The Media AMP is a major industry program that provides sophisticated management tools to prepare the next generation of industry leaders for the media and entertainment business challenges of the future. The program’s first set of participants includes C-suite and upper-level executives from 10 different countries. Companies represented in the program include NBC Universal, Telecom Italia Media, Astro Media, Once TV Mexico and others. The Media AMP, which began the first of its four one-week modules on January 31, 2011, is jointly presented by industry thought leader The Paley Center for Media and top-ranked IESE Business School.

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

Media AMP participants got an exclusive opportunity to engage with Zalaznick in an intimate, closed-door session at IESE Business School’s New York Center, as part of the program’s unique Leadership Forums.

Zalaznick, who has spent her entire career in media and whose “Midas touch” transformed Bravo into an award-winning network with hit franchises like Top Chef and Real Housewives, shared her insights on the future of TV, the lessons she’d learned in her various roles, her management style, and the things she looks for when building a successful team. Zalaznick’s message: Find the right balance between what you’re good at and what makes you happy, and the rest will fall into place.

Get ready to lead a media or entertainment company by broadening your business education while working at your current job. Earn a high level Media AMP Certificate from the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment. Learn more at www.iese.edu/media-amp

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

As part of the Media AMP’s unique Leadership Forums, executives in the Media AMP were invited to a private and intimate meeting with Frank A. Bennack, Jr., CEO of Hearst Corporation — a multi-media conglomerate whose holdings include well-established brands like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, SmartMoney and O, The Oprah Magazine, as well as television stations, cable networks and other diversified communications enterprises.

Bennack, who is now in his second tour as Hearst CEO, and who has guided the company through unprecedented periods of growth for nearly three decades, shared his experiences and lessons learned over the years, as well as his predictions on where the media and entertainment industry is going, and how business models are evolving. Bennack told the high-level group that companies now need to collaborate with “allies” and “rivals” alike in order to stay competitive, and that the key to leading a global conglomerate like Hearst through tectonic changes in the digital media landscape is passion—you have to really love what you do.

Prepare to lead your company for the media and entertainment business challenges of the future. Sign up for the world’s first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). Learn more at www.iese.edu/media-amp

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

As part of the Media AMP's unique Leadership Forums, these top-level executives got an exclusive, inside look at NBC News, recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Journalism for two years in a row, and currently the highest-rated and most-watched network news program in America.

In an exclusive, intimate meeting with Media AMP participants, Capus shared his personal insights on how the network built a brand that both its peers and its viewers equate with quality. Capus laid out his insights on the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for the media and entertainment industry. The Media AMP group was also given a private, behind-the-scenes tour of NBC News operations, including watching portions of the NBC Nightly News from the control room and a visit to network operations.

Ready to be CEO? Sign up for the world’s first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). Learn more at www.iese.edu/media-amp

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

Prof. Eliasberg does caution that gauging a film's box office potential while it's still in script format, instead of when it's ready for release, is more challenging and to a certain degree inaccurate. It requires, among other things, a careful analysis of content – asking readers to look at the script and to answer questions regarding its story line.

And because content or "story" can be translated into other media platforms, the same formula for analyzing a movie's consumer appeal can also be used for analyzing the marketability of books, video games and other media, claims Prof. Eliasberg.

As far as movie industry trends go, Prof. Eliasberg noted that a growing number of movie theaters are now installing digital screens to allow for a 3D experience. He also remarked that movie studios are now making fewer films and forgoing indie/art films for bigger-budget productions with more straightforward story lines. For more details, watch a video of the full interview here.

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

Basically, Twitter annotations will allow “metadata” or additional information — such as keywords, hyperlinks, location/date/time tags, photo/video/audio files, etc. — to be “embedded” in a tweet without affecting its 140-character count. On the surface, most of the metadata would be hidden, but it can systematically be read, aggregated, analyzed and “manipulated” by applications and search engines. And therein lies the potential goldmine — not just for developers working on the apps, but also for businesses primed to take advantage of the possibilities.

On a shallow level: advertising and marketing opportunities

For instance, retailers wanting to launch a new product or promotion could send out a tweet with the product’s specifications, pricing and photograph. Movie tweets could include the movie genre, release date or video trailer. Tweets about a particular restaurant or service could include not just the consumer’s thoughts, but also the establishment’s location, Web site and perhaps even a coupon code. Adding any kind of data to a tweet is possible — so long, of course, as there’s an app for it.

On a deeper level: data analysis and search engine optimization

At its April Chirp conference for developers, Twitter said it now has 105,779,710 registered users with a rate of 300,000 new users signing up daily, that it averages 55 million daily tweets with 60 percent coming from third-party apps, and that it gets 600 million search engine queries per day. While some studies indicate that the actual number of active Twitter users is much less (for example, a 2009 study of 19 million Twitter accounts by security firm Barracuda Labs found only 21 percent were “active” or had at least 10 followers/users they were following/tweets), Twitter activity is nevertheless significant and yields a rich amount of data. The addition of annotations opens up a host of new ways to aggregate and cross-reference this data with other data sets, which can then inform future research, projects and business solutions.

