The Audiovisual Sector and the Digital World Meet Again in Sonar+D 2015

The Catalan Audio-visual Cluster, together with Barcelona Tech City and Sónar+D, organized the second edition of the Digital&Media Summit, a meeting between audio-visual companies and the technological and digital world.

Around fifteen companies from each sector shared their experiences and explored new ways of collaborating on projects of mutual interest. The session was moderated by Josep Lluis Sanchez Brugarola, from Infonomia team.

The First University-Industry Audio-visual Pitching is Born

The Catalan Audio-visual Cluster and several Catalan universities have agreed to launch the first University-Industry Audio-visual Pitching, a platform conceived to give university students an opportunity to present their best projects in development to the audio-visual industry. This was the first time that a global agreement has been signed between the communication faculties of Catalonia and the industry, represented by the Audio-visual Cluster.

On October 21st and 22nd, after a pre-selection of projects (selected first by the universities and second by the industry), 27 fiction films, documentary films and new media formats will be pitched to some of the sixty companies from the Catalan audio-visual world.

A pitch session consists of a short presentation of an audio-visual project to potential donors. The pitch is aimed at capturing their attention and thus starting negotiations for a possible funding or collaboration agreement. The aim of this pioneering initiative is to facilitate the professionalization of the students in the final phase of Audio-visual Communication and/or Filmmaking undergraduate or master’s degrees. It also aims to build bridges in order to facilitate the incorporation of the new university class into the industry and to spot emerging talent.

The 12 participating universities will be the Autonomous University of Barcelona-UAB, Barcelona University-UB, Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University, Pompeu Fabra-UPF, Rovira i Virgili University-URV, University of Lleida-UDL, University of Vic-UVic, International University of Catalonia- UIC, La Salle Campus-Ramon Llull University, Abad Oliba University, ERAM University School (University of Girona) and Polytechnic University of Mataro-Tecnocampus. Other universities are expected to join the project soon.

The first edition of the University-Industry Audio-visual Pitching Session will be held at the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona) on the 21st and 22nd of October.

Collaboration Agreement with the Associated Scriptwriters of Catalonia

The Catalan Audio-visual Cluster and the Associated Scriptwriters of Catalonia (GAC) signed a collaboration agreement through which they commit to work together on the promotion, knowledge base, distribution and strengthening of the Catalan audio-visual sector.

This agreement, signed by Xavier Guitart, president of the Cluster, and Marçal Cebrián, president of GAC, seeks to create areas of collaboration points between scriptwriters and audio-visual companies, and to ensure the participation of both in activities and projects of mutual interest.

The Cluster Collaborates on InterDocsBarcelona

This year, the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster participated in InterDocsBarcelona 2015, a section of the DocsBarcelona Internacional Festival, focussed exclusively on interactive and transmedia documentaries.

The association contributed to InterDocs by bringing in three speakers from the UK  who also participated as financers for Interactive Pitch: Adam Gee, Commissioning Editor of Multiplatform & Online Video for Channel 4; and Alex Nelson and Robin Cramp, two of the driving forces behind BBC Connected Studio.

The conference  also forms part of the Digital & Media Forum, an event organized by the Cluster, which was inaugurated on May 12 in the Blanquerna auditorium.

Speed Meetings with Companies of the Twist Cluster of Wallonia

The Cluster organized a series of speed meetings between companies of Twist Cluster of Wallonia and those of the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster, during which the attendees were able to share experiences as a way of doing business.

The participating companies from the Cluster were Createl, Dotopen, Dream Team Concept, El Terrat, Minimo VFX, Lavinia Grup, Planeta Med and Upvideo.

Among the Walloon companies participating were Active Me, Cblue, D6D, Drag On Slide and Pixanima.

The Internet and the Audiovisual Sector Meet In the Digital & Media Forum

The advent of the Internet changed the business models of both television stations and production companies as well as advertising agencies and brands. The audiovisual world has had to adapt to a new ecosystem full of challenges, but also opportunities, that offers new technical, commercial, and creative possibilities. These are some of the findings of the Digital & Media Forum, a journey organized by the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster in the auditorium of the Blanquerna.

To reflect on the links that the audiovisual world has and will have with the Internet -and vice versa-, six professionals with very different profiles participated in the session “Digital & Media Forum”, divided into three thematic blocks and moderated by Sergi Vicente, director of BTV .

The first block, designed to examine the Internet through the lens of the audiovisual field, was introduced by Toni Esteve (Lavinia Group), through a presentation dedicated to the latest changes in audiovisual devices, as well as in audience habits that, according to the president of Lavinia, tend toward “immersivity”, meaning the active participation of users in the audiovisual content. Toni Esteve also predicted that the audiovisual will play an increasingly important role as an educational tool in the school curriculum.

