Mentorship

Jump Start '08

NEW MEDIA, NEW BUSINESS AND A REGULATORY CONUNDRUM

The business of film and television production and distribution until recently followed business models that were clearly defined and well established. Despite the complex value chain involved, and the challenges of international deals, business flowed smoothly along well-understood lines. That’s not surprising, really, as film and television are mature, well-established media. The last few years, though, have thrown much of this into disarray, resulting in confusion, discord and labour strife.

Regulatory policy, while never a simple matter, had the luxury to evolve slowly over a long period of time, ensuring that a fair balance was struck between free enterprise and regulatory control. In the new media world, though, the picture’s far from clear. While alternate distribution channels are growing at a frenetic pace, often dealing with content that is highly regulated in the context of traditional distribution channels, there are no obvious answers as to how – or, indeed if – regulators should become involved.

This session will take a look at the emerging business models for film and television in the new media world as well as examine the potential regulatory role and policies that might be considered.

Alan Sawyer
Consultant
Two Solitudes

Alan is a strategy consultant, specializing in the Canadian media world. He has recently completed what may be the most in-depth and far-reaching study ever conducted on how Canadian consumers of video content are impacted by new distribution technologies and how Canadian producers and broadcasters are addressing these new opportunities and challenges in comparison to their U.S. counterparts.

With an extensive background in the area of digital content, he brings a unique combination of technical and business perspectives to his analysis of the Canadian media industry and of emerging technologies and business models. He believes that the age of convergence within the media world, between traditional and new media, is at hand. The resulting upheaval is making age-old business models irrelevant and is calling into question not just how this new world might be regulated but also the fundamental viability and relevance of any regulatory controls in the media distribution world at all.

Alan is widely recognized as an expert on new media in Canada and is a frequent commentator on media and telecom in print and on radio and television. He’s also a frequent speaker at both traditional and new media conferences.

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