MEF Americas 2010: Mobile Content and Commerce

The Definitive Event for the Mobile Media Industries across North America and LATAM

• 9 Industry-Leading Founding Sponsors Announced
• November 30 – December 1, 2010
• Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel

2010 has been a growth year for mobile content and mobile commerce across the Americas – Latin America is now the world's second largest mobile market, and together with North America serves almost 1 billion customers.

MEF Americas 2010: Mobile Content & Commerce will address the industry’s key business opportunities and concerns, enabling content owners, developers, brands, retailers, commerce providers and other relevant stakeholders to better leverage the native functionality of the mobile device to drive customer acquisition, retention and conversion. Increasingly, mobile is offering new convergence and customer engagement opportunities. MEF Americas 2010: Mobile Content & Commerce will be the definitive forum to meet key players and refine business models for the coming year.

Founding Member Sponsors include Dada, Dolby, Impact Mobile, mBlox, Movile, Neomobile, OpenMarket, Playphone and WAU Movil. Dolby will be the Lead Sponsor of the Tuesday evening Cocktail Reception (an exclusive networking event for delegates and speakers), where it will showcase incredible surround sound for mobile phones with Dolby Digital Plus. Drinks at the Reception are sponsored by OpenMarket.

MEF has a 10-year track record of hosting world-class events. From Barcelona to Dubai to London, MEF events including the Meffys™, CEO Summit™ and MEF Connects™ provide exceptional insights and unrivalled networking across existing and new entrants to the value chain. MEF Americas 2010 will be the annual gathering of leaders in the mobile content and commerce industries from North and Latin America to set the agenda and grow the market for nearly one billion mobile subscribers.

www.mefamericas2010.com

MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit - Part 4

This is part 4 of 4 in a series that looks at the recent MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit, which took place on Tuesday 1 September 2009 at the Writer's Guild of America West headquarters in Los Angeles. You can also read parts 1, 2, and 3.

The second panel, moderated by Nielsen's Puterbaugh, was entitled Holy Grail or Holy Fail? Straight Talk on Mobile Entertainment. It featured Lawrence Harris (SVP/Analyst CL King), Bill Lowenthal (VP Limelight Networks), William Quigley (Co-Founder, Clearstone Venture Partners), David Shrehlow (Director Media Solutions, Huawei), Kevin Arnold (CEO IODA), Gary Schwartz (CEO Impact Mobile), John Orlando (CMO LiveWire Mobile). Again the topic really went out the window and discussion focused on the 4 areas outlined below:

Are The Carriers Dumb Pipes?

• LiveWire’s Orlando sees a trend amongst more progressive players, like Sprint, to embrace more open systems. Generally the smaller operators are strongest value added service partners. Frustration with the big guys stems from lack of marketing support for mobile entertainment product
• Arnold thought they were mostly dumbpipes, with a couple of non-US exceptions like Telefonica.
• Leventhal suggested that mobile entertainment providers need work with the carriers to enhance the content experience over their networks
• Schwartz said that to be a dumb pipe you have to be pretty smart (interesting point…it takes a lot for big companies to realize their limitations)
• Strehlow advised that operators are hungry, rich and unloved…and that mobile content creators should use them now while they are desperate
• Following up on this, Harris said Verizon's and AT&T's wireline businesses are declining. ARPU associated with voice is declining, and thus these operators are focussed on their data businesses. 30% of revenues are now come from data. With the US mobile market saturated, Data ARPU is THE growth area for operators

How Will The OEMs Participate?

