(27 March 2008 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: True that the emergent trends of mobile advertising, OEM-managed services, bundled content on devices and open DRM are some of the factors that will drive new business models and opportunities for all stakeholders. But what are the early developing models and what new thought processes are required by content owners, operators and service providers to leverage these new opportunities?

These are the questions dealt with by speakers at the interactive session entitled "Mobile Entertainment: Opportunities in emerging business models."

Ralph Simon, one of the earliest proponents of the concept of mobile entertainment and chairman Emeritus and founder of Mobile Entertainment Forum – America, outlined the changes that have come over mobile in the last few years: fundamental shift into digital; an emerging landscape of new business models; changes in people's behaviour and the emergence of new content formats.

"Traditional media players now have to enable their established assets to also serve digital media channels, reach their consumers on new platforms and combine traditional strengths of their brands with new enablers," Simon said.

He also said that mobile advertising will give rise to smart cross-platform marketing avenues and new revenue-generating opportunities for media. In the context of India, the new driver for the mobile business, according to him, is consumers' affinity for a digital lifestyle.

Soundbuzz, Motorola CEO Sudhanshu Sarronwala said that new business models are dramatically emerging and that web search on mobile is a potential model.

The speakers also touched upon the issue of DRM-free content and the emergence of handset players in services and content.