Press release from SAFC
The South Australian Film Corporation will host a Media Futures Forum on October 20, focused on the future of Australian content in a converging media environment. This forum is timed to coincide with the formal launch of the SAFC’s new Adelaide Studios, which will take place on the evening of October 20 with a Red Carpet gala event.
The Media Futures Forum will take as its reference point the Federal Government’s ongoing Convergence Review; it will serve as a global backdrop for the event and inform proceedings. The Convergence Review is recommending solutions for the future of media over the next ten to twenty years. Critically, submissions for the Review close just one week (Oct 28th) after the Forum. It is, indeed, time for the last word on Convergence.
“In the same way that the opening of the Adelaide Studios will position Adelaide once again as a leading national production player, the Media Futures Forum will demonstrate the South Australian Film Corporation’s leadership role in national policy debates,” said SAFC CEO Richard Harris.
“The Forum is unlike any other that has been held in regards to convergence, as it will bring together both leading industry players who are both users and creators of Australian content to create a dialogue about what policy settings should be developed for a rapidly changing media environment”.
A key ingredient of the event will be a survey research project undertaken by consulting firm Systems Knowledge Concepts (SKC). The survey asks respondents, both forum participants and industry representatives unable to attend the conference, about their predictions regarding the future of media, and will create a qualitative map, providing projections based on what people working in the industry actually think.
The advent of digital communication, and in particular the rise of the internet as a platform for the delivery of audiovisual material, represents a major paradigm shift in the fundamentals of the film and television sector. While this provides exciting new opportunities, and an increasing demand overall for audiovisual content, the pressures on maintaining Australian content in a digital media world are set to increase.
Leaders in the industry have been invited to participate, including key players from the content marketplace (broadcasters, subscription TV, telcos, independent producers and film distributors), and will present their views about the future, articulate how Australian content is a part of their future business, and advocate what they believe the best policy settings should be for the future. All forum participants have first-hand experience in grappling with the rapidly transforming media landscape.
Panelists include: Brian Rosen, President of SPAA and former CEO of the Film Finance Corporation; Julie Flynn, CEO of Free TV Australia; Justin Milne, Deputy Chairman of Quickflix and former Group Managing Director at Telstra; and Michael Brealey, Head of Strategy & Governance for ABC TV.