Potholes on the digital highway

Freeze Frame

 As most economies around the world are slowly emerging from the woods, the sunrise sectors of the new millennium are once more in the spotlight.

 The information technology, life sciences, health services and retailing industries are being mentioned as the new growth drivers.

 Add to this the media and entertainment business which, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC), is expected to grow by upwards of seven per cent a year to reach US $ 1.4 trillion in five years.

 Consumerism breeds leisure, which generates needs that have to be fulfilled. Higher disposable incomes and better distribution are bringing entertainment quicker to the remotest corners of the planet.

 After food and shelter, human beings aspire to entertainment the most.

 In the past few years there has been quite a debate on how evolving technologies, dismantling trade barriers and changing consumer patterns are altering the media and entertainment landscape dramatically.

 In spite of the scalding dotcom bust experience, it is universally accepted that the digital age is actually upon us. Virtually every week someone somewhere claims a breakthrough product or a killer app.

 Sifting through cyber chaff and technology babble, one thing becomes apparent