Stuart Corner
Monday, 16 June 2008 10:40
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
BigPond also claims to run Australia's largest online gaming community. "We have more than 1,000 games. We operate a shop where users can buy, rent and download games. And we publish GameArena, a site that rates and reviews games," according to Milne.
He then went on to talk about Sensis and Foxtel and concluded "When you put together all the content on BigPond, the content on Sensis and the content on Foxtel, Telstra probably publishes and broadcasts more content than any media company in Australia...[and] by the start of 2008 the amount of time Australians are spending online surpassed the time they spent watching television," (according to AC Nielsen)
So, Telstra has a powerful position in delivering to every one of the three screens - PC, mobile, television - and there is now considerable convergence between these separate information and entertainment channels. As Milne put it: "Telstra commands perhaps half of the online and mobile market...[and] the distinction between PC and television audiences is disappearing...PCs are shifting from home offices into public places like kitchens and family rooms...Technology now allows users to transmit PC content direct to their TV, suddenly it no longer makes sense to treat TV audiences much differently from PC audiences."
Now, he said, "Telstra is integrating content, platforms and devices so that any content will be accessible on any platform and over any device – so the consumer has a single sign-on, uses consistent interfaces, receives a single bill and can be serviced with a single call."
Telstra, Milne said had interviewed 900,000 Australians and segmented the population on the basis of their preferences. "That means we can anticipate our customers' needs. It means we can differentiate our products, services and prices for market segments."
He then gave just one example of what this might mean. "Imagine you are walking down the main street of Sydney...[watching] football match highlights or programming your Foxtel personal video recorder. Because you've given us permission, Telstra knows you have recently been using BigPond broadband to search for cars on Sensis' online classifieds.
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