AOL and Time Warner, Endemol and Telefonica, Pearson TV und CLT/UFA – there are constant mergers, fusions, cooperations. What is new is that more and more “traditional” media companies are joining forces with so-called “new” communication companies. The economic convergences couple content and brands with coveted access to new sales channels. Companies such as RealNetworks from Seattle, long considered to be solely a software firm, have developed into broadcasting platforms that cooperate with well-known media companies.
Technological convergence, too, is growing rapidly. The most recent example is the new RTL company, RTL New Media. 500 million deutschmarks were invested to use the content and great popularity of the RTL television program to promote e-commerce and added viewer appeal in the Internet.
Another feature of the “new TV economy” is the increasing capitalization of the branch. Many companies have gone public recently, including Brainpool AG and Kinowelt Medien AG, which has channeled a lot of money into production coffers. This money is now being used to find new sales markets and to extend product ranges.
The “traditional” program producers and TV channels have an indisputable advantage over the new multimedia companies due to the content and, above all, the established brands. Because one thing is clear: in the future there will be an increasing number of distribution channels, which will make it difficult to introduce new brands.
The biggest question mark regarding the new TV economy is the program. Will the Internet be a serious competitor in the development of new programs, or will familiar aspects merely be adapted to the new medium? And what consequences will online interactivity have for program design?
Hosts:
Georges Leclere, International Emmy Awards, New York
Dr. Volker Lilienthal, epd-Medien, Frankfurt a.M.
15.30 hrs – 16.00 hrs Coffee Break
16.00 hrs – 17.00 hrs
TV-program and the internet: The production industry
Presentations and Panel
Catherine MacKay, Senior Vice President Pearson Enterprises, New York
Andrea Wonfor, Executive Chair Granada Media Productions, London
Dr. Jan-Pelgrom de Haas, Deputy General Manager Grundy UFA TV Produktions GmbH, Potsdam
17.00 hrs – 18.00 hrs
The New TV Economy: Capital, Program, New Markets
Dr. Rainer Kölmel, CEO Kinowelt Medien AG, Munich
Markus Schächter, Program Director ZDF, Mainz
Jörg Grabosch, CEO Brainpool AG, Cologne
Fred Kogel, Head of Programmes, SAT.1, Berlin