In turn, Astrid Altadill, Branded Content Strategist of El Terrat, speaking from her extensive experience in the field of digital advertising, detailing how televisions, brands, and agencies were introduced in the Internet world, and how this new ecosystem required them to change the way that they produce and distrubute content, as well as to devise new strategies to interact with consumers.

The second block focused on the hybrid experiences that fuse the audiovisual and Internet. Professor and multimedia producer Arnau Gifreu highlighted the artistic potential of transmedia, with special mention of some innovative projects carried out in Spain and Catalonia, such as Panzer Chocolate, The Cosmonaut, Maleïda Ciutat or Cyborg Project. On the other hand, Nataly Rios, producer of the British company Transmedia Storytelling, spoke about new commercial strategies based on transmedia, through which brands can gain a greater presence forits customers through the development of interactive experiences. This is the case of Canal Plus with 19 Reinos, a transmedia game targeted at fans of the series Game of Thrones.

The final block closed the session with two professionals that reflected on the audiovisual sector through the lens of the Internet. Oriol Solé, founder of Seriesly, presented his latest project: Tviso, an online platform designed to facilitate and customize the viewing of TV programming, and Eudald Domenech, founder of Servicom, Telepolis, World Online, Inout TV, Techfoundries, Total Channel and Sincroguia TV, who accepted the challenge of describing how the audiovisual world will be in relation to the Internet in 2020. Domenech concluded that while broadcast channels will hold on to a majority of the market, there will be a strong presence of the second screen, apps and new devices, making up a framework of “hiperfragmented” content that is much more personalized and dynamic.

Fiscal Incentives, with Jonathan Olsberg

Are fiscal incentives really necessary to stimulate production? Do they benefit the local audiovisual sector? What impact have they had? These are some of the questions addressed by Jonathan Olsberg, president of the British consultancy Olsberg-Spi, at today´s meeting, titled “Fiscal Incentives: The Audiovisual as an Economic Engine¨, organized in Foment del Treball by the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster .

According to Jonathan Olsberg, fiscal incentives, which more and more European states tend to offer, not only have a positive economic impact in the countries implementing them, but also benefit local companies involved in foreign productions since fiscal incentives promote interaction with international companies, attract foreign investment, facilitate the formation of co-productions, and stimulate the mobility of workers and the acquisition of experience.

This is evidenced by the fact that countries with high production costs which do not offer incentives (as is the case of some Scandinavian countries), have tended to lose foreign investment to other countries that did apply fiscal incentives (such as Iceland) .

In addition, Olbserg remarked that the audiovisual and creative industries in general are one of the sectors with higher economic multiplier effect. In the case of the UK, according to the results of a study carried out by the same consultancy, Olsberg-Spi, every pound invested in incentives delivers more than 12 pounds of Gross Value Added to other sectors and 3.74 pounds in additional revenues to the government.

The British consultancy Olsberg-Spi provides strategic advice on the creative industries, specializing in film, TV and digital media. It co-authored the report, published by the European Audiovisual Observatory: “Impact Analysis of Tax Incentive Schemes Supporting Film and Audiovisual Production in Europe”.

The New Digital Dividend Submitted for Discussion

At the invitation of the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster, various associations and organizations of the Catalan audiovisual and creative sector met this morning to discuss the draft agreement of the new digital dividend which is currently being analyzed by the European Commission.

Jaume Pujol, of Abertis Telecom, informed attendees about the meeting held by a delegation of leading European organizations in the audiovisual and creative areas with representatives of the European Parliament. Faced with a proposal that would set aside most of the spectrum allocation for mobile phone industry use, the organizations stressed the importance of sufficient bandwidth for DTT within the audiovisual sector.

Following that meeting, the Catalan associations and organizations are studying the possibility of presenting a common position in favor of DTT during the public consultation period opened by the European Commission prior to the new spectrum allocation.

The Cluster in the Mobile World Congress

Today, a group of around 20 companies from the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster visited the event 4YFN (Four Years For Now). Invited by the organizers, they attended the event that combines lectures and workshops, and features an exhibition area designed to connect startups from the digital, media and technological fields with investors and companies.

The 4YFN – this year in its second edition- is emerging in the Mobile World Congress field that is closely related to innovation, creativity and emerging content.

In addition, some members of the Cluster have had a strong presence at the Mobile World Congress, as is the case of Abertis Telecom, which presented several innovations related to 4K technology and the Internet of Things, as well as BTV, through the production of daily news through smartphones, and Agile Contents, which exhibited its multimedia portals.

