The future of non-terrestrial broadcasters in the UK television industry: the shape of things to come?

The UK television industry operates in a highly turbulent environment characterised by the rapid changes in; regulation, technology, audience behaviour and new media consumption. This competitive environment makes it difficult for television companies to identify strategies for growth and may indeed place their very survival at risk. This paper investigates the future of the non-terrestrial television broadcasters (NTBs) in the UK and examines how they can maintain and develop their position as major outlets for television consumption over the next five years. Empirical data was collected using a scenario planning methodology which is widely known for its value in addressing environmental uncertainty by illustrating the future as having a limited number of possible. A range of experienced industry practitioners participated in the development of four future scenarios, based on the degree of technological convergence and the number of television gatekeepers present in the industry. Having evaluated the implications of each scenario, and identified a number of early indicators that would signpost which was most likely to come about, the participants suggested three strategic options that non-terrestrial television broadcasters might adopt to compete effectively. These strategies included; investing in and owning original and exclusive content; forming strategic partnerships with other media companies; making significant investment in channel brands. Key Words: UK Television Industry, Non-Terrestrial Broadcasters, Scenario Planning, Competitive Strategy

The hidden catalyst for industrial convergence between the MMOG industry and the online broadcasting industry in South Korea

This paper explores the convergence process by focusing on the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) industry and the online broadcasting industry in South Korea. In doing so, the paper seeks to establish the concept of Hidden catalysts for the integration process between the two industries and explore the roles of the Hidden catalysts in triggering the industry’s transition. Further, the modified multi-level socio-technical model we applied in our research allows us both to understand each industry’s development towards convergence in various dimensions and also to focus on the activities of the Hidden catalysts. In assessing the role of Hidden catalysts in industry convergence, we found that Hidden catalysts depend on two essential features: first, ap-propriate technology leading to the new industry dominance; and second, managerial capabili-ties to deal with conflicts among other new interest groups, to harmonise with government initia-tives for industry development and to create new value in the integrated market to please the de-mand of mixed customers

The Process of Innovation

The paper argues that innovation processes can be cognitive, organisational and/or economic. They happen in conditions of uncertainty and (in the capitalist system) of competition. Three broad, overlapping sub-processes of innovation are identified: the production of knowledge; the transformation of knowledge into products, systems, processes and services; and the continuous matching of the latter to market needs and demands. The paper identifies key trends in each of these areas: (1) increasing specialisation in knowledge production; (2) increasing complexity in physical artefacts, and in the knowledge bases underpinning them; and (3) the difficulties of matching technological opportunities with market needs and organisational practices. Despite advances in scientific theory and information and communication technologies (ICTs), innovation processes remain unpredictable and difficult to manage. They also vary widely according to the firm's sector and size. Only two innovation processes remain generic: co-ordinating and integrating specialised knowledge, and learning in conditions of uncertainty. The paper also touches on the key challenges now facing 'innovation managers' within modern industrial corporations, bearing in mind the highly contingent nature of innovation.innovation processes, specialised knowledge production, knowledge transformation, modern industrial corporations

Game on! a report on the interactive leisure software subsector in London

There is a paucity of good quality data on the UK video games industry. Information such as value-added, investment on R&D, average annual expenditure on training and the value of video games in terms of exports, for example, is thin or incomplete. This is a serious problem. If we are to improve the competitiveness of the UK games development sector then we must have better quality information. Games developers will then be able to benchmark their business activities against industry averages. Overseas investors will also then be better informed about the benefits of investing in the UK leisure software sector. This Report confirms the lacunae in our knowledge that exists about the video games industry. For example, the Office of National Statistics still does not have a specific code to identify interactive leisure software businesses. Yet the Report also shines a light on the video games industry in the UK in general and in London in particular

The Evolution of the Sofa - TV in the New Digital Scenario

The traditional television is now at a turning point because the introduction of digital technology has changed the competitive context: it has modified the bargain power of the traditional players by offering new opportunities to the new entrants and imposing new strategies to the existing ones. This paper, basing on 32 case studies and the census of Sat TV, DTT and IPTV offerings, aims at describing the current state of channel offerings, individualizing the principal players and identifying their strategies, thus allowing us to give a few predictions as to the possible future changes in the industry. The analysis will have a general applicability, as the considerations made are not particularly country-specific, although performed within the Italian context, one of the most advanced in the development of digital TV platforms.digital technology, competitive, strategies

The Next Big Match: Convergence, Competition and Sports Media Rights

Using examples from a number of different European countries, this article analyses the increasingly prominent position of traditional telecommunications companies, such as British Telecom (UK), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), France Telecom/Orange (France) and Telefonica (Spain), in the contemporary sports media rights market. The first part of the article examines the commercial strategies of telecommunications operators and highlights how their acquisition of sports rights has been driven by the need to ensure a competitive position within an increasingly converged communications market. The second part of the article then moves on to consider the regulation of the sports media rights market. Most significantly, this section emphasises the need for further regulatory intervention to ensure that increased competition for sports rights leads to improved services and lower prices for consumers, rather than merely endlessly spiralling fees for the exclusive ownership of premium rights that are then passed on to sports channel and/or broadband subscribers