One of the big changes taking place in the industry analyst business is the rise of the IMT analysts. IMT stands for Internet, Media, Telecoms. It encompasses the convergence of the Internet (all things web), Media (broadcast, print, movies, etc.) and Telecommunications (voice and data) industries. It’s the right time to start paying attention to how IMT is affecting the analyst business, if you haven’t been.
To set the stage, think about the many ways that IMT has suddenly shown up in our daily lives. It’s the GPS applications on our mobile phones. It’s our children watching movies on game consoles. IMT lets us ditch the phone company for cheaper Voice over IP service, or opt for a “multi play” bundle of land phone, cell phone, Internet access, and premium TV services all on a single bill.
Much of the buzz about “social media” and the “consumerization of tech” is related to IMT.
IMT has been coming for a long time. Lately, however, there’s been a rise in both the number of IMT analysts and the type of IMT coverage. IMT is coming out of its corners in the telecom and media market research. For example:
IMT content included in existing research services: In-Stat and Analysys are putting a good deal of IMT content in telecoms and semiconductor forecasts, market analysis, and business strategy consulting
New IMT-friendly research and consulting services: Companies setting precedents for defining new IMT-oriented practice areas — and recruiting and aligning staff — include Yankee Group, Strategy Analytics, and ABI Research
New IMT analyst firms: The wave of IMT firms founded over the last 10 years includes Hitwise (now part of Experian), M:Metrics, Telephia (now Nielsen Mobile), Juniper Research, up through the 2007 debut of Multimedia Intelligence
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February 25th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Barbara,
These are good points, though I think the internet and media convergence, or digital media is probably a stronger story than the convergence of telecoms with the internet. The whole open gardens argument comes to mind as do several other challenges to integrating audience-focused models into a transaction-oriented business.
Daniel
February 27th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Daniel, Agreed — for now. Today, the digital media story is the most compelling. The telecoms convergence story will become interesting (to people outside the telecoms industry) as primary Internet access shifts from computers to phones and smart devices. Thanks for the comment, and again, glad to see you back among the bloggers.