Digital content production contributes about £60 billion to the UK economy annually. It is now generally acknowledged to be one of the major engines of British economic growth for the next couple decades, outstripping in importance any of the big traditional manufacturing businesses such as car or steel. In 2000, the Digital Content Forum (which aimhi is a member of) was set up to address the issues facing the industry. As the organization responsible for creative industry growth in the region, aimhi whole-heartedly embraces digital content creation and the technical platform it sits upon. The following is an introduction to digital content and its accompanying concerns.

 

1. What is digital content?

The digital content industry covers the range of companies that have embraced creativity, innovation and application to new modes of distribution to ensure that the content remains relevant to consumers in a digital age. They include educational software, music, corporate communications, multimedia, film, web design, computer games development, independent film and TV production, computer software, and the various publishing streams such as interactive publishing, newspaper publishing, periodicals publishing, book publishing, database publishing, internet publishing, and journal publishing.

 

2. What are the concerns for the industry?

·Mainstream consumer expectation of free content. Though the battle to change the perspective is largely underway, the shift is slower to come in Europe.

· Difficulty in extracting value from content

·A cost rather than value focused pricing system

·Focus on the short-term, ie, immediate revenue strea

·Business model innovation becoming more important

·Rapidly evolving consumer understanding of delivery systems through which content is consumed

·Social change is delivering audiences capable of making their own content while still at school

·Regulation consistently lags innovation

·Change is occurring faster than what individual companies can comfortably cope

·Broadband, though touted as the second coming of the internet, will not alone ensure mass market take-up

·Content production clusters playing a role in supporting , developing and nurturing the sector

 

 

3. What are the ingredients for growth?

·Developing the conduit between government and industry

·Building an environment of excellence

·Capturing the imaginative high ground

·Rewarding innovation

·Bringing content producers together

·Building alliances

·Developing marketing expertise

·Developing the skills to compete

·Raising the profile of the content sector

In short, digital content has two key criteria that make it an attractive proposition for potential entrants from a commercial point of view. One, it is a fast-growing industry with healthy long-term prospects. And more importantly, the industry is still new and dynamic enough that there are vast rewards to be reaped for the newcomer who dares to try win it all.