As ad revenue plummets and competitive pressure mounts, newspapers are using new technological systems to boost workflow efficiencies, curb operational expenditure and expand service portfolios. For the beginning of 2009, highlighting immediate cost saving benefits is the most important message to take to market for technology vendors, professional services companies and systems integrators.
As advertising budgets wane due to worsening economic conditions, providing transparency into changing viewer behavior is an extremely attractive offering for broadcasters to take to advertisers. Integrating measurement systems with advanced analytics will provide greater insight into viewers' preferences, and increase the effectiveness of targeted advertising and secure spending from advertisers.
Over the 12 months to the end of 2008, Verdict predicts that the buoyant video games market will have grown by GBP1.37 billion. This is especially significant when compared to the stagnation in the music and video sectors, which have recorded a combined growth of just GBP0.03 billion. It is likely, then, that the video game retail market will soon become the largest entertainment sector in the UK.
As Google announces its AdSense for Games program, Datamonitor believes that the acquisition of a games platform developer such as Valve Software could result in significant revenue opportunity for the vendor.
The Secure Enterprise 2.0 Forum has been launched to promote the secure use of Web 2.0 in business environments. The start point for addressing 2.0 enterprise issues must involve gaining a proper understanding of what Web 2.0 tools and products are present in the enterprise, and what impact they may have on existing IT rules and usage policies.
The rise in services geared towards helping non-programmers create software applications is a positive development for business IT departments focused on mission-critical and enterprise-wide projects.
However, there needs to be an IT administrative role in place to ensure integrity and protection of sensitive data sources.