Only content counts

Pierre C. Meier on the opportunities to earn money with broadband Internet One of the topics at the Biel Communication Days, which ended last week, was - how could it be otherwise - the impact of broadband Internet access on media consumption. Hansuk Kim from Korean Telecom used the example of Korea to show that an attractive broadband offering has resulted in considerable shifts in the consumption of various media. In recent years, traditional TV consumption in Korea has almost halved. The average Internet usage is 20 hours per week. A third of users use the internet for computer games, movies or news. Video and movies on demand are widely accepted. No wonder, then, that Korea has the world's highest demand for video and movies on demand. According to Kim, the Internet will become the most important source of revenue for film producers and TV stations in the future.
The broadband market in Switzerland is also predicted to have great growth potential. According to the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, every second Swiss household will have broadband Internet access via ADSL or cable in a maximum of five years. Today, this figure is around 30 percent.
No wonder, then, that Armin Walpen expects lucrative additional business for SRG in the future. Content is crucial to the success of Swisscom and Cablecom's triple-play strategy (Internet, telephony and TV from a single source). And to be successful in the highly competitive Swiss TV market, Swiss content is needed above all. Only such content guarantees providers additional income through response options. Be it through chargeable numbers or SMS - in other words, triple play.
Although Media Minister Leuenberger remarked in Biel in his usual witty manner that the Communication Days were not really about the content, but about the fact that they were being held at all.
> Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief