The broadcast industry – and media and entertainment (M&E) overall – look very different than they did five years ago, and it’s near impossible to accurately predict what they will be in five or 10 years. After all, if you had asked M&E executives or any executives for that matter in February 2020 to predict the near-term future, it’s highly unlikely that any would have said that a period of unprecedented growth in consumer consumption and a world focused on remote accessibility would be undertaken just weeks later. Who knew?
LTN – Creating a roadmap to success in the new digital media era
The media industry is experiencing a paradigm shift. In the digital-first era, competitive advantage is driven by digital strategies. Media companies increasingly leverage IP technology to define new business models and tap into more audiences across over-the-top (OTT), digital, and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms.
In a competitive and fragmented media landscape, media and tech players are aggressively targeting the streaming market to get a piece of the pie. High-value content still differentiates the winners from losers, but that’s not enough. Media organizations need to ensure that their business is future-proofed and that they can make the most value out of their high-profile content to boost their bottom line today and in the future.
Edgio – How the buy vs build challenge can be leveraged for success in today’s market
The current economic situation has meant many viewers are looking carefully at how much they’re spending on subscriptions, which has a knock-on effect on the whole industry. At the same time, media companies are facing an increase in the cost of creating content. These challenges are forcing them to re-align their business models to prevent operating spend and maximize average revenue per user (ARPU); the latter leading to experimentation around varied monetization methods, such as subscriptions, ad-funded, free ad-supported TV (FAST) syndication methods and in many cases a hybrid approach. They must also identify any optimizations in their technology stack to find cost savings for the escalating cost of buying or creating high-value content and drive cashflow-positive business models in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Live events orchestration: why a flexible CMS solution is integral to business success – Simplestream
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.
Cleared for landing: The smoothest route to linear/digital convergence – Imagine Communications
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.
Combining Media Evolution and Revolution – Codemill
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.
Turning Old Archives Into New Revenue Opportunities – Dalet
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.
How a local news portal benefits from x-news
Salzburg24’s reporting prioritizes news, sports and event photography. As an online-only publication in a competitive news environment, speed is a priority for the Salzburg team, which claims the title of “Simply the Fastest.” So it is critical that digital tools be integrated into the organization’s workflow.
To IP or not to IP? That can’t be your only question – Three Media
It is worth stating, at the very beginning, that there is nothing inherently exciting, engaging or sexy about the cloud. Or about IP media connectivity. They are, in the very best sense of the term, enabling technologies.
What they enable is a massive cultural shift in the media industry. This is the opportunity for a completely fresh look at how we do business, how we satisfy our viewers and subscribers, and how we make money.
And now for something completely different – Spicy Mango
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.