To the Internet & Beyond!

At In Medias Res, we are racking our brains for opportunities for entrepreneurship in the media industry.

We had our Eureka moment when we stumbled upon this Wall Street Journal article.

Online advertising is opening up and is presenting itself as a very good opportunity for entrepreneurs.

"U.S. online advertising revenues rose: 3% in 2009 and 15% in 2010, and S&P Capital IQ estimates an increase of 10% in 2011," says Scott Kessler- quoted on NetAdvantage as a top analyst in internet software & services, a sub-industry of what we, here at In Medias Res, care about. The growing revenues from online advertising give investors a sense of security within the media industry.

And with thriving social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, a lot of advertising space is being made available and is waiting to be snagged up. And because this is through the internet, many mediums are available for advertisers: from videos to pop-ups to promotional Facebook group pages with interactive games. Various ad-technologies are being developed and the growth of this industry shows many opportunities for newcomers. Online advertising is being redefined, with ad-technology changing hands and with the area re-consolidating itself, as the article suggests.

Can Netflix Change the Media Industry, or Will It Stay In a Funk?

In Medias Res was asked this week: in what areas of the media industry are there opportunities for innovation?

Reed Hastings, CEO and entrepreneur of Netflix gives good advice about being an entrepreneur in the media industry. He also gives good tips and his visions for Netflix, which leaves way to improvement within the media industry. When asked his advice on becoming a successful entrepreneur he remarked, “creating freedom and responsibility” in the work place. One example of freedom and responsibility is having no vacation policy. If you work for Netflix, you don’t have a set amount of days you can take off for vacation according to Reed Hastings. Yet freedom and responsibility aren’t the only improvements being made within Netflix and the media industry. Reed Hastings has some visions that could change the online streaming of TV and movies forever.

Entrepreneurs have taken over the media industry. A rise in the use of social networking, Facebook, Twitter, and Google +, but social media isn’t the only sub-industry that has effective entrepreneurs. Netflix’s Reed Hastings has two visions for Netflix. Netflix is taking advantage of the fact that the internet has evolved our culture. He plans to “change the online experience” because of the fact that internet has gone from dial up to fiber. This one single changed has allowed Netflix to work faster and be able to stream more videos, thus making the online experience much more enjoyable, and Reed Hastings point of taking advantage of the internet as a success.

Reed Hastings has also said that he would like to take the mobile market and go global with Netflix as his second vision. According to Forbes.com, “there are 5 billion people on mobile.” With the 5 billion projected people on mobile as Netflix’s audience, Reed Hastings says, “His dream is to see Netflix rolled out across the globe, in the process of becoming the world’s best entertainment distribution platform.” With both of these projected goals, Mr. Hastings wants to basically take over the world with internet and mobile domination of entertainment.