A media landscape does not just reflect the world it operates in through what it says about that world, but through how it behaves, adapts, and transforms. And when our world shifts as rapidly as it is now, our media mirrors these shifts.
It is easy to feel that the media is a reassuring anchor in a storm-tossed world, with its fundamental purpose of disseminating information, insight, and analysis staying fixed even as all around it changes. And there is some truth in that.
But while the intrinsic role of media may be a constant, digitisation means the way it is developed, targeted and consumed is anything but.
For media players in the region, this opens the door to opportunity … but only if they can navigate a maze of challenges and develop an understanding of a whole new set of trends shaping media consumption. Only then can they truly define what audiences — whose demands and preferences are markedly different from even 10 years ago — really want from them.
And giving those audiences what they want is not a matter for debate because, in the digital era, they are the instigators of change and demand respect and response.
This region has new audiences, who are spending more time-consuming news and information. On the face of it, that would seem to be indisputably good news for the industry. However, the key factor is not that this expansion is happening, but how it is happening.
It is happening because of digitisation — and that has created two hugely disruptive trends for our print media: “creative destruction” and “substitution effect”.
Creative destruction stems from the value of content essentially being eliminated because of its free availability through digital channels — and the reluctance of providers to force their consumers to pay for it. Substitution effect is eroding advertising revenue even faster than circulation losses, as advertisers and marketers find other windows that they consider more effective and efficient than print.
Add the rise of a new breed of cloud-based, mobile-first start-ups and platforms; the likely emergence of more specialised digital agencies, marketing vehicles, integrated campaigns, branded content, e-commerce, and SMB-driven advertising; and publishers struggling to monetise their websites, and you recognise just how tough the terrain has become for the print sector.
To navigate these market forces, publishers must transform their content, business, and distribution models, and embrace a more collaborative and interactive media landscape, recognising the potential value of user-generated content, blogs, social media activism, and even data-driven journalism. They need to see this not as a threat to, or a dilution, of their time-honoured role and status, but as an ally.
Remember: engagement does not necessarily equate to trust, and traditional news outlets retain greater credibility than their younger, digital rivals because of their capacity for objectivity and context and their reputation for expertise and insight. How successfully they can weave old and new together, and recognise that digitisation is not the enemy, will play a significant part in determining not only their relevance, but their reinvigoration.
The task made no easier by the emergence of leapfrogging, where consumers are skipping straight to mobile-first and cloud-first channels to get their news, bypassing PC, client server and fixed-line access. Everything is now a tap, swipe, or click away, and increased levels of interaction with media content mean consumers are now also creators.
The social, local, and mobile media triumvirate means the user truly holds news in their hands.
But for traditional publishers seeking to gain an online foothold, and native digital players, this presents another challenge. They must already deal with a fragmented content ecosystem. And their difficulties in meeting demand for ‘small-screen’ consumption risks leading to lower engagement, depressed pricing, and missing out on an audience that is growing and diversifying, but wants mobile-first.
Publishers must therefore generate content that is not only compelling, but tailored for the mobile-user experience, rather than simply being migrated from desktop interfaces without any appreciation of the fact that one size does not fit all.
They must understand how their audience discovers content, and ensure their advertising is engaging and impactful rather than intrusive. And they must rethink their business models to reflect advertisers’ concerns about the effectiveness and integrity of mobile advertising.
They have to do this because the mobile-first consumption trend is not going to disappear. If anything, it will continue to grow, and the winners among the traditional media sector will be those who address it at source by understanding its specific characteristics and demands, rather than simply treating it as an easily-transferable adjunct to their existing content channels.
If all this sounds daunting for the Middle East media sector, it should be remembered that digitisation has spotlighted a crucial truth essential to the success of any industry: people want the product. The audience for news and information is larger, more diverse, and more aware than ever before.
The challenge surrounds how this product is packaged, presented, and provided.
People are becoming more effective curators of their digital experiences. Yes, they want a lot of information very quickly, but they are prepared to invest their time in experiences and channels that satisfy and strike a chord with them.
A culture of “media-snacking” — driven by the increasing trend of media consumption through social networks and the increasing popularity of short-form video content — is spreading throughout the region, as consumers snatch quick bites of content during their breaks, commutes, or downtime.
At the same time, TV is holding its own as a favoured source of long-form content with greater substance, depth, and context. Rather than devouring any existing market share, this behaviour suggests a new, transitory space is opening up between bite-sized and in-depth content; one where social media influencers and multichannel networks are showcasing the depth of the region’s creative talent, promoting its culture, and tapping into new audiences.
That illustrates a vibrant media ecosystem in the region; one where there is not only a demand for content, but an innovative and dynamic mindset among emerging, disruptive media players about how to provide it. Of course, they have an advantage: their newness means they do not need to transform themselves.
The challenge is greater for more established members of the region’s media industry. But the audience is there. And the rewards for understanding and satisfying this audience are clear.
The writer is Managing Director, Dubai Media City.
