CHANNELLING CHANGE
As audience perception and technology keeps developing, the challenges faced by print and broadcast media remain acute. Last month, Nielsen Thailand reported a 7.86% drop in total advertising value during the first six months of 2016, with digital television down 9.03%, newspapers down 17.43% and magazines down 28.15%, meanwhile online media grew by 72%. We talk to five media professionals about the shifting landscape, from the strength of traditional media to Facebook Live and web TV.
ATIKHOM KHUNAWUT Founder and executive editor of Way Magazine, an independent publication that started in print and is now available online
‘W e can’t deny that news and content consumption has shifted from physical papers to online. All major publishers and newspapers have acknowledged the peril of the future and they have been trying to find a new model. One of the key things is how to make profit from online. The question is whether providers can adjust fast enough to catch up with their readers who’re leaving print media behind.
But change will be across the board, not only in the way media is consumed. The way the new generation perceive traditional media will be a major shift. The good old days when traditional newspapers can influence public opinion will be a thing of the past. Younger readers will not have loyalty towards newspapers, columnists or news anchors, the same way the old generation who are getting older do. The young generation will be highly sceptical towards mainstream traditional media. They might no longer give their ears to Suttichai Yoon. But they will follow online posts of E Jeab Lieb Duan [famous social media influencers] and other independent writers.
The act of reading for aesthetic pleasure might come to an end. The older readers get not only data and updates in print media, they also appreciate the design and the packaged content. On the contrary, the new generation will read bits and pieces of information. It’s as if the pages are being torn down and uploaded into the air for readers to read on their phones.
But content will remain king. The future of print media will still belong to the professional — serious journalists who can enlighten readers with their research and analysis.”
— Anchalee Kongrut
TEEPAGORN WUTTIPITAYAMONGKOL Co-founder and Editor in Chief of The Matter, an upcoming news-based website featuring politics, arts and human interest stories
‘O nline content has to be fun and approachable. We want to deliver information to people and report news that would benefit readers in a creative way, but still on the basis of fact.
“It’s easy for us to communicate with online readers because we’re new, unlike the traditional media outlets that just step into the online scene who may have carried existing reputations with them. For them, it may not be possible to adjust their tone to be more internet friendly. However, I think only posting exactly the same content from print in an online channel is not enough since it may not fit with the nature of the internet. What I’ve seen international media do is to launch a new brand specially for online or to create interactive websites and use tools like info-graphics, video and virtual reality which can be implemented with news.
“Though everyone now has the power to communicate, journalistic principles are still important for those who work in the media industry. We should be very aware of accuracy as hoax news can spread widely online. But I think the internet is a democratic platform for everyone so the media can express their standpoints as long as the facts are not being distorted, and yet they should also provide spaces for those who think differently.
“Now it’s not very easy to make money on online platforms but I think it’s just the first cycle and there will be more to come. Basically sponsored content and banners are what we could make money from now. However, in the future, if content that benefits consumers almost instantly can be created, chances are people will willingly pay for subscription content.
“More and more media is moving to online platforms but print may not be extinct as long as it can provide some values to the recipients that online platforms are unable to do. For instance, print with investigative content may still survive as well as that with good design.”
— Pattramon Sukprasert
The young generation will be highly sceptical towards mainstream traditional media
Putting the same content from print to online is not enough
SAITHIP MONTRIKUL NA AUDHAYA
Radio host and CEO of GMM Channel
‘People may perceive that radio is a conventional medium. However, radio has this special ability to adapt itself well to today’s digital landscape. We consider ourselves a content provider. Content is hence the heart. We do not have a fixed image of radio content being broadcast primarily through a receiver; we see that today it is consumed through different devices: smartphones and other streaming options.
To me, the biggest strength radio has, in contrast to other media, is the bond between radio personalities and listeners. It’s a form of person-to-person communication. It is not just about the music, as nowadays music can be consumed across other channels/platforms. Listeners relate and feel connected to their favourite hosts because of their personalities and what they talk about on air. Our show Club Friday is a very good example. It’s about being a community.
