www.tvbeurope.com

May 2016

UEFA Euro 2016 Inside the production of this year’s

footballing centrepiece

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Mobile World Congress review

ROI from media tech investment

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TVBEurope 3May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Modus operandi; code of ethics;

corporate vision. We all have them,

to one degree or another: the ‘about

us’ page of our business proposition. They exist

to educate the marketplace as to who we

are, what we do, why you need us to fi x your

problems or service your needs. In some cases,

you could argue that they exist to remind the

‘us’ what they’re supposed to be ‘about’. It

is a peculiar time to be committing to rigid

business models. For broadcasters and those in

the business of fuelling the consumer’s hunger

for content and ‘experiences’, it’s diffi cult to

be exact on what the mission statement should

be in the years to come. Indeed, what role

will broadcasters play in a future that does

not rely on traditional modes of delivery and

consumption, and in the same breath, the

traditional infrastructures and chains of workfl ow

that the consumer hears little of and cares

nothing for?

Business agility has for some time been a

known necessity – and in many marketplaces

– and we are at a stage in our industry where

such agile thinking will be tested to its extremes

by an unfamiliar ecosystem stretching across

an unknown timeframe. Many organisations

and corporations have seen early and credible

promise in this area, however ‘imperial’ their

ambitions have been translated. But more

generally, the strategies required to engage with

the future ecosystem remain open to debate; a

topic that will be at the centre of our TVBEurope

2020 conference on 28 June. The agenda

addresses the future role of broadcasters in an

IP-enabled world, the value and effectiveness

of common standards across the convergent

IP and UHD ecosystems, and the impact of

market forces on long-term business strategy.

We’re very happy to be in partnership with AIB,

IBC, and IABM in producing this year’s event,

which promises to be the most forward looking

conference programme we’ve put together.

I look forward to seeing you there, but

beforehand, let me nudge you in the direction of

Holly Ashford’s excellent interview with

David Ross, who’s brilliant ‘Code of Ethics’ I

have borrowed (and for the sake of effect,

made more biblical) for the headline of this

welcome note. n

James McKeown Editor-in-Chief

Welcome

Thou shalt not ship crapEDITORIAL

Content Director and Editor-in-Chief: James McKeownjmckeown@nbmedia.com

Deputy Editor: Holly Ashfordhashford@nbmedia.com

Staff Writer: James Grovesjgroves@nbmedia.com

Group Managing Editor: Joanne Ruddockjruddock@nbmedia.com

Contributors: Michael Burns, David Davies, George Jarrett, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Catherine Wright

Sales Manager: Ben Ewlesbewles@nbmedia.com+44 207 354 6000

Account Manager: Richard Carrrcarr@nbmedia.com+44 207 354 6000

Sales Executive: Nicola Pettnpett@nbmedia.com+44 207 354 6000

Head of Digital: Tim Frost

Human Resources and Offi ce Manager: Lianne Davey

Head of Design, Hertford: Kelly Sambridge

Senior Production Executive: Alistair Taylor

Sales Director: Mark Rankine

Managing Director: Mark Burton

US Sales: Michael Mitchellmjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv+1 (631) 673 0072

Japan and Korea Sales: Sho Hariharasho@yukarimedia.com+81 6 4790 2222

CirculationFree subscriptionstvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.comSubscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002

NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

© NewBay Media 2016. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. TVBEurope is mailed to qualifi ed persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.

Allow eight weeks for new subscriptions and change of address delivery. Send subscription inquiries to: Subscription Dept, NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 7BR, England. ISSN 1461-4197

Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YAPhilip StevensProduction Editor

Michael BurnsPost Production Editor

George Jarrett Business Editor

David DaviesAudio Editor

SECTION EDITORS

03 TVBE May16 Welcome v1.indd 1 15/04/2016 15:29

In this issue4 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

In the � rst of a two-part series, Russell Grute looks at the challenging issue of establishing the total return on investment for next generation projects

Uefa reveals its plans for Euro 2016, and Philip Stevens looks at how rights holders will serve their domestic audiences6

32 Interview 41 Data CentreBusiness

23Axonista’s CEO and CTO chart the journey of the Dublin start-up, from initial trials to powering real-time interactive graphics

Mobile World Congress returned to Barcelona earlier this year. Heather McLean talks to exhibitors at the show about the future of mobile TV

TVBEverywhere

Opinion

Production

David Ross speaks to Holly Ashford about joining the family firm, leading the company through a recession, and Ross Video’s unstoppable growth

Ernst and Young’s latest report focuses on Generation Z, and how the group is dictating the strategies of M&E � rms

14

28

04 TVBE May16 Contents v4 HA.indd 1 15/04/2016 15:46

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In our experience, the crunch comes during

the late stages of negotiation, when the

procurement department or the CFO renews

their interest. The situation is already a long way

down the line. The customers’ operational and

technical teams have been prioritising their business

requirements, future plans and securing budget

approval for the investment. Perhaps they have

issued a business-led RFP, whilst competing suppliers,

SIs and service providers have done their legwork

too. Lucky shortlisted vendors may have also hosted

a dreaded proof-of-concept. And then it comes, a

simple enough question from the CFO: ‘so…what’s

our ROI on this project?’

The answer should and can be highly favourable.

After all, the RFP said the project should be business-

led. When investing a million dollars, shouldn’t there

be a higher return? Yes. Defi nitely.

But without identifying a robust, pragmatic and

achievable target from the outset, that return

is easily lost along the way. Perhaps during an

aggressive fi nal negotiation, where cost reduction

replaces the original project vision or key parts

of the supplier’s value-add, or later during the

project delivery where the day to day challenges

in technology-led and operational testing displace

the original business targets.

What do we mean by ROI? Our context is a leading broadcaster, pay-TV

operator, cable, satellite, service provider or telco

investing in new cloud, IP, UHD, MAM and media

logistics processes to drive their onscreen business

and revenue. Let’s focus at a higher level on the

real potential gains to improve their return, and

better secure the project for all parties.

Mind the gapWho is working toward the best overall ROI,

and how? Is there a gap? During 2015, our

engagements moved beyond improved media

workfl ow and better solutions architectures,

and instead looked at more closely integrating

media planning with media operations to

signifi cantly improve the ROI. Great media

services and workfl ow can only do so much

without being driven more directly top-down by

the business requirements.

Using six core areas as shown (ROI potential, p8),

we devised a process to build from technology

foundations, through operational effi ciency, toward

cost reduction and all the way up to onscreen

planning and revenue. This process allowed us

to work together from day one with stakeholders

from media planning, production and operations,

starting as early as possible to secure a positive ROI

from the outset. Using this process whilst prioritising

business-led requirements, workfl ow design and test

planning provided a more informed pre-emptive

estimate of optimal ROI.

Legacy Global video insurgents like Amazon, Apple or

YouTube, alongside new agile local competitors,

use cloud-based SVoD and live OTT to pick

and choose where to grab viewers’ digital and

programmatic advertising pennies. Do these

insurgents accelerate their ROI by leapfrogging

today’s legacy? Have they even heard of a VTR,

VDCP, MXF or LTO? They are sharply focused

on their unique technology stacks, optimising

their content rights, delivering the highest quality

telco-friendly streaming, managing rich content

metadata and crucially, subscriber intelligence.

Netfl ix recently announced it was re-encoding its

legacy content to improve picture quality and

reduce streaming bandwidth.

Following an unsatisfactory RFP, caused by poor

requirements prioritisation and low potential ROI,

a broadcaster recently asked if we could help

make up for lost time with even newer technology.

In reality, the quickest and best strategy was not

Opinion and Analysis6 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

No pain no gain. Maximising the ROI from media technology investment

For many next generation projects, the most challenging issue by far is establishing the total return on investment (ROI), and agreeing how to monitor and deliver it, writes Russell Grute, in the fi rst of a two-part series

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to look further forward, but instead to remove 12

months from the past. Systematically reducing

legacy is now a signifi cant contribution to positive

ROI. Without a focused business-led view, and

taking the painful yet necessary steps to discard

legacy integration and ineffi cient manual processes

in media workfl ow, the ROI from new technology

alone is often too low.

More importantly, by 2016 some broadcasters are

encumbered by their actual business organisations.

Are the business and operations optimally

confi gured for the new on-screen challenges

ahead? Does the business really know its best

options, and are those in-house or third party? Are

media planning, production, media operations

and technology in sync or out of alignment? Are

those activities currently split between their legacy

linear channels and growing digital services? How

can branding and promos be adapted from

multi-channel to multi-outlet? These are just some of

the key business challenges that require attention

alongside new technology investment.

Scalability and unit cost reductionMore content for wider audiences means higher

throughput. Growing media businesses need

predictable and cost effective scalability. For new

entrants, their prospective growth may exceed

their practical or fi nancial capacity to invest

pre-emptively in their own infrastructure, whilst

established players may not be able to cope

with peaks in demand, or be able to launch next

generation services from their existing facilities.

A useful KPI to improve scalability is unit cost.

We can’t predict what a new audience might

pay; that’s beyond our equation here. But to

calculate ROI, we can better estimate the unit

costs of producing, packaging and/or distributing

content, or at least fi nd a unit. Using benchmarks

such as media title throughput time, effi ciency per

role or business process versus number of versions,

channels, streams or distribution outlets, that unit

cost must go down. If it doesn’t, proposed new

workfl ows are not yet optimised: try again.

“To succeed, you are either born in the cloud or

legacy” I was told at the recent London AWS Media

and Entertainment Cloud Symposium. That’s quite

a statement, highlighting the crucial importance

of aggressively discarding legacy coupled with a

revolution in the cost base of media logistics and

distribution. Does using AWS give a new type of

benchmark in unit cost? In conjunction with value

added software and services, web services are

rapidly adjusting the potential ROI.

Elsewhere, the current industry-wide thrust to

use IP to control, manage and stream live and

on-demand video and audio for contribution,

production and distribution is also clearly aimed at

lower-cost scalability.

Efficiency and utilisation Working top-down to improve media workfl ow

can dramatically improve effi ciency and ROI.

Removing unnecessary concatenated manual and

replicated tasks and achieving the correct workfl ow

orchestration are crucial areas.

Improved effi ciency is also based on utilisation.

