A presentation by Spencer Wang at Bear Stearns caught my eye. He talks about why aggregation and context, not content will be “king” in the future of entertainment. He has taken a different view than many out there, but does a good job supporting his theory. I happen to agree with his analysis – it is the reason why the existing media companies must acquire digital assets, and why many of the large digital channels are acquiring radio, TV and print assets. Without them they cannot remain competitive.
There are two points, which I find particularly intriguing – one technical, one social.
The first is Mr. Wang’s reference to needing filters to manage all the content choices. It already takes several minutes to scan through all 600 digital cable channels – how long will it take you or me to “surf” through an unlimited number of Internet channels. Filters that can be personalized for user preferences are an absolute must in this scenario. Since I’m a big fan of personalization (incoming or outgoing) and in the Internet communications space, I’m looking forward to the opportunity that this can create.
The second thing that struck me is his reference to the increasing demand for entertainment. I am curious as to why demand is increasing at such a rapid pace. Could this be an indicator that basic human needs, in most countries, are being met and the world’s population has time to enjoy life vs. simply surviving, or is the populace seeking refuge in entertainment because the complexity of the “flat” world is simply overwhelming? This will likely not be answered for years to come, but presents an intriguing dissertation topic for some enterprising doctoral candidate.
For now, I’m just enjoying the digital ride of my life.
