News | Brussels/London, 02/05/2015

‘Let’s Go Connected’ in Brussels and London

What opportunities does the digital world offer for entrepreneurs and businesses? Has the Internet developed into an environment that is in reality dominated only by a few major players? And what role do European media companies play – now and in the future? These were the questions at the heart of two “Let’s Go Connected” events held in Brussels and London in recent weeks. The series was founded in 2012 by Bertelsmann, NBC Universal and Vivendi and has since developed into a European platform for discourse about the digital transformation of the world of media.

“In the opinion-forming and decision-making process on digital issues that we are witnessing on many political levels, it is very important that representatives from politics and business keep talking with each other and sharing opinions and views,” says Irene Braam, Head of Bertelsmann’s Brussels Liaison Office. “This is the only way to find solutions that will satisfy all sides and really achieve the desired goal.”

In Brussels, where "Let's Go Connected" has been held annually since 2012, high-level representatives from European politics, business and media came to the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar) to exchange ideas with each other and with experts from the participating companies – including Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEO of RTL Group; author Andrew Keen ("The Internet is Not the Answer"); Roberto Viola, Deputy Director-General DG Communications Network, Content and Technology at the European Commission; Jonathan Michael Hill, Head of Cabinet at the EU Commissariat for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport; Constance Landsberg (CEO Skoobe); Linda Jensen (CEO HBO Europe); Arno Otto (Managing Director at RTL Nederland) and Dan Franklin (Digital Publisher at Penguin Random House in London).

The issue of regulation in the European internal market was something of a recurring theme throughout the conference in Brussels. In his keynote speech, Andrew Keen, who argues that the Internet and the digital revolution do not represent the promise of economic progress for all, called for reform and regulation of the digital world. Roberto Viola and Jonathan Hill both stressed how much the European Commission is focusing on digital media and wants to support the economy.

This was the first time "Let's Go Connected" was held in London, and the British digital market was the focus of the event. A few weeks ago, the British government had published a position paper presenting their ideas about the creation of a common digital market in the countries of the European Community. Ed Vaizey, who as the U.K. Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy is talking to the EU Commission about a common digital market, was the keynote speaker at “Let’s Go Connected.” Many other prominent guests also took part in the event, including Ian Hudson (CEO of Penguin Random House International and Deputy CEO of Penguin Random House UK), Hartwig Masuch (CEO of BMG), Shahrzad Rafati (Founder and CEO of BroadbandTV), Bill Bush (Director of Policy at the English Premier League), Kevin MacLellan (Chairman of Universal NBC) and Alan Hunter (Head of Digital at “The Times”).

In addition to the legal framework and the European internal market, copyright protection and the associated problem of piracy was a major topic at "Let’s Go Connected” in London. The speakers unanimously agreed that there is still a lot of work to be done in educating people about legal alternatives and instilling a positive view of copyrights.