Livewire: The Communications, Media and Entertainment Blog

...there are just different screens.

Networks will be replaced by the Internet, and TV will just be another connected screen.

Video will just be a spade of the offerings, with gaming, social interactions, T-commerce, interactive adverts and convergence being at the forefront. That is when the likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google will compete with the cable guys - Time Warner, Comcast and Cablevision.

The importance of connected TVs to has already been stamped by Korean TV maker Samsung spending $70m on marketing its Internet TV apps in 2010. The magic has already started - with remotes controlling TV, and consumers able to play and watch content seamlessly across TV, PC and their smartphones and tablets. These emerging trends point to the increasing user demand to access content, services and entertainment from any location, any device, on the user's terms.

A growing numbers of television viewers are simultaneously online while watching television, most of them using a laptop or an Internet enabled smartphone. With the advent of social networks, this multitasking means that people are discussing the TV shows at the same time as they are watching them. These real-time conversations enable consumers to socially engage with TV programming even more. This holds enormous significance for service providers, as viewers can discuss shows via the TV set and influence each other's viewing. This interaction also enhances the whole lean-back-on-the-couch TV experience for viewers, as they can actively converse with each other, around any programming and content.

How social networks affect broadcasters:

Interaction with TV through social networking has enormous significance for broadcasters.Facebook 'Like's & comments and Twitter 'trending's influence TV ratings. The likes of Facebook and Twitter know in real-time how viewers are reacting to TV programmes. These social networks own valuable, detailed information about people's behavior, such as discussing TV shows and sharing links to videos. This futuristic vision of social viewing is one in which all major partners in the television industry ecosystem - IPTV, cable operators, satellite operators, middleware technology firms, device manufacturers, advertisers, broadcasters and studios - must build new relationships, negotiate new terms and resolve the next set of challenges in order to seize revenue opportunities.

Essentially, lifestyles are unfolding, and they are unfolding fast.

• TVs are becoming much more than just entertainment devices and service providers must tap the trend to make the idiot box smart and intelligent
• Consumers will readily inculcate apps to their TV viewing behavior after having experienced it on their mobiles
• Service providers should not view app stores as new revenue channels but as retention tools that keep consumers engaged

So get ready to post your next status update, order a pizza, ask a Honda dealer to contact you, vote for your favorite character of that reality show and continue watching that favorite movie of yours on your mobile while you leave the couch to go out for a stroll in the park - all of these on your TV right there in the living room!

Posted by Mrinal Somani at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

After over 60 years of color television, hundreds of channels (or is it thousands), innovations like HD and 3D we still can't seem to get enough TV.

"America's Love Affair with TV," Retrevo's awesome blog on TV viewing habits reveals that there are "more TVs than viewers to watch them."

The TV phenomenon isn't confined to the US, of course - the world loves its television entertainment and loves the simplicity of the user interface. Don't like what's on? Switch from the ever-increasing array of channels. Up and down. Child's play.

So why hasn't the Internet happened to television yet? Why aren't most of us online on our TVs, tweeting or texting or chatting?

Well, for one, convergence has been slow in coming, despite rosy predictions of the past. Technically it's feasible now at price points we couldn't have imagined before, now that we have converged "pipes" running to most homes--communications networks that can carry video, voice, and data to our growing collection of shiny digital gizmos.

But perhaps more importantly, television is what's called a "lean-back experience," one where we can unabashedly cater to our likes and dislikes. Sit back. Relax. See what's on.

Recently we've been doing more. See what's next. Time-shift it. Get video on demand. See it on your mobile. Or favorite tablet.

There's more to come. Developers and innovators around the world are busy working on the next set of uber-cool applications and services that will work right on your TV set - or set top box. Giving you control - with the same ease of use - up, down, left and right buttons on the same remote control. These powerful new apps and services will bring the best of the Internet to your TV--but in a way that you don't have to re-learn your TV browsing experience completely. Not one or two but hundreds--(and soon thousands) of applications are being developed for every imaginable lifestyle need.  And yes, they are on their way to your living room in Kentucky and even (en français) in Paris.

You won't have to get off that comfortable couch either :) Stay tuned!