In the surge of digital media, it is fortunate that we have become an early adopter by pioneering online streaming, radio apps and live studio broadcasts via webcam. Also, audience research has been of key importance to us because the findings not only reveal who our audience is but also we learn about their ever-changing behaviours, needs and tastes.
For traditional media to survive in the long run, the key is to be adaptive, evolve dynamically and move forward. I believe that nothing is static. Nothing remains the same. Change is nature. No matter what industry you are in, you can’t stop, especially the media business where everything is moving very fast. Don’t consider yourself old. We become a new person every day.”
— Pimchanok Phungbun Na Ayudhya
JANYA WONGSURAWAT
Co-founder of online TV and news platform Spokedark TV, which produces the hit satire programme Joh Khao Tuen
‘When we started out, internet quality wasn’t this good, it was hard to upload good quality videos. At that time the idea of ‘internet TV’ was still somewhat foreign and it was around the time YouTube was just starting. We were certain that the platform would be popular as it is today, it just took a little longer than we thought.
“I had worked in the TV industry before. I turned to this new platform because getting air time is not an easy task — one has to have both money and good connections. Yet, the challenge initially in establishing an online platform was getting these online shows monetised — neither the ad agencies nor sponsors understood what it was.
“People no longer wait to see shows when they are aired, but look them up online and watch them whenever they want. Today there’s hardly any boundaries anymore, whether it’s analogue TV, digital TV or online, content is content. The competition in the market has never been more democratic. It doesn’t matter what your platform is, the winner is the one who is able to create the content that people like the most.
“At the beginning, the content by those conventional TV channels like 3, 5 or 7 was often pirated by online platforms but those channels are now able to monetise the profusion of content that they have by also putting it online, for example, by creating YouTube channels.
“The only way to survive is adapting ourselves as quickly as we can. Facebook, for example, is vital in engaging with our audience. With a tool like Facebook Live, for example, content producers like us are still figuring out how to use it in an efficient way both in terms of the content and aesthetics.” — Kaona Pongpipat
TITIPORN JUTIMANON
Manager of Nine Entertain, a TV programme that relies on Facebook Live for its broadcasts
‘There’s a belief that live streaming will reduce the number of TV viewers but we don’t believe that. We believe that people who watch things on social media don’t watch TV, and people who watch TV still watch TV. If we don’t create an image, brand and engagement online, we’ll lose that [online] audience.
“We cast both TV and Facebook Live at the same time, and in the future we’re planning to create original content and programmes for Facebook Live as well. A strong point of Facebook Live is that you can go live anywhere and any time without having to look at the business side of things — of which slot it can fit into the schedule. And what’s different about our live streaming is that we use the best equipment and broadcasting technologies so viewers get the best viewing experience. We’re the first entertainment news channel to take this platform seriously. We don’t just take what we have and put it online but we also add in additional value as well in different ways in order to create good traffic.
“Facebook Live racks up around 200,000300,000 views per day but there are still some limitations. It still doesn’t generate any income, but in the future we believe that it will. If the online streaming business starts to grow in the future and makes money, and if we don’t start building ourselves up now, we won’t be able to catch up.
“If TV doesn’t adapt itself there’s no way it’ll survive. However, TV still has its strong points. It has a reliability factor, so we have to choose and create new types of content and engagement with the viewers [for it to last]. If we want to communicate with people aged 35-40 plus, TV is the main medium. If we’re targeting teenagers, social media is more interesting. There’s no set formula for which medium is better than the other, it all depends on what we want to communicate and with who.” — Apipar Norapoompipat
Change is nature. No matter what industry you are in, you simply cannot stop
The competition in the market has never been more democratic
If TV doesn’t adapt itself, there’s just no way it’ll survive