• Quigley suggested that from his standpoint, if you look at management teams at handset manufacturers (or carriers), they don't have the right people to run mobile entertainment businesses... it's not in their DNA. He thinks there are real opportunities for big entertainment companies like Disney who want to work with handset manufactures
• CL King's Harris suggested that you have to look beyond the established handset guys. The business is coverging with the PC business and vice versa…Nokia is making a netbook, Apple is making a tablet, HP & Dell are desiging similar devices. He believes there will be a lot of touchscreen devices, between a mobile phone & a laptop, well suited for video & ebooks.
• Orlando said there's a new category of converged mobile/portable devices called MIDs (mobile internet devices). OEMs like Dell are looking at devices that use both wifi and sideloading (at kiosks or via SD cards), which can very disruptive. Handset manufacturers will play a big role in this space.
• Leventhal said we're moving from the session based to an always connected internet, driven by social nets like Facebook or Twitter. Mobile networks are beginning push consumers to open internet devices that use these data heavy apps.
• Schwartz complained that you can’t get all the content you want, when you want it in mobile. Convergence is hot topic…but handsets are not content companies…they're just using content as a vehicle to sell hardware. Content anywhere has to be OTA…but wifi is the best experience…better than expensive mobile data networks
• Quigley raised an interesting issue, he suggested that carriers wouldn't have the networks to support the data usage if everyone had a smartphone; they're still using old technology.
• Strehlow thinks Nokia bundling Ovi with handsets is a good example of an OEM driven content service not tied strictly to operators...but it's mostly happening outside the US. He reminded the audience that the World is a much bigger place than the US.

What Is The Most Exciting Area of Mobile Entertainment For Your Business?

• Lowenthal said video is driving business for Limelight. He heard Bill Nygren of The Oakmark Funds speak recently about how devices are the window into media and the media kids were watching was video (not reading newspapers), therefore he was biasing his portfolio accordingly. LTE will make mobile video network
• Quigley pointed out that there are lots of cool mobile entertainment businesses that make no money, but he thought mobile casual games have a real business model
• Harris likes text messaging; most US consumers are doing it, teens are driving it and it still growing at 75%...SMS is still big opportunity
• Schwartz thinks discoverability and CRM are the big opportunities. It's still a challenge to find content on mobile devices
• Orlando still likes full tracks, ringbacks, tones, etc., but sold off deck. On deck there are 6 vendors (at least) starving trying to sell this content. LiveWire has had a lot of success with an off deck store where it can create its own rules and bundle content the way consumers wants it.
• Arnold likes the rise of music subscription services. It's been difficult on iPhone because they've resisted services that compete with iTunes, but he's encouraged by the approval of Spotify (which bodes well for Rhapsody, etc. on that device).
• Like Harris, Strehlow likes good old SMS because it has the best margins of anything a mobile operator sells. However, he’s also encourged by Uverse’s (AT&T’s landline IPTV product) demonstration that you can push a lot of data through old infrastructure. In mobile he thinks compression and sessionless video from Flash and Silverlight will overcome limits at towers and that wireless video via wifi and mobile networks is the future.

MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit - Part 3

This is part 3 of 4 in a series that looks at the recent MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit, which took place on Tuesday 1 September 2009 at the Writer's Guild of America West headquarters in Los Angeles. You can also read parts 1, 2, and 4.

The subject of discussion for the first panel was meant to be how the entertainment industry ranked the mobile entertainment industry now that it's worth $32bil (according Nielsen), while theatrical boxoffice is $19.5bil.

It was moderated by Andrew Wallenstein (Hollywood Reporter) and featured Ron Czerny (CEO Playphone), Aaron Luber (Director Saffron Digital), Troy Carter (CEO Coalition Media), Doug Neil (SVP Universal Pictures), Steve Byrd (EVP STATs), Charles Slocum (Asst Exec Director) WGA.

I'm not sure that the panelists really addressed the issue at hand (kinda typical of panels frankly). The discussion ended up being more a series of anecdotes about what each company was doing or seeing in the space peppered with some frustrations:

