The third day of the NEM conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, was all about the newest trends and their effects on the media market. The experts compared on-demand platforms with TV channels, being optimistic about future generations as customers. Participants had a chance to learn about the great overall digital experience from Applicaster, the organizers inform.

The discussion revolving around the never-ending frenemies, on-demand platforms and TV channels, featured strong arguments for adjusting technology to a specific market.

“We are in the golden age of television, which means there are bigger competition, bigger budgets and more investments. However, our focus should remain on creating content because the moment we start focusing on distribution rather than content, we are in trouble”, claims BBC Studios’ Salim Mukaddam.

The discussion was directed towards the necessity of various technologies used in the media today.

“Our strategy is to look for specifics of the market when planning the implementation of a program and introducing new technology. Adapting to the local market is crucial, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution in this case” said Katharina Behrends, Managing Director of NBCUniversal International Networks for Central and Eastern Europe.

Discussing the role of millennials as customers, Katarina Pavlović, Program Director at Prva Srpska Televizija, said: “The majority of the regional audience is 40 years or older, therefore we can’t ignore them. I expect millennials to change their behavior once they grow older. I believe they will change their habits and come back to linear television. In this environment broadcasters’ role is to provide them with great content in order to attract them to come back to us.”

Also, regarding the slow technological progress in the CEE region Miloš Tomić, Manager of Section for Multimedia Content Contracting at Telekom Serbia, said:

“OTT will definitely come to this region but this is not that time because of economic reasons, but even more because of the misunderstanding of the product value.”

Discussing a resilient content strategy, Alberto Mari, Director of Sales at Applicaster, offered a solution for stepping up the overall experience game. Emphasizing that content quality alone is not enough for a competitive digital content or OTT business, Mari insists on including design, usability and streaming quality into the entire experience in order to go an extra mile to satisfy customers. Sharing his experience with Applicaster, Mr. Mari gave insight into the digital experience knowledge needed for a great overall experience.

“All the technology needed for great customer experience is already available on the market; therefore, you can focus on content and user experience. ZAPP, the newest Applicaster product, allows you to do just that. Great design is a mix of creativity and data.”

Presenting other innovations on the market, JW Player’s Alex Vigebo emphasized the role of videos for articles: “Article Matching, JW Player’s service, matches the content of the article with a relevant video in the library and in that way enables enrichment of the content presented in the article.”

Mia Pećina, Head of the newly established Zagreb Film Office, presented the big step the capital of Croatia made for aspiring productions looking for undiscovered locations in this region. “The coast is usually the first image when thinking of Croatia, but now we want to switch focus on inland cities and other parts of the country”, said Pećina.

The day was concluded with presenting partnerships between Viacom International Media Networks and distributors: “We are consuming less and less of the linear TV, but we are consuming more content”, said Maja Porczynska, Senior Director at Viacom.

The second day of the NEM conference welcomed Alan Cumming, Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. Discussions were dedicated to customers, their needs and preferences in the form of free trials and sustainable relationship with the provider. Participants had a chance for an exclusive screening of an “L.A.’s Finest” episode from Sony Pictures Television, and could also enjoy the company of Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba, who star in the leading roles and are executive producers of the show.

“Very few women in the entertainment industry have a chance to create and produce. emphasized Especially when crime is the main focus of the show, but Gabrielle has made the show which puts people in the focus, especially the friendship between two strong women”, said Alba.

Union said, even though the series was made to be appealing to a wide audience, it was not difficult to feature different elements: “Once we were challenged with the drama and action and comedy at the same time, it was simple to switch between all of those. We used the first season to lay out how characters became who they are and to establish a strong connection between them.”

Participants had a chance to meet Alan Cumming and hear his thoughts on his new TV show “Instinct” by CBS Studios International. Cumming’s character dr. Dylan Reinhart, a professor consulting NYPD in a case of a serial killer, is the first gay leading character in an American drama show.

“People enjoy mocking things like Crocs, Uggs and Jessica Simpson. I try to fight this culture of mocking by promoting those things. That is how I ended up wearing Croc shoes on the red carpet and playing the first gay leading character in an American drama show”, said Cumming.

Pavel Stanchev introduced attendees to TV2 Media Group, the largest Hungarian TV group. In his conversation with Sanja Božić-Ljubičić, CEO and Owner of Mediatranslations, Mediavision and Pickbox, Stanchev shared the most valuable lessons from his experience in the media industry, especially the CEE region.

“Every country in the CEE region is different. You cannot be successful if you don’t pay attention to those differences. NEM is a great place to exchange ideas about what works in which country. More and more Hollywood studios are announcing their streaming services. Hungarian market is protected from their influence because of its specific language, but sooner or later these services will enter the market. Any such service will have to cooperate with local broadcasters to succeed in the new market. Local productions play a bigger and bigger role in streaming services. For example The Paper, a series produced in Croatia that was bought by Netflix at NEM.” said Mr. Stanchev.

Discussing customer satisfaction, Simon McGrath, Chief Operating Officer and SVP Sales, ThinkAnalytics, emphasized the importance of learning from customer behavior for developing a sustainable relationship. Also, the participants of the discussion agreed that platforms have to be fast and flexible because audience habits are changing daily. One of the participants of the panel, Gerry O’Sullivan, Executive Vice President at Global TV and Video at Eutelsat, emphasized that companies in the TV industry shouldn't be forcing innovations in technology without following current trends and acceptance of those trends in different markets. “Technological development should be gradual, it should be an evolution”, said O’Sullivan.

There was also a discussion about the necessity and effectiveness of free trials. Gilles Domartini, founder and CEO of Cleeng, presented astonishing data about the effectiveness of free trials for attracting customers. “In the US, 58% of the people who take a free trial continue to use the service after that period has ended. The strategy needs to be adapted to the type of the content”, said Domartini. The discussion about the effectiveness of the free trials was concluded with a thought that the effectiveness of free trials depends on the quality of the product.

One of the panels was also dedicated to the importance of sports content for television broadcasters. Referring to that connection, Georgios Lykouropoulos, Head of Sports, ERT S.A. Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, pointed out the role of the audience. “I disagree with people saying that sports content is a product. I think that it is an event that becomes a product and it is not ours, it is people’s”, said Lykouropoulos.