Akopov Alexander, president of the company “Amedia”, “television can be a subtle and clever»
Press and Information Office
Television will be smart in the event that it ceases to be a “TV for All” and will be “TV for those who are willing to pay for it.” Vyacheslav Surikov spoke with the president of the company “Amedia» Alexander Akopov about the “smart TV”, as well as the risks and opportunities of serial domestic industry.
Project “Amedia premium” was officially launched at the end of May, but the large-scale advertising campaign was not there, what is that?
Yes we are left without any advertising and promotions were, for those who know. Although our partners – cable operators – making efforts to promote the channel to its viewers, but by and large a campaign has ever had. We are able to test-drive.
What was the objective reason to start the project “Amedia premium” right now?
This is a business, and there is a feeling that there is a demand for this product. We do know this, because this material is familiar specific category of our viewers. In particular, it showed something “First Channel” in “City Slickers”, sometimes sporadically buy it other channels. But let’s say that in general the fate of foreign TV series in our country is unenviable. I must say honestly that domestic manufacturers in the last ten years, our audience weaned look overseas and accustomed to their own way, which is certainly good. But the guys do not stand still, they are evolving, and there is an audience that is interested in the entire range of the world of television, first of all the channels and so a product that is at the forefront of world cinema. This is also not a coincidence that pay channels were in the forefront. I believe that this is a serious step in the life of television. It just so happens that when television came 40-50 years ago, it technically could not be paid as a movie, because it just did not have the technical capability to pay for each specific program and channel. On the other hand, the governments of all countries, quickly assessed the possibilities of television, a lot of opportunities to inform people about some things, events, etc. and were very concerned that the TV was free to care for a long time. In this situation came the advertisers, in some places it has become a purely commercial history, both in America and Japan. Began to appear channels that are not funded by the state, not containing advertising, such as PBS or parastatal BBC, who are trying to do something more than what you need large mass audience that it all looks. Still, the most important step in the evolution of television – a departure from the need to cover one hundred percent of the population. He immediately led to a very serious outcome. He immediately showed that television can be a subtle and cle ver. It was a clever and subtle and mass channels, too, but not regularly. And then it turned out that television can be smart, and entertaining, and not intended for everyone not in the bad sense of the word, but in the sense that there are different people with different interests and, possibly, each of them needs its own channel. If you live in the world of seven billion people, you probably need seven billion television channels, customized for each individual, and this is not an easy thing, it must be designed differently. There are the traditional channels that are “poured” products to the viewer, and there are already channels that can be programmed independently. This is a very interesting new design. It is, in fact, prompted us to work in this field.
Does this project a purpose other than to make a profit?
course, because we are dealing with products not entirely utilitarian. It’s still an artistic product. It carries certain meanings, certain content, certain aesthetic, talking to some topical issues. Of course, I would like to have these channels form a certain attitude to life, somehow people barging into any discussion, fresh ideas … And if it’s not really work, then, at least, just even well-entertained. It is clear that our objective is not to rebroadcast the American TV series, or more than that. In our cinematic community television appearance was seen as an opportunity to make an appropriate level of domestic production. I hope that we in this morally ready and it will happen as soon as the channel obtains adequate financial muscle. We were just discussing a project that could become the first Russian project for the Russian premium channel.
What criteria should match the project to get to the “Amedia premium»?
This channel is not for everyone, but especially not for everyone. It’s a little more open, a little more realistic, perhaps, still more quality made than can currently afford. While this conversation with the business point of view it is premature because the financial opportunities scrambled while not comparable with the possibilities of free channels, but there is a theoretical advantage, which is that the pay channel does not have 24 hours a day to show something new. This channel is designed for people who spend good television if ten hours a week, maybe less. It is clear that the requirements of the person who is sitting at the TV all the time, differ from, say, the requirements and the requirements of housewives man whose TV running in the background, or someone who is busy, who works, who challenges his life, he has two hours on a Saturday, Sunday, or maybe there for an hour on a weekday to see something. Of course, he must have some sort of warranty, any hi nt that probably has something proper, where people sat and tried to do something serious, so it is the correct word is fastidious audience, an audience that will find fault , which will be waiting for something like that, so she was surprised to really to be done qualitatively, the money people pay the same.
on what kind of experience you have relied in creating this channel?
