Rupert Murdoch: We're on cusp of golden age of information

"NDS allows us to secure and distribute our content to customers."

15 May 08 18:32, Noa Parag

"Once, older people and young people did not want to share the same content, but today there is technology that makes it possible to provide everyone with a personal experience," said News Corp chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch today at the "Revolution of the Internet and new media" panel at the Israel President's conference in Jerusalem.

Murdoch continued, "I know that some people are scared and pessimistic about the future, but I believe that we're on cusp of golden age of information and it makes the human element more important than ever. The Internet makes it possible to reach other parts of the world.

"It's true that technology challenges the way we do things, and it's necessary to work harder for customers. But there's an opening for a great deal of information reaching people who previously were unable to access it - that's democracy. Everyone feels these results in their daily lives. The technology enables us to better serve consumers; but without the human factor - people who know how to exploit the technology in the right way, technology won't do good."

Murdoch added, "The value of human capital is only increasing, and you Israelis know this from your history. It helped the Jewish community survive in the absence of natural resources and turn into a technology powerhouse. The idea isn't to find the best technology, but the people who will know how to optimally exploit it."

Murdoch cited NDS Group plc (Nasdaq: NNDS), in which News Corp (NYSE: NWS; ASX: NCP) acquired the controlling interest in 1992 for $15 million, as an outstanding example of Israeli innovation. "This is a company founded by four men in Jerusalem and today has almost 4,000 employees. The company's technology works at 82 million devices in more than 35 countries worldwide. NDS allows us to secure and distribute our content to customers."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 15, 2008

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