My So-Called Digital Life

ABC: Millenials and Mobile Key for New Media

It's true, you might want to watch a part of a show...heck, maybe even quite a bit of a show, on your phone or mobile device on the train into work, on the subway to your friend's place, or while you're brown bagging it alone. At least that is what ABC and other networks are hoping as they launch their mobile strategy's to keep viewers, viewing their programming, even while not watching TV. No eyes, not advertising candy and that is the biggest worry of all for the networks as they vie for attention away for sites like YouTube, iTunes and illegal downloading. Read on, to see what Bernie Gershon from ABC said at the recent Streaming Media East Conference in New York.

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ABC: Millenials and Mobile Key for New Media
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/24/2006 10:31:00 AM

“Millenials” and mobile TV are the two big focuses for ABC’s new-media efforts Bernie Gershon, senior VP/general manager of digital media for Disney ABC Television Group, said during an entertaining keynote speech Wednesday at the Streaming Media East conference in New York.

ABC’s broadband efforts--which include selling $1.99 shows through iTunes, streaming ad-supported programs on ABC.com, and the $4.95-per-month subscription service ABC News Now—are aimed squarely at millenials, the 79 million Americans between the age of 8 and 27. The key trait of millenials, says Gershon, is their ability to multitask and to “consume information on a variety of devices,” which informs all of ABC’s new-media efforts.

“Our strategy is aligned with the demands of the new consumer,” said Gershon, who noted that his pet project, ABC News Now, counts 25 million broadband homes and 2 million mobile users as subscribers.

So far, ABC has sold 5 million program downloads through iTunes since October, and ABC.com has recorded some 2 million video plays during the first two weeks of the service. The use of the ABC.com streaming product is not just limited to people at work, as ABC is recording significant usage during the evening hours as well.

The next big new-media opportunity for ABC content is mobile phones, which ABC is already addressing with both ABC News Now and a new mobile video program, “Lost Diaries,” that will be introduced this fall.

“Mobile phones are an enticing and compelling platform for us because of the sheer scope of the reach,” says Gershon.

While there are over 100 million TV households in the U.S., there are over 180 million mobile phone users, notes Gershon, and 400 million mobile users in China. He added that, as of March 2006, there were 2 million mobile video subscribers in the U.S., up from zero in 2003. That includes ABC partner MobiTV, which just broke 1 million subs paying $9.95 a month. Gershon says that the average viewing time of ABC News Now content on MobiTV is three to five minutes per session.

When asked about the future role of ABC affiliates in ABC’s new-media future, Gershon said that affiliates are important and that “long term, we hope to find a way to work with them.” He noted that four ABC affiliates and one owned station are currently testing the abc.com streaming service, and reiterated his message that delivery on multiple platforms creates a "virtuous circle" with ABC content at the center. In the long run, he believes that new-media efforts will help both the network and affiliates make more money.

“We believe it’s additive,” he said.

Patent Laws are a joke!

I cannot possibly be the only one on this earth that thinks that the current state of affairs concerning patent laws are completely laughable. Case in point, Blackberry. Yes, i happen to own one and yes, i am Canadian and we Canadians tends to huddle around each other when things get bad...but seriously, anyone with a sliver of a brain can see how NTP, the US company that claims they have patents infrindged by RIM (Research In Motion) the maker of the Blackberry is just completely bogus and should not be able to stand up in court. I mean...doesn't someone have to had created something, made something...made it work?

Do we all understand here that NTP never created "a Blackberry like" device? Do we get that they didn't even CREATE a technology, not even a fake technology that failed...or even worked? They patented an "idea". Its like if I went out in the 30's or 40's and tried to (and successfully) patented "any moving vehicle that can penetrate the earth's outer atmosphere." Wow, wouldn't i be rich now. I wouldn't have had to even create it, let alone prove that it could be done. I just have to prove that no one else thought of it first. What a load of rubbish.

I have recently seen an approved patent for a Web technology...approved not that long ago...that could sink at least 10 companies. The thing is, if the US patent company in their diligent research had even looked hard enough (read: done a Google search), they would have seen that there was a patent pending on the same thing from years before...and yet...they approved it. So that's more money and more legal hullaballoo that has to take place to fight the patent that should never have been approved.

There are articles written, in regards to the Blackberry case, that the US Patent office doesn't have enough people to do the research. So hire them, or don't offer the service! if you can't do it right, then don't do it! Do they not realize that markets, technologies....entrepreneurship itself is at stake?

NTP doesn't even plan to develop the technology...they never did. In fact, they are planning to go after every other company that "enables mobile devices to receive email". Nice. And then what? huge license fees forever that instead of helping an industry develop, mature and innovate...stifles it because consumers can't take the bills?

The next major hearing is scheduled for February 24th, and if unsuccessful, could force RIM to shut down its service in the US and halt sales of the devices.

Other's are getting on the bandwagon...though last week, a technology patent dispute was settled when the UK High Court ruled in favour of Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry wireless email device. The ruling revoked a patent held by Inpro Licensing, which, had it been upheld as valid, could have disrupted services to about 375,000 UK BlackBerry users.

But what about RIM. Just say they win and don't have to pay. Fighting this in court for years will certainly erode any research and development they might normally be doing. they just won't have the dough to move on and compete.

I think perhaps i'm not conveying my anger properly. I just don't understand a government that keeps offering services that are so bad they are actually dangerous. I think Slate has got it right with their recent article, Weapons of Business Destruction: How a tiny little "patent troll" got BlackBerry in a headlock.

I don't think i could have said it better myself.