Interesting Notes from EMTEK and IDN Officials Regarding the Future of Media

Still in advanced session Fortune Indonesia Summit 2022, two major media leaders, Managing Director of EMTEK Susanto Hartono and Founder and CEO of IDN Media Winston Utomo explained some interesting notes related to "The Future of Media".

The development of the internet is changing the way people consume content. If in the past we were accustomed to using television media to enjoy shows, now we can watch through devices with small screens. What does that mean for the media industry?

Content consumption

When opening the session, Sutanto said that TV has an important role in content consumption. TV has a wide range of broadcasts and a clear source of income, namely advertising. However, digital developments have begun to shift the role of TV in terms of content consumption.

People are starting to enjoy video viewing through smart devices. The presence of digital platforms also makes it easier for creators to find sources of income. He was aware of this shifting trend, even before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred.

"Consumption of content on digital platforms makes democratization happen. People can choose the content they want to watch and content providers become independent from big companies regarding what content will be broadcast," said Sutanto.

For the EMTEK media conglomerate, said Sutanto, this digital acceleration encourages companies to invest in the OTT Vidio platform. Although content consumption is growing fast, the platform must also think about business continuity with a monetization strategy.

Content format

Meanwhile, Winston Utomo highlighted the evolution of content formats, from newspapers, TV, to the internet. With this evolution, he stressed the importance of adapting to changing formats. The need for content will still exist, but the format of the content will change with the times. If you don't adapt, your audience will leave you.

Currently, the content formats that we consume a lot in the digital era vary, ranging from video content with short, medium, to long durations. There is also formatted content livestreaming.

"It's also important to maintain audience loyalty. It doesn't mean that audiences who move [platforms] are not good. This actually spurs us to create better content," he said.

On the other hand, Sutanto highlighted the phenomenon of natural selection that will occur, both on platforms and creators. The increasing variety of content is considered to bring up a variety of audience needs. "In the end, it is impossible for the audience to use all platforms. The audience will choose the platform that is often used," he said.

Therefore, he considers that there needs to be a multiplatform strategy and variety of content to provide business balance. At EMTEK, the Vidio platform will be the main focus, while television will be the complement. It also encourages collaboration to accommodate a variety of content variations. One of them is sports content as a source of monetization for audiences who are willing to pay (willing-to-pay).

Promising industry

According to Winston, not only publisher and platforms that have an important role in digital media, but also content creators. Interestingly, citing a research, he mentions that potential revenue what creators can earn in 2025 can match potential revenue giant technology companies, such as Facebook and Google.

With digital growth of 20% annually, this makes content creator become one of the promising professions in the future because anyone can create content.

Meanwhile, Sutanto believes that the consumption of digital content actually opens up opportunities for the media to take advantage of analytical data. This can allow the media to view stickiness audience. In contrast to television that relies on data rating Nielsen and less accurate to know stickiness audience.

"We can know how many viewers watched more than five minutes. This shows the quality of the audience and helps predict the content that can be produced accordingly targeted market. There is a formula," he concluded.