The TV program Generació Digital, produced by TV3 in collaboration with Createl, will broadcast the second special program on the Mobile World Congress next Tuesday March 10th.

 

The Cluster Signs a Collaboration Agreement with the UPC

The Cluster and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia have signed a collaboration framework agreement aimed at working together in teaching, innovation and technology transfer in the audio-visual and information and communications technology field, as well as in activities related to the promotion and diffusion of the Catalan audio-visual sector.

The agreement, signed by UPC rector Enric Fossas and Catalan Audio-visual Cluster president Xavier Guitart, commits to establishing permanent collaboration channels, providing new opportunities in the field, and promoting the exchange of projects between the Cluster’s companies and the university, through the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB), the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) and the Terrassa School of Engineering (EET).

This agreement allows the organization of conferences and round-tables, the adaptation of ideas and technological projects coming from the UPC students and researchers to business models, the collaboration in the design of academic programs, the participation of companies in teaching activities, as well as the organization of seminars and courses. It also allows the students to take on internship positions in the companies associated with the Cluster and gives the personnel of those companies access to additional training.

Talk on New Trends in Audio-visual Innovation

Television, cinema, production companies, advertising agencies…, the audio-visual world is adapting to new consumption patterns in which users are playing an increasingly active role. Building on this assumption, Ferran Clavell, head of innovation and future media at CCMA (Catalan Broadcasting Corporation), presented more than a hundred initiatives during his talk “Audio-visual Innovation Trends” organized by the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster.

Clavell expounded upon some of the diverse innovations that focus directly on content, such as Gogglebox, a TV program based on filming the audience while they watch television, or the format of Slow TV, which covers the real-time length of ordinary events (such as a seven hour train trip in Norway), or DogTv, a television program aimed at dogs.

Furthermore, he gave some examples of projects designed to give the user an active role in determining the content, such as the web documentary (ex. Alma), interactive music videos (ex. Bob Dylan), and video games that function as informational programming (ex: Fort McMoney) or investigative reporting (ex. Immersive Journalism).

Clavell also referred to initiatives aimed at the synchronized interaction between mobile phones and television (second screen), to simultaneously offer features across both platforms ranging from complementary information about content to the opportunity to participate in it (in the case of game shows and other programs). This kind of interaction is also beginning to be used in movie theatres.

Finally, he illustrated some of the strategies that the audio-visual sector is using to gain a larger presence on the internet, and particularly on social networks. “Television is no longer waiting for the user to seek it out anymore, but it is going to where the user is, such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook or Youtube”, noted Ferran Clavell.

 

Audio-visual Cluster Meeting in Barcelona

The representatives of different audio-visual clusters met today in the Mobile World Center of Barcelona, in a meeting organized by the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster. Clusters from Galicia, Basque Country, Madrid, Valencia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Andalusia and Catalonia attended the meeting, as well as representatives of Twist Cluster of Wallonia, Barcelona Media, Audio-visual SGR, the British Council and the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

During the event, the possibility of collaborating in joint projects and of promoting the contact between audio-visual companies from the different regions was discussed. To that end, it is agreed to take on the recovery of the coordination mechanisms established for the Red Cave, a network of audio-visual Spanish clusters built up some years ago which is no longer in operation. It was also agreed to organize a meeting with the Walloon audio-visual companies during the World Mobile Congress, and to participate in the European Creative Hub Forum that will be celebrated next January in Lisbon

World Television Day in Catalonia

The Catalan Audio-visual Cluster and the Tecnocampus of Mataró celebrated the World Television Day in Catalonia in a discussion series that brought together critics, journalists, media managers and producers.

The event consisted of three round-tables, gathering participants from different sectors that invited the audience to think about the evolution of the world of television, the changes in consumption patterns, and the transformations and new challenges that the sector has to face with the emergence of the internet and new technologies.

Fernando de Felipe (La Vanguardia), Manuel de Luna (El Periódico) and Paula Hernández (Vertele.com), who sat together in the first round-table, “What television we have. The critics talk”, all agreed that more innovation is required in the TV industry in order to attract new audiences, and especially the youth audience.

In the second round-table, “What kind of television can we do in Catalonia”, participants Antoni Pemán (CCMA), Oscar Nogueira (8TV), Ángel Casas (Barcelona TV) and Joan Foguet (XAL), highlighted the difficulties that the sector faces, with the reduction of Catalan audio-visual productions due to the decrease of public resources and the concentration of the advertisement market in the hands of only two large corporations.

