Eyes are on Las Vegas this week and the annual Consumer Electronics Show. There are plenty of news reports and blog entries about all the new gizmos and corporate announcements. Two trends are fascinating – developments in portable video players and the probability that movie studios will release through Video on Demand on the same day as they release DVD product. Surely DVD has a limited life. With VOD the supply chain is dramatically shorter, costs less and the product therefore able to be less. There is no need for the retail network. It also provides the consumer with access flexibility.
It started with music. Movies are next – this year.
And with these sexy portable video devices looms the prospect of more magazine type content being made available for that medium than the printed medium. All the more reason for Australian newsagencies to start delivering this year on a long overdue reinvention of purpose.