As both the Times and Guardian are among the most prestigious and popular news brands in the world, Digital Media Europe – to be held 16 to 18 April next at the London Science Museum – is shaping up to be a key event for the publishers, digital media experts and editors everywhere. Full conference details, including registration information, can be found here.
While The New York Times has drawn a lot of attention for its metered digital subscription model, the Guardian is turning eyes with its “open platform” campaigns, including its gone-viral video advertisement.
Mr. Miller, who joined GMG as Chief Financial Officer in 2009 before being appointed CEO in July 2010, will share the Guardian’s vision of openness. The company was one of the first in the industry to make user-generated content a key part of its business and to experiment with application platform interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers and partners to access and share its data.
Now in its second year, Digital Media Europe – the flagship of a series of innovative regional digital conferences offered by WAN-IFRA -- offers three days of keynotes, panel discussions and networking that will challenge conventional thinking about the future of media businesses.
Each day of the conference will examine a core aspect of digital publishing: digital business trends; paid content, mobile platforms and global innovation; and new products and developments for the future.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Kalle Jungkvist, who is Senior Advisor, Schibsted, Sweden, and Anders Berglund, Sales Director, Aftonbladet, Sweden: Many newspaper companies can only dream about achieving 50 percent of their ad revenue through their digital platforms. Schibsted’s Aftonbladet, the largest print newspaper in Sweden, is one of the rare few that can claim this in reality.
• Madhav Chinnappa, Head of Strategic Partnerships Google News EMEA, UK, is responsible for expanding Google News’ relations with publishers throughout the region. Participants will get a chance to hear the perspective from perhaps the largest digital player in the world, particularly its dealings with publishers and what that means to its future strategy.
• Peter Bale, Vice President and General Manager of CNN International Digital, who is responsible for the global growth of this CNN division, including setting the strategic vision, product development and execution. Charged with identifying and developing product, brand and content distribution strategies to further drive revenue and audience, Bale will lead the company’s efforts to grow the reach of CNN's digital offerings outside the United States.
• Maxim, Melnikov, CEO, Media 3, Russia, and Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, Executive VP of RBS, Brazil, will each present case studies from their respective regions during a “Fastest Growing Digital Markets” session.
• Per Mikael Jensen, the CEO of Metro International, who has launched a mobile crowdsourcing news photo service as part of a new digital strategy. The free Metro, the world’s largest international newspaper (100 major cities in 22 countries, global reach of more than 17 million), is read most often by commuters on their way to work – what Metro International calls “the Metro moment.” But that is now being challenged by mobiles and tablets.
• Georg Konjovic, Director for Premium Content at Axel Springer, Europe’s largest newspaper publisher which is starting to reap the benefits of its new paid content strategy. Mr Konjovic coordinates all activities regarding paid content to establish a paid culture for content for web and mobile. In addition to that, his unit is responsible for the new brand "iKiosk" which is a marketplace for journalistic products available on the iPad and the web. In December, Axel Springer opened its iKiosk for other publishers and is now selling more than 100 magazines and newspapers.
• Marja-Leena Tuomola, Chief Digital Officer for Sanoma News and Sanoma Media in Finland, an early leader in charging for digital access. But what sets Sanoma apart from other paid-content strategies is that the company upsells its existing print subscribers with a clever message: pay a little more and get substantial value from online, tablet and mobile access.
• Richard Bergman, Chief Operating Officer of Blocket.se, who will show how a general classifieds site can become an engine to create a myriad of good businesses. Blocket, which is Schibsted’s big consumer-to-consumer classifieds site, now operates in 20 countries, including Sweden, where 70 per cent of the population has bought or sold something through the site.