Higher levels of utilisation improve the ROI from both

staff and technology, and this highlights one of the

fundamental differences between the broadcast

and media IT perceptions. Broadcast’s instinctive

feel for the value of live and speed, versus the

digital community’s trust in parallel and on-demand

activities, leads to two very different perceptions

of utilisation and ROI. Both are right, depending on

the logistics, programming and presentation. Multi-

channel and multi-screen challenge this balance,

especially if the audience is on the move.

Alongside interoperability and scalability,

utilisation is actually the key benefi t from the

use of IP; whether it is automatic recognition of

wireless camera contribution sources or the use

of the inherent multicast advantages of IP in task

management, fl ow control, routing and distribution.

If the interoperability is good enough and, as an

industry, we master the skills to command it, the

wider use of IP will dramatically increase utilisation,

and improve the ROI from investment in IP.

Improved utilisation is the key driver toward

virtualisation, cloud and SaaS to improve ROI. Build

a big one for the peak load versus pay as you go.

If the big one is rarely used or you go so often that

you are always paying, then the ROI will be lower.

Defend a business or build a business.

Achieving ROI is not easyFor some media organisations in 2016, technology

and organisational legacy is dramatically hindering

progress, as well as reducing their ROI from new

technology. Crucially, legacy thinking may also be

stifl ing their innovation on screen.

Reducing unit cost improves ROI. Content

creation, media throughput and logistics continue

their inexorable growth, currently driven by VoD and

OTT, so new solutions must increase scalability and

improve effi ciency to reduce unit cost. In well-run

projects, practices such as business process design,

programme management and software integration

are recognised disciplines, yet in few projects is

there suffi cient overall ROI monitoring and control to

secure the potential upsides.

For the broadcaster, it has been challenging so

far to establish practical media IP solutions with a

positive ROI. This is more than a technology barrier.

In today’s disrupted and opportunistic value

chains, new and existing actors are disrupting,

competing or partnering as never before. Given

suffi cient standard interoperability, the ROI from IP

will increase. If the return on investment from new

services and technology is optimised and based

on practical solutions and safe delivery, then that’s

good for everyone: customers, services partners and

suppliers. Strategic project investment can proceed

securely to enable broadcasters to continue

their innovation in profi table future digital media

entertainment services.

Next month we’ll examine the upsides for ROI

from new on-screen media services driving revenue

growth, and at practical benchmarks and KPIs to

monitor and deliver the required return over the

required duration. n

8 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

ROI POTENTIAL

Legacy

Scalability

Efficiency

Cost reduction

More on-screen

Revenue +

ROI

SIX KEY AREAS TO TARGET AND MONITOR TO ACHIEVE IMPROVED ROI

IMA

GE: B

RO

AD

CAST

INN

OV

ATI

ON

A combined view of the wider potential ROI from media technology investment. Moving beyond legacy technology integration toward greater scalability and the effi ciency in media planning and operations to cost effectively provide new on-screen services and revenue

Opinion and Analysis

6-8 TVBE May16 Feature ROI v4 HAJMcK.indd 2 13/04/2016 16:58

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10 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

Connectivity has enabled operators

to launch multiscreen services and

extend the reach of their TV offering to

connected consumers. However, the increase

in the number of devices is also creating

signifi cant fragmentation challenges. At the

top of the list, operators need to provide a

seamless experience across multiple devices

while ensuring that the content delivered across

each device, sometimes over a wide range of

networks, is protected at all levels of the media

delivery chain.

Using data to better understand viewing and device habitsIDC forecasts that by 2020, there will be 1.7MB

of new information created every second for

every human being on the planet. In addition

to this abundance of information, the plethora

of devices used by consumers has led to an

increase in data points that operators can

collate and analyse in order to develop services

that adapt to the consumer. While this appears

highly benefi cial at fi rst sight, the sheer number of

data points can be overwhelming for operators.

Especially for OTT services, search and

recommendation engines have to become

highly personal to ensure that consumers get the

best value from the service. For example, a fan

of Orange is The New Black is more likely to be

interested in Making a Murderer than cartoons.

However, limiting recommendations to the

‘safe’ options that are immediately relevant

to the consumer can also prevent subscribers

discovering new content, which can have a

negative impact on the user experience. To

avoid this, operators need to be able to expand

their recommendations outside traditional areas

to help broaden the consumer’s horizon.

To meet the data gathering challenge,

many service providers have built their own

data analytics systems. However, multi-screen

services are reshuffl ing the cards: in addition to

accessing a wide range of content, leading to

Dr Neale Foster, COO and VP of global sales, Access, looks at the benefi ts and challenges for service providers of living in an increasingly connected world

Widening the reach of multiscreen

recommendation headaches, one person may

access world news from their smartphone in

the morning but watch content from streaming

platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netfl ix and Sky

Go on their laptop in the evening.

All these points add to the data challenge,

leading operators to look at deploying third

party data gathering and analytics solutions

that integrate with their services to better keep

track of the variations in consumer habits.

These services can bridge the information that

operators receive from multiple devices and

paint a clearer picture of the different types

of audiences and improve the quality of their

recommendation engines. In addition, they

open up new monetisation avenues based on

the consumer’s habits, including highly personal

advertising such as pre- and post roll videos on

the viewer’s PVR content.

‘By 2020, there will be 1.7MB of new information created every second for

every human being on the planet’

Opinion and Analysis

10-12 TVBE May16 Opinion Access v2 HAJMcK.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:48

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Opinion and Analysis12 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

Personalising the consumer experienceMost operators are trying to crack the content

personalisation code, but we strongly believe that

aggregating and analysing data has an added

benefit, helping operators differentiate the

devices used to access content in order to design

experiences that accommodate the interaction

method. For example, subscribers accessing

content via their TV need the interaction to adapt

to a remote, as opposed to a joystick preferred

by games console viewers or the finger tap of

a mobile user.

While the technical challenges associated

with creating a seamless experience for all these

devices can appear daunting at first, they can

be solved by utilising standards. At present, the

responsive design features of HTML5 provide a

solution to reducing development time for the

user experience as they automatically scale

to the device and screen, while the Digital

Living Network Alliance (DLNA) facilitates

interoperability between devices for secure

media sharing.

As players outside the traditional broadcast and

video industry enter the market, and with names

like Amazon and Apple becoming leading actors

in the conversation, we can expect that multi-

screen services will soon have to accommodate

smart watches and other smart devices.

Operators looking beyond the living room can

find another major revolution in video technology:

delivering content to the car.

The connected car conundrum Interestingly, these data lessons can be extended

outside the living room, particularly as our vehicles

become connected and able to gather data

themselves. Gartner estimates that by 2020, 90

per cent of cars will be connected to the internet,

and car manufacturers have recognised that

this opens the door to more entertainment, and

the advent of driverless cars means that we can

expect video delivered to passenger screens.

At CES earlier this year, car manufacturers

demonstrated how the automotive and

communication industries are becoming

intertwined, with panoramic screens providing a

range of infotainment to the passenger seat or

enabling consumer smartphones to interact with

the vehicle. This reinforces the idea that cars have

the capacity to evolve into real life companions

to support our day-to-day lives.

Connectivity plays an ever more central role,

and it is now up to service providers to ensure that

they harness the power of data to ensure they

can bridge the gap between connected devices

and entertainment. For pay-TV operators and

OTT providers, this means utilising consumer data

to ensure they deliver a first class experience to

subscribers, while it provides the first step for the

automotive sector to launch services that deliver

a highly personalised experience. n

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10-12 TVBE May16 Opinion Access v2 HAJMcK.indd 2 13/04/2016 17:02

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Both the BBC and ITV will be showing the

Euro 2016 tournament for viewers in the

UK, although only the final will be shown

simultaneously. Phil Bigwood, executive producer,

BBC TV Sport explains that the Corporation’s

presentation will centre on studio facilities in

Paris with a spectacular view of the iconic Eiffel

Tower. “We will be part of a studio complex

that is being built by the German company,

Plazamedia. This facility has the full support of

both Uefa and the city of Paris authorities and will

house various broadcasters. By sharing facilities

with broadcasting partners we can deliver value

for money, as well as provide a location that is

readily recognisable.”

Bigwood says that he plans to build on the

production model that the BBC has utilised

successfully for the last World Cup in 2014 and at

previous Euro finals. “Subject to the conditions

laid down by Uefa, we will be placing unilateral

cameras at the games involving the three home

nations and some of the bigger matches. As

well as providing addition stadium presentation,

these will provide ISO footage and allow us

personalised interviews. Because of the extremely

comprehensive coverage plan from Uefa, only

a minimal number of these dedicated cameras

are necessary.”

At those venues, the BBC will utilise a simple

SNG solution, where the producer will be calling

and cutting shots. These will be fed back to the

Paris gallery where a programme editor and

director will oversee the main output. “We will also

have the services of ENG crews around France to

collect other content for interviews and so on.”

In common with other broadcasters, the BBC

will have access to the UEFA Livex server and its

wide range of available content. “By carefully

managing our facilities and making use of the

material on offer, we have been able to reduce

our location commitment, again allowing us to

provide value for money for the Euro coverage.”

Alongside the extensive live match coverage,

the BBC will be providing Euro 2016 services such

as catch-up programming, online features, TV

highlights and analysis sequences. “The BBC

has rights to broadcast all matches online. This

coverage will be enhanced with data analysis

and social media interaction. On the Red Button

there will be different audio options, such as the

Radio 5Live commentary or language services.”

He concludes, “With such a major

undertaking, it is obvious that our plans have

been reformulated on a number of occasions.

But now we are ready with what we believe is

a strategy that will provide our viewers with the

most comprehensive coverage of the upcoming

tournament in France.”

German plansBroadcasting rights for Germany are being

shared by ZDF, ARD and SAT1/Pro7, marking the

first time the broadcaster will show live games

from a Uefa European football championship.

Coming on the heels of its World Cup success,

Germany, alongside hosts France, is being

placed as joint favourite for the tournament.

“We, together with ARD, will be showing 45 of

the 51 games,” says ZDF’s head of sports, Dieter

Gruschwitz. “To enable us to provide the most

comprehensive coverage, ZDF will be utilising

the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) to a

considerable extent. Our plans call for not just a

studio, but also offices and extensive technical

facilities.” Those ZDF facilities will receive a dirty

feed for its live programmes. “For every match,

we will utilise the ISO feeds being offered by

Uefa. In addition, there will be a clean feed and

that, along with the ISOs, will be used in post

production where we can add our own graphics

for the studio experts when they analyse action

and incidents. When it comes to dedicated

coverage of the Germany matches, we will be

using a production truck with additional cameras,

and this facility will supplement the international

feed. We will also utilise bookable stand-up

positions at each ground, as necessary. All the

signals will be sent to our own gallery at the IBC

where our directors will have a good choice

of content to help tell the story of the game.”

