Mano Kulasingam

As co-CEO of TV app provider Digiflare, Kulasingam has engineered the launch of multiscreen apps for cable nets and distributors including CNN, Discovery Channel, Starz and Charter Communications. And with the creation of Digiflare Labs, a program that cultivates innovation by encouraging in-house talent to work on passion projects in areas like virtual reality and IoT, you can expect more innovation from the company soon. How he envisions the future: “In three years’ time I think most people will have settled into the multiscreen ecosystem as the experience becomes more fluid and effortless and most if not all content is available for streaming,” he says.

What does the multiscreen experience look like in 3 years?

There’s no question that digital distribution of video is going to be a permanent fixture. Every brand in television has or is planning to offer a wider reaching multiscreen experience, as we at Digiflare have helped companies like Charter, CNN, Discovery, Starz, shomi, and Univision to do.  In 3 years’ time I think most people will have settled into the multiscreen ecosystem as the experience becomes more fluid and effortless and most if not all content is available for streaming.

How do keep yourself and your team engaged and informed on the changing multiscreen universe?

Being co-CEO of a company in the multiscreen space, keeping pace with changes in the industry is key. To stay ahead of  new ideas and technologies, we participate actively in industry events, like CES, IBC, NAB, and INTX, and maintain close relationships with OEM partners like Roku, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and Sony. I also encourage my team to pursue active R&D, an effort we’re ramping up in 2016 with the launch of Digiflare Labs, our in-house R&D program.

To what degree will measurement factor into multiscreen monetization in 2016?

The launch of Nielsen’s Total Audience Measurement is obviously going to have a big impact. Being able to quantify multiscreen viewing at a granular level is going to be huge, as will the potential benefits across ad revenue, programming, content curation, marketing – the list goes on. The trick is going to be for the traditional media brands to take advantage of this technology to reinforce their value proposition to consumers in the face of digital-only competition.

What are your three go-to apps?

Netflix, shomi and TMN Go.

If you had to spend a month in virtual reality, what would your environment be?

It would be a major metropolitan city, like New York or Tokyo, in the year 2050.