The mistakes of media entrepreneurs and organizations that investors made a beeline for in 2001 have been forgotten. 2006 has witnessed a similar interest from all forms of investors and the public. While the media industry has been given a second chance, a similar set of mistakes now would result in the media and entertainment universe not getting a third chance. And that’s just one of the many, many insights one got to witness at FICCI Frames 2007.

The networking opportunity was as vibrant as we have seen in the last couple of years, and the sessions rich and insightful. While some cribbed about the nature of topics, several commended the efforts of the organizers. Since all and sundry have already reported the event in depth, we’ll leave you with notes from some of the key sessions from the event. The list of speakers was rich, and the number of quotable quotes on offer was aplenty. Watch out for some more interviews from the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2007, in next week’s issue of Impact.

Whether it was the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister’s five-point agenda, or the Italian delegation’s impressive articulation of their focus on India, the spirit of co-creation and collaboration, for growth in a converging media and entertainment universe, came to the fore. The regulatory support promised by the I&B Minister is worth a re-look much before the next edition of FICCI Frames.

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Every six months and a year see an intriguing wait by the publishers to know the fate of their magazines, newspapers, journals, et al. After all, the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) and the National Readership Survey (NRS) that get released indicate the standings and performance of several publications and is their only pedestal in tracking the success and failure. Going by the measures available in the country today, there is little or no means for a publisher to analyse as to what went right or wrong with a certain publication and what were the possible reasons for the decline or rise in readership. But for those waiting for a valid assessment system in place, there’s hope in the form of MIRA -- Media Integrated Research Analytics.

Developed by Professor Claudio Conti and his team in France and currently in use in Italy, the analytical method has helped publishers have a sound understanding of the performances of its several magazines, even to the extent of providing precise data and findings across geographies, demographics, etc.

In town to delve on the intricacies surrounding MIRA, Conti, who is also a partner with Spatial Access Technologies, led the humble few who had gathered through an interesting gate-finding session. According to Conti, more than for any other purpose, his team was more eager to solve the number mystery surrounding free papers in Italy and the impact it bore on the fortunes of regular dailies. But such was the scope that emanated from MIRA that it was only right for the method to be extended across other mediums as well. Said Professor Conti; “There’s a huge problem with free papers in Italy. Firstly, in a country that has more than 200 monthly magazines and 100 weeklies, there are close to a million people who prefer reading free papers. This has large implications on the readership of other dailies. With MIRA, for the first time it has become possible to understand why and where newspapers and magazines win or loose customers. It is possible to chart out the trajectory and patterns of the competitor as well as of one’s own publication,” assured Conti.

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OUT OF HOME ADVERTISING: Getting its act together

The Out of Home advertising segment is, slowly but surely, becoming an organized industry. Several players have voiced the need for an industry body. An association being formed, and hopefully, the government will hear the collective and unified voice; and a uniform, national set of laws governing the industry will be in place.

Soumitra Bhattacharyya, CEO of Madison Outdoor Media Services (MOMS) explains, “Unless we represent ourselves like a mature industry we shall never see any improvement. Whenever there is a need each individual from this industry is fighting his own battle. For him that battle might seem to be very important and of grave consequences but in the overall scheme of things that battle is an insignificant tussle and winning or losing it does not garner any major change. So unless there is unity of sprit and action we don’t stand a chance.”

A majority of the players believe that uniform government regulations will be the key to the structured growth of this segment. That the regulations are not uniform is a fact they are uncomfortable with - Outdoor Advertising is still a Municipality subject.

“There should be an organized and consistent effort made towards educating the regulators towards how some of the other developed economies have benefited from a more open system. The pre qualification, award systems and renewals need to be revisited in line with global norms,” states Sanjeev Hajela, President, Primesite.

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