An overwhelming majority (91%) of senior executives of media and entertainment companies admit that they are not taking full advantage of customer data that can deliver customized content, leaving them ill-prepared to seize the revenue opportunities of today's digital technologies, according to a new Accenture survey.

The study also found that a startling 95% of the executives surveyed indicated that they did not have strong digital customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities in place. And more than half (58%) say they are still in the early stages of developing such capabilities.

According to Accenture's Global Media & Entertainment High Performance Study, fewer than 10% of the executives indicated that their companies have a fully integrated view of their digital consumers. This suggests that the vast majority (91%) of industry players must consider altering their way of doing business if they are to succeed in growing revenues in today's digital landscape.

The study canvassed opinions from 130 senior industry executives across Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific in order to identify the characteristics that will be required of high-performing media and entertainment companies of the future. It involved speaking to leaders and decision-makers in the media and entertainment industry, including television, gaming, film, music, publishing, portals and advertising.

It's also interesting to note that after five years of exhaustive surveys of this industry by Accenture, the latest survey shows that only 57% of the executives say their companies are making continued progress on the journey from analogue to digital. In fact, only 43% of the executives surveyed say their companies have digitized more than half their properties. A year ago, similar research found that a third (33%) of the companies were transforming their businesses from analog to an integrated, file-based digital enterprise.

In fact, Accenture's research found that 80% of those interviewed said the media and entertainment industry is still changing with more rapid change yet to come. As a result, 85% of the executives believe their business will continue to change significantly.

When asked about the implications of social media for their business, more than half the executives (55%) indicated their companies had a clearly defined social networking strategy in place. Thirty-eight percent of the executives indicated they use social networking to gain customer intimacy while only 17% indicated that it is employed to gain sales.

The study also showed that 42% of the executives expect advertising to be the primary source of revenue over the next two years.

Another key area of focus was rights management due to its impact on the monetization of digital content as a way of maximizing return on investment. Yet, more than three-quarters (77%) of the executives interviewed indicated that their companies did not have an integrated approach to rights management. Accenture believes this is an urgent need that must be addressed by the industry due to the rising cost of content creation and acquisition.

Nearly half the entertainment executives interviewed (48%) indicated that they might collaborate with their competitors within the next year or two. This is a much lower percentage than their counterparts in other industry segments; publishing (77%); portals (65%); and broadcasting (64%).

Story filed 12.07.11