 Multi-Channel Publishing  Emergence of development and service opportunities  short- to mid-term |
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 Major Points Content providers internationally are rethinking their delivery methods in order to make content available on a variety of channels, ranging from printed output to WAP enabled mobile phones. This evolution presents an enormous challenge, both on the technical side and in terms of content adaptation. Assisting publishers and content providers in this task will provide considerable market opportunities While there are a number of systems on the market which allow multi-channel publishing, there will be an increasing need for additional services and technology solutions Introduction Cross-media publishing (or 'multi-channel', to use the more recent buzzword) has been a preoccupation for both publishers and system providers for several years. The overall vision is very exciting - take your newspaper article, put it on the Web, send it to WAP phones, use all the emerging channels of information distribution. There is nothing totally wrong with this vision either. “Author once, distribute many” is clearly the general direction in which content providers are moving. Technology Issues What has become clear, however, is that implementing this vision is far more challenging than may seem from a safe distance. Setting up system for multi-channel publishing is a complex and costly task. There are a number of high-end, turnkey systems on the market, but in the process of redefining their publishing workflow, many IT managers do not feel ready to buy into a complete solution which will tie them to a single supplier. Integrating components from a variety of vendors, however, is very complex, despite the fact that XML as an underlying, universally accepted data structure is gaining ground. In brief, while defining a multi-channel, open standard publishing system is relatively easy on the conceptual level, making it work is far more challenging. This problem, however, is about to turn into a market opportunity, both for service and technology providers. Up until now, developers have mainly focused on high-end solutions, and not given much attention to integration of components from different vendors - but that is where this new market lies. Comparing the present situation to the construction of a house, we are beginning to have a sense of the rooms (the different modules of the system), but we don't yet have a way to get from one room to another. We have the concept; we know we need doors and windows (in content distribution that would be the data exchange standard, i.e. XML). Now we need to make sure all of the pieces work together. And we cannot afford to do this mixing and matching on a one-by-one basis. In other words, until now, technology providers have focused on providing the major pieces of the puzzle: application server, asset management system and so forth, and on integrating them internally. The emerging market, however, is with integrating pieces from a variety of vendors, not on a one-by-one basis, but in a simple, plug-and-play sort of way. There may be a market for dedicated, complete solutions, but the future lies with open systems. (Read the full report for detailed analysis and market-specific recommendations.) The Content Market On the content side there is also considerable potential, even though it may take time to emerge completely. The main issue for content is the fact that true multi-channel publishing is a very complex task, even when the technology side of things is sorted out. Let's look at that for a second. Imagine you are a newspaper publisher and you want to reach other channels, such as WAP. What will become increasingly clear is that each channel has its own needs and prerogatives; you do not read content on a Web-site or on a Palm in the same way that you do on a printed page. These problems will become even more clear as new broadband media becomes more widespread. So where is the market for new services? Pfeiffer Consulting anticipates an increasing need for specialized service providers to assist original content generators in adapting their content to each channel. “Content Managers” would become preferred partners in turning the raw content from the provider into a best-of-breed platform-specific experience. It is important to realize that, however brilliant technology becomes, excellence will continue to be just as essential in the expanded media space of the future. And excellence cannot be automated, as yet… (Order the full report for detailed analysis and market-specific recommendations.) 16Oct2000 ©2000 Pfeiffer Consulting |
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