As the opening keynote Matt Brittin, president, Google Europe took a different approach to previous Google speakers that had come to tell us how to run TV.
Dressed in white shirt sleeves and sporting an IBC issue Britney microphone, Brittin began by asking the audience how many connected devices they had on them. More than one had four. A Doctor Who fan, Brittin said he came across like a Dalek, the automotron nemesis of the time traveller.
“We’re a partner rather than a predator and these technology platforms are an indicator of the kind of partnership we can have'” he said. “I think its early and slow in terms of the technology trends we used to have. Few are connected, but the Number of those accessing the internet is likely to double to five billion in the next five years.”
The What we want, when we want, where we want phrase came out, in reference to the web, but echoing what many a TV executive had said before him.
Part of Brittin’s message was that TV is currently in the same place that mobile phones were in 2006 and that it was Google’s job to join them all up. This would be achieved through versions of Android now coming for the wrist, the car. And the TV. LG, Philips and Sony all bringing devices optimised for the TV and featuring the new Android TV, separate to Chromecast, as its operating system.
Moving to Chromecast he introduced the term Cast-enabled, lines of code that would enable an app, a site to be screened in the TV format, optimised by Google through the plug in Chromecast device.
Awesomeness TV, produced by the American actor-director Brian Robbins, and building on fan tribute sites. In Doctor Who the new title sequence came out of a fan video, which received 700,000 views when uploaded, including that of show runner Steven Moffat.
Then there was the hair care trends that saw women telling other women how to do their hair, one of the most popular video categories, but largely I monetised until Unilever grabbed the format.
Brittin’s message was that it wasn’t about something new replacing old things, but a world of And.
