“ Data isn’t a by-product of the business – it is the business” 146 difference Thedata AI and connected platforms are helping media organisations convert decades of audience and content data into personalised experiences, new revenue and competitive advantage. Microsoft’s Simon Crownshaw explains more to Alex Smith Data has become the new, transformational currency in the media and entertainment industry, promising sharper personalisation, leaner operations and measurable new revenue for those who can put it to work. For most organisations, though, that promise remains unrealised: decades of content and audience data sit fragmented across legacy systems and disconnected workflows, making it difficult to access, connect or act on at scale. “I sit down with many media leaders and they all tell me their data does matter to some degree – 30 years of content and audience data is worth something,” says Simon Crownshaw, worldwide lead for media and entertainment at Microsoft. “Well over half of all enterprise data just sits there and never gets really used. A big part of the industry still can’t move because they’re stuck in old systems that don’t interoperate and can’t be accessed. People know the data is valuable. They just haven’t done the boring work of making it usable, actionable or connected.” However, the demand for good data to support the use of AI is forcing the issue higher up the organisation. “This has gone from being just an IT problem to something the CEO really cares about,” says Crownshaw. “The ones who are ahead have worked out something simple: data isn’t a by-product of the business – it is the business. Maybe onethird of the industry really lives by that. The rest are still talking about it.” Advertising is where media organisations are investing most heavily, as they look to capitalise on insights from their data to provide a more attractive offering for their partners. “Digital advertising MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
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