Posted by Deepak Swamy at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Akshay Joshi at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

WebEx, remote desktop, MS-Office, overnight trip to client site, very usable on an airplane to do emails and review spreadsheets, and works even more beautifully in the meeting to make presentations, uses cloud storage for the documents you need; managing traffic disruption, reviewing bid slides and sending a tweet to the airline and getting an instant reply. Sometimes social media works magic, than trying to contact the call centre. And it is light on the bag too. Well, it is not the mini laptop we are talking about. It's the tablet, pioneered by the iPad. And if you think this is a concept scenario, it is not. This one is taken from a recent real life experience.

And in case any one doubts that tablets will become a truly enterprise device, check out the Gartner Top Predictions for IT organizations (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1480514). "By 2013, 80 percent of businesses will support a workforce using tablets"

Setting up the device itself might be an obnoxious exercise - Procuring Micro Sims, setting up iTunes accounts, adding apps with a credit card and etc etc. Not an enterprise grade experience. Strikes me that we could do with a   managed fulfillment service.

But why tablets cannot replace laptops?

• Lack of a real keyboard makes it challenging
• Limited storage
• Size of screen
• Security and interoperability of enterprise applications

I could only think of the basic differences at this time. They are like sports convertibles - do it with style and panache, but it's not a car for every need.

Having said that, all the negatives can be turned around quite easily - just need a dose of creativity and innovation. Haven't we after all evolved from the X86 to the PC to laptops. They demanded a change of perception more than anything else, and change is something which always encounters resistance. Helps provoke the realization that we do not just buy devices - we need to adapt to new innovative ways of working, new apps, newer personal ways to engage with customers.

The most striking part of using a tablet in front of a customer is the relative intimacy. Highly open and personal, we are moving away from the clichéd 'across the table customer v/s vendor' to a more rich form of communication and at the same time oozing innovation. How much is the highly open, personal and innovative communication and relationship building during a RFP or a quarterly review worth to the organization? The price of the device? No. The price of investing in innovation customers can relate to? Yes.

Mobility is transforming the globe, the way businesses are being done. Who is going to catch the train early is yet to be seen, but the ones who do, will reap the benefits. Game changer, this one?

Posted by Mrinal Somani at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The very concept of home entertainment coupled with online media is in the grasp of a revolution.The growth of the Internet has not only increased the power of consumers, but it also allows users to access an unlimited amount of data and content at their leisure and according to their desire. Everyone knows that YouTube has been the king when it comes to video content, but as traditional programming continues to gravitate online, firms are seeking to establish themselves as the leader in that on-demand arena, by providing a combination of content and convenience to the users.

Apart from thriving on the content, the internet also awaits newer advertisements revenue models, particularly "Intelligent" advertising. "Intelligent" advertising is the capability to localize to a particular set of consumers for a specific type of business/organization/individual promotions.

Posted by Mrinal Somani at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Convergence has for long been labeled as the buzzword of the communication industry. Convergence, as a phenomenon, is having its impact felt across almost every communication, media & entertainment platform. Owing to the seamless possibilities it offers, the consumers have been a witness to unique variety of service mashups, spanning across devices and technologies. Web & Mobile as a medium have already started morphing into their new avatars; however, the age-old "idiot-box" is the latest one to be touched by this transformation.

Continue reading "Convergence: Shaping the living room experience" »

Posted by Pankaj Dhingra at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Shopping for a MAP ?" »

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Continue reading "2CC: TV Everywhere - the bridge to $$-ware?" »

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Continue reading "What will drive the uptake of 3-screen converged VAS?" »

Posted by Manish Jain at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Digital Marketing using TV: Opportunity waiting to explode" »

Posted by Manish Jain at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Wireless industry is perhaps one of the most innovative among other industries. The industry players are constantly trying to “woo” their customers through innovations in device, content and the core-network that serves the customers.

Continue reading "International CTIA Wireless 2009 – The Final Roundup" »

Posted by Sandeep Chandrasekar Seshadri at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In one of my posts on Trend Watch (http://www.infosysblogs.com/livewire/2009/04/after_iphone_now_it_is_appstor.html), I had talked about App stores in TV. So what the proposition can be.

