Digital Media India opened today in Chennai, India, with a call for publishers to prepare for the future by making new digital investments now, even in a country where print publishing continues to grow.
"The speed of disruption taking place in the industry is greater than ever, and news publishers should take note of the context of these new development happening around them," said Michael Maness, Vice President of Journalism and Media Innovation at the Knight Foundation, speaking in the opening session of the conference.
Digital Media India, the South Asian edition of the global Digital Media Conferences organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), is focusing on the challenges of multi-channel publishing and the opportunities for increasing revenue from digital media. The conference takes the theme, "Get ready for the next big growth cycle."
The conference featured case studies and experiences from international media companies ranging from VG in Norway to Beritasatu Media Holdings in Indonesia, publishers of the Jakarta Globe.
Oyvind Naess, Chief of Staff of Schibsted-owned VG, spoke of the opportunities offered by video and non-linear TV. He said VG has plans to double the staff, video inventory, acquisition of programs, series and shows, and to give a bigger push to live-TV.
The two-day conference, which drew more than 110 delegates from 13 countries, is the third annual Digital Media conference in South Asia.
WAN-IFRA's Digital Media conferences have become a referent in the digital publishing industry, with more than 1,000 delegates from around the globe attending the Digital Media Europe (DME), Digital Media Asia (DMA), Digital Media India (DMI), and Digital Media Latinoamérica (DML) editions last year. This DMx network of events makes it one of the most relevant international business platforms dedicated to the transformation of the news media industry.
Wednesday's events in Chennai also included a World Editors Forum seminar on 'Journalism in the age of digital surveillance', which will be livestreamed at 16h30 (12h00 CET). Participants included some of India's leading editors: N Ravi, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu; K N Shanth Kumar, Editor of Prajavani; Kalpesh Yagnik, National Editor, Dainik Bhaskar; and Krishna Prasad, Editor-in-Chief of Outlook.
Seven suppliers of various products and services to the news media industry are present showcasing their offering.
