Page 58 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013

hile all current trends
indicate that pay‐TV and
advertising spend are still
vital components of the
media marketplace, TV
viewership does face a
number of challenges,
including fragmentation, technology‐enabled time
shifting, and the disruption of media stacking or
mobile/tablet multitasking.
Developments in technology are impacting TV
advertising effectiveness and the dramatic rise of
connected mobile devices is leading to an increasingly
distracted use of TV.
Digital technology has also accelerated ad avoidance
through time shifting and on‐demand viewing, and
has enabled a significant amount of fragmentation due
to sheer volume of content and niche. All these
developments work together to degrade the value of
TV ads and are deeply affecting the pay‐TV industry as
scarcity is removed due to IP delivered content.
HACKING FOR INNOVATION
Welcome to the new world of TV. These are problems
that need solving. They need to be hacked. Hacking for
Good? Hacking for Innovation? Yes, itʹs not hacking
the Pentagon or MI6... On the contrary ‐ creatives,
developers, coders, and entrepreneurs get together, get
creative and get to build cool stuff ‐ thatʹs what a
hackathon is all about.
Hackathons typically start with one or more
presentations about the event, as well as about the
specific subject, if any. Then participants suggest ideas
and form teams, based on individual interests and
skills. Then the main work of the hackathon begins,
which can last anywhere from several hours to several
days. For hackathons that last 24 hours or longer,
especially competitive ones, eating is often informal,
with participants mainly surviving on food like pizza
and energy drinks. Sometimes sleeping is informal as
well, with participants sleeping on‐site in sleeping
bags.
Popularised in the USA, hackathons have become
W
Richard Kastelein is publisher of
Appmarket.tv online, a partner at
Agora Media Innovation and has
lectured on the future of TV around
the world. Now he is bringing
hacking to the TV community – his
first TV Hackfest saw creatives,
developers, coders, and
entrepreneurs "build cool stuff".
Here is his report
HACKING TV