Gruschwitz reports that his presenting team

will be Oliver Welke and Oliver Kahn. The ZDF

lead commentators will be Bela Rethy and

Oliver Schmidt. Each match day, ZDF will

broadcast a highlights programme showing all

games played earlier. “We will also be using three

crews in France to collect stories and reactions,

especially from the German training camp. We

will also be using a special studio for interviews.”

Production14 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

Personalising the coveragePhilip Stevens asks several Euro 2016 rights holders how they are planning to serve their domestic audiences

14 15 16 TVBE Uefa Production_v3 HAJMcK.indd 1 13/04/2016 17:04

Production TVBEurope 15May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Maintaining the Swiss watchSRG SSR is Uefa’s broadcasting partner for

television coverage in Switzerland. Because the

country is multi-lingual, this will involve providing

three language versions of the games from its

various broadcast outlets. Sven Sarbach, head of

major events SRG SSR, business unit sport explains

more. “SRF will provide the German language

output, RTS for the French speakers, while RSI will

serve the Italian speaking viewers. Each unit will

send its own presenters and commentators to the

stadia around France.”

Those main commentators include Sascha

Ruefer, Daniel Kern and Daniel Wyler for the SRF

broadcasts, Philippe von Burg, Jean François

Develey and David Lemos for RTS and for

RSI, Armando Ceroni, Omar Gargantini and

Severino Piacquadio.

Sarbach reports that all 51 matches of the

tournament will be available to Swiss viewers.

“With so many different nationalities living in

our country, viewers have different loyalties,

so coverage of all games is important. When

matches kick off at the same time, we will choose

the most important for the live transmission,

and then replay the other a little later.” The

broadcaster will utilise a small office and a control

room within the IBC. “Our plan is to use the main

stadium world feed with the provided graphics,

plus stand-up positions at each venue and then

add our commentaries. For certain games, we

will be using our own unilateral camera. However,

for those games which involve the Swiss national

side, we will add our own production vehicle.”

A special studio will be built at the Swiss base

camp in Montpellier, but for the Swiss matches

a presentation studio in the stadium will be

used. Montpellier is also the location for the

broadcaster’s three Sony XPRI edit suites.

Sarbach concludes, “There will be different

feeds from each game that can be used

for second screen purposes. Whatever their

nationality, viewers back in Switzerland will be

treated to the most comprehensive coverage

from this festival of football.”

Checking out the Czech coverageFinishing top of its group in the qualifiers, the

Czech Republic will meet Spain in the first of its

Finals game at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse.

Covering the games for viewers in the Czech

Republic will be Uefa broadcast partner,

Ceská Televize (CT).

“We will be showing all 51 games in the Euro

2016 tournament,” reveals Vladimir Drbohlav,

head of international transmissions department

at the broadcaster. “Our main commentators in

France will be our popular team of Jaromir Bosak

and Vlastimil Vlasek.” CT has no plans to operate

through the IBC, but will rely on the international

feed with the provided English language

graphics. “CT’s own ENG crews will be on hand

for games that involve their national team, and

for those matches we have booked stand up

positions.” Its main presentation studio for all the

matches will be located at its broadcast facility

in Prague.

“Where our own graphics will help to tell the

story, we will add those back at our studio base in

Prague,” states Drbohlav. “And when it comes to

utilising statistics, we will be using those provided

to us by Uefa.”

Beyond covering the games, CT will broadcast

a special highlights programme on each

match day. “Our crews will prepare reports,

www.asperasoft.commoving the world’s data at maximum speed

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Productionwww.tvbeurope.com May 201616 TVBEurope

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201602_200X135.pdf 1 2016-01-14 오후 2:45:41

interviews and profiles concerning the Euro 2016

atmosphere and the participants’ preparations

and reactions.” The material from these ENG

crews will be edited in France, with distribution

via the internet. CT also plans to offer matches

through its websites and on mobile phones.

Covering the Red DevilsAll 51 matches will be broadcast live in Belgium,

with coverage by RTBF in the French language

and VRT for the Flemish speaking audience.

Bart De Lathouwers, producer VRT Sport says

that its main studio presenters will be Maarten

Vangramberen and Karl Vannieuwkerke, with

Ruben Van Gucht as the anchor at the venues

where the games involving Belgium are played

and at their training camp.

In France, VRT will share facilities within the

IBC with RTBF and NOS, the Dutch national

broadcaster. The Belgian broadcasters will

each use two edit suites, although there will be

additional edit facilities at the journalists’ desktops

in the office area. Linking these facilities will be

a shared Avid production network and storage

system. “Our live transmissions will be centred on

the dirty feed from the host broadcasters, but

there will be a clean feed for our studio in Brussels

and we will add in our own language graphics

for our unilateral pre and post-match statistics,”

states De Lathouwers.

He continues, “Our OB van will be present at

all the national team’s games, and this will allow

both us and RTBF to use additional cameras for

a combined production. There will be a director

from RTBF, Thierry Delrue, who will carry out his

own vision mixing, and me as the producer in

the OB van.”

VRT will employ two ENG crews at the

Bordeaux training camp. Again, the two Belgians

will share facilities offered by an SNG vehicle,

supplied by RTBF. An additional ENG crew will

travel around the country collecting stories about

Belgium’s opponents at their training camps and

providing reports on matches.

Each evening will conclude with a talk

show programme which will cover post match

analysis and highlights.

“We will also work with a studio audience

and create special events for up to 300

spectators when the Belgian matches are

on the schedule.” n

Česká Televize‘s main commentators will be Jaromir Bosak and Vlastimil Vlasek; Phil Bigwood, executive producer, BBC TV Sport; and Dieter Gruschwitz, ZDF’s head of sports (Copyright SRF Oscar Alessio)

14 15 16 TVBE Uefa Production_v3 HAJMcK.indd 3 15/04/2016 16:27

new tvbe template remade.indd 1 13/04/2016 12:50

Production

For the first time in Euro history, 24 teams will

contest for the UEFA Euro 2016 trophy in

France during June and July. The estimated

two billion viewers, wherever they may be in the

world, are set to be provided with even more

televised content than ever before.

Kick-off for the finals takes place on 10 June at

the Stade de France in Paris. Here the host nation

will take on Romania in the first of 51 matches

that culminate in the same venue for the final

on 10 July, which is expected to attract a global

viewership of around 300 million people.

UEFA Euro 2016 will represent the third

tournament in a row that Uefa has overseen

the host broadcast (HB). Using the services of

five outside broadcast (OB) providers; Telegenic

(from the UK), Outside Broadcast (Belgium),

Euromedia and AMP Visual (both based in

France) and Mediatec (Sweden), the HB will

provide live HD coverage, encoded with Dolby

5.1 surround sound, of all matches. All replays will

be housed outside the OB trucks via a centralised

solution provided by EVS.

As always, the priority for Uefa is the live match

coverage, but Uefa Broadcast Partners (UBPs) will

also receive a wealth of additional programming

material before and after games. Twenty-four

dedicated teams will follow each completion

nation, providing daily team reports, highlights

and cultural features. UBPs will also have access

to other footage, including the teams’ arrivals

at the venues, the various pre-match press

conferences and post-match interviews.

UBPs will also have the option to receive all

broadcast quality video content via the Euro

2016 Livex broadcast media server, based on

EVS server technologies. Livex is Uefa’s content

publication and distribution platform that

stretches across the dedicated cross-France fibre

network. Through this platform, broadcasters

will have access to video and audio clips, data,

graphics and statistics as well as all the additional

programming provided by Uefa.

Overseeing the production will be a team of

around ten producers and five match directors.

A minimum of 38 live match cameras will be used

at each match, which will include three aerial

systems; spidercam, helicopter and external

beauty shot. Implemented since Euro 2008, these

provide priceless footage of the match and

atmosphere around the stadium.

Uefa continues to innovate in 4K production,

having first tested the technology at the 2014

Lisbon Champions League final. At Euro 2016,

alongside the HD output, the opening match,

quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will also be

covered by 12 dedicated 4K Ultra HD cameras,

overseen by a separate production team.

Other innovations for Euro 2016 will include next

generation tracking and the use of unmanned

aerial vehicles (UAVs) for pre-tournament filming

above the host cities. Outside of the venues,

the focal point of the entire HB operation is

the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). This

will be custom built for Uefa by host broadcast

services (HBS) at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

exhibition centre. Construction of the IBC

18 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

A festival of football in FrancePhilip Stevens talks to Uefa about its plans for the upcoming Euro 2016 finals

Uefa’s plans call for 38 cameras to be used during the games in France

18 19 TVBE May16 ProductionUEFA_v2 HAJMcK.indd 1 14/04/2016 10:07

Production

begins on 28 March and the facility will be fully

operational by 6 June, a day before it officially

opens. More than 800 UBP and Uefa staff will

call the IBC home during the tournament, which

also houses studios, commentary booths and

office space. The IBC will take on the feel of a

small village complete with restaurants, laundry

and postal services, and even a tourism desk for

visiting broadcasters.

The production galleries within the IBC will

be equipped with Sony and Barco solutions,

with Adobe used as the edit system. Once the

tournament is underway, UBPs will be able to

enhance their coverage by booking unilateral

services at each match to give their own

programmes a unique look and feel. These

unilateral facilities include camera positions,

studios, announce platforms, TV compound

stand-up positions and pitch reporter positions.

A team from Uefa TV will be on hand at each

venue to oversee both the unilateral and

multilateral coverage.