The debate in the third round-table, “The coming TV”,focused on the challenges that stem from interactivity, the rise of the live broadcasting, new online content operators and business models that respond to new patterns of consumption. The participants were Xavier Fisa (Lavinia Interactiva), Ferran Clavell (CCMA), Xavier Redón (Abertis Telecom), Jaume Ripoll (Filmin) and Álex del Olmo (Tecnocampus).

Collaboration Agreement with the University of Lleida (UdL)

The Catalan Audio-visual Cluster, represented by its president, Xavier Guitart, and the University of Lleida (UdL), represented by its rector, Roberto Fernández, have signed a collaboration agreement in which both institutions commit to establish channels for the exchange of information, training, dissemination, innovation and research in the audio-visual, communication technologies and cultural fields.

Moreover, this agreement allows the University of Lleida to participate in the “Audio-visual Pitching” project promoted by the Cluster, which seeks to establish contact between students involved in quality audio-visual production projects and companies from the sector which could potentially be interested in them, and would also allow students from the Audio-visual Journalism and Communication and the Master of Audio-visual Business and Digital Convergence programs of the UdL to take on internship positions in the companies associated with the Cluster.

Through this agreement, the UdL joins those Catalan universities that already collaborate with the Cluster, such as the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the University of Vic (UVIC) and Ramon Llull University (URL). “Maintaining a close relationship with the universities is essential for the Cluster”, Guitart states, and stressed that the Audio-visual sector is the sector with the highest proportion of young, highly-trained workers.

In turn, Roberto Fernández stressed the importance that a collaboration with the Cluster will have for the Audio-visual Journalism and Communication program, as a Catalan institution aiming to have an international presence.

Collaborative Innovation Session with Eccomerce, BCD Design and Barcelona Media

In order to stimulate the exchange of knowledge between companies from the audio-visual, internet and design sectors, and to promote the (co)creation of  joint projects, the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster, together with the Barcelona Design Innovation Cluster, Cluster Ecommerce & Tech Barcelona and Barcelona Media, organized the session, “Collaborative Innovation. Speeding up innovation in the cultural and creative industries. Promotion of Inter-sectorial Collaboration.” at CosmoCaixa Barcelona.

The session was led by Josep Lluís Sánchez Brugola, an expert on innovation, creativity and strategy who presented the latest trends in innovation and gave some examples of new working methodologies based on collaboration between companies from different sectors.

This meeting is part of an ongoing series of sessions about innovation that began last June during the Digital&Media Summit of Sonar +D.

200 Professionals Debate the Relationship between Brands and Content

In order to debate the relationship between brands, advertising agencies, producers and channels, around 200 audio-visual and marketing professionals came together in a session about Collaborative Communication, organized by the Catalan Audio-visual Cluster at the Foment headquarters.

This event included the participation of Jaume Alemany, marketing director for Damm; Jordi Alavedra, CEO of the Ogilvy & Mather agency in Barcelona; Tinet Rubira, director of Gestmusic/Endemol;  Carles Manteca, sales and marketing director of the CCMA; and moderated by Enric Pujadas, vice-president of the Cluster.

The speakers all agreed that the classic advertising models, still predominant in the sector, no longer meet the increasingly diverse, changeable and demanding needs of the consumer-spectator, who has an increasing capacity for controlling his or her own consumption. Tinet Rubira warned: “The spectator always eludes us; s/he is always one step ahead”.

They also agreed on the necessity to join forces in finding an alternative or complementary advertising model based on collaborative communication which would integrate all parties involved in content creation and would be less aggressive for the spectator.

Jaume Alemany, for example, pointed out that Damm tries not only to sponsor artistic activities, but to build up long-term relationships with them. In turn, Carles Manteca (CCMA) announced that TV3 will assign part of its resources to creative R&D.

However, Jordi Alavedra warned that this new model may face some difficulties: the enormous complexity of collaborative communication projects, the large amount of agents involved, the difficulty of reconciling often conflicting interests, or the increased costs of the process, to give some examples.

Working Session With FILMIN and WUAKI TV

What is the role of Internet within the audio-visual sector, and what will this role be in the future? Which new business models will work best online? What online distribution strategies will emerge following the fall of analogue distribution? These are some of the questions that Juan Carlos Tous, founding partner of Filmin and Cameo, and Josep Monleón, content director of Wuaki TV, addressed during the session, organized at Foment’s headquarters by the Audio-visual Cluster of Catalonia.

Both Filmin and Wuaki TV are online distribution and content platforms, each of which has followed a distinct development model in the digital world. Wuaki TV, property of the Japanese group Rakuten, uses an international expansion model, offers content from major North American production houses, and has 1.5M registered users and more than 100 employees of over 10 different nationalities. In contrast, Filmin, with 9 employees, is a platform focussed on the local sphere which offers original version content, gives room to new creators, and participates in festivals and projects all over Spain.