• There was a lot of perseverating about the iPhone (as usual)...and at one point Carter (who manages Lady GaGa) suggested that artists were currently really only interested in iPhone Apps when it comes to mobile
• Byrd (who’s a sports content provider) said that mobile was becoming a bigger part of their business and he thought that highlights & full games will eventually drive a lot of consumption...he suggested the MLB.com At Bat application for iPhone was a good example
• In response to all the iPhone/App Store froth Czerny made an amusing suggestion that it could be a passing trend...after all a couple of years ago all anyone could talk about were MVNOs
• Luber agreed with Czerny, but said that iPhone was doing a good job of forcing the networks & OEMs to step up their games
• WGA's Slocum said that iPhone was making video a better experience, but believed that greater adoption will come with original content made for mobile. He suggested that WGAmembers were eager to experiment in the medium, where they often have more creative freedom than in traditional media. He said that mobile was still waiting for its breakthrough content.
• Neil expressed frustration with the difficulty in connecting a broad range of consumers in mobile (even with WAP) due to a variety of incompatible devices and networks...iPhone is good, but only one channel. He suggested marketers needed to be able to create campaigns/experiences with ubiquitous access for mobile to grow.
• Czerny claimed that mobile was becoming a core part of studio film marketing and used the example of a High School Musical campaign Playphone ran for them as an example.
• However, Neil's example of a free Bruno iPhone App promoted through Facebook that was downloaded by 100k fans contravened Czerny's that it's core...it seems more tactical for now.
• Saffron's Luber suggested that one of the biggest barriers to growth for full length video content on mobile for entertainment companies is windowing. Studios refuse to risk current billion dollar businesses (like TV distribution) in order to "experiment" in a new medium. This will need to change if these companies want to see significant revenue in mobile.
• Czerny said that revenue is still being driven by 1) ringtones, 2) games and 3) video...which is growing slowly due to network/device capabilities
• Carter revealed that the 3 separate Lady GaGa iPhone Apps that his company deployed had 175k downloads over the last 90 days
• Neil said that it is still difficult to figure out what the consumer wants in mobile since SEM and SEO are still pretty rudimentary in mobile...even Google doesn't have it figured out.
  

What was clear to me, despite Czerny's assertion, is that mobile is still (after all these years) pretty ancillary and mostly experimental for most entertainment companies. In other words, its still a pretty substantial opportunity despite the current size of the mobile entertainment market.

Read Part 4 in the series >>

MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit - Part 1

This is part 1 of 4 in a series that looks at the recent MEF Americas Mobile Leadership Summit, which took place on Tuesday 1 September 2009 at the Writer's Guild of America West headquarters in Los Angeles. You can also read parts 2, 3 and 4.

The Mobile Entertainment Forum held its Mobile Leadership Summit Tuesday at the Writer's Guild of America West headquarters in Los Angeles. I presume the event met the organizers' expectations, at least in terms of attendence, because virtually every seat was full in a crowded room. The format of the event was 2 keynotes (one philisophical, one analytical) and 2 panel discussions.

MEF Americas Chair Jim Beddows kicked off the event with a story about his introduction to mobile 10 years ago while working on console gaming deals for Disney in Japan. At one point he was approached by an operator who wanted the company’s content for mobile devices, which left him wondering how Disney could ever make money doing that (clearly they figured it out). Jump to Helsinki in 2005, while at Microsoft, he found the pervasive mood very negative about mobile and the slogan du jour was “WAP is crap.” In spite of this, 18mos later he launched MSN Mobile and it exceeded everyone's expectations. Beddows claims to have been alternately confounded, excited, disappointed and surprised by the mobile entertainment space (as have we all). So, he started the conversation of the day… what's working, what's not? How is the value chain evolving?

Sam Sarkar, a senior executive for Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil, delivered the first keynote...which helped put the rollercoaster ride the industry has been on over the last 10 years into some perspective. His thesis was that fits and starts are inherent to emerging businesses. Furthermore, in the development of every medium the technology precedes the business model that makes it viable and the artistry that comes to define it.

Sarkar suggested that television didn't really begin to realize its artistic potential until the late 60s or early 70s, despite having public debuted in the late 1920s. He told an interesting story about how television’s inventor, Philo Farnsworth, was so frustrated by the vacuousness of the medium that he wouldn't permit the device in his home. It wasn't until the broadcast of the moon landing that he was able to concede that it was worthwhile invention.

Even on the internet, which has been a consumer phenomenon for almost 15 years, we've only begun to see traces of its potential as an entertainment medium with stuff like Will Ferrell's "The Landlord" for FunnyorDie.com and LonelyGirl15 on YouTube (which ended up being professionally produced). But these are one-offs and lots of companies have failed trying to recreate their success.

In mobile, the potential of the medium was first teased with the ringtone (a legit consumer phenomenon) and now again with the App Store...but these are still early stages of what Sarkar characterized as Alien (as in the movie) Evolution...I'm still trying to fully decifer this amusing analogy, but I think the gist is that it’s going to be a sometimes painful path, full of surprises, but ultimately the monster potential will be revealed. Sarkar reminded the group that the record companies didn’t invent Rock N’Roll…artists did, and similarly, he believes, artists will define the mobile medium.

