Bill Roedy, the former Chairman and Chief Executive of MTV International, says the move into the Networked Society provides huge opportunities for the media industry.
Roedy has one of the most impressive track records in the media industry. Having worked 10 years with US cable network channel HBO, he went on to spend 22 years with MTV, heading up the international expansion of the music channel and more than 20 related channels, such as Comedy Central and Nickleodeon.
Speaking to Ericsson at the recent IBC 2011 in Amsterdam – the annual global gathering for professionals working with television entertainment and news content – Roedy expressed excitement at what mobile technology can do for the television industry.
"I used to say that television can bring the world to your living room," he says. "Now you can have the world in your pocket. That is quite something … it is a huge opportunity for media owners."
Roedy relates changes in the industry to changes in his own opinions during his career.
"I used to say that distribution was king. Then I said content was king. I firmly believe (now) that neither one is right … the customer is king," he says.
Roedy says media owners must listen to customer demands for more personalization in their service through on-demand and ‘anywhere/anytime’ access to content.
"The challenge is the interface. Perhaps you could even say that the interface is king, because you are going to need ease of navigation across all of the different platforms."
Roedy also outlines his experiences of working with Ericsson.
