The pandemic has pushed the world to digitalise almost all industries – from the use of digital video solutions replicating a retail purchase, to remote production within the entertainment sector. In this blog Dhaval Ponda, Global Head, Media and Entertainment Services, Tata Communications, discusses the changing landscape of the sports and entertainment industry and the tech-enabled exciting times that lie ahead.
View More
We Surveyed Over 100 Successful TV Operators – Get Their Advice for Newcomers
This eBook outlines the major do’s and don’ts highlighted by the results our survey.
Download a copy to gain valuables insights about:
- How to avoid major pitfalls
- Choosing the right playback device
- Building vs. outsourcing your platform build
View More
Calculations of current and projected losses due to online video piracy keep going up. While pirate business models vary widely, the most successful ones revolve around websites that aggregate stolen video into legitimate-looking service offerings of on-demand and live content, mimicking a legal OTT or IPTV service provider. In this article we cover common forms of piracy and how professional video pirates find success. We also look at the crowded pool of amateur thieves that engage in illegal viewing through credential sharing and other means.
It has never been more important to not only understand the global trends of online video theft, but to determine the risks your content is facing and, most important of all, what can be done about it.
View More
The media landscape looks vastly different than it did only five years ago. “Media” is no longer solely the realm of production studios and television stations. Social networks, gaming sites, and user-generated content platforms are media companies. Internet service providers and technology giants are also foraying into the music and video space. E-learning services, faith groups, local newspapers and even fitness companies now use video more than ever to reach wider audiences.
At the same time, consumers’ idea of media has drastically changed. In a recent Lumen survey, nearly 90% of European consumers considered “television” as any video they watched on their devices. 65% of them already subscribed to two or more streaming services.
As video and technology merge, the face of media is changing; development teams are agile, software and cloud computing have replaced hardware-based workflows, and black-box technologies have fallen out of favor. Media companies need solutions that are adapted to new challenges and new ways of working.
View More
Encoding an OTT (over-the-top) ladder can be a demanding job. To satisfy the needs of viewers on a variety of screen sizes and resolutions, like 4K TVs and smartphones, you will inevitably end up with an encoding ladder that has many rungs. For every rung, or every step on the ladder, typical encoding scenarios will require an encoding instance.
View More
In Q1 2021, factors such as increasing demand for consumer electronics contributed to causing a global shortage in the supply of components. This is part of a megatrend seeing COVID-19 producing distortions in the dynamics of supply and demand in different markets, which, according to analysts, may ultimately lead to inflationary pressures. In the case of consumer electronics, the move to remote working and the concurrent disruptions in global supply chains caused by COVID-19 may have produced an imbalance between demand and supply. Other areas such as labor markets are experiencing a similar trend - i.e., demand outstripping supply - due to factors such as unprecedented fiscal spending by governments. IABM conducted a poll on component shortages in April 2021 to measure the impact of this megatrend on the media technology industry. The poll's findings show that this is a serious issue for most media technology suppliers, and it is a global problem. Anecdotal research carried out by IABM highlighted that this is not a temporary situation but rather a structural shock that may have prolonged effects. PC manufacturers such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo highlighted this situation in their recent investor calls, pointing to record demand for consumer electronics as the main driver for this and warning about price increases as well as shipping delays due to component shortages.
View More
We are joined by Paola Hobson, Managing Director at InSync Technology to discuss how good the current boom for streaming services is for the industry. We also hear how beyond the commercial barriers, from a technical standpoint, how feasible it is for streaming services to address international markets and what are these and how can they tackle them. Finally, we hear about advancements in conversion solutions.
View More
For decades, pay-TV content protection was based on conditional access systems (CAS). The major shortcoming is cost and lack of flexibility, especially as operators need to transition to hybrid service models that embrace both broadcasting and OTT streaming. Intertrust’s ExpressPlay XCA, built on the open-standard Marlin DRM, unites previously siloed CAS and DRM systems into a converged security solution. Read about the six advantages of direct-to-TV broadcasting that eliminates the need for STBs and reduces both CAPEX and OPEX.
View More
Learn how a leading OTT streaming operator with top-tier live sports league programming and 100,000+ hours of drama, movies, sports and news content successfully scaled its cloud-based multi-DRM service to record size audiences.
View More