I
– a supporter of this idea that the channel which we have planned, paid, and in addition to the content of its own production. This can not afford not to all countries. For this, the country needs to be big and it should be a serious film culture rooted shoots. Yes, we focus on the American experience. It is in a sense unique. At the same HBO, Showtime, Stars, and now there are new services such as Netflix, but I very much hope that the demand from our audience will be enough and he will justify the existence of such a strong pay-channel. We’ll see.
«Amedia” exerted so much effort to ensure that the domestic series ousted from the television series overseas market, why now the company is to some extent the situation back wins back? How to understand this?
Speaking of our purely domestic considerations: we must set ourselves simply following trims. When we did ten years ago, the first Russian series, we focused not on the worst and the best models, which at the time were completely accessible to our audience. Everyone watched “Santa Barbara”, “Slave Izaura”, “Octopus”, anyone that. A lot of what we then went on television, and all the American cinema was then available. First, yes, it does strip, which we present to our audience, so he filed a return to the same requirements for our product, which, I hope, in the end will meet the most stringent requirements of any.
Will the channel “Amedia premium” analog HBO? How far away are your ambitions?
We are not hiding, HBO – our partner, one of the key in this project. They demonstrated the world’s first major pay-TV model and still remain a creative leader and business leader in this process. Here for a specific example of walking away is not necessary. Another thing that HBO began working 30 years ago. During this time, the American public has become a habit to pay for the TV product. Here we have, in Russia, except for some sports channels that are not sold in packages, but by themselves, we have in fact the first example of a single channel, which is offered by yourself. You can not say that it is a model society, it is the United States, in England, in several major countries have. In large countries with significant cultural traditions TV is strong, as a rule, and in those countries where the volume of the audience is not able to maintain an independent movie production, these countries mostly focus on the foreign product.
The extent to which the channel is possible in Russia, made on the American model? Still, cultural traditions and socio-political model of the U.S. and Russia are too different from each other …
It does not matter the difference of cultures, the culture may be different, but the business model is the same. It’s simple enough. You just have to invite people to a channel that is interesting to watch, for which they need to pay a reasonable sum of money for themselves. We have proposed a channel for 99 rubles, which is almost two times less than the cost of a movie ticket, and found that it’s the right policy. We have proposed the Internet channel for half the price of movie tickets, too, considering that this is reasonable because the Internet channel provides much more flexibility viewer to watch what they want, anytime, on virtually any screen. It seems to me that this is completely normal parameters for our lives today. Looking at the reality of our environment, I can not say that Russia – the country is poor. These conversations, I think, sufficiently in the past. Russia – a country of rich and large, so the possibility of the existence in our country, pay TV is very obvious.
have cable channels in the United States there are advantages that allow them to compete with terrestrial channels, including the lack of strict censorship. At what competitive advantages you expect?
‘m not on censorship. We have adopted a policy for themselves: we dub calm. This is a Russian literary language. If there are allowed some harsh words or even obscene vocabulary, it is strictly within those limits, which are necessary in a work of art. I’m talking primarily about the translations of foreign, that we do. We do not seek to fill the airwaves foreign words like fuck. The same will also apply to our product. As with any television, success will depend on the adequacy of the subject and the artistic forms that we offer. If the audience will respond to the stories that we tell, then all is well. This is a common problem for TV channels: the need to guess the audience and give him something of what he himself can not even suspect.