Continue reading "Some more thoughts on App Store for TV" »

Posted by Manish Jain at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "How CSP's can seamlessly blend three screens - TV, Mobile, and Web to provide an immersive user experience" »

Posted by Manish Jain at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the basic tenants of large, consumer-centric companies in the information age is that you require investment in call centres.  These call centres may be outsourced, multi-tenanted and cost-efficient but they invariably require large investment in infrastructure, people and desktop based applications.  But what if these permanent investments were no longer required?  What if inbound and outbound customer interactions were serviced by a unique combination people, services and technology?

This is one of the promises of new technology enabling the delivery of enterprise application user experiences to mobile devices.  Many front-of-house user experiences have been moving to web-based for PCs and mobile devices are now capable of adapting these interfaces based on device capabilities, user preferences and presence information.  I’m not going to delve into this topic now but full mobile browsers, content translation middleware and new mobile operating systems are all aspects of this enabling set of technologies.

So what are some of the implications for companies?  I have a couple of scenarios I would like to explore.

Scenario 1 – Selling a new handset and mobile service in a bar -

Many of you will be familiar with the concept of viral marketing for consumption products such as the cute girl at the bar who convinces you to try the latest mixed drink offering and offers to buy you one. 

Now imagine you see the same girl at a bar with a great looking phone and you comment on it.  They turn around and start telling you how good the phone is, show you how they watch TV on it, tell you all about the fantastic coverage, etc.  She says there is a deal now and you can sign up online, in fact you can use her phone.  She starts the process for you and talks you through it.  She asks if you use a phone much for work.  You do.  She upgrades you to a business plan.  You go through the last steps to confirm your purchase and pay for it.  Five minutes later the girl has moved on and a few days later the phone arrives via post at your nominated address.

What enabled this scenario?

• The girl was registered as virtual marketer for a phone company.  She receives training online at home and receives commission on every sale.  There are no direct costs to the phone operator.
• The phone companies CRM system had a mobile user experience with the basic necessary process for sign up and ability to suggest up-sell offers.
• Order was fulfilled and billing triggered the same as orders through the call centre.

Scenario – Crowd-sourcing field force for support -

The crowd sourcing concept has been around for a while, particularly in the area of IT and home entertainment support.  But the crowd-sourcing concept is primarily a hand-off concept.

In this scenario, a customer having support problems with their internet connection can use their mobile phone to ask for assistance.  Based on their location information, a list of registered, available helpers are provided.  The customer can initiate an SMS, voice or IM conversation with these crowd-sourced helpers based upon preferences.  The helper can agree an appointment to come and check out their on premises equipment.  Based upon their registration details, level of completed training and reputation with the provider, they have access to a restricted set of enterprise application functions.  They assist the customer with problem resolution, making incident notes on their mobile device into the provider systems.  They are able to see that the provider service in that area has scheduled maintenance which is due to finish in an hour.  The helper returns to their home and updates the incident with further details via a richer PC based experience.  He sends a notification to the customer when the maintenance work is completed to check if the internet is available again.  It is.  The customer problem is resolved, the registered helper charges an agreed fee for the service.

How was this scenario achieved?

• Helper registered on a crowd-sourcing site from the provider and proceeding through appropriate training for levels of certification.
• Availability information and preferences of helper were registered with the provider.
• Diagnostic and support ticketing systems were exposed as a mobile based on helper’s role and privileges

Extension scenarios

These are just some basic ideas for how the traditional notion of fixed, large call centres can be broken down through mobilisation of enterprise applications.  Large investment and operating costs can be moved to flexible, demand based cost.  These scenarios can be carried further with some minor extensions including;

• Reverse auction sites to bid for available crowd-sourced opportunities;
• Leverage advertising models to offset the cost to enterprises and crowd-sourced helpers; and
• Combination of wireless access and near-field communications devices to enhance the customer experience in stores or entertainment venues.

Hopefully companies can take advantage of these possibilities to deliver benefit to both shareholders and customers without being sold something every time we chat to a stranger in a bar.

Posted by Ilya Joel Pitcher at 1:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In the communications customer experience value chain, the humble (and not so humble) device sits between the services and application layer.   Of particular interest in this discussion devices which interface to wireless services and enable access to user applications anywhere - or mobile phones to the rest of us - what is the future for these devices and what does it mean to Telco operators?

People are constantly impressed by the ever increasing complexity, sophistication and capability of mobile phones.  The introduction of the iPhone and whispers/shouts on the grapevine of the gPhone are  redefining people's expectations.  But is this next stage of development the beginning of the end in innovation or just the end of the beginning?

