February 2025
MediaTech Radar is a monthly newsletter authored by IABM’s Business Intelligence Unit. It focuses on a spotlight topic in MediaTech and reflects on a series of past, present and future business developments in the industry. In this edition, our spotlight topic is Integrated Systems Europe, the annual trade show and conference for audio visual technologies hosted in Barcelona during February.
MediaTech Spotlight: Integrated Systems Europe 2025
A spotlight topic in MediaTech.
The relevance of Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) to the MediaTech community has grown significantly as the use of professional video has proliferated in market verticals beyond broadcast media & entertainment. The event brings together a global audience of technology vendors, channel partners, and end-users. This year ISE registered notable year-on-year growth in attendance by 15.5% to reach a total of 85,351 unique verified visitors from across 168 countries. Technology buyers in attendance cover a diverse range of market verticals from corporate and government to education and house of worship. The sales channel is also well represented with resellers, distributors, and systems integrators all in attendance to discover the most cutting-edge solutions available to serve these different market verticals.
IABM were proud to support our members’ efforts to develop new business in these markets. In addition to offering an IABM members’ lounge on-site at ISE in the Fira Gran Via’s Barcelona Suites, IABM also supported the AV Broadcast Summit, a recent addition to the event’s conference agenda that places a focus on the opportunity for cinema, TV, and gaming technologies to be applied in Pro AV verticals to create attention grabbing content.
Through these activities it was clear that MediaTech vendors are finding opportunity in developing new business in market verticals outside of broadcast media & entertainment. In addition to an increased presence from MediaTech vendors on the exhibition show floor, the IABM lounge proved to be a valuable resource to members throughout the week that wanted to explore the show and investigate the opportunity it offered without the commitment of a full product showcase at a booth.
Feedback was positive about lead generation from MediaTech vendors in attendance. The show’s visitor profile introduces different customer groups that may not attend a more broadcast-specific event. Across the exhibition floor technology and innovation from vendors that exist outside of MediaTech can also be explored, providing a source for inspiration, learning, and new collaborations. Industry convergence is visible walking the show floor; the most pertinent for MediaTech vendors is the evolving experience economy. Demonstrations by display manufacturers and their partners highlight the opportunity in next generation venues and stadiums. With a trend towards spaces that are multipurpose and can offer immersive audience experiences, there is a need for MediaTech in these projects to populate these expansive new canvases with video in high resolution and with low latency.
Alongside this audio and video signal transport continue to be a key topic of conversation as many ProAV and MediaTech vendors converge in a shared advocacy for IP. As a result, technology partnerships and interoperability were a consistent theme, and a common focal point of exhibitors’ booth displays. The show represented another milestone for the development of IPMX as a growing ecosystem of products is now available, evidenced by ISE playing host to a total of 19 booth exhibits featuring the technology that were recommended by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS).
The AV Broadcast Summit brought together many of these themes in a series of presentations and panels. IABM’s Head of Knowledge & Insight, Chris Evans, contributed both as a moderator for The Technologies Panel, exploring adoption and deployment of IP projects, as well as presenting highlights from the Business Intelligence Unit’s recent Megatrend Report, Democratization of MediaTech. The topic of democratization was one that resonated in conversations throughout the show, illustrating the opportunity available to MediaTech vendors to generate new revenue streams by positioning their products as solutions that solve problems for end-users in use cases that have emerged in other verticals that also require high-performance audio and video technology.
MediaTech Watchlist: ITV, Netflix, DAZN, CNBC, The Walt Disney Company and others.
A watchlist of selected past, present and future business developments in MediaTech.
- Fox Corporation acquires Red Seat Ventures, one of the top 10 podcast networks in the US (approximately 200,000,000 monthly active users). Paul Cheesbrough, CEO at Tubi Media Group (owned by Fox) said, “the creator economy is one of the fastest growing media categories worldwide by measure of reach and influence, and consumers are increasingly looking to get their information, insights and entertainment directly from the voices and brands they trust across these platforms.”
- Sky News plans business transformation to focus on premium paid-for content. The loss-making news outlet seeks to pivot from linear news to new revenue streams, as David Rhodes, Executive Chair stated that “linear TV audiences and linear monetization are in a structural decline”.
- Following a record performance in Q4 2024 for new subscriber acquisition, Netflix has announced further price increases in US, Canada, Portugal, and Argentina. End of year results were bolstered by Netflix’s continued efforts to break into live sports, as the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight registered the platforms largest total viewership for a sporting event stream. The company also announced that it would no longer report paid memberships and average revenue per member from Q1 2025.
- Saudi Arabia will invest $1billion in sports streamer DAZN. Surj Sports Investment, the sporting arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, will acquire a minority stake in DAZN as part of the deal. DAZN will become a streaming and broadcast partner showcasing Saudi sport and events in the 200+ markets the streamer already serves, while a new joint venture for broadcasting sports in the Middle East will also be created.
- Blackbird has unveiled the first paid “Creator” payment plan for Elevate.io, its new video editing platform. The SaaS video editor is designed to appeal to a broad audience of non-expert users from first time YouTubers to corporate teams. Sumit Rai, CPO, stated that “Ease of use is key and we’re working hard to ensure that all users will be able to pick up Elevate.io without prior editing knowledge.”
- talkSPORT expands distribution to connected TV. The station’s output will be available to viewers with LG Channels, FireTV, Apple TV, Google TV and Samsung TV Plus, and is described as a natural progression for the brand having already seen success with its visual radio formats on YouTube. Liam Fisher, Head of talkSPORT commented: “These partnerships with the leading smart TV operators in the UK open the door to new audiences and ensure fans can experience the very best in sports content like never before.”
- Cooke appoints David Hancock as CEO. In his prior role Hancock served 12 years at enviolo as Founder, Managing Director and subsequently CEO. Hancock’s appointment follows the retirement of outgoing CEO, Tim Pugh. On accepting the position, Hancock shared “I am excited to be given the opportunity to lead Cooke. Cooke is an esteemed company and brand with a powerful legacy of enabling great story telling by cinematographers.”
- Following META’s recent decision to remove factcheckers from its social media portfolio of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, Alex Mahon, Head of Channel 4 has called on the TV industry to pose a unified challenge to the “tech titans”. Speaking at the Royal Television Society, Mahon argued “Algorithms designed to elicit anger, surprise or outrage have a devaluing effect on the currency of reliable information. The business model of the technology giants is at odds with the safety of our societies.” Mahon highlighted that as TikTok, Meta, and YouTube are not currently classified as publishing businesses they are not regulated with the same level of accountability as broadcasters.
Thank you for reading this newsletter. If there are topics you would like us to cover or if you have information/ideas that you would like to share, please get in touch with us.
The IABM Business Intelligence Unit