Uefa has invested heavily in digital media

services, and Euro 2016 will see a roll-out of

several new services, delivered by deltatre,

including a live match streaming player and

separate video streams, match-highlight clips,

data feeds and VoD solutions for tablets and

smartphones. These will allow UBPs to further

exploit their media rights and augment the

digital footprint, across all platforms, in their

respective markets. Uefa’s unprecedented HB

delivery to UBPs for Euro 2012 included more

than 15,000 hours of production. Uefa’s industry

benchmark coverage before, during and after

the tournament will dramatically increase for

UEFA Euro 2016, bringing the fans even closer to

the tournament, the cities and the players. n

TVBEurope 19May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Poland is one of the teams taking part in the tournament

‘Innovations for Euro 2016 will include next generation tracking and the use of

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for pre-tournament filming above the host

cities’

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20 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

“We see a lot of grading now in

standard television programmes,

and there is a very clear push

towards more a artistic, more fi lmic look to it,”

says Wolfgang Lempp, CEO of FilmLight. “It’s also

fed of course by the modern cameras which

have fantastic dynamic range, that allow you

to play with lighting and grading in a way that

wasn’t possible before. And anyone who has

seen HDR realises very quickly that is more of a

pull for the consumer than Ultra HD.”

“More and more mastering at 4K is taking

place outside of DI for theatrical features,”

says Simon Bartlett, marketing and business

development EMEA for post production at

SAM. “The main driver for this is the new breed

of broadcasters such as Netfl ix and Amazon

commissioning 4K work. 4K HDR will be a natural

extension of this and will help up-sell 4K or Ultra

HD consumer displays from HD.”

“Although there are challenges, mainly the

cost investment and client education, the

benefi t of both 4K and HDR is increased viewer

enjoyment as well as revenue for the post

house,” says senior colourist and MD of The

Look, Thomas Urbye. “As a colourist, I relish the

opportunity to grade in HDR as the contrast

range, and in some instances saturation, in Rec

709 can be restrictive. It’s not all about super

sharp, super bright and highly saturated colours,

but a more immersive viewing experience by

creating visually stunning images. 4K and HDR

helps to do that.”

Colourist and colour scientist Dado Valentic is

the founder of Mytherapy, and after working on

Netfl ix’s HDR production of Marco Polo, is very

well placed to talk about the opportunities and

challenges offered by cameras and monitors

supporting higher dynamic range and wider

colour gamuts. “HDR is giving us incredible

precision in shadows that we didn’t have before.

HDR screens offer a very high contrast and a

larger amount of colour. You can also use much

more available light on set. Because we have

screens that are now able to display that light

sensitivity, we can actually work [on set] more

naturally. You don’t have to limit yourself by not

being able to display what’s interior and exterior.

You can see what’s out through the window.”

“We are able to expose more detail, but also

sometimes unwanted detail, and problems

that the camera might have captured,” he

continues. “Any grading tricks that we

were able to get away with in the past are

becoming more visible. We have to work with

much higher precision.” The colourist also advises

moderation in HDR. “I don’t want people to have

their eyes fall out just because of how bright I

can make something on the screen. Or skin to

look like a cherry, because it can be as red as

you want it. It’s more about creating beautiful

images, using all the available data.”

Talking specifi cally about colour “Before 4K HDR television, colourists graded in

Rec 709 with a 2.2 Gamma curve; it was pretty

simple, but now there is more choice and

more deliverables.” says Bartlett. “Therefore,

the main challenge is not in the grading itself,

but understanding the choices you have when

working in a specifi c colour space with an

appropriate transfer curve that is required by the

different deliverable formats. Otherwise clipping

and other artefacts might appear when colours

can’t be reproduced on a particular display

device. Post production pipelines will also need

to gear up to effi ciently service an increase in

4K demand and also to handle the increased

number of deliverables from a 4K HDR master.”

“A lot of customers are playing with HDR, but shy

away from it in the end,” says Patrick Morgan,

product marketing manager for Digital Vision.

“One of the big issues is standardisation; there’s

no real [display] standard. The BBC and NHK

pushing their Hybrid Log Gamma curve, and

you’ve got Dolby pushing PQ [SMPTE 2084].”

“We’ve kind of future-proofed ourselves [with

Nucoda],” he says. “We’ve been working with

DolbyVision for a long time, such as on Pixar’s

Inside Out and Disney’s Tomorrowland. We

changed our keyer, so that you can key on value

as opposed to luminance. We changed our

Post Production

Camera technology is driving and exploiting demand for higher resolution and high dynamic range, expanding creativity on the acquisition side, writes Michael Burns. However, opportunities and challenges at the fi nishing end are also growing

20 21 TVBE MAY 16 Post Production_V3 HAJMcK.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:29

Post Production TVBEurope 21May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

colour curves to be able to work in extended

range. We changed our clipping tool, so we

can tell it at what level to clip. We’ve got the PQ

curve in our matrix. So we did a lot of stuff that

people can now use to work in HDR. Standards

will make it easier for the customer.”

Thomas Urbye says he has concerns about

going from a committed Rec 709 project to Rec

2020: “To offer a truly great visual experience

I think its necessary to grade for both, grading

within the same system and using a special

set of highly specialised grading transforms to

get from the grade for Rec 709 to P3 or Rec

2020, all signed off by myself and my clients.

To just use a simple linear transform seems an

unsophisticated and poor approach to the true

visual opportunities offered by HDR.”

“Originally when we first started working with

HDR, we would receive an SDR grade and

repurpose the grade and make it HDR,” recalls

Valentic. “I found that was not really giving me

the best results. HDR images can look absolutely

stunning and beautiful, and just taking an

SDR master and stretching it to be HDR is not

the way to do it. The best way for me was

actually to grade in HDR and create a SDR

master in parallel.”

Holistic thinking in colour“One of the really important things for us, and

it’s particularly true for television, is productivity,”

says Lempp. “That’s why we’ve always pushed

this idea that we should start grading early.

There’s a lot you can do on set, or as part of

post production and visual effects, if there is

consistent way of viewing colour.”

Mytherapy follows a colour managed

workflow, working with the DoP before shooting

starts. “We develop what we call a show LUT,”

says Valentic. “We can track the metadata for

the looks that were implemented on set to the

grading suite, so when I conform, I don’t just

conform the picture and sound, I also conform

the colour metadata as well. I’m not inventing

and creating a look at the end of the job.”

“I wouldn’t do HDR in any other way,” he adds.

“I really do not want to do a job where it’s just

shot and given to me for grading, that’s almost

like rescuing something. In HDR we have to know

what we’re getting, when they shoot it.”

Valentic says his biggest bugbear is time: “To the

producers, if you’re going to be working in HDR,

give us more time. It’s not necessarily that we are

slow in working with HDR, it’s just that we need to

be more precise in what we’re doing, and that

needs more attention to detail.” n

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Thomas Urbye, The Look

20 21 TVBE MAY 16 Post Production_V3 HAJMcK.indd 2 15/04/2016 16:29

AMOS-6Coming in 2016

new tvbe template remade.indd 1 13/04/2016 12:52

Walking away from an interview with

Claire McHugh and Daragh Ward, I

couldn’t prevent myself from singing

‘When Irish apps are smiling’. Respectively CEO

and CTO, and driven to be in the vanguard

of where all video is intuitively interactive, this

successful Dublin start-up already counts QVC,

Viacom, AOL and Qyou amongst its clients, and

now it has the Ediflo Pro platform, a cloud-based

SaaS system that allows the user to add video

services via Object Based Broadcasting (OBB).

The message to the likes of BT is simple: when

you have finished fussing over 4K and HDR,

interactive video apps distributed on multiple

platforms are the next big thing. In fact they are

here now, but where did Axonista come from in

terms of its pedigree?

“I worked for a number of years as a sports

broadcaster, and Daragh’s background is in

enterprise development. It happened in typical

Irish start-up fashion, created over a few pints

in a pub,” said McHugh. “There was the very

experimental stage, before the ubiquitous mobile

device became what we have today.

“We did trials with Irish broadcasters. We

produced companion apps for specific shows,

and looked to see how we could help the

editorial flow,” she added. “And then we did a

project with TV3 which was pretty ambitious for

2013. It was a completely synced companion

app for TV3’s entire primetime schedule of 40

different shows. That project gave us a really

good understanding of what worked and what

did not work with second screen. We also learnt

what sort of assets were available, and how

editorial could shape interactive experiences.”

What McHugh and Ward discovered was

that anything in a live setting, such as sports,

shopping, fashion, news and current affairs,

worked brilliantly.

“If you were a little bit removed from the

content it was difficult to create an experience

that actually added any value for the viewers.

So we have concentrated on, and have

developed our product to target it towards

live shows,” said McHugh.

This is not about creating more than a

two-screen experience, but a single unified

experience. “If you are watching on a mobile

device, it works perfectly for that device. If there

is a caption that looks like it should be tapped, it

is tap-able and it does something, but it does not

interrupt the editorial of the show itself,” she said.

Innovate or die awayJump forward three years from the TV3 trials

and Axonista has several core products; Ediflo

Live (scheduling and playout), Ediflo Library

(DAM), Remoco (interactive video), and now the

professional version of Ediflo. Its mission statement

could be, ‘We create interactive apps that

can be distributed on multiple platforms, and

managed by producers’.

“If you are in TV and you are not innovating,

you are not going to be around in ten years from

now. We work with innovators who can look

forward and see how the market is shifting, and

Intuitively interactive television

Business TVBEurope 23May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

George Jarrett met the co-founders of Axonista, a Dublin start-up going beyond the two-screen experience

Daragh Ward, Axonista

“So many technology companies just try to put widgets everywhere and say how clever

they are. This is just intuitively perfect” Daragh Ward, Axonista

23 24 26 TVBE May Business_v4 HA.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:34

be there at that time,” said McHugh. “For people

like QVC and the big global broadcasters, this is

a no brainer. And then there are the new digital

natives, and a large version of those is AOL.

It has lots of different video properties and is

really open to doing new and interesting things

because its target market is people who have

maybe never actually had TV or cable, and are

used to viewing on different mobile devices.

“And then we have the people who are

getting into broadcasting for the first time and

don’t have all that legacy stuff,” she added.

Ward contributed: “We still want to be working

with broadcasters and other companies who are

influencing the editorial. We always like to take

video from the broadcaster we are talking to

and say, ‘Here’s your content and this is what it’s

like if you use our system to make it interactive on

devices. We are not going to change editorial’.

The content has come off the screen now

and has come onto all the little screens, and

it is about that intuition of how it works on

different devices.”

McHugh said: “It could eventually come

completely off the screens and just be on any flat

surfaces or in VR environments. Anywhere video

can play it can be interacted with, and that’s

where we want to be.”

Axonista is six years old. The three products

were created by just 15 staff. How will it find the

talent and funding to expand?

