I attended an event last week on how to internationalise content offerings, run as part of the Digital Horizons programme I mentioned in an earlier post. It was fascinating to hear the experience of other companies in taking creative ideas from the UK into new markets - predominantly Asia in the sample we heard from.
One of the really interesting aspects of taking content across international boundaries is the extent to which you need to invest in localisation. On my trip to China, I heard how some US Internet majors had attempted to enter that market, but had made little headway because they had not invested enough in localisation.
I suppose it’s obvious that for a mass market, you have to make what you are offering (be it a TV programme, film, game etc..) look like something they know they like. This means studying what the potential customers in that market really do appreciate. It also means checking/guessing what the regulator(s) in that market will let you get away with.
An alternative, lower cost, approach would seem to be to go for niche status and appeal to the niche by being authentic UK content as produced for the UK market. This approach fits naturally with Internet-based portals such as YouTube – where a combination of quality and uniqueness can help propel content to the top
One of the big challenges in going international is faced by Interactive TV, because in many parts of the world , regulatory frameworks have yet to adapt to this combination of telecommunication and broadcast service. Another big challenge is the area of content standards, which vary widely between cultures.
Gradually our world is becoming a smaller place, aided by the Internet, but there are many small cultural and political barriers to be crossed along the way.
