60 Seconds with Gerry O Sullivan

Gerry OSullivan is outgoing SVP Global TV and Entertainment, Deutsche Telekom and is chairing the debate Are Telcos the Transformers of the Future of TV? on Sunday 15, at 13:00. He has had executive management of commercial, editorial, creative, operational and technical teams for leading broadcasters and MSOs across three continents and offers a unique perspective on how digital content and new technologies can support and create new revenue streams for the business.

Q: You are chairing the debate Are Telcos the Transformers of the Future of TV?' Without wishing to pre-empt the session, what is your opinion? Are they? Are you?

A: I think they could be, they have the large customer bases already in place, they generally have the deep pockets required and understand the technical and marketing challenges in communicating with their customers. The issue is do they want to be the transformers by being prepared to commit themselves to invest in content and innovation for the mid to long term.

Q: When it comes to competing with broadcasters, is it about offering premium content or is it about offering services?

A: This is one of those it's and' not or' answers. So yes it's about offering premium content and services...oh and by the way and clever marketing and providing choice for customers and attractive price points and 1st class customer care and a constant stream of innovative experiences etc.

Q: What remain the barriers to entry to those wishing to enter the broadcast' space?

A: Getting all of the above correct all the time and doing it better than your competitors.

Q: How much of a concern is the uneven broadband landscape in Europe? What, if anything, should be done about it?

A: It will need to evolve naturally unless certain governments can push it forward which is unlikely in the economic times we find ourselves in. However, there is a great opportunity for the Telcos and the Pay TV providers to bring bundled TV and Broadband services across Europe which hopefully will accelerate broadband. The Telcos also have the new emerging mobile spectrums which may become the primary broadband service in parts of Europe.

Q: At the IBC Leaders' Summit you're on the panel discussing engaging the connected viewer. Is it still correct to be talking about the second screen, or should we now be simply talking about multiple screens?

A: It's an easy to use term that everyone has picked up, but to me we now have an increasing number of glass screens in the home (presently six in my house) from 4 inches to 50 inches all needing amazing content, fantastic easy usability, connectivity and each needs to be able to serve as a companion to the other.

Q: As audiences get more demanding and apps etc get more complex and fully-featured, is monetisation of companion screen content a problem?

A: Those who do it well, get everything right, the content, the usability and a real understanding of how customers want to interact with digital content will have no problem monetising these experiences. Unfortunately, like the internet in total there will be a lot of rubbish out there. Also it depends on your definition of monetisation, everyone wants to see direct revenues from these services, and if you can get it fine, but many of these services monetise by being excellent marketing tools for acquisition and customer loyalty.

Q: The number of people actually using the connected aspects of their connected sets is still rather small (around 5%). Is this a developing problem? Or is such tentative consumer behaviour expected?

A: So far, I haven't been impressed with what I've seen with what the user has been presented in terms of experience on the connected TVs. Some look like my four year old would have done a better job. The intelligence, customer understanding and attention to detail required for a good experience is very underestimated, I've been privileged to work with the best in the business during my career.

Q: Stereo 3D. Dead, dying, or just resting?

A: None of the above. It's evolving and remember has arrived five to ten years before many of the industry experts' predicted it would be in peoples homes. The content is now catching up with the technology and the user experience needs to be continually improved. But its here, and if you choose to want to see how Andy Murray's serve actually bends as if you were actually there at Centre Court Wimbledon or how that twenty foot putt actually made it into the hole, you now have a choice its always been about choice.

Q: Finally, what future developments in television technological or otherwise excite you?

A: 3D Printers. MIT research into holographic screens. Musion' experiences.

LINK:	http://www.ibc.org/page.cfm/action=library/libID=2/libEntryID=203/list...
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