Big Media in the Age of Applications
Notes from the “Big Media in the Age of Applications” panel at the AppNation Conference in September 2010
Panelists:
- Martin Tannerfors, Samsung Mobile
- John Cantarella, Time Inc
- John Kosner, ESPN
Mobile is no longer a “third screen”, it’s a number 1 screen, and major publishers should treat it as such, and put major in-house resources behind it.
ESPN’s dev costs are roughly $15,000 per app; Kosner says this doesn’t scale well, so it’s not likely that the network will roll out an app for all of its shows/properties individually. It’s also not convinced that the straight paid app model is working, and that freemium offerings may be the way forward.
Media companies have significant needs to be able to execute their mobile strategies:
- Time has a need for people who know how to work with APIs to integrate outside content, need developers who can build stable products that aren’t just repurposed web sites.
- ESPN has a strong need for developers and third parties to create apps.
Notable Tweets from the session:
- @kirasong: john kosner of espn: prices for content will stay low.
- @marinperez: ESPN - the paid model for apps may not be that lucrative, the freemium model may be the future
- @Marinperez: ESPN - We’re not approaching connected TV/app space as an a la carte model. Want to protect their sub video revs.
- @caaarlo: John Kosner from ESPN: tremendous competition for talented developers on all platforms these days
- @Marinperez: TIME - rejects the notion that the Web is dead trope that’s been kicked around - news consumption increased
- @caaarlo: ESPN: email john.kosner@espn.com if you’re a dev looking for work or a third party looking to dev for ESPN
- @caaarlo: Ha, Martin from Samsung on ppl that have been in mobile for 2 yrs complaining that it moves too slow: “try 15 years ago”
- @caaarlo: Samsung: devs, give us feedback on what your challenges are “we are all ears”
- @caaarlo: ESPN: $15k cost per app limits the # of apps they’ll build—doesn’t seem to say good things about the payoff
- @Marinperez: I think any big time publisher has to have their app team in house now. No reason not to, especially if you’re a big player
- @kirasong: time & espn: flipboard concept is the way to go app-wise for traditional media