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Digital Media Conference East Recap

by claudetolbert on June 30, 2010 in Other with No comments

Last week BitTorrent participated in the 7th annual Digital Media Conference East in Washington D.C. The event attracted leaders from across the country to engage around topics of interest touching media, technology and entertainment. The opening address played to a standing room only crowd and emphasized the growth and continued focus on the changing worlds of entertainment and technology. Specifically, BitTorrent participated in the panel discussion Content in the Cloud.

The Content in the Cloud panel explored questions around emerging business models, how entrenched industry participants might leverage new technologies and infrastructure, and the role of regulators in shaping the path forward. Panel participants included representatives from Panvidea, Alcatel-Lucent, Thumbplay, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.  Each panelist brought a unique view of the marketplace to the event and provided a depth for the audience to consider.

Use of Distributed Computing in the Entertainment sector

Large, established competitors are using distributed models for traditional business processes to drive financial and operational performance. In terms of content distribution, more activity is likely to occur smaller industry participants who seek to lower barriers to entry and attract a fan/user base. Larger companies are leveraging distributed models to enhance recognition and appeal of their offerings through existing distribution channels, i.e. using the Internet to drive viewership of their main properties.

The Magic Jukebox in the sky with all the content a user could ever want

Many observers wonder will there ever be a giant repository with any and all forms of content for users. Across the panel, the consensus was that the Internet, today, exists as this Magic Jukebox.  However, users are still challenged on the front end with search and discovery of content. Winners in this space will create dynamic user experiences where content is both more easily discovered and accessed. Regulatory hurdles do make portability and ease of access a significant challenge, but the market should ultimately dictate the rules.

Paid Download, Subscription, or Ad-supported

Which business model will be most effective in generating value? There is not a clear winner and more importantly, the panel espoused the virtues of each of the Big Three business models. Different communities of interest as well as types of content will lend themselves to each in varying ways. Product development and the user experience will provide choice to the consumer and they will vote by their action. Will the user pay a fee for a 1080p, commercial free version of new release that is easily viewed on their flat screen television? Or will they opt for an ad-supported, lower quality version for their tablet PC? The different consumption models and tastes of users will create number of opportunities for monetization from the mobile phone to the living room.

- Claude -

DCIA P2P & Cloud Media Summit in Review

by claudetolbert on May 11, 2010 in Other with No comments

Last week BitTorrent participated in the first ever P2P & CLOUD MEDIA SUMMIT held in conjunction with Digital Hollywood 2010. The aim of the summit was to explore current policy, technology, and content issues as well as next-generation business opportunities related to P2P and cloud based commercial offerings.

My presentation titled “The Glass Half Full: The Unfulfilled Potential of File Sharing Networks,” focused on the surging growth in video over the Internet, and how the P2P industry and BitTorrent specifically, can facilitate new business models that leverage distributed networks; greater access speeds for the last mile; and cloud computing services. The cause for focus on this lever was made by the tremendous growth in video consumed via the Internet even though it continues to be dwarfed in the US by video consumed via the television.

What is the winning model? How will you help me, the content creator, make money? We did not propose a single path but a variety of initiatives centered on BitTorrent as a platform for the rich media experience; an evolution that would take our widely distributed client beyond its current use case to an application and service delivery mechanism for rich media experiences over the Internet.

Various definitions of success exist for forums such as this. However, a clear sign of that our message resonated with the more than 50 industry participants in attendance were the number of inquiries that I received IMMEDIATELY after the presentation concluded.

The Summit provided a rich environment for sharing information and an understanding of common themes. A few of these themes included:

- Legal landscape – The continued complexity as rulings emanate at a state, federal, and international level. Will products and services evolve to “solve” challenges in the marketplace?

- Business model creation - There is no consensus on a “winning” model for sharing of content. Depending on the type of content, customer segment, and place in the world, participants toggled between favoring subscription, paid download, or sponsored models. Everyone did agree that experimentation/trial would continue to refine models.

- Rich media partnerships – The discovery of rich media continues to be a challenge.  A vast collection of content exists but better mechanisms are needed to match users and content. Creating partnerships in this new ecosystem is difficult given the early stage of these working arrangements.

So, what do you think the future media model looks like? You can check out my presentation here.

-Claude-