From 22 to 24 February 2017, the WAN-IFRA Digital Media India 2017 Conference will be the hub of deliberations on ways to leverage global ideas and engage audiences more meaningfully, especially in the backdrop of the ‘Fake News’ controversy that has taken online news by storm across the world. Overcoming this and several other challenges like generating revenue for the digital news business in the post-demonetization economy will be a key feature of the interactions at the conference. Despite these constraints, the innovation in devices, platforms and delivery systems has not slowed down, which is the sliver lining that will shape the digital news business in the year ahead.Â
Two pre-conference workshops will be held on the first day. The first workshop, ‘Revenue Strategy for Digital,’ will focus on new ways of monetizing content and generating advertising revenue as well as various trends like native advertising and best practices around the world. The second workshop, ‘Mobile Journalism,’ is aimed at tech-savvy journalists who are keen to leverage mobile journalism, also known as MoJo. The workshop will provide a road map for planning and executing MoJo projects.
On 23 February 2017, Michael Golden, vice chairman of the New York Times Company, USA, will present his keynote address where he will speak about NYT’s ambitious target of generating digital revenue worth US$ 800 million by 2020, and the company’s vision for the future. This will be followed by a speech on world digital media trends by Thomas Jacob, chief executive officer of WANIFRA, Germany. Park Chang Hee, chief executive officer of WAN-IFRA Events, will speak on making the most of faster internet and explain how the world’s fastest internet speed in South Korea has significantly changed the way people utilize internet there. He will share his views on how faster internet speeds will impact the news business in India.
The chief technology officer of NDTV Convergence, Kanwaljeet Singh Bedi, will speak on his company’s strategy for maximizing revenue from their online and mobile platforms. A case study on how nationwide advertising networks are maximizing the revenue potential of digital media publishers will also be presented. Gunilla Asker, chief executive officer of Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbaldet will deliberate on building a successful digital business by following sound digital subscription strategies. Vinay Kamath, associate editor of the Hindu Business Line will speak on how the company’s Business Line on Campus (BloC) strategy has helped it in organizational subscription drive for its digital properties.Â
The WAN-IFRA Digital Media India 2017 Conference will be the hub of deliberations on ways to leverage global ideas and engage audiences more meaningfully, especially in the backdrop of the ‘Fake News’ controversy that has taken online news by storm across the world.Â
Other presentations will cover how accelerated mobile pages from Google and other social networking channels offer both challenges and opportunities and how best to leverage these platforms. A panel discussion on digital wallets will deliberate on why it is the key to eCommerce expansion in India. Santhosh George Jacob, head of content at Manorama Online, will highlight some best practices that has helped the website to win the ‘best in news’ award at the World Digital Media Awards 2016. Rajesh Priyadarshi, digital editor at BBC Hindi, will speak on innovative ways to deliver content for a mobile audience while Mark Egan, a former BBC video journalist, will speak on how MoJo is set to become an integral part of newsroom plans and how journalists should gear up for it
Chin Hon Chua, associate editor of Today, Mediacorp will present an award-winning case study on why online video consumption is on the rise, especially in the mobile medium. The conference will wind up with Ben Shaw, director – global advisory, WAN-IFRA Germany, speaking on the mobile-first approach to distribute content. There will also be a fireside discussion on the subject, which will look at how it will affect the media business in India and the challenges and opportunities it offers. Overall, the WAN-IFRA Digital Media India 2017 Conference promises to be a refreshing event, especially at a time when it is defining history faster than ever.