For instance, ReadWriteWeb Co-Editor and Vice President of Content Development Marshall Kirkpatrick envisions monitoring the nation’s political mood by aggregating and analyzing all tweets that reference, say, the "President of the United States," showing where those tweets originated from, and sending an alert to subscribed users whenever there’s a radical change. That’s just one scenario.  Imagine other possibilities, such as pinpointing the geographical location and preferences of early adopters and trendsetters, measuring which advertising campaigns get the most “traction” and how user sentiments about them change over time, and so on. And because Twitter delivers its data instantaneously, companies could then harness and act on consumer insights in real time, instead of waiting for data to arrive from the field.

Another potential benefit is that the metadata in Twitter annotations could help search engines better understand keywords.  For example, they might differentiate between “apple” the fruit and “Apple” the tech company. Not only could this lead to improved search results, but by including relevant annotations, businesses might be able to increase and optimize traffic to their Web sites.

On an even deeper level still: creative business solutions

Finally, Twitter’s new feature essentially allows developers to create apps that could automate transactions and provide all sorts of business services. For instance, at the Twitter-sponsored 24-hour “Annotations Hackfest” this May, one developer experimenting with the feature came out with the idea of “TweetPlugs,” which employs “plug-ins” (extensions of a software program) to allow users to upload and share files, play games, include polls, and so on. So how about a plug-in for PayPal or a similar payment service? Or perhaps a “loyalty program” app that lets users share a company's news and promos, tracks whenever they do so, and lets them earn and redeem “rewards”?

As of now, Twitter doesn’t know to what extent companies and developers will use annotations, and indeed, there are still several issues that need to be ironed out.  For instance, how do they standardize the metadata so that it can be understood and acted upon by apps and search engines across the board?  But as Twitter Director of Platform Ryan Sarver tells The New York Times: “The underlying idea is think big, push yourself.” So how will you position your company to take advantage of Twitter’s latest development?

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu

“The iPad is shaping up to be the ‘Tickle Me Elmo’ of the 2010 holiday season, with product demand expected to vastly exceed available supply,” said iSuppli Director of Monitor Research Rhoda Alexander. Indeed, iPad’s current status as the “it” gadget has led many to ask: Can similar devices — be they e-reader or tablet — stand the heat and remain competitive in the long run?

iPad vs. E-Readers: The Fight Over Territory

There are those, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who prefer to differentiate the multi-functional iPad from dedicated e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle, and insist there is room in the market for both. And perhaps this is true: As some studies show, e-readers seem to appeal to more mature consumers and avid readers, while the iPad attracts a younger audience.

Recent research by chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor, for instance, found that the average e-reader buyer is 43 years old, earns $72,000, buys two e-books a month and sees reading as his or her primary entertainment activity. Meanwhile, tablet users are younger and use their devices not just to read books but also to keep up with their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Another survey, this time from advisory firm Changewave, yielded similar findings: In terms of preferred activity, iPad users primarily surf the Web (83 percent of the time), check e-mail (71 percent), use apps (56 percent) and watch videos (48 percent). They spend less time reading e-books (33 percent) or magazines and newspapers (28 percent).

Regardless of the target audience, however, the iPad — which can be, and is indeed also being used as, an e-reader — now appears to be gaining market share in the e-reader market. The above-mentioned Changewave survey shows, for instance, that while the Kindle commanded 62 percent of the U.S. market as of May, the iPad is fast gaining ground, netting 16 percent of the market within weeks of its release and eclipsing other dedicated devices like the Sony Reader (7 percent) and Barnes & Noble’s Nook (3 percent).

Indeed, whether they compete directly or not with the iPad, some e-reader manufacturers are feeling the strain. Already, several have closed up shop (Audiovox and Plastic Logic both canceled their devices, while iRex filed for bankruptcy). Moving forward, research firm Forrester estimates that tablets will likely outpace e-readers in overall sales, and that 59 million tablets may be sold by 2016, compared to 29.4 million e-readers.

Because single-purpose devices are typically less expensive to produce than multi-functional tablets with computing abilities, one way dedicated e-readers could still thrive and protect their “territory” is through pricing. So it’s no surprise that the Kindle, Sony Reader and Nook have all recently slashed prices. The newly-launched next-generation Kindle, for instance, now sells for as low as $139 (a fraction of the iPad’s $499 starting price), and has quickly become Amazon’s fastest-selling Kindle device.

iPad vs. E-Readers: The Fight Over Functionality

Aside from target market and cost, another essential difference between the iPad and dedicated e-readers is in overall user experience. Not only does the iPad have a color display, but it’s also more “interactive,” allowing users to surf the Web, play songs and movies, run a multitude of apps, etc. Likewise, now that publishers like Penguin Books, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins are offering “enhanced e-books,” iPad users have access to additional material (such as audio and video files, maps, live links, etc.) to complement their reading.

