PROINTERVIEW
THE PATH TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Integrating digital technologies into existing business processes while keeping culture and customer experiences in mind has become critical to adapting to changing market requirements. Nourah AlFayez, Head of Transformation at Google MENA, sheds light on how reimagining business in the digital realm can help accelerate efforts in the Media and Entertainment space
How can digital transformation help entertainment businesses in the region? Digital transformation can help an organisation’s operations in a range of ways such as digitising payroll, and in recruitment by using AI to help identify relevant candidates. Likewise, digital transformation can lead to high impact in the entertainment industry within the context of measurement, automation and ad sales. Technological advancements and changes in consumer behaviour have caused a range of changes within the entertainment industry. For example, the transition from terrestrial TV to IPTV, to OTT and streaming services has resulted in shifts in how broadcasters operate. A fundamental change is access to real-time data and signals about the content being created, whereas in the past, production houses relied on test screenings or focus groups to understand how their films or TV shows would be received. Digital transformation can also lead companies to greater efficiency through the automation of production, sales and operations activities. Leveraging the cloud, for example, allows production houses to distribute their content more efficiently to broadcast networks or OTT services. By having their content on the cloud, they can measure and monitor the full process to ensure content is delivered with the highest quality. Moreover, machine learning can be used to optimise and streamline the production process, like surfacing content ideas (what topics will drive engagement) and using cloud to segment shots with contextual cues and sentiment analysis of reviews, to understand where improvements can be made. Another area that can be digitised is the advertising space within the entertainment industry, which will pave the way for programmatic TV and lead to a more efficient ecosystem and data-powered buys. Currently, the number of manual steps involved in executing TV ad buys is exceptionally high. The
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process involves an exchange of Excel sheets between sales houses and agencies, along with many manual exercises to then analyse/reconcile the buys against actual ads aired. If all of this can be done at one click via programmatic buying tools, the amount of time saved would be astounding. If we couple this with the ability to establish a unified measurement system on TV set-top boxes, we could then add audience targeting to make ads much more relevant. For production houses and film businesses looking to transform digitally, what do leaders need to consider? Deciding to implement a digital transformation programme in any organisation requires leaders to first consider their strategic vision for the next five to ten years, and think of their people and their culture, before evaluating which tech tools and programmes to adopt. The leadership teams must be open to changes coming their way. To do this, they need to invest in talented people who are equipped with analytical and problem-solving skills and have the curiosity to innovate and create solutions using new technologies, and drive digital transformation. Leaders must encourage teams to have a growth mindset; they also need to establish the right culture for their teams where they can embrace experiments and learn from failures. As a next step, the leadership team needs to understand all the operations and processes within their organisation to identify the areas where digital transformation will have the biggest impact, and assign a leader for each project. How can digital transformation help production teams and entertainment professionals provide better opportunities in terms of talent and culture? When businesses embrace transformation and implement innovative solutions, they create a cultural shift in their organisation that appeals to talented and creative minds,
