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Dutch Public Broadcasting
Crossovers and Mashups
For quite a while already, public broadcasting hasn’t been limited to simply radio, TV and the Internet. Where else can you meet the public? That is the question that Michel Mol, director of innovation and new media, asks himself on a daily basis. On public transport, via mobile phones and via outdoor screens are just three of the many possibilities. For example, Michel is considering a concept store for public broadcasting, like ZDF in Germany, which has three such stores in this country. Consumers can buy ordinary CDs and DVDs there, but also get the feeling that they are at the broadcaster’s. The same thing happens at the Media Park in Hilversum. The barriers disappear and the public get increased access, thanks to the arrival of the Institute for Images and Sound (Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid), among other things.
Michel believes in the added value of crossovers between the media and other industries. “We’re in discussions with a project developer to see if Hilversum can’t also be more present in Amsterdam,” says Michel. “For example, on the Stadionplein in Amsterdam, which is developing into a media area. Public broadcasting can contribute to that in the form of a media café, or with additional studios, or by showing previous programmes outdoors in pillars with touchscreens. The economy class of KLM will shortly have screens with video on demand, so passengers can see the programmes they’ve missed when they’re on the way home.”
Thanks to the penetration and quality of its Internet and mobile services, the Netherlands has a great climate for innovation. And there is so much intellectual capital to use, which is interesting as an export product. Michel is currently looking to cooperate with small, innovative start-ups. Among other things, he’s talking to Delta Solutions, a company that can transform a living room into a studio with a couple of flight cases. Delta Solutions is an R&D-oriented listed company, which is currently working on exports.
So what innovations does Michel foresee in the future? “As a public broadcaster, we want to be there if the public starts taking content itself using the new services,” he says. “We sit on top of the social networks. We’re currently doing a test with Hyves where people can embed a past programme on their own web page. They get the programme, but they can also mark fragments, put them in a new order, and add their own material. So then what you get is mashups: something new that has been made with something old. We’re making the cultural heritage available to the people. And that’s appropriate, given our mission as a public broadcaster.”
Michel Mol
Director Innovation and New Media, Dutch Public Broadcasting
Most proud of:
Creating new public services with players from other industries.
Dream job:
To connect start-ups to larger organisations such as a broadcaster, so they have a bigger impact, and to see what great combinations can come from such a mix.
Biggest opportunity for the creative industries:
Thinking less in terms of the traditional compartments of fashion architecture and media.Decompartmentalising the traditional industries and thinking about what they have to offer. What is the public going to want and expect from new services?