“That is a big issue,” said McHugh. “Luckily

enough I have a technical co-founder who has

built good software teams before. This is Daragh’s

third company.”

Ward added: “Dublin has a vibrant start-up

community that is technically heavy. Google,

Facebook, Twitter and many Silicon Valley

companies have European HQs there, and they

attract large numbers of engineering talent.

“In some ways that is difficult, because we

are not competing with those guys, but nobody

spends their entire career at Google. They come

out the other side and look for a new challenge.

We are able to tell the story of what we are

doing and attract people that way,”

he continued.

Axonista raised its seed money and it has

become profitable. The next step after growing

the team will be penetrating the American

market more competitively.

“We are looking right now for a really good

venture capital partner who will inject the right

amount, but also give us good connections and

the ability to fill gaps in our team,” said Ward.

This is a sensible foot in the past, foot in the

future thinking. “We continue to work with

Businesswww.tvbeurope.com May 201624 TVBEurope

“If you are in TV and you are not innovating, you are not going to be

around in ten years” Claire McHugh, Axonista

Claire McHugh, Axonista

23 24 26 TVBE May Business_v4 HA.indd 2 15/04/2016 16:34

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TVB_220x290 SAM Innovation 2.indd 1 10/04/2016 19:33new tvbe template remade.indd 1 13/04/2016 12:53

Irish broadcasters, TV3 particularly; we do all

its free player stuff on different platforms from

IOS, Android and Roku to Xbox,” said McHugh.

“Ireland is a great market to test things because

it is a kind of mini UK market and a very mini US

market in terms of demographic breakdown. The

QVC Apple TV app has got us the most attention.

When we got to do that it enabled us to show

what the future of TV really looks like.”

Everywhere video can be playedAxonista started as a services company doing

second screen apps and developed by taking

all the technology it had been building for apps

creation and coalescing it into solid product.

It had been selling an enterprise version of

Ediflo, meaning involvement in the customer

implementation. The new professional version

is something users can set up for themselves.

It has a creative team that handles design to

prototype, and a development team that builds

the prototype out.

“We work everywhere where video can be

played. Our product side is broad: there is the

asset management, which you could use on

its own to create an OTT service. We work with

partners where we have features we don’t want

to build ourselves. We want to focus on the

interactive graphics part of it,” said Ward. “We

work with Yospace for ad insertions at TV3. We

work with Pay Wizard for payments, and

for automated content recognition we work

with Civolution.”

Axonista software is a cloud-based subscription

deal. Ediflo is all about workflow, and the new

professional system hits the market in Q3.

“It is an editorial workflow system but is

designed to be incorporated into your existing

workflow. We do not want to ask you to

change anything around, so we have very easy

integrations. We can integrate our scheduling

piece into your scheduling system, and you

don’t necessarily have to use Ediflo to create the

schedule. You would use it to drive the digital side

and drive the apps,” he added.

Axonista is working with a number of customers

to build out Ediflo Pro and make it 100 per cent

ready. Ward went into demo mode.

“This is the asset library of Qyou, and you can

see we can store the content and metadata for

all of the videos these guys use to comprise their

offering. They are both linear and on-demand so

they use the library to manage their digital assets

in the cloud,” he said.

“On the scheduling side Qyou curates short-

form content for the web, so lots of really good

youth oriented short-form video, and they put it

all together as shows with presenters who call out

what’s happening and the content makers as

guests. They make a whole show out of it.”

The point here is that the run down of media

assets in an hour-long show were there to

frame accuracy, and played out from the

cloud. The interactive TV part of the Axonista

strategy is Remoco.

“It’s an SDK that you can drop into your own

apps,” said Ward. “And we can build an app for

you based around this. You can have interactivity

against one show out of your schedule or around

anything you want.”

This led to QVC as a user. “It is really simple.

That’s the real killer thing about it. So many

technology companies just try to put widgets

everywhere and say how clever they are. This is

just intuitively perfect,” said Ward.

In the prototype seen (QVC had baked in

the sell data panel on its pages) the Axonista

replacement panel is an interactive overlay

offering many more benefits. These can be partly

identified from a demo experience with presenter

Craig Doyle.

“Craig is going to start by asking his audience a

question, and he will encourage them to engage

on Twitter to reply. The question is, ‘which is more

important, performance or victory, and why?’

He wants people to call the show and include

the hash tag, and this is fine for TV again, similarly

to QVC. But in a device what you are actually

asking people to do is leave the app they are

watching and go to twitter and launch. They

then have to remember how to spell the hash tag

and try to remember the question, just as a friend

posts a crazy picture of his cat,” said McHugh.

Clean feed without the graphicWhat Axonista worked out, which it has presented

to BT as an idea was: “Why not give us a clean

feed without the graphic. This is a very similar

graphic but it is native. The guys in the studio

do not have to change what they are saying,

change the editorial or change the production.

“We can take the data they are sending

the Chyron and funnel it down to the app and

display it in a way that looks the same. But when

you tap it you can respond to that poll, put in

your bit of guff and Tweet, and you have not

missed a beat or left the show,” said Ward.

“This really increases engagement: when we

talk to our users about the results that came

out, some of them are pretty astounding,” he

continued. “For QVC it is a natural progression,

but not yet for broadcasters and BT. Those guys

are focussed on 4K and HDR but there will be a

thing that will be next after that, and what we are

trying to do with Ediflo Pro is to drive that market

and to put it in front of decision makers and say

this thing is possible now.” Axonista does not

make the mistake of claiming it is unique. “There

are other people doing what we are doing, and

if there wasn’t I would be worried. It is always a

good indication you are doing the right thing if

somebody has also thought of it,” said McHugh.

“The difference is our keen focus on the user

experience and also on the editorial experience.

Producers are the storytellers; so enabling them

to use more ways of telling their story is really

the thing for us. OBB is the next phase in video

delivery for content makers who want to stay

ahead of their competitors.” n

Businesswww.tvbeurope.com May 201626 TVBEurope

The Dublin start-up counts QVC among its clients

23 24 26 TVBE May Business_v4 HA.indd 3 19/04/2016 11:03

www.tvbeurope2020.com @tvbeurope #tvbe2020

KEY SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION INCLUDE:• Do we need broadcasters in an internet enabled future?• Who are the content stakeholders in an all IP World? • Broadcasting in a software defi ned age• Does UHD provide the complete picture?• Demystifying HDR

Last year’s delegate list included senior representatives from the BBC, ITV, Netfl ix, Sky, ITN, Rovi, BT Sport, Channel 4, Viacom, CNBC Europe, Al Jazeera, Fox International, NBC Universal, Discovery, Reuters TV, Modern Times Group, Bloomberg, BT Media and Broadcast, PwC, Ernst and Young, SNL Kagan, KPMG, and more…

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TVBEurope 2020 FP 2016 v2.indd 1 15/04/2016 12:09

TVBEverywhere

Chem Assayag, EVP

marketing and sales

at Viaccess Orca,

commented that the term ‘mobile

TV’ does not accurately refl ect

the television landscape today.

He noted that, “instead, it refers

to the mid-2000s when specifi c

technologies such as DVB-H were

being used to deliver video to

mobile devices”.

Assayag explained: “At that

time only broadcast-dedicated

technologies were capable of

delivering a decent viewing

experience on mobile devices. This

approach had shortcomings and

has since been replaced by mobile

video experiences allowed by 3G

and 4G networks, dynamic bitrate

technologies, Wi-Fi hotspots, new

devices such as smartphones and

tablets with good memory capacity

and processing power, and

mobile-friendly content formats.

Now, video on mobile is part of a

comprehensive ‘TV everywhere’

experience from a viewer

standpoint, and TV everywhere

solutions from a vendor standpoint.”

TV on mobile everywhere“The last 12 months have been

absolutely amazing for mobile

TV,” agreed Iddo Shai, director

of product marketing at Kaltura.

“First, we saw much more content

becoming available on mobile. In

2015, users with a mobile device

and no TV or TV subscription device

had access to much more premium

content. The biggest move was

HBO going direct to consumer with

a $15 per month SVoD service in the

US. Others soon followed like CBS

and Showtime. Some of the most

popular sports are now available

via apps like Sling.TV (ESPN), MLB.

TV, NBA League pass, NHL Mobile

and more. Even the Super Bowl, the

biggest sporting event of the year,

was streamed on Yahoo.

Heather McLean spoke to attendees at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona about how the market has evolved in 2015, and where they expect it to go over the next year

TVBEverywhere28 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

“Mobile TV” is old hat

28 30 31 TVBE MAY16 TVBEverywhere_V3 HAJMcK.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:25

Witness key trending technologies

OTT Video over IP

Audio over IP Digital Media Asset

Management

Be sure to check out the theme

specific technologies in

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INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES, EXPERIENCING CONTENT

31 May - 3 June 2016 Level 4 & 5

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@ Level 4Hear from award-winning / well-known directors and DOPs who will be sharing

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Network with over 600 leading brand owners and solution providers across the

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Director of Audiences

BBC

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Head, DigitalMediaCorp

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BCA16AdW220xH290-TVBE-FA.indd 1 14/4/16 10:25 amnew tvbe template remade.indd 1 14/04/2016 12:09

TVBEverywhere30 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

“With so much premium content

available online, it’s safe to assume

that we will continue to see more

‘cord-nevers’ that don’t see a need

to subscribe to traditional pay-TV

and wonder if they should even

own a TV,” said Shai.

Shai pointed to a Research Now

study released in January by pay-TV

provider, Paywizard, which showed

that 66 per cent of consumers

globally prefer to access internet

TV via a mobile, tablet or laptop.

Recent launches of 4K screens

on mobile devices and debuts of

new Airplay-, Chromecast- and

Miracast-enabled devices support

research findings that younger

audiences (18-34s) now use almost

twice as many devices as over

55s to watch TV. In fact, the study

showed that the 18-24 year-old

group is most likely to watch TV

on mobile (35 per cent), whereas

25-34s are the most likely group to

watch TV on tablets (32 per cent).

Michal Fridman, VP of marketing

at Comigo, commented that

things are getting exciting: “With

the younger generation changing

viewing habits, both in terms of

multi-tasking and decreasing the

amount of time spent on the main

TV screen, it is not surprising that

mobile TV has been the fastest

growing form of TV watching in the

past 12 months. We’re also seeing

that viewers are demanding a

television experience that is more

contextual and personalised on

every screen.”