new season of “news service”, one of the most high-profile Premier HBO and “Amedia premium” was ignored torrent trackers, it happened by itself or require some measures of influence
Pirate resources are also divided into two categories: there are people who are going to live in the market for a long time, that’s their business, it is their life. They came up with a good service and want to develop it. There are people who want to become legal, to be perceived as normal good people. These people are quite quick to respond themselves. I can not even say that we send out any warning. A lot of resources have cleaned themselves from our product, knowing that sooner or later the question will arise. We are very grateful that such a reaction, not some attempt to deal in this case with windmills. Here it is not even in the new anti-piracy law. The old law allowed to appeal to those people who illegally use your product, and explain to them that it must be removed. The question is, how much will remain of resources that can not be normal for a human being negotiated. At the very least, we understand that the state had gathered to solve this problem. For Russia, this issue is not just a business or not business, it’s a matter of keeping or preserving national culture. Or the Russian cinema will be the development of domestic resources, and for this you need to monetize the information field, or whether it will be a thoroughfare for all, and it will be a completely different picture.
How do you plan to conduct an advertising campaign? When she enters the active phase? What kind of budget are you planning? What are the advertising resources you emphasize?
Budget – this is the easiest. We will move in small steps. We have no problem to throw their messages all over the country. But we expect to launch a campaign in October, because in October are coming premiere of the new season. There will be about 15 titles. October, November – the most intense months at premieres, are the new season and already well-known TV series, and most new titles, so the campaign will begin in October. It is, of course, focus will be on the Internet. There will be a joint action with the operators: NTV +, MTS, « Beeline » , « ER-Telecom » , « Acad » , « Orion Express » , that is, with those of our partners to broadcast our channels. We hope that this campaign will be quite noticeable, but, once again emphasize that it is not a mass product, and we will not compete with the “Coca-Cola” or beer “Baltika 221; in scope.
What gadgets do you plan to use on the channel “Amedia premium»?
Paid channel if it is a technical novelty – the channel without advertising. This is interesting in itself. Technically, it is, first of all, HD-quality. We as “Amedia” started filming in this format even ten years ago, at the insistence of our partners from Sony Pictures. Now we are happy, because the channel “Amedia 2″, it is also filled with mostly HD-content, because even then we bearings and realized that this is the future. Now comes a new format – 4K, where the image is still 4 times denser than today’s HD. It seemed to us that the industry can wait another ten years before the next standard will be implemented. Nothing like that. Televisions in 4Q are already in stores, and a 4K camera also appear, and not far off the next standard of quality. I say this because if someone is involved in setting these standards, it will deal with pay TV operators and cable and satellite channels. And of the interesting things – it 217;s the opportunity to watch a movie in two languages. Those who know a foreign language, you can switch tracks and watch a movie in their native language. Major technological innovations focused on the Internet. First of all, this technology Smart TV, you can pull the signal from the Internet on a big TV with good quality and look great thing is not on the plate, not on the small screen, and watch on the big screen all the tricks of the trade for which the HD and 4K and there . To my great regret, great numbers of people are forced to watch these wonderful projects somewhere on your computer, even though they are not designed for this: the powerful 5.1 sound, stunning picture frame is designed so that it is necessary to look at the big screen. It amazes me the most. Compare pirate picture – it’s not designed for a large TV. Smart TV – it’s the future. There is a new generation of televisions. Samsung, for example, now produces priborchiki, with the understanding that for the Smart TV as well as for computers, will be almost every year to increase processing power, image quality, so they came up with the scheme, as you can connect to your television for new devices with the next level of quality. Smart TV is a whole new stage of life. For example, it allows you to realize the vision of the two screens when you’re watching TV and you’re holding the tablet on which you can explore additional materials: a biography of the actors, some materials on the subject of the film, at the same time it can be used as a remote to control your TV . It is very important for us to revolution: the emergence of a very high quality home screens and a sharp reduction in price over the last ten years. This revolution is no less important than the internet revolution, because in the end turned out great union home screen to the Internet. This is something that the whole affair is committed.
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