Media and content convergence

Demonstration and validation of new technologies, services and solutions through large scale demonstrations[[When testing accessibility solution, ,attention should be paid to the diversity of the disabled population, in particular to social characteristics, such as age, gender, and socio-economic status.]], pilots or close-to-market prototypes exploiting the convergence, interoperability and integration between broadcasting, broadband Internet-based services, audiovisual and social media.

a. Innovation Actions – Media and Content Convergence: opportunities for new personal and immersive experiences.

Convergence among different communication and delivery platforms offers unprecedented opportunities. They should be exploited in order to develop immersive environments able to enhance users' experience in content consumption. Moreover, such opportunities open to great improvements on content accessibility for people with different types of impairments (due to e.g. aging or disabilities). Convergence enables to collect users' behaviour through several feedback channels facilitating hyper-personalised services, forms of participatory content and advanced content management.

Proposals should address one but ideally more challenges to exploit media and content convergence opportunities. A non-exhaustive list of challenges that proposals might want to look at are:

1. Exploiting synergies between the participation of individuals connected through social media and the convergence environment. New services will build around content aggregation, annotation, mash-ability, verification, analysis, search, media sharing and recommendation.
2. Developing immersive and pervasive solutions for increased personalised user experience in content consumption in order to meet new user expectations (e.g. hyper-personalized, real-time storytelling, QoE, free viewpoint, augmented reality).
3. Facilitating the convergence process to enable the interaction with content on any device, anywhere, anytime in a multiplatform scenario. For instance, through the development of advanced personalised audio-visual services, for a successful European media and content industry, sustaining a participatory, pluralistic and diverse European media landscape.
4. Development and advancement of accessibility solutions specifically for converging media and content. This may include technologies for subtitles, sign language, descriptive language, automated graphical presentation of avatar character, automated translation and adaption, personalised setup in an accessibility scenario.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 4 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b. Coordination and Support Actions on Convergence and Social Media

Proposals in this action will address at least these two challenges:

• Facilitate research and policy exchange in Convergence and Social Media by: increasing awareness of the latest technological developments among policy stakeholders, making researchers aware of the current and future policy and regulatory framework and monitoring the state of the art of the European Media and Content sector in a digital single market.
• Support R&D programmes/activities, dissemination of results and organisation of scientific and/or policy events in Convergence and Social Media. Analysis and development of research agendas and roadmaps, pre-standardisation initiatives and stakeholders coordination in Convergence and Social Media.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of about EUR 1 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

The media and content sector is driven more and more by the use of technology and new business models, new ways of interaction, consumption and expression are appearing in the rise of the digital era. Europe's media sector is strong in creating content. It is embracing new technologies and investing in innovation to benefit from the digital market. However, the sector has to become even more tech savvy as competition is growing from global players that are particularly strong at technological innovation. The challenge is to make the best use of technology for reaching out to new audiences, adapting to the digital era and thriving in the connected Digital Single Market.

a. Innovation Actions

Proposals should address one or more of the following impact criteria, providing, when appropriate, metrics and benchmarks to measure success:

• To develop new services as a consequence of the convergence of broadband, broadcast and social media;
• To move closer to a fully personalised and interactive user experience;
• To increase the use of ICT technologies in the Media industry;
• Solutions that can clear barriers for the success of the Digital Single Market from the content and media perspective.

b. Coordination and Support Actions

• To support a sustainable European fora of stakeholders representing the evolving Media environment.