The Future Evolution of the Creative Content Industries

This report is one of the outcomes of the EPIS06 Project – European Perspectives on the Information Society – carried out by the ETEPS (European Techno-Economic Policy Support) network in cooperation with the Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC IPTS) with the aim of providing strategic intelligence to policy makers by taking a prospective view on the evolution of ICT. The report forms one of the main building blocks of the EPIS06 project, the analysis of the potential evolution of the creative content sector. It combines three discussion papers with a view to gaining an in-depth understanding of the creative content sector, the ultimate goal being to provide strategic intelligence and recommendations in support of policy making. Discussion Paper 1 describes the state of the art of the creative content sector in Europe and establishes a present scenario, in market, industrial, technology and business terms, for a set of sub-sectors (books, music, audiovisual production, video games and cultural spaces) engaged in the mass production of creative goods. Discussion Paper 2 analyses the impact of ICT innovations on the industrial structure and dominant business models of these sub-sectors, while Discussion Paper 3 focuses on factors related to consumer demand, and social and institutional issues that might drive or hinder the adoption of these innovations. The three discussion papers were presented at a workshop (May 2007) and validated by stakeholders from different parts of the creative content sector. The papers were also used as a basis to define theses for a Delphi survey that was carried out in June-July 2007. Finally, the discussion paper findings helped define scenarios for the future of the creative content. These scenarios may be the subject of a separate publication. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.