Shabir Momin, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, Zenga TV and OneDigital Entertainment
The media and entertainment industry is betting big on technology for providing customised offerings to users. Moreover, a growing shift towards digital media is driving the adoption of cloud, social media, mobility solutions, analytics and big data solutions. Media and entertainment industry players discuss their IT strategies, and technology trends…
What are the technology trends being witnessed by the media and entertainment space?
There has been a reduction in satellite TV viewing and a significant increase in digital content viewing in the media and entertainment industry. In addition, the industry is witnessing a reduction in TV format programming and a greater need for digital content creation. Content is being produced keeping in mind the digital audience and its digital content consumption and behaviour. The third trend being witnessed is that the prime-time slot has changed due to the change in medium. Digital media has a very different kind of prime-time behaviour, which depends on the kind of content being accessed.
What are some of the IT/telecom solutions being deployed by your company? How have these helped enhance business operations?
As a company, we use and create our own technology solutions. We do not use any third-party technology platform except from Amazon. Recently, we launched a platform called One Access, which is very new and exciting, and has witnessed significant uptake.
What is the level of technology adoption in respect of the cloud, internet of things (IoT) and big data analytics in this industry?
Our company has been using cloud technology for the past eight to ten years. We have been early adopters of the Amazon Web Service in India. In addition, we use a lot of big data analytics for our internal computations, such as to figure out what is trending. Our company also uses big data in our new platform, open access, to give enough information to content creators and content owners so that they can invest in the right content. The use of big data analytics gives a lot of insight; without proper knowledge, it is usually the gut feeling that dictates decisions. We also have a separate IoT division and use the technology in various products and technologies. One of the verticals that is actually adopting IoT and augmented reality in a big way is marketing. Experiential marketing has gained traction. Currently, people are focusing not just on on-the-ground or outdoor marketing or any other marketing, but also on experiential marketing. This form of marketing facilitates personalisation.
“The industry is witnessing a reduction in TV format programming and a greater need for digital content creation.” Shabir Momin
What are the key challenges in the deployment and management of telecom solutions?
One of the key challenges is that, from a client’s perspective, the solution made for the target audience should be easy to understand and access. In many cases, the pace of adoption is comparatively slower than the speed at which the innovation takes place. The other challenge is that there is a change in the cost structure owing to the adoption of new technology solutions. As a user, we face challenges related to the bandwidth or the quality of service provided by operators. In my opinion, this is an overgrowing mess that never gets resolved because the expectations keep on increasing. Earlier, when we had 2G, we expected 3G technology. Now that we have 4G, we have expectations for 10G. Therefore, innovations keep taking place. The problem is that these 3G/4G technologies do not deliver the promised bandwidths.
What IT initiatives are you planning to take over the next few years?
As a company, we drink, eat and breathe innovation and aim to continue doing that. We plan to add new technologies, services and innovations in the coming years.
