WhenMalcolmFried took the helmat BloombergTelevisionacross EMEA in
2011, the shift to digital withinBloomberg Television had already started. He
sees himself asHead of BloombergDigital for Europe rather than simply the
Head of Bloomberg Television. So is that the strategic direction he is taking?
loomberg
Television is part
of the Bloomberg
Media Group
which itself is part
of Bloomberg LP.
Across every
division of the Bloomberg Media
Group that is concerned with
video, our strategic focus is now on
being producers of digital video.
We have what we call a ʹfour screen
strategyʹ ‐ for the linear TV screen,
the Internet which is the desktop
computer or the laptop, the mobile
device that you carry around with
you, and the tablets.
We donʹt believe that focusing on
any one screen is sufficient, and we
have to be in a position where we
can cater for and anticipate use
anywhere and at any time.
Certainly the younger
demographics and some of the
older demographics now wish to
programme their own viewing at a
time that suits them. That we can
do particularly on mobile and
tablet devices and on the Internet.
Thatʹs how I see my job now ‐ the
Head of Bloomberg Digital for
Europe rather than simply the
Head of Bloomberg Television.
What are the priorities in
programming?
We occupy a niche as Bloomberg
the company. That niche is
business, finance, economics and
markets and it’s one that some
occupy but most donʹt. Our core
audience is the financial
professional, which is certainly a
big focus for Bloomberg digital
content production including linear
TV. What we are now striving to
achieve is to appeal to a larger
consumer audience by focusing on
the same kind of content but
offering it across all platforms.
We like to cast the stories in a
way that is palatable to people who
may not be financial professionals
but who are interested in money
and the way it makes the world
turn and we try to tell stories in
plain English, avoiding jargon. The
way weʹd cover a Greek story for
our BTV+ app for Apple iPad which
was created by Bloomberg in
October last year for example, may
well be a 60‐second piece on Greek
swimming pools.
Why is that important? Itʹs
because Greek swimming pools are
subject to tax, and most Greeks
who own swimming pools donʹt
pay that tax. Thatʹs a great visual
story but also speaks of the strains
that are constricting this world
currently. So we look for stories
that are visually appealing and also
speak to our core subject.
Is your viewer composition
changing?
The viewer composition for all
global and pan‐European satellite
and cable television is very difficult
to determine but with people using
and experiencing digital video on
the Internet and on mobile and
tablet devices, we know exactly
when they are using us and what
appeals most.
We also gather valuable feedback
from our advertising clients,
B
FOURSCREEN
STRATEGY
We occupy
a niche
that some
occupy
but most
don't
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ISSUE 2 2012
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THE CHANNEL
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