Off to Bristol for work and hoping to take the opportunity to look around the city for Connexion - the possible new enterprise.
Have been hearing a lot about Bristol becoming a hotbed of innovation. Bristol? I had queried.
However, the synchronicities of life - are taking me there to tie up some loose ends on a bit of work, so why not take the opportunity to look around.
My mood is presently - Hi Ho, courtesy of Snow White & Disney:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AkKnLMELo
Friday, 10 July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
7th July 09: Allen & Co. conference kicks off today
The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks-off today. Attended by the whose who of media and technology. Sadly, no invite...oh well, someday.
However, think there will be some interesting conversations taking place about the current state of play and the future of media, amongst other things ie economy.
I will be following the conference here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25584846/
If you don't know about the conference, see the FT article below. On that note, I need to get back to work.
Sun Valley set to consider paid content
By Kenneth Li in New York
FT.com
A debate over paid content that has riven the newspaper business and spread across the rest of the media sector is expected to frame discussions at the annual confab of media and technology power brokers and entrepreneurs in Sun Valley this week.
For one week a year, the affluent resort town in central Idaho is transformed by Allen & Co, a boutique investment bank, into a playground of billionaires. They stroll along manicured pathways in its tranquil grounds and meditate by the duck ponds over the future of the media business and perhaps the next transformative merger.
Deal-making – notably the 1995 $19bn combination of Cap Cities/ABC and Disney – remains the essence of the conference. Chatter has risen in previous years about consolidation in Hollywood in response to a decline in home video sales.
But this week, conference attendees are likely to be decidedly less relaxed, as Zenith Optimedia predicted on Monday that global advertising will drop by a worse than expected 8.5 per cent this year.
The US recession, now in its 19th month, has forced media chieftains to revisit the free-versus-paid argument over content and services.
Newspapers gave away their best product online a decade ago, but are now struggling with the issue of charging readers. The question of how best to avoid similar difficulties over monetising content has polarised the media groups which will be represented in Sun Valley this week.
Most recently the issue has occupied the bosses of cable networks, including Jeffrey Bewkes, chief executive of Time Warner, whose TV Everywhere plan helps preserve a lucrative business model. It is also important to broadcast television controllers including Robert Iger, chief of Disney which began offering ABC’s best shows online for free three years ago. It is now backing Hulu, a joint venture of NewsCorp and NBC Universal, and the web’s second most popular free video site after YouTube.
At stake is nothing less than the future of television shows and movies on digital platforms at a time when online viewing is exploding, but still remains a minuscule percentage of overall television viewing.
To find answers to their digital dilemma, media powerbrokers including Mr Bewkes, Mr Iger, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp, Barry Diller, chief of IAC, and John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, are expected to claw over of the latest crop of digital entrepreneurs.
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley was the talk of the conference in 2006, landing a $1.65bn buy-out from Google three months later. Even before Evan Williams, chief of micro-blogging website Twitter, arrives, his company has been annointed this year’s YouTube. However, for all the buzz about Twitter, attendees say that they have little idea how it will actually make money.
Another darling of Sun Valley is Richard Rosenblatt. The serial entrepreneur and former chairman of MySpace earned his seat at the conference with his website Demand Media, which claims to be the biggest supplier of video to YouTube.
Mr Rosenblatt’s three-year-old company owns a collection of niche sites including eHow, an instructional video site, and Livestrong.com, a social media health site featuring athlete Lance Armstrong. The company has created software featuring an algorythim that matches what viewers want to watch, with what advertisers want to spend money on, while providing tools for big corporations like News Corp to harness consumer interest.
But the problem remains how a declining traditional media industry finds salvation among this year’s digital darlings. “If you’re sitting on top of a multibillion dollar media company, you still have an unsolveable issue by acquiring this company or that company,” said one top media executive.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
However, think there will be some interesting conversations taking place about the current state of play and the future of media, amongst other things ie economy.
I will be following the conference here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25584846/
If you don't know about the conference, see the FT article below. On that note, I need to get back to work.
Sun Valley set to consider paid content
By Kenneth Li in New York
FT.com
A debate over paid content that has riven the newspaper business and spread across the rest of the media sector is expected to frame discussions at the annual confab of media and technology power brokers and entrepreneurs in Sun Valley this week.
For one week a year, the affluent resort town in central Idaho is transformed by Allen & Co, a boutique investment bank, into a playground of billionaires. They stroll along manicured pathways in its tranquil grounds and meditate by the duck ponds over the future of the media business and perhaps the next transformative merger.
