Online media companies set to "take risks"

25 October 2006

The continuing changes in online content have left media companies racing to keep up with latest developments, according to senior industry executives.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Digital Hollywood conference in Santa Monica, representatives from major companies including MSN, Google and MySpace outlined the challenges facing the industry, the Hollywood Reporter has revealed.

"How people use content on the web is really changing. MySpace users are taking content and really selling it to each other through their own MySpace pages," said MySpace chief marketing officer Shawn Gold.

The age of user-driven internet content mean that the line between old and new media is blurring, as more and more consumers take the opportunity to cultivate their own unique take on the online experience.

"Content is no longer 'just' a network show. There are avenues and platforms to which organic extensions will work," said former WB chief executive Jordan Levin. "Taking risks with new content is emerging in a big way," he added.

The emergence of a new generation of consumers, intent on multitasking and with a revised set of priorities when it comes to which media they use, has forced both companies and advertisers to adapt to such changes.

Video content has recently been employed not only by social-networking sites but also by industries attempting to cash in on the new phenomenon, ranging from financial service companies promoting products to travel sites advertising the latest destinations.

 

Category: Google, MSN, Online marketing, Social media