CTAM EUROSUMMIT ’10 – BUDAPEST. There is a growing threat from connected TVs and hybrid devices, said the BBC’s Jonathan Charles. There are at least 14 identified, including the BBC’s Canvas – and they all will have an impact on cable’s audiences.
“The worst thing that cable operators can do is ignore it,” according to Nico Rijkhoff, director brand & marketing communication, Ziggo, during the Marketing Leadership Forum. “And it is a serious threat. I was at IFA, in Berlin, and there were lot of 3D TVs, but also a lot of Net TVs. I saw a small set up in Samsung booth and there was Google TV, very smart an very easy. That is good for the consumer. There is going to be a fierce competition.”
Rijkhoff also said you can’t always trust research. “Customers prefer to choose their own package, research shows. So we tried selling a la carte offerings, but it never really worked. Packaging is most convenient.”
David Hulbert, director, Ravensbeck, said: “Satellite companies are passionate about content and entertainment. Telcos don’t really believe in content. Cable companies are somewhere in the middle, but some operators are obsessive in reducing cost of content.”
“The smartest platform use packaging to trade customers up and driving ARPU up and reducing churn,” he added.
