During the forthcoming Digital 2018 Conference in Belgrade, one of the guests will be Kenechi Belušević, from the Discovery Channel Network. We took an opportunity to make a small interview.
Can you tell us what are differences between regions Ex-Yugoslavia, Albania, Mediterranean and Israel in making television content?
Discovery is leveraging its global expertise to develop both linear and digital products which can be part of local strategic partnerships, to the benefit of our local end consumers. With our wide portfolio of brands – including Discovery Channel, Eurosport, TLC, ID, and Travel Channel, to name but a few – we are well-positioned to cater to a multitude of viewers’ interests, tastes and preferences which span across geographies and demographics.
How much is Ex-Yugoslavia region following trends in on-demand content channels?
We are seeing a good mix of on-demand products continuously increasing their presence on these markets, both global and local players featured in the mix. It is clear that our part of the world has plenty of catching up to do in terms of OTT pickup, but in that we also see a good opportunity to position and grow our OTT offering, spearheaded by Eurosport Player, the only Europe-wide sport OTT service.
What’s future in television content and how much digital era will change television channels?
I do believe we live in a golden age of content, as viewers keep consuming more of it and on more platforms than ever before. Nielsen data in US shows us that while time spent viewing traditional TV slightly decreases over time, total time spent with all media keeps reaching new highs. There is much talk about “death of TV”, but TV is not dying – it’s evolving, extending beyond the traditional screen and broadening to include new sources accessed in new ways. For us at Discovery, content remains critical, and this evolution in technology allows us to deliver that content to more and more viewers around the world: every minute of it, on every device. Under this principle, for this year’s Olympic Games, we measured audience touchpoints across all platforms in devices – combining linear, digital, and social. We pioneered with 4K production in Sports this season in this region, with Roland Garros, and launched the first Eurosport 4K 24/7 channel in Russia, ensuring innovation in our linear broadcast.
What is Discovery focus in making content for next 5 years?
Besides sport, which no doubt will continue to allow us to engage with hugely passionate communities of fans across the continent, we are also betting on the authenticity of our factual brands. We won’t be hiring Hollywood actors or doing red carpet events. With the recent acquisition of the Scripps portfolio of channels, we are even better suited to focus on authentic storytelling by knowledgeable and charismatic experts in real-life situations and environments. Our end goal is to continue strenghtening our relationship with both viewers and business partners, while building new opportunities mainly around mobile and digital.