According to We Are Social’s insight on Digital, Social & Mobile in APAC in 2015, 1,436 million of the total population of 4,026 million are active internet users, and 1,088 million are active social media users. No argument here, digital media is most definitely an important part of today’s media landscape.
Inspiring global fans with digital lifestyle, innovation and entrepreneurship stories, Tech Storm is fast becoming an international digital destination. Tech Storm’s business model is oriented towards enabling more growth and value for its operators, advertisers and brands they serve and fan communities that they help grow. The business monetizes by generating more subscriber growth for their operators, and providing a full 360 content experience and integrated engagement for brands and advertisers looking to connect with a global community of tech loving fans.
Soft launched in December 2014, Tech Storm is established as the platform to connect technology loving fans with the latest tech infotainment, seeding a new cluster of tech start-up ideas. But what does this all mean for the TV industry?
“We are collaborating with both broadcasters and operators on a variety of different partnership models from carrying Tech Storm as a channel on their platforms; be it linear, IPTV, OTT or mobile,” she adds.
“Technology is an important driver and enabler for a richer content experience. If the stakeholders in the media industry come together to collaborate, we can be even stronger and emerge as true winners in the current digital era.
“Tech Storm has enormous learning and data points on the trends, habits and interests of the digital millennials through our content engagement and rapid iterations, and by challenging the paradigms of known content engagement common to other media companies,” she says.
Enhancing content engagement and depth of interaction
In April 2015, Tech Storm partnered with Nanyang Technological University- NTUitive Pte Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Nanyang Technological University) on a technology license agreement giving Tech Storm access to NTU’s proprietary Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology. The licensed technology was embedded on Tech Storm’s original production titled Storm Bytes, which premiered with content on several Asian-based entrepreneurs from Playmoolah, a Singapore-based financial literacy start-up and others, plus gadgets like UAV drones.
The ACR technology detects connected mobile devices and delivers pre-embedded content to users, better enhancing their content engagement and the depth of interaction. The invention has outperformed recognition capacity, resistance to ambient noise and other physical impairments, as compared to competing technologies.
“This partnership is the first of many to come for Tech Storm as we enrich our content interaction with our viewers across all screens and mobile devices,” commented Lee. “Partnering with NTU has always been our top choice and a testimony of Tech Storm’s commitment to champion innovation with ecosystem partners.”
On what’s ahead
“We as a company believe in creating value for our operators by attracting a new segment of audience and subscribers through exhilarating stories on Tech Storm,” Lee says. “2016 is a year of great excitement for us. We will be welcoming new partnerships with operators in the South East Asia region, new content providers, and a brand new roster of fresh faces to be unveiled as our channel celebrity hosts and digital entertainers.
“The face of television has evolved at a gradual pace in the past decades, but this is no longer the case today. What we see is an accelerated shift to the business and consumption patterns that are dramatically fragmented. Our industry can stay ahead of the curve and continue to entertain and serve our viewers well with the content that excite them, entertain them and inspire them, and of course reaching them in a desired manner.”