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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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We are joined by Lennart Broers, Sales Director Operator Solutions at 24i to discuss what their end-to-end operator solutions brings to the market and why this makes a difference. We also discuss the main benefits for operators deploying end-to-end solutions over a ‘best of breed’ approach.
Lennart tells us what operators should be aware of when selecting their end-to-end solutions along with sharing recent 24i success stories and describing their ideal customer.
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We are joined by Matt Duhig, Co Founder & Managing Director at FX Digital to hear about the company and what makes them different from other providers. Matt also outlines what other businesses FX Digital partner with to provide Connected TV solutions and where he thinks that the industry is headed.
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Event-based television is becoming increasingly important for channel originators, broadcasters and content owners. Beyond examples of sports and news, these events also include the latest release of a cliffhanger drama or millennial reality TV programs. The huge followings attracted by this type of programming and content underline just how important these scheduled TV events are. Missing out on the latest plot line reveal or who is ‘out’ via social media is now just as critical as not knowing the latest sports scoreline.
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This Wednesday, Neil speaks to Shengli Han - Vice Chairman of the Board at Beijing Jetsen Technology Co. and Advisor at Black Dragon Capital. Shengli has extensive experience in managing international companies within the broadcasting industry, building up teams and advising in landmark mergers and acquisitions. Shengli speaks on how he got started in broadcasting, how the Chinese broadcasting industry has recovered from COVID-19 and what he envisions for the future of our industry.
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Over the years, cord-cutters have created an erosion in the number of People Using Television (PUT), as that number has dwindled. Many in the industry have complained that Nielsen hasn’t kept up and isn’t accurately capturing the reality of current viewing behavior. Nielsen has listened and as announced in November of 2020, they are now adding Broadband-Only (BBO) homes to their measurement. This change only affects local broadcast measurement, as BBO was implemented for national numbers in Q4 2013.
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Fifty years ago, back when my father built our cabin off-grid by hand, sustainability was called environmentalism and considered hippy, not hip. In that time global energy consumption has increased 173%, in an ever-upward trend – until COVID-19. As of the 28th of April, 54% of the global population was in some form of lockdown. Global energy demand declined 3.8% in Q1 2020, with full-lockdown countries experiencing an average 25% decline in energy demand per week, and those in partial lockdown 18%.
Paul Massara, former CEO of npower and fellow Board Advisor to iSIZE, who deliver machine learning bitrate and energy reduction and perceptual quality enhancement for video, notes that, “At the same time, global carbon use has reduced around 5% as economies have slowed and airplanes have remained grounded. And yet if we are to hit our net zero targets and keep global temperature rises to less than 2%, we require a 7% year on year reduction in carbon, year in year out. The challenge is to achieve such carbon reductions without a crashing of the world economy.”
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