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The Netherlands is a transit country. For thousands of travellers and large amounts of goods, the Netherlands serves daily as a hub to and from the European hinterland. Analogous to Rotterdam and Schiphol, the Amsterdam-Hilversum-Almere region now aims to develop as a hub for digital audiovisual media: the Netherlands as a central place for processing, storage, and transit of international films, TV series, and other content.
Commissioned by the Province of North Holland, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the municipalities of Amsterdam and Hilversum, and Amere Knowledge City, Dialogic mapped out the perspectives for such a concept. Specifically, this involved a comparison of opportunities in various AV markets (cinema, VoD, TV, etc.) and Netherlands' strengths in relation to competing regions (London, Paris) and companies (Ascent, TDF). Based on this analysis, Dialogic also developed an initial strategy (positioning, marketing) for the ContentHub and outlined the potential economic effects.
The main conclusions from the report are:
- Content producers have (at times latent) need for an efficient solution for digital storage, processing, and delivery of content in order to efficiently manage the increasing number of formats for a growing number of media platforms. It is unlikely that they will outsource production, marketing, rights management, and billing on a large scale.
- The Netherlands faces competition from London and Paris, as well as from companies like Ascent and TDF. However, positions in digital cinema, TV, VoD, online video applications, and gaming markets are not yet (definitively) occupied. Moreover, the shift from a 'geographically-based cluster' to an 'organizationally-based cluster' is a megatrend that a Dutch ContentHub could potentially capitalise on.
- For the development of a ContentHub in the Netherlands, two forms of market expansion are relevant for the current facilitative and related industries: (1) deepening the market at European level, especially in VoD and TV markets; and (2) widening the market in the Netherlands, particularly in digital cinema, mobile, and new online media markets. Crucial for the success of the ContentHub is increased collaboration and further specialisation in the chain, as well as generating sufficient critical mass at the European level.
For more information, please contact Reg Brennenraedts, Sven Maltha, Stein Smeets, or Robbin te Velde. The report on Perspectives for a Dutch ContentHub is available on this site.
Incidentally, the ContentHub project officially launched on Tuesday 23 June under the name Dutch Media Hub, as stated on Immovator's website.