Dedicated devices like the Kindle, on the other hand, focus only on one purpose — long-term reading — and the Kindle does it well. For instance, compared to the iPad, the Kindle has a longer battery life (lasting weeks, not hours), a hi-contrast e-ink screen which mimics printed paper, and a no-glare display which can be read even under bright sunlight. Furthermore, at 8.5 ounces, it’s about the third of the weight of an iPad and easier to carry around.

Indeed, Amazon says the Kindle’s lack of “bells and whistles” (such as color, touch-screen controls and computing capabilities) is intentional, as these could compromise the reading experience. As CEO Jeff Bezos said in a recent Wall Street Journal interview: “For the vast majority of books, adding video and animation is not going to be helpful. It is distracting rather than enhancing. You are not going to improve Hemingway by adding video snippets.”

The question, then, is: How will consumers react to the functionality differences between these two devices? Could the iPad’s added features change “the e-reader game” as well as consumer reading habits, or will it simply open up a new market that didn’t previously exist (say, those who wouldn’t necessarily read traditional books, but would be attracted to the interactive e-book format)? For now, it’s too soon to tell. As Penguin Books CEO John Makinson said during a recent company announcement: “We don’t know or understand at the moment what the consumer is prepared to pay for. We will only find answers to these questions by trial and error.”

iPad Vs. E-Readers: The Fight Over Content

Finally, when it comes to iPad vs. e-readers, there’s the question of content availability. The Kindle catalog, for instance, currently boasts more than 670,000 books, newspapers and magazines. Meanwhile, Apple’s iBooks, the iPad’s own e-book reader app and store, reportedly only had 60,000 e-books at launch. However, because Amazon has released a free Kindle app for the iPad, iPad users can access the entire Kindle catalog.  This is in addition to accessing content directly from Apple’s iBooks. The reverse, however, isn’t true: iBooks are only exclusive to the iPad.

So, technically, iPad users have access to more content than other e-readers. However, it’s important to note that by making the Kindle catalog available not just on the iPad, but also on as many devices as possible (iPhones, Blackberries, PCs, Macs, etc.), Amazon has a better chance of holding on to the lion’s share of e-book sales. And perhaps this is Amazon’s real strategy — wherein the fight isn’t necessarily about e-reader sales, but about sales of e-books themselves.

iPad vs. Tablets: The Fight over “Value Chain” Partnerships

Meanwhile, companies like Microsoft, HP, Dell, Best Buy, RIM, Google Android, Samsung and even start-ups like JooJoo are hard at work on their own multi-purpose tablets, designed to compete directly with the iPad. In a July meeting with financial analysts, for instance, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company has a lot of software knowledge and intellectual property from the decade it has spent in the tablet business, and that their yet-to-be-released tablet will boast features like a Windows 7 operating system and printing capacity.

The question is, can these devices really hold their own or even overshadow Apple’s offering? On one hand, while the aforementioned Changewave survey shows that 74 percent of iPad owners are satisfied with their purchase, the iPad is not without its flaws — lack of Flash support, Internet connectivity issues, poor screen visibility, no camera or space for removable media, and a high price point. These drawbacks could pave the way for other manufacturers to compete.

On the other hand, coming up with a "better" and more affordable tablet isn’t the only hurdle for iPad rivals: Apple also has a powerful “ecosystem” that allows different Apple devices to work together and to access the company’s wide range of apps, software and services. This appeals not only to Apple’s consumers, but also to its partners in the digital media value chain. For instance, during its Worldwide Developers Conference this June, Apple reported that it has paid over $1 billion to app developers so far, and CEO Jobs even noted that the developer of the Elements app for the iPad has e-mailed him to let him know that he has earned more money in the first day of iPad sales than he did in five years from Google ads on his periodictable.com site.

This win-win reciprocity with its partners could help solidify Apple’s lead. As Tim Bajarin, President of research firm Creative Strategies, writes in PCMag.com: “Even Apple’s detractors have to admit that the company’s forward thinking with things like iTunes and the App Store have given it quite an edge over potential competitors. And if Apple keeps tweaking and adding more products to its ecosystem, it will be hard for future tablet vendors to catch up.”

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Top-ranked IESE Business School's Institute for Media and Entertainment (IME) is the leader in media and entertainment executive education. Our intensive programs for executives and thought leaders include Advanced Digital Media Strategies, and the world's first global Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment (Media AMP). These programs attract executives from top media companies around the world, including Time Warner, Google, Disney, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and many others. IESE-IME helps media professionals gain industry-specific business knowledge and real-world insight to help them think like CEOs and advance their media and entertainment careers. For more information, visit www.ime.edu