Going mainstreamOn how the mobile TV landscape

evolved over the past 12 months,

Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, co-

founder, corporate development at

SPB TV, said: “The mobile TV business

has [gone] mainstream, a service

that is offered almost everywhere

today. The difference in services

can be seen by the quality and

quantity of offerings, which vary

a lot. We have also seen that the

most advanced operators, who

started years ago with mobile TV,

have reached market saturation,

[whereas] newcomers in the field

can reach new heights if they

implement [their] service [smartly]

and market their solution well.”

Shai also said that live streaming

has been a big change in

mobile over the past 12 months.

“Twitter’s Periscope was one of

the most talked about video

apps of the year. It’s not surprising

that Facebook also added live

broadcasting capabilities to its app.

Google already offers a somewhat

The global resource portal for media technology content

NewBayConnect-MediaInfo-PDF.indd 1 26/05/2015 12:59

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NewBay Connect HP.indd 1 15/04/2016 12:17

The world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry returned to Barcelona in February

28 30 31 TVBE MAY16 TVBEverywhere_V3 HAJMcK.indd 2 15/04/2016 14:09

TVBEverywhere TVBEurope 31May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

similar option via Hangouts.

“We are about to experience

a boom in mobile companies

going into the TV market,” said

Shai. Vodafone Ireland and Spain

launched services recently and he

predicted other countries should

follow. “Telcos are in a position to

launch the TV services of tomorrow

with a mixed business model of

advertising, subscriptions and

transactions. I expect that they will

deliver on the promise of OTT TV to

allow watching content anywhere

and any time in a personalised

experience,” Shai said.

In terms of what’s next, Shai

referred to new TV devices such as

Apple TV, while Google is pushing

Android TV and Chromecast.

“We should expect a more fluid

TV experience in the near future,

in which our mobile devices will

work in unison with our iOS or

Android devices. Bringing mobile

to the living room is a revolution

waiting to happen.” Yet he added:

“The most interesting mobile TV

player these days is Facebook; it is

adding more video capabilities. It’s

likely to become a mobile video

powerhouse, especially when you

consider its reach.”

Interactive personalised servicesOn what is missing, Schmidt

commented that, “targeted

advertisement has still not arrived

in the heads of the decision

makers, although the technology

is available”. He added: “But the

most stunning service and the next

real evolution will be interactive

services. Content producers

who are looking for new ways of

engaging with their users will define

new formats which will further

change the way people consume

content in future.”

As to what Assayag sees

as the future business model

for mobile TV, he stated: “The

majority of video content viewed

on mobile devices is sold as a

component of a TV everywhere

package, and we should expect

this trend to continue. With the

increase of mobile bandwidth

around the world, consumers

will be more willing to pay for or

subscribe to premium content

on mobile devices, particularly

in emerging countries. A rise in

mobile TV subscriptions will lead

to a significant increase in pay-TV

revenues, globally, over the next

few years.” However, he observed

that specific advertising funded

models have also emerged. “In this

case, it becomes important to find

a way to deliver advertising in a

targeted, smart and non-intrusive

way. The beauty of mobile devices

is that they are personal devices.

Finding the right advertising formats

on mobile devices have become

the Holy Grail for all companies.

In the video space, pre and post

roll ads have become the norm,

allowing advertisers to keep

changing the formats.”

Indeed, personalisation is the next

trend, Ed Barton, practice leader

for TV at research firm, Ovum,

commented: “Ovum believes

that operators must progressively

transition the TV experience from

addressing households, as it has

since the 1950s, to addressing

individuals. TV service providers

must gather data about their

customers and their viewing

behaviour through set-top boxes

and other screen-based viewing

devices and video apps. This will

put them in a potentially very

powerful position as the segment

of the value chain with the highest

visibility of the audience, the

household subscriber relationship,

and the ability to gather and

subsequently interpret the data on

viewing behaviour. However, we

have so far seen little evidence of

operators leveraging the wealth of

data available.”

Meanwhile, Fridman said: “The

evolution of internet and video

technology enable contextual

enrichment capabilities to be

introduced to the mobile TV

experience. As such, we’re seeing

pay-TV and content providers

developing applications that

are contextual, dynamic, and

interactive, complementing the

mobile TV viewing experience. An

operator’s subscribers can engage

with these applications on top of a

video stream or broadcast, opening

up new and innovative revenue

sources, based on contextual

relevancy of the application.” n

www.mediagenix.tvwww.mediagenix.tv

SCHEDULING

Streamline your

Model your schedules from the concept up to broadcasting and beyond over multiple media.www.mediagenix.tv

“A rise in mobile TV subscriptions will lead to a

significant increase in pay-TV revenues, globally, over the

next few years” Chem Assayag, Viaccess Orca

Top to bottom; Chem Assayag, Viaccess Orca; Iddo Shai, Kaltura; Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, SPB TV; Michal Fridman, Comigo

28 30 31 TVBE MAY16 TVBEverywhere_V3 HAJMcK.indd 3 14/04/2016 10:26

Feature32 TVBEurope

Many senior figures in the broadcast industry claim to be experts in the field, but after chatting with David Ross I couldn’t think of a more fitting tagline when he tells me his is a company of “production technology experts”, writes Holly Ashford

Inside the chief executive’s office

Ross Video was founded by John Ross in

1974, who was joined at the firm by his son,

David, in 1991. Still a family business, Ross

the younger now heads up the company and

owns close to 90 per cent. I spoke to Ross just

two weeks before NAB, surely one of the busiest

and most stressful periods of the broadcast year.

Yet this CEO seemed decidedly upbeat and

collected, something I should have gleaned

from his Twitter picture; bedecked in sunglasses

and lei, cocktail in hand, backed by a blue,

sunny sky. And it’s no wonder: Ross opened our

discussion by sharing “one really exceptional

success story”; that the company has

experienced “Twenty-five consecutive record

years with no down years, and an average

compounded growth of 17 per cent year over

year.” Most companies have their ups and

downs, but this one seems to be heading in just

one direction, an extraordinary feat considering

the volatility of the market in the late 2000s:

“Growing in the recession was an interesting

trick.” admits Ross.

The company of “production technology

experts” offers a vast range of products and

services: production switchers, social media

management, robotic camera systems, control

and monitoring, graphics and routing systems,

signal processing, video servers, teleprompter

software, newsroom computer and master

control systems. “We have 17 product lines at this

point, with lots of sub-products underneath that,”

explains Ross. And if this wasn’t enough, “We also

sell art!” Ross Video also specialises in graphics

for TV and sport, and its creative services include

Rocket Surgery, a ‘one-stop-shop’ for design and

API development. “If you’ve got a stadium or

a news programme and you want to get your

election package together, or the game day

experience, what it looks like on the big screen,

we have artists that do all that work for you,”

says Ross. The company has a Rocket Surgery

Election 2016 package, promising to ‘make your

coverage #1’.

Doing it allRoss continues: “We also own and operate five

broadcast production trucks across the states,”

with Ross Mobile Productions (RMP), which

provides a full-service solution with equipment

rental and crew, “so there’s Ross cameramen,

Ross producers, Ross directors.” RMP has

produced live sports for the likes of Fox, ESPN

and NBC. It’s not an exaggeration when Ross

states “we do it all”, but how does a company

which offers such an array of products

and services covering almost every

facet of the broadcast industry,

maintain a high level of quality and

customer service?

“There’s a lot of method to

making all that work,” admits

Ross. Inside Ross Video there

are product line managers

“who are experts in both the

customer application and

the technologies involved,”

he continues. “They make

sure the quality is there,

that we’re using the right

technologies.” There is

also standardised quality

across the company, and

everything is manufactured

in the same factory, in the

same way, in-house. “That’s

another cool thing about

Ross,” its owner explains,

coolly. “We have 70,000sqft of

manufacturing capability that’s

running 16 hours a day, every

day.” There are also business

www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

32-35 TVBE May16 Feature David Ross v4 HA.indd 1 15/04/2016 15:39

TVBEurope 33

Feature

development managers that look at customer

applications and make sure that the company

offers “constellations of products” for various

applications. “We look at the Lego blocks that

we have, and then we design interconnects

between them to make them work extremely

well inside of those applications.” The company

creates products which work together, rather

than just offering a big checkout: “We’re more

Apple than Walmart.”

Growing a global forceIn an industry which has seen consolidations and

takeovers continue apace, Ross seems to be

in a rare position, maintaining majority control

of his family business. Even more surprisingly, his

employees own the other ten per cent. As a high

school and university student Ross undertook

internships at his father’s firm, which started life

as a “small 25-person company that my dad

had been struggling with for a few years.” His

background is in computer engineering and

business, and while in high school, he won three

major engineering competitions at national level

with projects involving real-time programming

and computer graphics. He admits that he “had

the basics…of what you need to eventually

become a business manager” though at the time

he graduated, was considering a career at NASA

or IBM. Taking on the family business “just didn’t

seem like a lot of fun.”

The company was “up and down” since it

was founded in the early ‘70s and over the first

15 years or so would “wobble anywhere from

20 people to 100 people and crash back

down again.” So what led Ross to step in,

and help out? “I like building things, so I

guess I convinced my dad and my dad

convinced me that maybe I should give

it a shot.” It was only after Ross joined in

1991 “that we hit sustained growth”, he

says, though when pressed on what he

brought to the company, he hesitates.

“I think I have to be careful with what

I say. If I say I brought something it

means it wasn’t here, and I don’t

want to say anything bad about

my father.” The perils of working in

a family business! “It was a good

combination of my father’s grey

hairs and experience, and maybe a

little bit of youthful energy that was

injected in,” he concludes.

This experience resulted in an

increased focus on marketing and

sales, re-aligning the company from

an “engineering-driven” one to a firm

which Ross himself was very much a

part of, getting involved in “demonstrations,

product comparisons, making sure that we had

good sales and marketing, making sure that

we had processes for growth.” Ross also played

a significant role in the company’s financial

strategy. Ross the senior was “a big believer” in

being debt-free, having steered the company

through a number of recessions. After he came

on board, Ross was able to convince his then-

CEO father that “a little bit of debt could go

a long way to investing in the company.” Ross

Video did not – and still does not – rely on any

external investors, but by “taking advantage of

some of our line of credit that we had to push”

was able to add more sales people in a particular

field, more engineers to a certain project, and

after a while “that becomes ten more, and 100

more”. Ross happily describes how the company

now has manageable debt, which is “continually

swamped by our growth”. This strategy has

obviously paid off; the company now employs

over 500 people, invests heavily in R&D, which

it does itself in house, and manufactures and

markets its products

worldwide through a

global sales force.