Although both speakers presented different viewpoints, they agreed that the future of the audio-visual sector is connected to the Internet, a medium that will inevitably (re)define the consumption and distribution model practiced to date, and that the growth of this sector depends on an increase in the quantity and variety of devices, as well as on its capacity for interconnection.

Josep Monleón and Juan Carlos Tous also warned that the Internet presents certain challenges, as well as potential barriers to growth, such as the mistrust shown by some of the hegemonic sectors in the audio-visual sphere toward the digital world, the competition brought about by “piracy”, and the absence of institutional regulation.

The Audio-visual Cluster Expands Its Board of Directors

The Catalan Audio-Visual Cluster prepares for its second year of activity by expanding its Board of Directors, with the incorporation of 16 new representatives of the Catalan Audio-Visual sector.
Xavier Guitart will stay on as the Audio-Visual Cluster’s president, accompanied by 3 vice-presidents:  Antoni Esteve (Lavinia), Tinet Rubira (Gestmusic Endemol) and Enric Pujadas (Ogilvy). Margarita Cardona (El terrat) will join as treasurer and Genís de Tera as secretary.
The Board is also made up of Paco Escribano (Minoria Absoluta), Joan Bas (Diagonal TV), Sergi Ovide (Ovide), Ignasi Comillas (Veranda), Noemí Cuní (Broadcaster), Valentí Roda (La Quimera), Jordi Mendieta (Dreamteamconcept), Josep Maria Quintana (Createl), Jordi Roigé (Utopia Global), and Eduard Gil (Paral·lel 40).
Currently, the Cluster consists of around 60 companies involved in production, including support services, technology, publicity, and more, and it maintains collaborative relationships and dialogue with Catalan universities, research centers, professional associations and public institutions.

Collaboration With the Balmes University Foundation

The Catalan Audio-Visual Cluster has signed a collaboration framework agreement with the Balmes University Foundation, owner of the Teknós centre and the Vic-UCC University, aimed at encouraging collaboration in teaching, research, transfer, technology and innovation.

The agreement comes just a few months after last May’s inauguration, in the city of Vic, of the Teknós Training Centre in Technology and Communication and it formalizes the opening of new channels for cooperation between the university and businesses in the audio-visual sector.

Through the Faculty of Business and Communication and the Polytechnic School, the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia joins the group of academic institutions connected to the Audio-Visual Cluster.

This agreement promotes the establishment of collaborative academic and research activities, the development of collaborative studies, and the execution of projects of mutual interest. Moreover, it strengthens the training of Vic-UCC University students by providing students with work experience, development of undergratuate and Master’s projects, and the profesional training of the Teknós students in companies that form part of the Cluster.

Present at the signing event were Josep Terradellas, the FUB general secretary, acting on behalf of general manager Joan Turró; Xavier Guitart, president of the Catalan Audio-Visual Cluster; Joan Rosés, Cluster manager, and Jordi Montaña, rector of  Uvic-UCC. Also present at the signing were Núria Barniol, manager of the Profesional Careers Service, Mercè Chacón, the Teknós coordinator, and Anna Paloma, coordinator of the FEC communication studies.

During the signing, rector Jordi Montaña urged Teknós, the Faculty of Business and Communication, and the Polytechnic School to work closely with the Cluster, since they offer academic programs related to the audio-visual and technological field. In turn, Xavier Guitart declared that “one of Cluster’s priorities is to strengthen contact with universities”, and added that “at this moment the audio-visual sector is undergoing spectacular growth, since it must provide the entire digital realm with new content and technology, and therefore the relationship with young, trained, and specialized university and pre-university students, is extremely strategic.”

The Digital & Media Summit in the Sonar+D

This year’s edition of Sonar+D festival hosted the Digital & Media Summit workshop, co-organized by Ecommerce&tech Barcelona and the Catalan Audio-Visual Cluster, with the participation of representatives from 30 national companies in the technological and audio-visual industries.

The participants shared their experiences and explored new ways of forming partnerships and trade agreements. The meeting helped to confirm that audiovisual and digital businesses are increasingly connected and can easily create complementary partnerships and new business models. The growing demand for audiovisual content for all kinds of devices, the digital companies’ knowledge about their user base, and the direct monetization of content and services have been the most valued topics for the representatives of both industries.

The two-hour workshop allowed the participants to establish new contacts and collaborations thatare continuing beyond the Digital & Media Summit.