GS Venture introduced investment projects at the St. Petersburg International Media Forum

Head of GS Venture corporate fund took part in the discussion among media market representatives held on October 7, 2014 within the St. Petersburg International Media Forum (SPIMF) business program. The speaker unveiled features of investments in media to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation and introduced real examples.

The business program of SPIMF featured the discussion "Investing in media: challenges and barriers" which gathered representatives of the major Russian media holdings and investment funds. Speakers discussed various strategies of investments in media projects and publishing business along with capitalization opportunities of investments. The panel discussion brought together Sergey Filimonov, Head of the GS Group corporate venture fund, experts from BURDA, Prostor Capital, RVC, and other companies.

Sergey Filimonov unveiled features of investments in the media market by the example of a project implemented with the participation of the GS Group corporate venture fund. Well-known Finnish startup Tellyo which introduced the Share the Moment service this year was the first international company to obtain financial support from GS Venture. The application allows just-seen TV moments to be shared by viewers through just a few clicks on Facebook and Twitter through second screen devices. In terms of benefit for broadcasters, shared TV moments amplify audience engagement and provide an additional revenue stream.

Sergey Filimonov also introduced the Blue Bridge technology developed by the GS Group French partner. This technology enables the "second screen" (tablet or smartphone) to determine what channel is switched on and what particular program the viewer is watching by recognizing the accompanying sound of broadcasting. The application empowers advertisers to enrich the content of commercial spots with extra information and interactive features, while operator can measure and profile the audience and transmit complementary content or information to the broadcast programs along with recommendations for viewing through the "second screen" application. In the meantime the user receives only targeted information in a proper time which increases his interest to operator service and loyalty to promotional offers. Combination of technologies used in both projects allows obtaining synergy effect and expanding segmentation of the customer base and increasing the service appeal.

"Such events are beneficial as they provide the opportunity not only to exchange experiences with experts and other market players and get new interesting information along with research data, but also allow meeting teams face to face, – commented Sergey Filimonov, Head of GS Group corporate venture fund. – After my speech I managed to exchange contacts with multiple attendees, and to negotiate with two teams whose technologies are of potential interest to the holding company."

International Media Forum is the first forum held in St. Petersburg under this title on October 1 to 10, 2014. SPIMF was organized by ROSKINO and supported by the city officials. The event brought together over 1,200 media professionals from across the globe.