Mess and disruptionRoss’s positive disposition

is no surprise considering

the financial stability and

unstoppable growth

of his company, yet

what he has less control

over is the state of the

industry. “We’re in a

bigger mess than we’ve

ever been in our history,

in more ways than you

can count.” He gives it

a go though, naming

the development of and

indecision around 4K,

HDR, and IP, proprietary

systems vs COTS, the lack

of standards, traditional

facilities vs virtualised facilities, remote

production vs on-site production, and at the

same time “we’ve got a whole advertising

and revenue model somewhat in question,

with the advent of OTT and Netflix and

YouTube and all the other things that are

screaming for eyeballs.”

All of these factors throw up a significant

dilemma for just about every business operating

in the market: “On one side you’ve got a need to

evolve” as well as “a desire to go to 4K and IP”,

which will require significant investment, and are

“fabulously more expensive”. On the other side

there is less money to do it with, “because of the

fragmentation of the audience.”

Rather than floundering in the middle of this

mess, however, Ross Video aims to “guide a

path” and provide clarity amidst the “epic battles

going on for standards” the industry is currently

embroiled in.

How does Ross Video achieve these aims?

It makes alliances, and hopes it is on the right

team. Ross likens the company to a customer,

who sometimes has to make purchases and

hope that what they’ve bought today isn’t

obsolete and unsupported in two years. However,

as a global company with fingers in many

broadcast pies, “we can do something that

maybe our customers can’t do, and place our

bets in multiple places.” The company is involved

in IP, 4K, is “looking at” HDR and workflow

improvements, and is trying to make sure it offers

solutions to support the “dizzying number of

directions the industry may go in.”

www.mediagenix.tvwww.mediagenix.tv

WORKFLOW

Optimize your

Optimize linear broadcasting and on-demand services in a single system and streamline your workfl ows company-wide.www.mediagenix.tv

“My father started the company in 1974 and we would wobble anywhere

from 20 people to 100 people and crash back down again”

May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

32-35 TVBE May16 Feature David Ross v4 HA.indd 2 15/04/2016 15:40

I spoke to Ross before the circus of NAB,

which would involve 160 of the Ross (Video)

family descending on Las Vegas for “our most

exciting NAB ever.” Maintaining this verve is

commendable, considering this is Ross’s 28th

time at the broadcast show. Rather than trying to

promote any single strong point, the Ross Video

stand would feature an information section,

offering an unbiased view of “what everyone’s

doing” and “explain(ing) what it actually all is

on a one-on-one basis.” Like a ringmaster in a

confusing and eclectic NAB tent, who better

than a company that has so many products on

a global reach to be able to say, in Ross’s words:

“if you’re confused, we’re not surprised! Let me

lay out the facts right now of how things stand, so

you can make a choice.”

Despite the considerable “mess” of the

industry, Ross Video has continued to grow;

how does the company evolve its products and

services in uncertain conditions? David Ross

has retained the engineering base of the firm,

investing in research and development, and

avoiding “science experiments”. There are a

lot of companies, he concedes, which spend a

lot of engineering money developing products

which are not part of an ecosystem and not

standardised. Instead, Ross Video has been head

down, designing things, gauging the changes

in the industry, and partnering with companies

including Evertz and Hitachi, to ensure what they

produce serves their customers. In short, as its

Code of Ethics states: ‘We will not ship crap’.

Ross is in the somewhat unique position of

having had the broadcast industry as a backdrop

to his life, from a very early age. Is the rate of

change in the industry over the past decade –

and the resulting mess – dramatically faster than

the previous decade? And how will the industry,

and Ross Video, cope with the challenges if these

uncertainties continue for the decade to come?

First of the two major inflection points in Ross’s

Feature34 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

“We do something that our customers can’t, and place our bets in

multiple places”

2016 will see an even greater commitment from TVBEurope to cover more of the pressing areas of concern, challenge, and opportunity within our burgeoning marketplace. The biggest change for this year will be the introduction of new sections to enable us to provide greater coverage to specific business areas. Our Workflow section will now be divided into two new sections: Production, and Post Production. We will also be introducing a new Business section to follow the increasing acquisition and investment activity permeating the sector, and are also introducing a dedicated Audio section to bring regular insights and updates from an often overlooked strand of our industry. These new sections will be manned by a team of section editors.

Issue Exhibitions present at Feature Editorial Close date Advertising close date

June • TVBEurope Strategy Week • TVBEurope 2020 preview 12th May 5th May • TVBEurope 2020 Conference • RIO 2016 Olympic feature: live production • Broadcast Asia • Visions of the future: the connected world

July • OTT feature 10th June 3rd June

• Automation and playout

• RIO 2016 Olympic production feature:

August • IBC thought leadership insight and 12th July 5th July

product preview

September • IBC • IBC 2016 Show issue: thought leadership 19th August 12th August insight and product showcase

October •TVBAwards • Audio for broadcast 23rd September 16th September • IBC Best of Show Winners • IP technology

EDITORIAL PLANNER 2016

Europe Ben Ewles: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 bewles@nbmedia.com

Richard Carr: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000rcarr@nbmedia.com

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USA Mike Mitchell +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv

For all advertising and sponsorship opportunities, contact the sales team:

TVBE Editorial Planner 2016 half page.indd 1 15/04/2016 11:04

32-35 TVBE May16 Feature David Ross v4 HA.indd 3 15/04/2016 16:30

life, he says, was going from analogue to digital

video which brought about “a lot of benefit and

not too much confusion.” The second, the move

from SDI to HD similarly “wasn’t too painful” and

didn’t change workflows too much. The current

move to IP, however, is somewhat different: “It

has the potential to be quite disruptive and

difficult.” All the knowledge which those working

in the industry have acquired concerning “how

to connect things and make them work” no

longer applies to IP. “The knowledge you need

to have goes beyond just broadcast, workflows,

and technologies, and the needs of putting

a production on the air,” Ross continues. “You

need to know some extremely sophisticated

networking information,” which, for a while, he

admits will become “an almost superhuman task

for chief engineers everywhere.”

Going mobileAs well as growing profits, Ross Video keeps

growing its family with a flurry of acquisitions

over the past eight years, including Dutch

graphics specialist Media

Refinery, Australian

comms equipment

company Codan and

more recently, AR and

VR set solutions provider

Unreel. Ross remains coy

about his company’s

future buying strategy. He

confirms that “we’re not

done yet” and that there

are more acquisitions

in the pipeline. Perhaps

most interesting of Ross

Video’s buyouts has

been Mobile Content

Providers (MCP), turning

the mobile sports

production packager

into a national mobile

production company,

Ross Mobile Productions.

The unit has covered

basketball, hockey, wrestling and a number of

live events; 64, in fact, this February alone. One

of the reasons for the move, says Ross, was that

he “wanted to have a deeper core confidence

in Ross, making sure our products worked.”

Now, he guesses that the company may be the

second largest production company based out

of Canada. Clearly things are working just fine.

Ross Video has gone from strength to

strength, the company is still in the family, (his

father sits on the board of directors), and is not

driven by “ruthless investors” and “maximum

quarterly profit”. In addition to his role of CEO

and chairman of the board, Ross continues to

work as product manager for production line

switchers, his original gateway into the business.

Ross Video’s technology, and Ross himself, is

award winning, he values “consistency of vision”,

and engineering. He competes in triathlons, is

happily married, has a ‘cute’ rescue dog as a

pet and uses NAB as an excuse to drive into the

mountains to go hiking. The “exceptional success

story” seems far from ending. No wonder his skies

are so sunny. n

TVBEurope 35May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature

www.mediagenix.tvwww.mediagenix.tv

VODStreamline your

from content acquisition over

scheduling to publishing and

package your content using

miniplaylists or render channels.

www.mediagenix.tv

For its election coverage, Belgium’s RTBF used Ross Video’s newsroom content and editorial

system Inception, which places social media integration at the heart of news production

“We look at the Lego blocks that we have, and then we design interconnects between

them to make them work extremely well inside of those applications”

32-35 TVBE May16 Feature David Ross v4 HA.indd 4 15/04/2016 15:41

36 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

Audio

The presence of huge outdoor stages and

halls stocked full of PA and equipment

geared towards the live and install markets

mean that Prolight + Sound hasn’t always been

perceived as a must-attend for broadcast

professionals. But with an increasing number of

vendors working successfully across all of these

areas, its coverage of broadcast technology

continues to expand with every passing year.

As might be expected, many of the most

exciting developments at this year’s event –

which took place at usual venue, the Messe

Frankfurt, from 5-8 April – pertained to networking

technology. Consider, for example, the

showcasing of products that support Ravenna:

ALC NetworX’s low-latency, IP-based networking

technology that was primarily devised with

the broadcast market in mind. More recently,

the technology’s compatibility with the AES67

standard has been widely highlighted.

An extensive selection was to be found

on ALC NetworX’s own booth and individual

company stands, and included the

groundbreaking Genelec 8430 IP network

compatible SAM studio monitor. Incorporating

Smart Active Monitoring and GLM AutoCal

automated system adjustment, the 8340A’s

Ethernet audio streaming capability is compliant

with AES67 and Ravenna, and supports all

the typical standard audio sample rates. The

resulting system is suitable for settings including

digital edit suites, radio, TV, outside broadcasting,

post production facilities and music studios.

“With the technological progress that

has been made in the field and the serious

involvements with AoIP by broadcasters and

other customers, we feel there is potential for

a well-engineered monitor to provide both

convenience and high performance benefits

that IP networks can deliver,” said Siamäk

Naghian, managing director of Genelec. “We

think that the 8430 is exactly that monitor and

I anticipate an enthusiastic reception of the

product amongst the audio community. Audio

over IP is no longer the future of monitoring – it

is here now.”

But Genelec’s new monitor was by no means

the only Ravenna-related product development

on show at PL+S, with other notable items

including: the GigaCore 14R Gigabit Ethernet

switch from Luminex; Omicron Lab’s OTMC-100

antenna-integrated PTP Grandmaster clock;

Merging Technologies’ Hapi networked audio

interface; Neumann’s DMI-8 digital microphone

interface equipped with a Ravenna card; and

Boldburg’s Galileo range of Ravenna-enabled

modular multi-core devices.

