IP is driving a new era of innovation and efficiency within the media industry, opening up more opportunities for growth and transformation. However, despite the potential of IP’s flexibility to adapt to configuration changes and scalability, there are also inherent challenges that media companies must navigate. As the industry transitions from traditional co-axial video interfaces to open IP-based workflows, network control and network robustness are critical priorities. Media companies need to ensure that their networks and high-value content are protected against both external and internal misconfiguration and stream routing issues.
Net Insight – Boosting monetization with media-centric video delivery networks
With the global economic headwinds pressuring all industries, media companies are strategizing about expanding their content’s reach, tapping new audiences, and driving more revenue streams.
Delivering super high-quality live video content swiftly, reliably, and on a large scale is non-negotiable. As media companies pivot to reach audiences across markets, they need the right network backbone to remain agile. However, many media organizations still rely on generic transport workflows for their premium content, missing out on the advantages of new, software-defined transport networks explicitly tailored for media.
Innovation in software-defined transport networks that are media-centric in nature renders these networks ready to meet the stringent quality, synchronization, and reliability requirements of the media industry. When it comes to valuable live content, media companies can’t compromise for anything less.
LTN – Harnessing IP technology to drive greater monetization potential
Despite macro-economic challenges, media companies across the value chain are under pressure to juggle technology experimentation with new business models and source revenue streams.
For media leaders to adapt quickly to evolving consumer habits, emerging viewing models, and new digital platforms, they need the technological flexibility to launch fresh services, reach new platforms, and grow their audiences.
Although it may all seem daunting, every challenge has a solution, and in this case, IP-based technology is holding the key and enabling media companies to deliver high-value content to their audiences. Striking now will be pivotal to long-term business success.
Net Insight – How IP turns the page on sports video production and distribution
The landscape of sports streaming is evolving rapidly. Recent studies show that a staggering 71% of US sports enthusiasts now opt for live viewing, underscoring a significant opportunity for the media industry and rights holders alike. As viewers expand their preferences across platforms like OTT, digital channels, and FAST, the media industry must move forward to cloud-driven production and distribution processes to serve the burgeoning demand for real-time sports content.
LTN – How to secure your IP-based future the simple way
The unbelievable pace with which our industry is changing requires media companies to think ahead and develop robust strategies that help them stay ahead of the curve. As audiences consume content in new and ever-changing ways, there are now many tough challenges and exciting opportunities that all media companies need to be ready for. We are seeing more and more organizations evolving their workforce and workflows to survive and thrive.
Future-proofing a video distribution strategy does not have to be complicated. Here are four simple steps to consider in today’s constantly shifting business environment.
Standards – What’s happening with Technology Standards?
In these update articles, I often launch directly into topics related to the SMPTE and AES meetings that the IABM attends. However, there are numerous Standards bodies that have some impact on our industry, so I have put together a table to show how the picture fits together.
Later in this article we also describe some other organizations that contribute valuable standards-like work to our industry.
Regulations – What’s all the PFAS about?
Twenty-three years ago, in June 2000, the European Commission published proposals for their WEEE and RoHS Directives and three years later they were agreed and entered into force, having a major impact on all industries. The RoHS Directive originally restricted six substances and effectively banned the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and two types of flame retardants in most new electrical and electronic equipment sold after 1 July 2006. This had a major impact on our industry mainly due to the need to use lead-free solder in the manufacture of electronic equipment. The Directive has been amended several times since and, as of 2015, now there are ten substances that RoHS restricts along with the equivalent UK post-Brexit law that replaces it. Very similar laws and regulations now also exist for other countries and their markets, such as Japan, South Korea, China, and India.
RIST Forum – IP Standardisation and Real-World Restrictions
The ongoing surge in content demand has forced the media industry to adapt its workflows and find efficient ways to deliver high-quality content at lower costs. The utilisation of IP for contribution and distribution offers evident advantages to users, and the technology is evolving all the time. IP has proven to be cost-effective, adaptable, and quick to set-up. Many broadcasters are finding that resources are easier to manage, due to broadcast environments being spun-up or down to meet capacity requirements.
Technology vendors have risen to the challenges faced by broadcasters and content owners and continue to deliver new IP features that streamline content delivery. These innovations have been implemented across a wide range of hardware and software solutions, offering more choice and flexibility. We are now moving into an interesting era for IP, where innovation and insights can be consolidated and leveraged to benefit the whole media industry.
Net Insight – Taking control of IP: Putting security back at the heart of media
The IP media paradigm is loud and clear, changing what we used to know about producing and distributing live events and how we did business in the media world. The innovation potential is immense, bringing efficiency and agility to the media industry at an unprecedented scale. However, transformation also needs to iron out some of the changes it brings. Moving from closed and controlled to open IP-based workflows means network control and security become mission-critical capabilities as media companies need to ensure their high-value content is protected.
When it comes to premium content, any mistake or network vulnerability can prove detrimental, both financially and reputationally. There is no room for compromise — media companies need to boost their network control and security to ensure they make the most of IP without caveats.
Telestream: ARGUS
ARGUS is a new product from Telestream that represents the next step in centralized video monitoring management. It was developed in response to the needs of OTT service providers who require large scale comprehensive monitoring of their entire distribution network. ARGUS enables automated surveillance of each video transition point with data aggregation from monitoring probes across the video delivery chain and provides deep dive analytics data that enables service providers to quickly identify the source of video quality issues and their root causes. Without a system like ARGUS, service providers are effectively blind when locating problems across the delivery chain.