DSO is still far off

• It will come….• Although it may be

beaten by wireless internet access

• Cf. Vodacom $50 smartphone

• http://mzan.si/EKQX

Why? People go direct

• Digital means dis-intermediating your role between content suppliers and receivers.• The means of production and distribution are

being disseminated much more widely

For broadcasters, digital also means….

• More audio and video via 3G• Internet-relayed content coming up fast• GoogleTV – direct access to broadcast & Youtube• Viewer tolerance for low-grade video• Piracy is easy, while Intellectual Property

becomes huge: rights to the concept, ideas, creative format, and signal (WIPO)

• De-institutionalising broadcasting, re-distributing PSB across many players

• Global competition for audience & advertising

Digital intensifies content creation

• Facilities can be developed, but people are harder and take more time. – Picard

• Digital raises demand for the creative nature of media content – skills, knowledge, talent.

• “Every nation suffers from a limited pool of talented writers, musicians, actors, and directors. …Because training opportunities are limited, even creative and talented individuals … find it difficult to get training.” – Picard

2. What kind of content?

• The focus is on “better” content.• “Better” than today for audiences!• Digital means local content must compete

with international production values• Digital means credible content, not

propaganda• Digital means interactive possibilities• Digital means UGC and Creative Commons

Manifestações em Moçambique 2010

http://www.verdade.co.mz/manifestacoes/

3. How?

• It relates largely to budgets – and priorities. • Cheapest programmes are acquired from

abroad- but don’t garner the best audiences. • Little income or audience from showing old

programmes, and … • No benefit to independent producers.• Policies are needed over rights to exploit the

works, sub-licensing, revenue-sharing arrangements for all platforms, and re-sales.

More on how

• Franchised formats (new engines) have some potential – joint ventures.

• A danger that instead of independent producers as the principal source of new programming, the international production industry supplies this – deliberately and systematically so.

• So, try to promote the growth of an independent production sector and home-grown formats.

• Embark on joint productions with others• Carry quality content produced by NGOs

But budgets are an issue

So, also look at alternatives

• Build up your in-broadcaster capacity• Train, train, train• Source funding from donors• Buy cheap video-cams for citizen journalists• Play on all digital platforms• Play across all digital platforms• Especially, enhance distribution channels and re-

sale opportunities• Look for export

4. Where?

• Do it in your broadcaster & country• Do it in SADC - “Made in southern Africa!”• Do it for Africa’s market• Do it for the globe – – Outsource to the diaspora– Sell content to transnational channels– Monetise web delivery of content abroad

“Television without Frontiers”

• 1989! The EU desires to create a single European television market, rather than one market for each EU member state.

• Quotas: 50% should be of European origin.• 10% of transmission time or 10% of budget for

European works created by independent producers.

Our neck of the woods

• “The success of a strong local content industry in South Africa depends on our partnerships with our SADC neighbours.

• “This is critical for creating a borderless content market with multiple licensing opportunities for our local content creators.”

- Siphiwe Nyanda, Minister of Communications, South Africa, 2010

5. When?

• Start yesterday– (examine your existing assets: archives and

personnel)• Build bit by bit• Scenario plan and set a timetable• Set hard targets and review performance• Don’t wait until it’s too late: you have to start

positioning now.• Adaptation can’t be done in a day!

6. So what?

• For state-owned broadcasters, use the content challenge to promote reform towards becoming vibrant public service broadcasters…

• For private broadcasters, resist the temptation to fill the gaps by imports, and …

• Make PSB a lucrative part of your business, and go for a unique local content edge.

• Community broadcasters still need to compete.

The next step:

• Why, what, how, where, when, so what?• A question missing: “Who?”• What’s your answer?

UNESCO?

http://creativecontent.unesco.org/welcome

Linkages?

• UNESCO aims at … “”exploring, in very practical ways, existing and new mechanisms to develop cultural diversity in the information society, proposing fresh ways of co-operation among governments, artists, industry leaders, broadcasters, decision makers and citizens.”

• Convene national summits with UNESCO?

Government?

• SA’s Department of Communications held a Local Content Summit in 2010.

• BUT: No sign on the website of the resolutions.

• 2010: SA Minister of Communications has called for nominations for a Local Content Advisory Committee. … “as required by section 38 of the Broadcasting Act of 1999”.

Will governments deliver?

• “Many developing countries are sufficiently hard-pressed in budgetary terms to even have a national policy on culture as such, let alone the means to articulate and implement it.” – UNESCO

• That leaves…. YOU!• Believe this: You are not to big to fail• Leadership is your biggest test.

7. Summing up

1. Better content: change, threats & opportunities.2. What kinds of content, How, Where, When,

So what and Who. 3. Questions you need to answer: In your

conditions, how might the digital era change:• YOUR Content?• Who is YOUR country’s King of Content?• YOUR claim to Public Service Broadcasting?

Conclusion: Kingship 2015?

1. Usually, the creation of a republic marginalises the monarchy completely.

2. There are some cases where they co-exist – royalty adapts and retains partial influence.

3. Atypical is the UK: an influential queen and a (still relatively) powerful public broadcaster.

• Which of the 3 trends will your country exhibit?• Will your content strategy keep you a player?

Thank you