TV Media Experts Tell Forum about Opportunities Available to Fight Challengers

The forum was in a lively atmosphere
 

　　Cross-industry convergence and new technologies like big data, VR and AI have brought new business opportunities to TV media which is facing challenges from a wide range of alternative platforms and applications, speakers told a forum of the 2016 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival yesterday.

　　The popularity of smart phones and social media are grabbing attention and advertising income from traditional TV media, the Tuyere & Entrance Video Ecological Construction of TV Media forum heard.

　　In response, TV media have been exploring a variety of Internet Plus technologies to establish a full ecosystem that includes telecommunications and advertising industries, forum speakers said. These cover various sectors from channel distribution and program operation to advertising innovation and technology upgrades.

　　"We face industry-wide challenges now and we have to find new business models through innovative thinking and cross-industry cooperation," said Li Yong, a Dragon TV director and general manager.

　　Li urged cross-province collaboration within the TV media industry and convergence and cooperation with dotcom firms, like strategic links between SMG and Alibaba, as well as possible tie-ins with e-commerce websites.

　　New technologies like online video, VR (virtual reality), AI (artificial intelligence) and big data have emerged to change the TV media forever, said Li Lan, top industry regulator SARFT\'s Development and Research Center director of policy and information.

　　"Video streaming, VR and AI naturally tie-in with video business," said Li."They bring huge potential for business opportunities." AI and VR can be used to optimize program distribution and create new format content to woo young consumers, he added.

　　The mining and analysis of big data will help TV stations better understand audiences and work to convert them into consumers, said China Mainland Media Research, a big data firm covering TV media.

　　SMG plans to establish its own cloud computing center to better use and analyze data, said Li Yong of the Dragon TV parent company.