Media moguls' focus: mobile movies, TV

Media executives gathering at Allen & Co.'s conference this week in Sun Valley, Idaho, will look for opportunities to capitalize on an entertainment environment shaped by the shift toward mobile and online viewing.

Apple's success with the iPad, iPhone and iTunes store has spawned competition from tech companies trying to catch up, from Microsoft and Google to Amazon.com.

The trick for News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch and Hollywood studios such as Walt Disney Co. is to capture new sales without destroying the traditional markets that still dominate their businesses.

"Content companies are the arms dealers in this race," said Shahid Khan, chairman of MediaMorph, a Manhattan-based media advisory and venture firm. "They don't care which ecosystem wins the war as long as the Amazons and Googles are buying weapons."

The annual gathering, held at the Sun Valley Resort in the Sawtooth National Forest since 1983, provides a relaxed setting for moguls such as Murdoch, the chief executive of Manhattan-based News Corp., to discuss deals and interact with tech figures, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose products are shaping viewer habits.

No device maker has had a bigger impact than Apple in freeing consumers to watch movies and TV anywhere, any time. Microsoft is mounting a challenge with the Xbox console and the Surface tablet, as is Google, with YouTube, Google TV and the market-leading Android operating system.

"Everything you see will be around the battle to own the ecosystem -- devices, operating systems and content," Khan said. "The only company that has that end to end is Apple."

Other movers and shakers who've arrived in Sun Valley include Apple chief executive Tim Cook and billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Some of media's largest deals have been hatched or advanced at the retreat, including Comcast Corp.'s 2011 purchase of NBC Universal.