One of the other more interesting aspects of the Korea Communications Conference 2009 was the Content track. The session titled "Finding the Right Contents" included input from speakers such as Moon Choong-sil, the Team Leader of the myLGtv Contents Team of LG Dacom; Sohn Seung-ae, the head of the acquisitions team of CJ Media, and Jeremiah McMillan, the Chief Creative Officer of SODA Media Ventures. The whole event was moderated by the incomparable Janine Stein, Editorial Director for ContentAsia in Singapore.
The presentations were about finding the right content that customers want to see in this age of fragmentation in media. There is so much media and information available; it is difficult for companies to give what customers want. Also, there are a number of issues that need to be resolved because of the different types of platforms that customers want to see content on all require their own licenses. The prices that content providers charge for the content also need to be lowered to a point where people are willing to pay for them. Each of the participants brought their own unique perspectives to the discussion.
The participants in the session were able to bring up so many interesting points based on the questions by Janine Stein, the moderator. Having covered the Asian television and media business for the past 20 years - and before that covering the television industry out of Johannesburg, she was in an excellent position to both understand the issues at hand and ask the important questions. After the session was over, the Korea IT Times was able to get a few words with her.
Q: Do you think that the Korea Communications Conference was a constructive event
A: Yes, very.
Q: What are some of the things that stood out for you the most during your panel session
A: One of the things that struck me was the level of interest there is in addressing the issues that need to be resolved with regard to rights for the different platforms. The other issue that stood out was access to content at price points that make services viable.
Q: What do you think of the Korean communications market and convergence Do you think it's ahead or behind other countries
A: Definitely ahead, particularly in mobile services. Although from a regulatory standpoint, Korean IPTV may have lagged behind other markets in Asia, it stands up well compared to other countries. Singapore's IPTV platform has 78,000 subscribers. Hong Kong's PCCW (Now) has 686,000 paying subs. In Taiwan, Telco Chunghwa had 676,000 subscribers to its multimedia on demand platform at the end of 2008.
Q: Do you think that the content in Korea is splintered in the same way that you feel it is in other places Why or why not
A: Entertainment in Korea seems to be fragmenting in the same way as everywhere else, with more choices offered by an increasing number of platforms vying for the attention of the same number of users with the same 24 hours. There are more mobile options in Korea than there are anywhere else in the region, which could mean that the race to license content is higher in Korea than elsewhere. High-speed broadband also makes online propositions in Korea very attractive; some of the options that were being offered in Korea years ago (such as KBS' online catch up services) are just beginning to surface in the rest of the region.
Q: In your opinion, what does Korea have to do to lead the way in digital convergence
A: I would be very reluctant to be so presumptions as to give advice! My humble opinion would be for regulators and policy makers to create a regulatory environment that is as friendly as it can be to growth, development and co-operation by parties from across the spectrum, including technology, infrastructure, and financing.
