Institute For The Future

Telepresence as a Driver for Presence

Last year, I gave a talk at a major design expo on the future of presence. I argued that we need to be keenly aware of the historical relationship between new communications technologies and long-distance travel. Right now, the coincidence of high-definition, immersive videoconferencing and high fuel prices has many people excited about the potential for substituting telepresence for travel. But this has never happened in the past - every new communications technology, by offering new means of sustaining long-distance business relationships, has led to more travel. Telecommunications has been a powerful driver of globalization, but it doesn't seem to be enough. Rather, its a way of handling the routine stuff that goes on between the face-to-face dealmaking.

 

With this in mind, I learned that the New York Metropolitan opera is using telepresence to develop its future audience for live, in-person performances in Manhattan.

 

These high-definition simulcasts were shown at over 600 cinemas in America, Australia, Europe and Japan during the 2007-2008 season. "More than 920,000 people in 23 countries watched eight operas, roughly a threefold increase over the previous season, and about 70,000 more than the total audience of the Met proper during that season. For the next season 11 operas will be televised at an even greater number of cinemas.

 

This is no small production, and barely breaks even:

 

The Met’s simulcasts are expensive, costing about $1.1m each. They need a production team of about 60; some 15 cameras film the action on stage, backstage and in front of the stage. In its most recent season the Met, which gets 50% of the box-office revenue from simulcast tickets (sold at an average price of $22), more or less broke even with the scheme. This season it expects to make a profit.

 

But here's the kicker:

 

But the simulcasts’ main point is to broaden the audience. According to a recent survey by Shugoll Research, a pollster, more than 92% of the people who saw one of the Met’s performances in a cinema said they were likely to go to a performance at the Met or another opera house. As almost one in five of those surveyed said that they had not gone to the opera in the past two years, and around 5% said they had never been to the opera at all, the Met can justifiably claim that simulcasts are rejuvenating and expanding the audience for opera.

 

The program is being copied by both the San Francisco Opera and the Royal Opera House in London.

 

Full story: "Music for the Masses", The Economist