Moderator -- (Houlihan Lokey)
Ben Feingold (Sony)
(NewsCorp)
(Microsoft)
What direction is this going:
Ben Feingold (Sony): expansion of devices – content platforms; shorter programming;
-=-- (Newscorp): Agrees – content on numerous platforms. Content – you never know where the next piece of great content is going to come from. Nobody has an exact answer of where it is going. Can now deistribute it across muyltiple platforms.
---- (Microsoft): expects significantly more PCs will be sold; the windows vista operating system;"facilitating in teh home a network of entertainment";
Q: What does content look like in the future? What does the studio look like in the future?
--(NC): a hit is always going tob e a hit. I do think a good piece of quality content whether on a big screen, small screen, or smaller screen, as long as it's a good piece of content it will be successful. If you do prouce a good piece, it reseontas with consumers, you can distribute it to more people on many platforms. 24 is a good example. Lives on in many fronts - DVD, mobile phones, VOD, interdown loads, and others that we don't yet know about. In the past it had one platform, now it has 7,8,9 different platforms. The cumulative audience is greater overall. Don't make the mistack worrying that we can't do this, legal problems, . The future is brigher now than it's ever been in the media business.
Q: Where do you think business will be
Ben: Agrees w/ Ross. Optimistic. Sees a massive expansion in distribution. ... Overseas, new revenues around the cglobe. The issue is how you organizae yourself as a company over these areas. These companies will continue to exist, they will be bigger than in the past; TV was shorter form than in movies; existing revenue base & programming, will continue. Studios will add new creative groups, like they did with TV, DVD, Video, and now with Internet. They will continue. Interenet will be for more niche programming; Net will be a tool for efficiency.
Q: What is MS's business plan? Do you need to have Content? How does MS interact with the other two panelists companies?
MS: Having sold content for many years before being in current role with MS; biggest frustration was to have amoujnt of content that is actively played and/or licensed in any country in the world, I would venture to guess it would be about 25% of feature film library and 20% of ??; frustration was that they would receive letters that said: how can i see X? people want the content, and the others on this panel want their content distributed. there is a creative opportunity for consumers to find content they want. ... opportunities. looking at this as a pie that is going to grow. in terms of the consumer and content company,
-- (NewCorp): Who is blogging? show of hands. The bloggers and IRC people, are who we need to not be afraid of.
blah blah from MS guy,.
Audience Q: will there be a great expansion in compatability between companies and the industry? We've unified our protection. Market is driving there, and we'll get there.
Audience Q: Has TV become to "business" oriented as tto where quality programm that may not get stratusphere numbers get cancelled?
NewsCorp: wheras there's a lot of television networks,
JD Lasica: Exclusivity. Aol doesn't want the same video up on Yahoo! etc. Isn't that the same old media concept?
In some cases mySopace is very different from MSN, Yahoo, AOL. It really is programmed by the consumer. THere is a proliferation of cite (digg, tail..?). Bubble up. That chanes the power. Moves from editor to the producer. The point is accurate. Big portals want exclusivity. In some cases they can't get it. If you're a grat producer, and can't get your show up, and walks into Yahoo and does a distribution deal. If you can get on those fronts, you've got massive distribution. (This is a lame answer.)
Question from audience: What's the video strategy on-line? And Who's buying YouTube?
NC: I don't know if anyone's bying YouTube right now. Our stragey has multiple prongs. MySpace is uplaoding lots of video. Fox Media is distributing content in the places that make the most sense
Ben: It doesn't matter so much that there can be another YouTube in the future. What is the experience that creates the wow factor for consumers (e trading, instant stock tyradin, etc.). It's somewhat academic -- it's a wonderful thing the Internet and the massive distribution (this doesn't answer the question at all)
Audicnec Q: Are the Telcos a viable distribution channel for Television?
MS: We certainly believe so. Internet Protocol TV being depoloyed by AT&T. Other telcos are interested in looking at that options. IPTV in this sense is an example of a full cable chanel capacity. Cable is moving to telephony. Telephony is leading to the ???. The competition is great. MS and Google, Amazon etc, sent letter to congress about competition to do something. Look this up.
HL Q: Why would you make a deal with AT&T and not Comcast?
B: is a content company, not a device company. Content will drive the strategy. If you create good content, whether there is exclusivity for a period of time, content is going to be powering this new world (ME: CONTENT IS KING).
HL Q: Somebody needs to deliver