Market leader sees fast growth in Turkish corporate TV network

Turkey is poised to witness strong growth in its corporate TV network — a private broadcasting system providing special programs and advertising for various firms — next year and beyond as the system is becoming popular with new customers from across the country, Sistem 9 Medya CEO Kaan Akın tells Sunday’s Zaman.

Serving customers independently from conventional TV broadcast networks, corporate TVs — or closed circuit TVs — are basically supported by digital signage, a form of electronic display showing all kinds of information on a particular firm on LCD, LED and plasma screens. When Akın established his company in 2005 his initial target customers were hairdresser salons. Noticing the interest in corporate TVs, he decided to use the potential in the market and diversified his customer base. He now sells corporate TV services to a number of banks, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, including İş Bankası, McDonald’s, Cinebonus and Electroworld.

Sistem 9 Medya currently holds 80 percent of the corporate TV services market in Turkey. The company provides services to companies from different sectors in the 81 provinces with 10,100 TVs. Akın says they expect to increase this number to 17,000 by the end of 2012, adding that more firms are signing up for corporate TV services. “Among the firms which most recently started working with us are Denizbank and CarrefourSA. … We are preparing to sign a contract with a large Turkish bank in the following months,” he notes. Akın says his company anticipates seeing a 25 percent higher turnover compared to an earlier stipulated figure of $9 million for the year end.

Internet access is enough to benefit from corporate TV network services. As he points out that Sistem 9 not only established the corporate TV network but that they also provide broadcast content and technical support for companies. “I think this is what makes our company stand out compared to its rivals, carrying it to the top of the market,” he argues.

Making mention of digital signage, Akın says they were the first company to introduce Turkey to this technology and adds that the system has become a separate sector in the country thanks to their efforts. “Research conducted into different firms across the world show digital signage is the most effective media tool to benefit companies if used in the right way. …and we receive similar feedback from our customers in Turkey.” As regards the cost of corporate TV services for a company, Akın says they charge the firms monthly subscription fees based on the software, broadcasting and technical services they receive. “Companies decide the amount they will pay by choosing from among one of our service packages. But I can say they save a significant amount of money by increasing the productivity at their companies as broadcasts include programs motivating employees at the workplace and provide a relatively faster means of communication between different branches of a firm,” Akın said, adding that companies could also use corporate TV screens to advertise their own products.

In addition to corporate TV services, Sistem 9 also develops innovative products for different needs. One such program is a touch-screen backgammon table recently released by the company. Akın says this touch-screen backgammon game console, the first of its kind in the world, attracted a lot of attention in the market. “We continue research and development [R&D] studies for new, innovative technological devices to surprise our customers. … Touch-screen kids’ games and a digital conference table are some of them,” he says, adding that they have intensified studies particularly into the digital game market.

Source: Today’s Zaman