Sarkar demonstrated several experimental iPhone Apps from a developer in Singapore, including a photo essay of life in the Swat Valley featuring the work photo journalist Kevin Coombs, a mobile manga version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and text-based Asian ghost stories augmented with photos and sound.

In conclusion he asked to audience to think about how to commercially make old stories new again in the medium and to imagine the new ideas and stories that will come to it and from it.

Read Part 2 in the series >>

MEF Americas Announces September 1 Mobile Leadership Summit and AGM

MEF Americas has announced the agenda and speakers for its September 1st Mobile Leadership Summit. The half-day summit concludes with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Board Elections. The meetings will be held and hosted at the Writer’s Guild of America West headquarters in Los Angeles. MEF Americas has expanded its board to eleven seats, with seven seats available in this election, to reflect the increased growth and activities in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.

“I am extremely excited about the Summit’s panel topics, list of speakers and feedback from those planning to attend the event. MEF is the only trade organization in the mobile content and services industry that is both global and spans the entire value chain from content creator to distributor. As MEF Americas’ focus is on accelerating the revenue growth from digital content and services that span entertainment, sports and news, I am thrilled by the strength and number of candidates who have announced their intent to run for the MEF Americas board.”

Jim Beddows, MEF Americas Chairman.

For the half-day Mobile Leadership Summit, the opening keynote will be presented by Sam Sarkar, a senior executive from Infinitum Nihil, Johnny Depp’s production company. An additional keynote will be devoted to the State of the Union in Mobile given by The Nielsen Company’s Eric Puterbaugh. The opening panel “Global Revenues are $19.5B and $32B for Theatrical Box Office and Mobile Entertainment—So, How Does Hollywood Stack Rank the Mobile Entertainment Industry?” will be led by Andrew Wallenstein editor, digital media of The Hollywood Reporter. Panelists include:

• Troy Carter, Lady Gaga manager, CEO, Coalition Media
• Doug Neil, senior vice president of Digital Marketing, Universal Pictures
• Andreea Enuche-Thune, vice president of Games & Digital Distribution, Marvel Entertainment Inc.
• Madeline Herdrich, vice president, Mobile Paramount Pictures, Digital
• Steve Byrd, executive vice president, STATs
• Charles B. Slocum, assistant executive director, Writers Guild of America

The concluding panel is a lively debate focusing on the trends in the mobile value chain called “Holy Grail or Holy Fail—Straight Talk on Mobile Entertainment,” moderated by Eric Puterbaugh of The Nielsen Company, with panelists including:

• Lawrence M Harris, senior vice president and senior research analyst, CL King
• William Quigley, managing director, Clearstone Ventures
• David Strehlow, director of marketing, Media Solutions, Huawei
• Kevin Arnold, founder and CEO, IODA
• Gary Schwartz, president and CEO, Impact Mobile
• John Orlando, CMO, LiveWire Mobile
• Bill Loewenthal, vice president and general manager, Mobility and Monetization Solutions, Limelight Networks

WHAT: Mobile Leadership Summit, and the MEF Americas Annual General Meeting and Board Elections

WHEN: Sept. 1, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Summit, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM General Meeting and Board Elections

WHERE: Writer’s Guild of America West, 7000 West Third Street, Los Angeles, CA

WHO: MEF Americas and the Mobile and Entertainment Industries

WHY: Mobile Leadership Summit, which is free and open to all, will deliver thought-provoking sessions and bring together senior executives from across the mobile entertainment spectrum including: studios, production companies, music labels & publishers, game & applications developers, portals, marketers, handsets providers, carriers and service providers.

The Annual General Meeting and Board Elections will be voting in seven new board members who will help shape the direction of the mobile entertainment industry in the Americas, Canada and Latin America. Newly elected board members will join an impressive list of current Board member companies.

INFORMATION: To register: http://www.m-e-f.org/industryevents/mefamericassummit/summitagenda/

For more information regarding the Mobile Leadership Summit, contact Christine Krajewski at christine_krajewski@livewiremobile.com. For more information on becoming a MEF member or general election information, please contact Mike Navarre at mike@m-e-f.org.