To answer that question we only have to look at the trajectory of innovation in that truly revolutionary device, the PC.  During their history, PCs have undergone several periods of consumerisation and attempts at diversity - Newton, the NetPC, even good old Wang, all spring to mind.  However, the PC is now universally defined in terms of a set of numbers - Memory, HD capacity, processor power, battery life, etc.  These numbers are all that is important on a device.  In addition to these numbers you have a keyboard, a mouse and a screen.

Continue reading "The vanishing device and the imperative for network transformation" »

Posted by Ilya Joel Pitcher at 1:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

There has been lots of noise in various forums recently regarding the challenge faced by communication service providers (CSPs) in realizing IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architectures and the tantalizing opportunities to provide equivalent capabilities to consumers leveraging Web 2.0 architecture.  As reported recently in a Heavy Reading report, CSPs have been working to design and implement IMS network architectures since 2002 but have been struggling to deploy IMS solutions due to a range of hurdles including compliant equipment availability, cost justification and legacy network integration.  In contrast, many carriers are succeeding in using overlay technologies (i.e. Parlay or other network mediation languages) to abstract the complexity of their existing platforms and present Web services which can be rapidly integrated into new, exciting consumer service offerings ranging from mashups to sophisticated rich internet applications (RIA) leveraging Web 2.0 concepts and principles.

This is born out by a brief overview of two Gartner Hype Cycle reports;

• "Hype Cycle for Carrier Network Operations, 2006" : in this report, IMS is positioned at the peak of inflated expectations.  Given that we are one year later, it is reasonable to expect that IMS is rapidly sliding down into the trough of disillusionment; and
• "Hype Cycle for Web and User Interaction Technologies, 2007" : which positions expectations around Web 2.0 and related technologies (AJAX, RSS, etc) as bottoming out and starting to move up the Slope of Enlightenment.

So everyone agrees that the expectations and  maturity of understanding around IMS and Web 2.0 are at different stages, but these are fundamentally different technologies and concepts.  So why are people discussing Web 2.0 as an alternate strategy to IMS?

It is important to understand these technologies individually before they can be compared;

• The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an architectural framework for delivering services based on internet protocol (IP) multimedia to users over multiple access technologies and devices.  It is generally implemented as a defined set of network management functions.
• Web 2.0 is the set of business concepts and technology which enable the delivery of highly interactive user applications, utilizing the internet as an integration and delivery platform.  Applications commonly associated with Web 2.0 include blogs, wikis, mash-ups, social networks, etc.

Continue reading "Framing a discussion around IMS and Web 2.0" »

Posted by Ilya Joel Pitcher at 2:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the challenges in a rapidly changing, converging telco and media landscape is how do we understand, interpret and measure value from a consumer's perspective.  With new service offerings and technology capability emerging, synthesizing and shifting constantly, how can we evaluate the value proposition of each or compare the value of one operators triple-play offering over another?

Just because something is new, or sexy, doesn't make it a killer app or the "next big thing".  A company needs a way of assessing the value of their communication services offerings and opportunities for innovation without resulting in costly duplication.

Value of the consumer communication experience can be defined in reference to the following three aspects;

• Presence - is the combination of the current user identity/role, their location, the time and their level of mobility;
• Experience - defines the consumer experience in leveraging communications including the service(s), application(s), device(s) and quality of service provided; and
• Content - is the value contributed from a consumer's capacity to find, generate and consume relevant content.

A consumer in assessing a providers value will look at each of these aspects and ask themselves relevant questions;

• Does my provider give me service anywhere I am likely to be - home, office, overseas, rural communities?
• Can I get my favorite tv/sport/stock information anywhere and anytime?
• Does the quality of service justify expensive convergence devices/services?
• Etc.

Often the answers to these questions present a fractured picture.  A consumer can access some of the content, some of the time and sometimes its easy.  Much like providers themselves the industry is still very siloed in the value they provide - cable operators have better sport, telco carriers provide better quality of service for telephony, media operators have stronger content ecosystems.  Customers are refusing the triple/quad-play path simply because the value to the consumer is not provided.

