The French Riviera city, Cannes, is once again buzzing with excitement as it hosts the 40th edition of MIPCOM – the International co-production and entertainment content market. From 21 to 24 October, the event will bring together key players from across the globe, with MIPJunior kicking things off on 19-20 October with a pre-opening afternoon on 18 October.
On the first day of the event, a session aptly named ‘The Next Frontier: Adapting To Digital Shifts In Kids’ TV And Entertainment’ touched upon the need for reinventing one’s thought process in order to start adapting to the shifts in storytelling, monetisation methods and identifying the platforms where the audience are.
According to independent media consultant Joanne Redfern, audience is now shifting from passive media consumption to participatory media consumption. The consumption began with passive media including print, TV, radio, moving towards social media which is now coming towards the end and is entering a more immersive form of media. This has happened because technology has democratised access, the means of creation and the means of sharing.
“The shift is really towards the participatory relationship with media, co-creation, letting go of the brand a little bit and allowing the audience to swim around and play with it,” Redfern pointed out.
Talking about changes in monetisation methods, ANIMAJ co-founder Gregory Dray pointed out how YouTube had changed the whole content creation process. Earlier, creators could send the reel to the broadcaster but after YouTube, they have to create, programme, market the content, learn how to develop the audience, and engage with them.
The speakers also mentioned the platform Roblox which allows the kids to create what they want and engage with friends to share their experiences. This new platform offers an enhanced form of immersive experience.
Moving ahead, E Horg Media Ltd. director Emily Horgan who was moderating the discussion brought in the much talked about topic that is artificial intelligence (AI) to which Dray pointed how new technologies including AI can enhance the production process and make it more efficient.
ANIMAJ has their internal team of engineers working on building AI tools and AI-tech abilities. They are working on a ‘sketch-to-motion tool’. With this, users will be able to convert a storyboard into an animated piece in one click. This is to make the life of creators easier, not to replace them.
The Gang CEO Marcus Holmstrom who has experience in the gaming industry heads one of the leading Metaverse studios. They are also incorporating AI to speed up production and for showcasing clients how things can be done.
The key takeaway from this discussion was that the industry has already begun the journey of reinventing themselves and exploring ways to make use of emerging technologies like AI and explore new platforms, monetisation and distribution models.