NTBs Geir Terje Ruud do not think that the media industry will collect a common connection. Therefore, he will solve it himself

– We will never get a common connection to the Norwegian media house.

Ruud persists after the annual debate collect the media industry under a single connection solution. Until then, and therefore forever, according to Ruud, Amedia and Schibsted will look at each of their digital identity keys, AID and SpID.

Many readers and industrialists wanted a simplification.

But is it really the hook on the door that Ruud puts? NTB has the vast majority of media as clients, and the companies Schibsted and Amedia on the property side.

– NTB may perhaps provide a solution at the top that allows the reader to move from one solution to the other. Customers from Google, Facebook and Apple must also be integrated. Finding a flexible solution is a solution that NTB should be able to provide. This would mean that the industry does not need to accept AID or SpID

Difficult policy

Ruud sees so a kind of umbrella solution where the connection solutions developed locally can continue, but gives the reader the desired ease of use

The development director says that, for example, you could earn loyalty points through the subscription within a ID solution, which can then be used on the items behind the payment center of another. So that a Romerike Leaf subscriber can read the only comment she wants to Stavanger Aftenblad

– It must be profitable for all parties, Ruud says.

He says he spoke to several people which indicates that it is a good idea. But then, it is the question of the use of resources and the volume of work. He did not answer the answer.

– If I had 200 developers in Poland, I would put five to work on a sketch of how that could be done. I think it's more difficult to do politically than technologically.

The crucial football robot

It is a year since Ruud was announced as director of development under the publisher of NTB Mads Ynge Storvik. The 55-year-old man has already worked 20 years at VG, where he was developing VG Nett, and as editor of Ekstra Bladet. Prior to joining NTB, he ran a consulting company and was the founder of Oslo Media House media. He also published the book Autostory on Automation in Journalism

– I would never consider starting in NTB if it was not for the football robot. This has made NTB an exciting place to work. At a time when the media industry stood and waited a bit, NTB managed to implement. He shows incredible strength.

The football robot was launched in the Elites series two years ago, and is now expanding to cover more and more divisions. During the summer, it is expanded to cover women's football.

NTB also examines how local elections can be covered next year through automation. Ruuds wants to deliver automated items for all municipalities, but he says the ambitions should be bigger than that.

Stock Market Robot Comes

Another thing in development is how content can be better suited to local media. Thus, the local adaptation of national journalism.

– When writing about broadband coverage in Norway, we can provide a local angle of nationality.

– When are your customers waiting for them?

– We have made some attempts to prove that we can get it, but it's extremely demanding, so it'll take a long time. This will not happen in 2018 and hardly in 2019.

Something closer in time is a stock robot on the same reading as the football robot, but built in-house at the agency Press. He promises Ruud the first deliveries of "before the snow comes". The goal is to write summaries of how the Oslo Stock Exchange in Oslo operates three times a day; at the opening, at lunch and at the closing.

– Writing a message is a beginning. Three is a new level

The robot is developed in collaboration with Dagens Næringsliv, but becomes available to all NTB customers

– We try to work with the expertise of different media. This strengthens us and benefits the entire industry. It is a small, fun development project on which one can have weak shoulders.

70% suffice

For the Director of Development, we are committed to weighing the use of resources against results. He wants projects that give value and can be scaled up, but where it is possible to start small. He believes that it is important to dare to go ahead when things are growing at 70%.

– Although we have a journalistic background, it can be difficult to accept. We must dry more. Many still struggle with him.

Ruud tries to look several years ahead while focusing on short-term results. In demanding development projects, it is also important.

– We are looking for short term results because we must have the experience of success. Otherwise, he will be demotivating.

At the same time, he says that it is an incredibly exciting moment to develop. In other areas, we know driverless cars and voice control. The fact that technological developments are advancing faster and that this will happen in the coming years is due to the exponential increase in processing power. Telenor recently reported a European pilot project on the next-generation mobile network, 5G. It is not only a little faster than 4G, but faster than most domestic networks

The Battle of Time

Deloitte predicted that the number of implementations of machine-learning technologies doubled compared to last year, and that the year's figures will be doubled again by 2020.

– I have a slogan. We will use the time to change the way we produce and consume news.

But NTB's customers are the media, which in turn have the end user as their readers. For the agency, the customer wants help.

– We plan to work closely with the customer to learn more about the end user. We need more actors to share data with us.

NTB wants to take on more tasks with customers. The NTB publisher, Storvik, has already stated that they seem to be able to publish news of the event at night and on weekends. Ruud believes that data collection can also become an area

– Media must compete with the customer, not to get data.

The journalist tries to force Ruud to raise his eyes even more and to project himself into the future. Journalism has changed by technology?

– It was a big question. Automatic solutions will contribute to a much more efficient and better information collection.

Ruud also thinks that the video and audio production will be automated

– The audio is important because it allows to talk to the news, for example by phone. If we could do local editions, it would be incredible. Maybe you can talk to the football robot

Another answer is that there are other ways to communicate the content.

– I think we should consider alternatives to traditional articles. Messages based on shorter facts have value, says Ruud, referring to circa circa news.

– This was a fine example of structured atomized items.

Another theme that will support Deloitte in the future report of the media industry: 45% of smartphone users worry about too much use of the phone and a share equal will attempt to restrict the use of mobile.

That does not seem so improbable, Ruud says he thinks there will be a growing trend to try to restrict the use of mobile telephony.

– One who manages to avoid losing his time could well get away with it

"We need more knowledge than to take advantage of longer articles, but all of this is at the stage of thought.

Headhunter no customers

He mentions the American Axios as an example. They summarize "the big picture" or "why it matters" before the reader can click "go further" to get the entire article.

Asked about sources of inspiration, he says it's very entertaining

– The best ideas come from people who are content and journalism enthusiasts.

He particularly draws attention to the environment around Duke University and the international factoring network that is part of it. When asked if he can think of going to fetch the current developer Jari Bakken former VG employee, Ruud replies:

– I would like to use it and try all the time. But it's not that I can direct our customers' people.