How can operators/providers improve the consumer value of their offerings.  Consider each of the aspects of consumer value - Presence, Experience and Content - as circles whose size is determined by maturity and breadth;

• For service offerings where all three intersect, this is an integrated offering which can be leveraged (e.g voice telephony for carriers) to provide improved service;
• For service offerings where only two of the three aspects are mature/broad (e.g internet providers with broad content ecosystems) this is an opportunity to enhance the offering to be an integrated capability (i.e by broadening coverage of the presence aspect); and
• For offerings with only one aspect (i.e a content generator only) this is a gap which must be addressed through development of a new service line or partnering to deliver higher value to the customer.

This framework for understanding consumer value is a start for operators and providers to consistently evaluate their value proposition and asses the impact of market strategy on that  value proposition.  The broader and more mature your services are in these aspects, the more concrete and compelling is the value to each consumer.

Having conceptualized and assessed the consumer value proposition, the next challenge comes in developing a platform which enables a competitive value chain to optimize cost, provide personalized/differentiated offers and support the rapid innovation demanded by today's customers.

But that's a subject for another day, another blog.

Posted by Ilya Joel Pitcher at 3:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

CSPs are at the brink of a transformation – a transformation from being the ones that have been providing the strong plumbing to the ones that leverage the plumbing to change the customer experience. This is a transformation that has been necessitated by a lot of things happening simultaneously:

1. Convergence – Voice, Data, Video and Mobile coming together and calling for the quad play offering

2. Evolution of standards like Web 2.0 that have changed the way the internet is viewed

3. The change in hand sets in form and feature increasing the possibilities of what the handset can be used for

4. Lifestyle changes accompanied by change in the demographic of users of communication services

Of all these the last one – Lifestyle changes and the expectations coming out of it is the most compelling reason for the CSPs to take this transformation seriously. Users are no longer looking only for the dial tone when they think of a service provider. Instead the expectation now is that they will be able to seamlessly connect, communicate and exchange multi-media content anytime anywhere with anybody from location aware devices.

Various businesses are rushing to full fill this need. While the traditional service providers are investing heavily in increasing the bandwidth that can reach the homes, the cable providers are offering telephony for free on cable, content providers and device manufacturers are staking a claim to be the first port of call for the customers. Meeting the customer expectation and providing a rich user experience needs the infrastructure that the service providers are building. However unless the service providers transform themselves into being the ones that provide the customer experience they will be relegated to being the infrastructure providers.

Posted by Srikantan Moorthy at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The launch of Microsoft Surface technology is a fundamental shift in the nature of technology devices.  Gone are the chunky, mechanical input mechanisms which have enabled human-ICT interaction across 1-foot (tiny screens and tiny keypads), 3-foot (mice and keyboards) and 10-foot (a plethora of “remote” controls”).

In its place is a tactile, direct interaction between humans and machine where touch, gestures and context – all the elements of body language – are used to interpret intention and meaning.  Instead of humans learning how to use computers, computers learn to respond to humans.  This will be a transformational shift in applications and “usability” design.  What does “usability” even mean anymore?

I attended a conference recently, that brought together broadcast studios, content providers, advertising companies, cable companies and new age video distributors (ie. telecom service providers.) It made for some very interesting conversation:

It appears to me that the media & content industry is showing the first signs of a collapsing chain. Take for instance what the iTunes store is doing to music - by putting the act of compiling CDs into the hands of end consumers. For a recording artist, this has greatly increased the risk of revenue loss on albums - for now, every single needs to be a hit song. Of course, there is a contrary viewpoint to this - that something like iTunes also vastly increases the "long tail" for niche segment songs etc. Similarly, mySpace and youTube are eliminating the "middle-parties" by collapsing the video content publishing chain. With the rise of TiVo and DVRs, advertisers are embedding their products into the actual content of TV shows. Sporting franchises are embracing the term "triple-play" in a whole new context.

Is the once linear chain of customer value delivery fast becoming a rush of players tripping over each other in an effort to directly interact with the end customer? Look at what's happening - "Intel Inside" is on the outside. Motorola markets its RAZR features directly to the end consumer so they demand it from their service providers. The Sony Store sells WLAN from Cingular.

Everyone is marketing his product using the ensemble. And any single entity's unilateral control over its marketplace has weakened considerably.

Consumers' inboxes are flooded - urging them to think out of the box.

Posted by Deepak Padki at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)