Deal-making – notably the 1995 $19bn combination of Cap Cities/ABC and Disney – remains the essence of the conference. Chatter has risen in previous years about consolidation in Hollywood in response to a decline in home video sales.
But this week, conference attendees are likely to be decidedly less relaxed, as Zenith Optimedia predicted on Monday that global advertising will drop by a worse than expected 8.5 per cent this year.
The US recession, now in its 19th month, has forced media chieftains to revisit the free-versus-paid argument over content and services.
Newspapers gave away their best product online a decade ago, but are now struggling with the issue of charging readers. The question of how best to avoid similar difficulties over monetising content has polarised the media groups which will be represented in Sun Valley this week.
Most recently the issue has occupied the bosses of cable networks, including Jeffrey Bewkes, chief executive of Time Warner, whose TV Everywhere plan helps preserve a lucrative business model. It is also important to broadcast television controllers including Robert Iger, chief of Disney which began offering ABC’s best shows online for free three years ago. It is now backing Hulu, a joint venture of NewsCorp and NBC Universal, and the web’s second most popular free video site after YouTube.
At stake is nothing less than the future of television shows and movies on digital platforms at a time when online viewing is exploding, but still remains a minuscule percentage of overall television viewing.
To find answers to their digital dilemma, media powerbrokers including Mr Bewkes, Mr Iger, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp, Barry Diller, chief of IAC, and John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, are expected to claw over of the latest crop of digital entrepreneurs.
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley was the talk of the conference in 2006, landing a $1.65bn buy-out from Google three months later. Even before Evan Williams, chief of micro-blogging website Twitter, arrives, his company has been annointed this year’s YouTube. However, for all the buzz about Twitter, attendees say that they have little idea how it will actually make money.
Another darling of Sun Valley is Richard Rosenblatt. The serial entrepreneur and former chairman of MySpace earned his seat at the conference with his website Demand Media, which claims to be the biggest supplier of video to YouTube.
Mr Rosenblatt’s three-year-old company owns a collection of niche sites including eHow, an instructional video site, and Livestrong.com, a social media health site featuring athlete Lance Armstrong. The company has created software featuring an algorythim that matches what viewers want to watch, with what advertisers want to spend money on, while providing tools for big corporations like News Corp to harness consumer interest.
But the problem remains how a declining traditional media industry finds salvation among this year’s digital darlings. “If you’re sitting on top of a multibillion dollar media company, you still have an unsolveable issue by acquiring this company or that company,” said one top media executive.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
30th June 09: Three venture backed IPOs: who is next?
Venture backed IPOs are back, well as much as the current state of the economy will allow.
Raising the inevitable question who is next? Below we examine those who have succeeded in taking to the open waves, so to speak and who might be next.
First, those who have succeeded, since April 2008 include:
1) Enterprise software firm SolarWinds, SWI, a profitable company that had investments from VC firms Bain Capital, Insight Ventures and Austin Ventures. The company priced its offering above its initial range and debuted at $12.50. The stock is up nearly 10% since it began trading.
2) Online restaurant reservation management firm OpenTable, Open. Benchmark Capital, a leading investor in eBay, and Impact Venture Partners are two of the prominent VCs involved in the OpenTable deal. Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive is also an investor. Shares of OpenTable are up more than 40% since they hit the market.
3) Finally, Medidata Solutions, a software company for big drug companies, went public Thursday and its stock was up more than 20% in midday trading. Medidata MDSO is also venture-backed. And like OpenTable and SolarWinds, the company has an actual business that allows it to generate steady revenue.
Also, making an appearance in the open market are two Chinese firms, chemical manufacturer Chemspec International, CPC, and water treatment equipment maker Duoyuan Global Water DGW.
Who next?
This activity in the public markets has the pundits excited and wondering whether FaceBook or Twitter may be next.
The speculation has become increasingly high pitched as Facebook hires David Ebersman, former Genentech exec as CFO. Mr Ebersman served as Genentech’s chief financial officer for the past three years, and spent a total of 15 years with the company. In March, he oversaw the sale of the final 44 per cent of Genentech to Roche, the Swiss pharmaceuticals company which had been pursuing a complete takeover, for $47bn. Mr Ebersman has not, however, overseen an IPO.
Is it possible to speculate that FaceBook may be considering an IPO - Of course. But, is this the right time?
The Jury remains out.
Why?
Those making successful IPO debuts in this current market share some common characteristics, including:
1. Cash generative business models;
2. Sustainable revenue streams;
3. Access to new emerging markets; and
4. Profitability.
Though, FaceBook and Twitter's popularity remains unquestionable - the path to profitability remains unclear. That said, will they get there? Why not - with the intelligent and commercialy astute recruitments that are taking place. Both companies are using the recession for what it is best for: streamline cost structures and operations, to acquire talent in order to push forward when the going gets good, again.
