In response to the increasing threat of online competitors, the media-consulting unit of IBM has recommended that traditional media firms need to focus even more on consumers and fully embrace new business models and technology.
The company urges the companies to ease the restrictions on content and release it for legal mashups and other creative ways that people reuse their content. They used Revver as an example of a company that already pays contributers that supply the programming.
They also not that growth for new media will be at a 20 percent clip versus old 
media's 6 percent for 2006 through 2010.
Another key reality that must be understood IBM's new report, "Navigating the Media Divide," says is that younger, tech-savvy consumers must be engaged or they'll miss out on huge opportunities.
The report added that there needs to be a much higher focus on creating and experimenting with new business models such as subsciption services like Everquest and virtual worlds like Second Life.
Another major aspect that will impact their strategies is whether they are trying to brand or create new revenue streams.
IBM also called on traditional media companies to lead the way in building new types of metrics and research for the digital world. Something that will need to change in the current world of ad impressions.
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