So I got my Virgin Media customer pack today. They must be sending it to everyone who has ever touched Virgin (I had a Virgin mobile number once, plus I was on Telewest at one time). Clearly they are going for the whole “we’ll simplify TV, broadband, phone and mobile for you” pitch. There is also a response mechanic: If you go to Knowfirst.co.uk you’ll obviously have read their printed
Time magazine is among the latest large media owner to realise that the Internet is not a place where you spend a lot of money. In fact, it’s so efficient at disintermediating the income streams of traditional media companies who mainly play in print, that they are having to cut staff and put what resources they have left online. This something UK Press Gazette failed to realise and paid the
I have written about the media business in the past – and still do, though usually about how the media is getting trashed by the tech business – but the below YouTube video pretty much sums up how some – admittedly not all – media agencies conduct themselves.
I wish I’d gone on this.
Here are two fascinating posts from VCs: “The fact is that watching video on the Internet is superior in many ways to traditional television, even with a Tivo. You can’t engage with TV delivered via a set top box. How do you email a TV show to a friend with a set top box? How to you comment on it? How do you favorite it? How do you subscribe to
I’m writing an article for a magazine (The New Statesman), provisionally titled “What have videogames ever done for us? A look at the economics of videogames in the UK”. I’m looking at the variety of jobs, how old the industry is here, who’s involved, what research is being done here (both in terms of R&D and possibly academically), investment, numbers of companies, exports, and what they are doing to make
Azeem has an interesting post about how Digg has now overtaken Cnet. Amazing really, in such a short space of time.
I’m organising an event for NMK, called My So-Called Second Life. It’s an afternoon seminar on the opportunities for creative firms and investment in the new world of MMORPGs (massively mulltiplayer online role playing games). Why is this interesting? Well, the likes of Disney and the directors James Cameron are getting into the area, along with a new wave of technology and media firms. If you think you could contribute
One thing that struck me while I was in Los Angles last week was that the people I met kept saying the same thing: media, entertainment and technology are converging (yes, THAT word) on Los Angeles. The simple fact that the biggest music and Hollywood players are there, and the act that it is an hour’s plane ride from Silicon Valley, and an hour’s drive from San Diego (where the
AlwaysOn is not your typical conference. During the two and a half days it was on, it ranged from discussions about data to user generated content to venture capital to mobile. Quite a range. This was both a strength and a weakenss, but the audience handled it all with aplomb. Perhaps the hottest topic at the event was social media and in particular the rise of sites like YouTube and