InterBEE REVIEW2016

60/71

92The growth of SNS has broken down the traditional relationships between “creators” and “recipients” of media, and new types of relation-ships are being formed. Among these, even in the field of video delivery services, there are more and more services which allow operation by users themselves appearing and becoming the focus of attention. Mr. Daisuke Sasaki of LINE, Mr. Kazuhiro Misawa of Twitter, and Mr. Koji Ayao of Facebook participated as panelists representing operators of services that allow users to distribute live video content themselves, in a discussion moderated by Mr. Shigeki Matsuura of SmartNews.LINE’s Mr. Sasaki spoke about LINE LIVE, which was started in December of last year. Although the function of video delivery by users was only launched in August, it is already being applied and utilized by many users. Segments using this function show a high percentage of females at 57% and an overwhelming majority of young users, with 47% being 24 years of age or younger. It also seems that nearly all videos transmitted by users are taken with the screen in a vertical orientation.Mr. Misawa began by explaining the transitions occurring among Twitter users. The number of monthly users in September 2016 was 40 million, which has shown remarkable growth even in recent months. In March 2015, Twitter acquired the live delivery application Periscope, making it possible for live video delivery to be directly included in Twitter timelines. Support is also being provided for its use in other forms of media.Mr. Ayao then gave an overview of Facebook, which has 1.79 billion users per month across the world, 24 million of whom are in Japan. The number of users of Facebook Live is growing rapidly, with trends toward viewing for extended periods. While it is frequently applied by corporations, a staggeringly large proportion of its use is for video delivery by users themselves.Although the main topic of the discussion was video delivery by users, the panelists also spoke about the current state of video delivery by corporations and other entities in an official capacity. The Kyoto International Film and Art Festival used Twitter’s Periscope and was viewed by 70,000 people, with a large number of people watching from overseas. There are also many cases where Facebook Live is used by journalists to deliver content from on-site locations. Furthermore, a “posting tool” was added to it in May, making it possible for content to be delivered from a camera line. LINE LIVE has been frequently used for video delivery by corporations or organizations who have official LINE accounts. Suntory used it to deliver the content of its Malts base-ball team match, which was viewed by 3 million people. It is also gaining recognition in the movie industry, as it was used by Makoto Shinkai, director of the movie “Kimi no Na wa.” to give a message of thanks for making the movie a hit and to interact with its fans.Live delivery is one of the most prominent topics in the state of media for 2016. Although it is still at the trial-and-error stage, it is likely that its progress and evolution will be achieved through the cultivation of its potential by users themselves. As uncertain as its future is, it only makes it that much more exciting and full of promise.This was a discussion on the topic of producing original content on video delivery platforms, from the respective viewpoints of platforms and producers. With IT journalist Mr. Munechika Nishida as moderator, the platform side was represented by Ms. Rieko Muramoto, responsible for dTV and other services at avex digital, together with Mr. Kazufumi Nagasawa of HJ Holdings responsible for the direction of hulu content, while the producer side was represented by Mr. Shuzo John Shiota, President and CEO of Polygon Pictures, together with Mr. Takuya Seki of Kyodo Television. A fascinating discussion was held by these members, who are rarely assembled together for a single occasion.Moderator Mr. Nishida first spoke on the significance of original content, stating that there is a need for differentiation to the point that the market is energized and the number of players in the field increases. He explained that video delivery services will first compete with each other in terms of quantity, but the addition of original content will then become a necessity.Mr. Nagasawa has previously worked on original content including “Fujiko”, which won an award after being distributed on hulu last year. As summarized by Mr. Nagasawa, there are three directions taken for original content on hulu: “1) content that assumes coordination with Nippon TV or Internet stations, 2) content created in collaboration with newly-produced theatrical movies, and 3) content that could not be produced previously by existing media.”Ms. Muramoto has produced original works of various types at dTV since 2009. She has worked on many methods of project deployment, such as delivering spin-off works as movie tie-ins, or on the other hand theatrically releasing works that had been previously only been delivered as video content, and has also succeeded at delivering videos of live music concerts. This year, she will attempt to provide VR images to enhance the feeling of a live experi-ence for viewers of music content.Mr. Shiota explained that Polygon Pictures, a trailblazer in CG animation in Japan, has established connections with Netflix due to its work focusing on production in the American market, and since it has become technologically possible to produce CG anime with a cel-animation look even in the Japan market, it has begun production of new works as well as full-scale relation-ships with Netflix with the distribution rights of those works.Mr. Seki made a presentation on the production of original content for delivery by Kyodo Television. Although it is actually the same company as the Fuji Media Group, this company has achieved remarkable expansion in its volume of original content for delivery in the past few years. When summa-rized on a slide, the quantity and range of those works was astounding.While it appears that a trial-and-error approach will still be required for some time, the tone of this discussion was highly optimistic with an overall sense of wanting to explore what the future will hold together.“Live Streaming with Users Playing the Leading Role”Clarification of current trends, and discussions by operators responsible for the current high-focus topic of live video delivery.11:40 AM -12:30 PM, Friday, November 18th“Strategy for Original Content on Delivery Platforms”Are we approaching an environment that favors producers of high-quality work?1:00 PM -2:30 PM, Friday, November 18th