Multi-Platform Moguls: Media Summit NY Spurs Talk of Evolving Landscape

Leave it to Barry Diller to come up with a unique take on the morphing TV industry, which he called "not lousy" but still fraught with "an enormous amount of creative destruction." The IAC chmn/CEO was among those gathered Wed at the Media Summit NY where summit panelists said gauging consumer desires is key despite widespread sparring over content ownership and monetization. One hiccup: the difficulty surrounding content search and navigation on both VOD and broadband platforms. "We need better browsing capabilities and search engines [across platforms]—sort of like a car dashboard," said Time Warner Cable svp/chief business affairs officer Lynne Costantini. "He who develops that wins the game." Comcast Interactive Media svp, strategy development Samuel Schwartz said that’s a "big priority" for the MSO. Solving the problem amounts mainly to sharing solutions among platforms, said MTVN and Logo vp, product development Ty Ahmad-Taylor. "For TV, it’s a matter of adopting Web [search and discovery] paradigms that are relevant," he said. Another common topic on the summit’s 1st day was the need to let consumers use content on multiple devices, with many execs lamenting antiquated DRM schemes. "From a consumer perspective, it sucks," said Ira Rubenstein, evp, digital sales, Sony Pictures. Said HBO svp, new media business planning John Penney: "DRM would be less of an issue if ads could be inserted within content across platforms." Diller and others said technology needs time to develop. "Radical revolution means destruction and invention," Diller said. — Media Summit Notebook: User-generated video sites aren’t "vibrant advertising vehicles" because the distribution tools used by sites like YouTube will soon be ubiquitous, said Diller, but they’re ideal for content promotion. Meanwhile the media industry vet, who turned 65 last week, blamed merchandising mistakes for the woes of lagging HSN, which did experience moderate 4Q rev growth. "We really took our eye off the [net’s] daily business a couple of years ago, but I see a turn around ahead," he said.