NAB eyes multi-platform future

I'm not at NAB 2009 in Las Vegas this week, but if NAB President and CEO David Rehr's show-opening keynote was anything like it reads, the broadcaster industry has its eyes sharply focused on mobility, and the capability of mobile platforms to enhance the viewership and advertising potential of both radio and TV broadcast content.

That's a far cry from last year, when one of the key concerns that the broadcast industry and TV service providers had heading into NAB 2008 was the growing threat of online video and online TV viewing habits. In the last few months, the fear and the struggle to understand has advanced toward acceptance and an eagerness to figure out how to combine traditional TV and online availability into new kinds of service packages. Now, though mobile TV remains a pretty small factor in overall TV viewing, broadcasters are showing an interest in understanding a new medium before it becomes a surprise threat on the strength of consumer habit.

Meanwhile, telco TV service providers at this time last year were looking for respectability--and cheaper access to content--from the broadcast industry. They vowed to forge closer ties with broadcasters in the interest of creating more advantageous content relationships. They may be steadily gaining the TV subscriber numbers that help immeasurably in gaining such respect, but they now need to ensure that they also can offer broadcasters the multi-platform roadmap.

-Dan

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