Participatory TV seen as the next big thing in broadcasting
Radio and television audiences are no longer content to sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
They want to participate in it, and soon, they’ll be able to.
From the couch in your living room, imagine having the power to watch a basketball game or award show as if you were actually there, said Mandalay Entertainment CEO and President Peter Guber in the National Association of Broadcasters Show keynote address Monday.
Nearly 100,000 representatives of the broadcast, digital media, film and entertainment industries have come from 159 countries to attend the annual show, National Association of Broadcasters Senior Vice President Ann Marie Cumming said.
“What are you craving? Crave more!” blared a theme song as the address began.
Virtual reality, Guber says, is something everyone is craving.
Experiencing an event in real-time without being present is not just a scene out of “The Jetsons” anymore. It is the future of media and “will change everything,” Guber said.
“This is not the end. This is not the end of the beginning. This is the beginning of the beginning.”
For broadcast to remain relevant, the industry must be active in its own rescue, Guber said.
The pace of change is no longer linear and is growing faster than ever, thanks to smartphones, he added.
One unyielding theme for success: stay audience-centric: Give the people what they want, he said.
On average, a person will look at their smartphone 271 times in one day, demanding to participate, Guber said. Industry leaders need to “feed this addiction.”
“This is the way we’re going to deal with the future,” he said, displaying a cardboard virtual reality headset, just one of the many technological advances, including cameras, drones and apps, on display in the six-day show.
Exhibits and show sessions span almost 1 million square feet, spreading across the Las Vegas Convention Center, Renaissance Las Vegas, Westgate, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.
The overall theme of this year’s show remains change and innovation, yet one speaker’s broadcast career has withstood all industry progressions.
Comedian Jerry Lewis, a man who says he spent 1,380 hours on TV in the past 61 years, accepted the Distinguished Service Award during the show opening.
It’s just like Lewis said in the 1982 movie “The King of Comedy,” “this is a crazy business, but it’s not unlike any other business.”
Professionals will have the opportunity to learn and network during the show until it ends Thursday.
Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.
