Connect with John Porter, CEO Telenet

Life becomes ever more complex, consumer behavior has changed drastically and their view on accessibility is different. With the new (digital) technologies and capabilities John Porter calls it ‘a perfect storm to operate in’. The company has moved from a telecom company to a media and entertainment company. The ultimate goal is to give the customers the media entertainment they want.  

Habits can change and some figures underpin these new trends:

• Only 48% of consumers still watch TV live daily
• There is a shift from TV to online video specially in the age group of 65+
• 37% of people have 4 or more devices at home
• Consumers are cherry picking from local and international platforms

To cope with these new trends Telenet invests € 1,8 Million/day to build the fastest mobile and fixed network and create the best possible content. With the launch of YuGO (watching TV without a set-top box) they enter the ‘mobile first’ segment in the market.

Innovation is at the top of Telenet’s minds. Like many industries they are impacted by technologies such as IoT - AR – VR – Blockchain – AI – Robots – drones – gaming etc.

But also the war for talent is a common issue.  Telenet focuses on ‘lifelong learning’ and supporting youngsters to ‘get a feel for tech’. In that respect they cooperate with the ‘Thomas More Hogeschool’ in Mechelen.

But their (and our!) preferred project still remains CoderDojo. These Do-it-yourself workshops for (very) young people are very successful. Martine Tempels (Sr. VP Telenet Business) founded this initiative after being introduced to CoderDojo during an ADM study trip to Dublin. In the meantime is has become a strategic project in their care for society and environment.  

Thank you for your time and hospitality John. It is much appreciated!

Review John Porters presentation here