Sources:
The Financial Times Limited 2009
CNN.Money.com
Raising the inevitable question who is next? Below we examine those who have succeeded in taking to the open waves, so to speak and who might be next.
First, those who have succeeded, since April 2008 include:
1) Enterprise software firm SolarWinds, SWI, a profitable company that had investments from VC firms Bain Capital, Insight Ventures and Austin Ventures. The company priced its offering above its initial range and debuted at $12.50. The stock is up nearly 10% since it began trading.
2) Online restaurant reservation management firm OpenTable, Open. Benchmark Capital, a leading investor in eBay, and Impact Venture Partners are two of the prominent VCs involved in the OpenTable deal. Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive is also an investor. Shares of OpenTable are up more than 40% since they hit the market.
3) Finally, Medidata Solutions, a software company for big drug companies, went public Thursday and its stock was up more than 20% in midday trading. Medidata MDSO is also venture-backed. And like OpenTable and SolarWinds, the company has an actual business that allows it to generate steady revenue.
Also, making an appearance in the open market are two Chinese firms, chemical manufacturer Chemspec International, CPC, and water treatment equipment maker Duoyuan Global Water DGW.
Who next?
This activity in the public markets has the pundits excited and wondering whether FaceBook or Twitter may be next.
The speculation has become increasingly high pitched as Facebook hires David Ebersman, former Genentech exec as CFO. Mr Ebersman served as Genentech’s chief financial officer for the past three years, and spent a total of 15 years with the company. In March, he oversaw the sale of the final 44 per cent of Genentech to Roche, the Swiss pharmaceuticals company which had been pursuing a complete takeover, for $47bn. Mr Ebersman has not, however, overseen an IPO.
Is it possible to speculate that FaceBook may be considering an IPO - Of course. But, is this the right time?
The Jury remains out.
Why?
Those making successful IPO debuts in this current market share some common characteristics, including:
1. Cash generative business models;
2. Sustainable revenue streams;
3. Access to new emerging markets; and
4. Profitability.
Though, FaceBook and Twitter's popularity remains unquestionable - the path to profitability remains unclear. That said, will they get there? Why not - with the intelligent and commercialy astute recruitments that are taking place. Both companies are using the recession for what it is best for: streamline cost structures and operations, to acquire talent in order to push forward when the going gets good, again.
Sources:
The Financial Times Limited 2009
CNN.Money.com
Friday, 26 June 2009
26th June 09: Media and emerging pay plans
I posted on the digital media triangulation blog that the online world is rapidly shifting and we would begin to see new and more varied business models and approaches emerging.
Thus, it was interesting to read that two more ambitious media industry efforts are being implemented to retrain consumers to pay for online content set out their plans on Wednesday amid a surge in accessing free content via the internet.
Time Warner and Journalism Online are in the spot light.
This is of course in addition to Universal's and NewsCorp's efforts which have been widely publicized over the past few weeks. It is now Time Warner and Journalism Online's efforts!
I am quite unsurprised by this shift nor the efforts being made, new emerging business models has been the focus of my attention since the New Year.
Thus, it was interesting to read that two more ambitious media industry efforts are being implemented to retrain consumers to pay for online content set out their plans on Wednesday amid a surge in accessing free content via the internet.
Time Warner and Journalism Online are in the spot light.
This is of course in addition to Universal's and NewsCorp's efforts which have been widely publicized over the past few weeks. It is now Time Warner and Journalism Online's efforts!
I am quite unsurprised by this shift nor the efforts being made, new emerging business models has been the focus of my attention since the New Year.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
22nd+ June 09: When Destiny Calls.
"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made, destiny is
made known silently" Agnes de Mille.
Okay, all - some new rules of play.
First, all my blogs are now public. The rule of play with the blogs are as follows:
1. Cut Wood, Carry Water blog will continue to focus on digital developments and what I think makes for interesting reading.
2. Digital Media Triangulation blog is the result of about 12 years of thinking and my own work.
In principle, I have no issues with people refering to the thoughts and ideas presented in my blogs. However, please give appropriate credit where it is due if you wish to "borrow" my work. I know its almost impossible to patrol these things. But, let's show a little professional respect?
3. Simple Truths blog focuses on quotes, songs and the like that inspire or amuse me.
4. Tracking Rising Stars blog will focus on early-stage companies that I think are going places.
Historically, I have evaluated early-stage companies for high net worth individuals who seek to make investments. Due to possible conflicts of interest, I will re-start this blog from scratch.
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