“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
What a glorious decade for global media distribution. Content consumption is higher than it’s ever been, borders have been stretched, pushed or removed entirely, “foreign” content is captivating “foreign” audiences and the inaccessible is finally becoming accessible to all.
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If you run any but the smallest media business you have hundreds, and probably thousands, of pieces of technical equipment from multiple approved vendors. Not just cameras or servers, but radio microphone transmitters, portable monitors, lipsync testers and lighting stands. The number of individual items quickly spirals.
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In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, media companies face the dual challenge of delivering content efficiently while addressing environmental concerns. As the media industry evolves, it is crucial to adopt innovative approaches that transform existing media workflows, security, scalability, and carbon efficiency. To further future-proof media infrastructure and experience these benefits, the industry should focus on developing interoperable Software Media Functions (SMF) as software-based solutions, adopt a dynamic media factory layered model, and implement a common control framework to better anticipate the changing media functions landscape. When changing into a world of software-defined applications, a good foundation is essential. It should be agnostic of clouds (private or public) since interoperability needs to be guaranteed in case a business decision requires a migration to a new environment. Some content providers are already taking advantage of machine learning to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Traditionally this is not the domain of the broadcast or media specialists since this was handled by the vendors using embedded OS and Kubernetes in their hardware.
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What are the biggest challenges in managing live event schedules with content provided by multiple operators? The answer can be rather straightforward, and it comprises several key aspects, mostly related to the pain points platform owners are facing today when distributing content across digital channels.
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Traditional linear television has been around for more than 80 years, and in that time audiences have got used to its look and feel. They appreciate a lot of what it gives them: there are values in linear television that appeal.
Programs are shown at appropriate times. There are regulations around the amount of advertising and the way it can be presented.
The linear advertising experience is the result of all those years of striving to deliver for both audiences and advertisers. It is in everyone’s best interests if spots are not repeated too often as audiences will disengage. Choosing the right commercials for the program ensures that audiences are likely to be receptive.
Scheduling and commercial campaign placements have become core skills in running a successful linear channel. We tend to call this superior experience the “broadcast premium.”
But new entrants to the market, like the digital-first providers, now see the broadcast premium as something they aspire to. They want to give audiences the convenience of watching when and where they like, but still with the qualities associated with linear channels.
In simple terms, digital and linear media services are converging. This is an inevitable, inexorable process. But it does throw up three big issues that need to be addressed.
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Media and entertainment is a well-established industry, with a heritage to be proud of. But maintaining a pivotal role in the consumer landscape for several decades comes with a unique set of challenges. As media and broadcast has evolved from a handful of linear channels through to a multi-platform ecosystem, more content needs to be reformatted and repurposed to reach an increasingly fragmented audience.
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Long-established media organizations that serve up our favorite films and episodic content are often sitting on an enormous amount of valuable media that could be the key to unlocking new revenue opportunities, whether it’s repacking existing programs for new streaming opportunities or enhancing a new program with rich archival material. However, you need a cost-effective way to rescue and reuse archived content from the siloed systems and labyrinth of formats and files accumulated over the years. It has to be an accessible component of your media supply chain.
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You don’t need to be Nostradamus to work out that linear TV will one day go the way of Monty Python’s parrot: it will cease to be. The timing, however, is less predictable. Because unlike Python’s Norwegian Blue, scheduled TV continues to provide meaningful company in our living rooms. It will inevitably fall from its perch, but with a sizeable audience still feeding it, there’s plenty of life in the old thing yet. As legacy media inches towards a digital-only world, the prolonged squawk of scheduled TV is a major complication. Companies need to deliver for today while planning for a different tomorrow.
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Technological transformation offers a host of benefits: it streamlines workflows, reduces inefficiency, and makes life easier for media professionals. So why is such beneficial change frequently met with resistance?
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The most successful content providers build their systems based on foundational partnerships out of view of the end user, yet deeply considerate of their patterns and preferences. For such partnerships themselves to be successful requires the right interlocking mesh of forward-thinking requirements, adaptable tools capable of receiving and applying the requests and experienced teams driving the vision to fruition.
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