Shabir Momin, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, ZengaTV and OneDigital Entertainment
The media and entertainment industry is witnessing a rapid digital transformation with the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions. These solutions have revolutionised the way in which content is produced, transmitted and distributed. The growing shift towards digital media is also driving the uptake of cloud and big data analytics. Experts in the media and entertainment space talk about their IT strategies, emerging technology trends and plans for upgrading their ICT infrastructure…
What are the emerging technology trends in the media and entertainment industry? How are organisations in this space embracing digitalisation?
The media and entertainment industry has always been an early adopter of emerging technologies and has been effectively using technology platforms and automation. The industry has now evolved from adapting existing content to creating new content for the internet. The consumption behaviour of users too is changing fast and the media industry is adapting to it at the same speed.
What are some of the IT/telecom solutions deployed by your organisation? How have they helped in enhancing business performance and efficiency?
We use performance management, and planning and process optimisation tools. We have also created tools like www. oneaxcess.com for our content and brand partners, which enable them to increase distribution, performance, monetisation and reach in a simpler way. Meanwhile, adopting new technologies like chatbot-driven engagement is going to change the way we engage with users today. Instead of giving more options to users, which has been the strategy followed by most players in the industry till date, the new trend is to provide fewer but relevant options.
What are the challenges faced in deploying new technologies and managing the existing IT and telecom infrastructure?
Educating the team about a new technology is usually the only challenge that we face. There always comes a time when a team does not want to change the business-as-usual technology. However, once the technology is adopted, they realise how effective it makes them and, most importantly, how it helps them save time and increase accuracy.
What is the scope of big data analytics, cloud and IoT technologies in the media and entertainment industry?
Big data analytics, data insights and internet of things (IoT) are enablers of future decision-making. In the future, decisions about what to offer next to an existing user, what changes to make to an existing offering, what products and services need to be launched, etc. will be driven by these technologies. Moreover, data insights can tell companies the price points for these products and the markets to sell them in.
What are some of the IT initiatives that you plan to take over the next few years?
We are identifying our user needs and behaviours, and working on that to determine what is best for our users and how we can give them less but absolutely relevant choices. Further, we are changing the way we look at processes and are mapping context for internal people, users and even partners. In the future, our efforts will be directed towards mapping the right demand with the perfect supply.