‘Indisputable extra value’Another Ravenna technology user, Lawo brought

a very extensive selection of its latest and

greatest products to Frankfurt. These included

the mc²36, an all-in-one mixing desk ‘built to

broadcast standards’ but with a feature-set

that also makes it suitable for theatres, houses

of worship and more. Also in the spotlight were

the mc²56 and mc²66 mixing consoles, as was

the Nova37 hybrid Ravenna/MADI plug and

play audio router for instant set-up of small-sized

audio networks with a maximum of 1536x1536

crosspoints. Lawo also showed its range of video

tools, including V__pro8 and V__link4.

With Lawo’s Kick automated, close-ball

audio technology continuing to make an

impact throughout the broadcast sector, the

company’s innovative credentials remain as

robust as ever. As Christian Struck, senior product

manager audio production at Lawo, told

TVBEurope: “Lawo has always been a driving

force of the development and adaption of

new technologies, and the latest technologies

Further signs of the audio revolution at Prolight + Sound 2016

The annual Prolight + Sound exhibition in Frankfurt plays host to an increasingly strong contingent of broadcast technology suppliers. David Davies reflects on some of the highlights of this year’s show

36-37 TVBE May16 Audio v1JMcK.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:45

AudioAudio TVBEurope 37May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

[surrounding immersive audio and other

next generation audio techniques] are no

exception. We pushed the development of

early 3D mixing for broadcast some years ago,

and we actively follow the latest developments

around object-based mixing, personalisation

and so on. When the market embraces the

technologies we will be happy to support it.”

With regard to forthcoming developments,

Struck confirms that “the usability and

additional benefits [brought to the

production]” continue to underline Lawo

R&D for broadcast.

“Without revealing any secrets, it is clear for

Lawo that new and innovative technologies

with an indisputable extra value always have

a substantial position in our development

plans,” he says.

Processing progressThe continued evolution of digital mixing

technology was another recurring theme at

Prolight + Sound ’16. One of the most notable

developments came from DiGiCo, which

presented an SD7 desk installed with the new

Quantum 7 processing engine that is scheduled

for release in spring 2017. Developed with

seventh generation FPGA devices, Quantum

7 is set to deliver a number of enhancements.

These include Nodal Processing – which means

that processing can be applied to any node

on the auxiliary section of the console, allowing

engineers to send unique processing on each

send from a single or multiple channels – and

the True Solo system, enabling the operator’s

monitoring system to replicate almost any

section of the console.

Finally, the show provided a basis to mark

several significant company anniversaries,

not least the 20th birthday of networking

technology Optocore. Two decades on

from the first Optocore product being made

available, its networks are used in OB vans,

studios, stadiums, theatres and more. In 2012,

the company founders created a separate

company, BroaMan, to focus on the

broadcast and AV markets.

On a busy PL+S stand, Tine Helmle, who was

Optocore VP of sales and marketing from 2001-

2012 and now serves as BroaMan’s managing

director, reflected: “A lot of this success is down

to the fact that the technology is rock-solid,

user-friendly, long-lasting, and involves low

power consumption; the green aspect of our

products is very important. We have great

clients worldwide, a great worldwide portfolio,

and brilliant projects to work on. So yes, we

are very happy with our current position.” An

example of vibrant attention to detail and

cutting edge R&D characterises the Optocore

and BroaMan stories. Fortunately, there

were plenty of other examples to be found on

the showfloors of an event that is now

on the calendar of many broadcast

professionals as they gear up for the

frenetic period that commences with

NAB very shortly afterwards. n

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7680 4320 50 34 [4] 67 [8] 67 [8] 67 [8]

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7680 4320 24/23.98 16 [2] 32 [4] 32 [4] 32 [4]

3840 2160 120/119.88 20 [2] 40 [4] 40 [4] 40 [4]

3840 2160 100 17 [2] 34 [4] 34 [4] 34 [4]

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3840 2160 50 9 [1] 17 [2] 17 [2] 17 [2]

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36-37 TVBE May16 Audio v1JMcK.indd 2 14/04/2016 10:27

Xxxxxx n

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38 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

Data Centre

Across the world, we all have our

differences over what makes good

television, but it seems the one thing we

all agree on is that we want to watch it on the

move. Ooyala’s recent Q4 2015 Global Video

Index has taken a look at the recent trends

which appeared in the past few months across

the world, and what have we discovered? Well,

we’re all on the same page (or device). By

zooming in on the APAC region, it seems we’ve

concluded that these countries are consistent

with the rest of the world in terms of using mobile

devices to watch video, with nearly half of all

video views on smartphones and tablets.

The most recent version of our report, which

looks at the way 220 million users watch video

by collecting data from more than 3.8 million

video events a day, also showed strong growth

in programmatic advertising, a bump in viewing

on tablet devices, and a marked homogeneity

worldwide in how long-form video is consumed.

It’s a millennial thing Baby boomers may be loath to pass the torch

to another generation, but the reality is that the

millennials are behind all of this. They’re the cord-

nevers, the mobile-first generation and the former

pirates driving this global phenomenon. They’re

also universal. Millennials in Los Angeles, Berlin,

São Paulo, Bangkok, Singapore, London and

Moscow are, essentially, the same; at least when

it comes to mobile devices and the video they

watch on them.

In this quarter’s video index, Ooyala looks at

video consumption in 15 countries from within

in the APAC region. When compared with our

previous European report (Q3 2015), the results

from APAC were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the

same as what is happening in Europe, US

and the rest of the world; mobile is slowly but

steadily becoming the dominant form of

video consumption.

Mobile video in APAC makes up nearly 50 per

cent of all video plays, in line with the global

trend. As in other regions, mobile devices are

popular for consuming all kinds of video content,

both long and short, with smartphones being the

most dominant device.

Tablets everywhereThere is, however, one significant difference

Tablets are more popular for content

consumption in APAC than anywhere else in the

world. The rest of us may use smartphones more

than six times as often as tablets to watch video,

yet in APAC it’s less than four times this figure.

At the moment, the trend can be put down

to those adopting tablets early on. However,

the use of tablets is sure to grow even more as

the generations following the millennials adopt

tablets more and more.

But why is this the case? The younger

generation is the most tablet-penetrated ever,

many having been given tablets on their first day

of school. Globally, tablet ownership is surprisingly

homogeneous by region. In the US, 53 per cent

of respondents to a recent GlobalWebIndex

survey said they owned a tablet, followed by

consumers in Latin America (50 per cent), Middle

East and Africa (48 per cent), Asia Pacific (45

per cent), and Europe (42 per cent). Nearly

half of global internet users aged 16 to 64 own

tablets (47 per cent of males and 46 per cent of

females), with (surprise!) millennials more likely to

own a tablet than ‘Gen Xers’ or baby boomers.

Perhaps a surprising statistic is that 60 per cent of

Singaporeans own a tablet.

A pirate’s life for me?With regards to pirating content, there is no

point any more. Millennials grew up in an age

of early streaming, when there was little to

no content worth watching that was legal to

stream. Nowadays, those same millennials have

realised that it is much easier to pay a fair price

for content from a reliable source – not only is it

higher quality than illegally streamed content,

but it is also virus free.

To give an example of the impact of high

quality, legal streaming on the pirating industry,

illegal downloads dropped by 29 per cent six

months after Netflix launched in Australia, a

country notorious for pirating.

Content owners, meanwhile, have begun

to discover that making content available

at a reasonable cost also has other benefits:

a revenue line can be created where there

was not one before, and if your content is

good enough, you create a reliable and

lasting fan base.

Mobile use continues to growMobile video views topped 46 per cent in the

fourth quarter, an increase of 35 per cent in the

past year, and more than 170 per cent since

2013. And, while the explosive period of growth

that mobile experienced two years ago has

slowed somewhat, it’s far too early to say mobile

has plateaued. In fact, a number of factors point

to a slight pause – or shifting of gears – before

mobile accelerates anew. These take into

account some recent announcements by major

wireless carriers rolling out expanded mobile

video services, publishers increasingly turning

to video as a way to grow their businesses,

expansion of faster 4G wireless networks and

cheaper data and devices point.

The changing rules of engagement

The face of the broadcast industry is changing, but just how quickly are millennials altering the rules? Jim O’Neill, principal analyst for Ooyala, investigates

38-39 TVBE May16 Data centre Ooyala v3 HAJMcK.indd 1 15/04/2016 16:44

TVBEurope 39May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Data Centre

For only the second time in the past five years,

video views on tablets increased their share of

mobile plays, something we’ll continue to see as

trailing millennials and digital natives move more

forcefully into the space with tablet devices they

have grown accustomed to.

In APAC, tablets are already making their mark,

contributing up 22 per cent of all mobile views,

with usage in Australia topping 29 per cent,

behind just New Zealand (31 per cent) and the

Philippines (32 per cent).

Programmatic adoption on the riseBeyond video consumption, key indicators from

our video index also demonstrate the continued

growth in programmatic advertising that the

industry has seen consistently quarter over

quarter for the past year. Programmatic has

gained huge traction across the whole industry

over this period. Nearly two thirds of marketers

plan to increase programmatic ad spend in

2016, which is more than twice the number of

marketers who had this intention for 2015.

US programmatic digital video ad spending

topped $2.91 billion in 2015, a number expected

to increase nearly 85 per cent to $5.37 billion

in 2016. The figure for specific mobile video

programmatic spend is expected to reach $3.79

billion by 2017, more than three times as much as

was spent on the same thing in 2015.

Research group MediaMath suggests growth

is expected globally, forecasting that the

programmatic share of digital video ad spend

will increase more than 24 per cent in 2016 in

EMEA. With 79 per cent of APAC ad professionals

saying that they already use programmatic ad

technology for video, a huge proportion (90 per

cent) are using it for mobile. In Brazil, nearly 40 per

cent of marketers say they plan to increase their

spending on data-driven marketing this year, up

from 22 per cent a year ago.

It is undeniable that the trend for video viewing

on mobile is expected. What Ooyala’s Q4 Video

Index report shows, however, is the consistency

in its growth over the past year, highlighting how

important it is for content providers to recognise

this, and act on creating high quality content,

going into the remainder of 2016. Programmatic

spending has also increased significantly, with

the focus of the investment naturally focussing on

mobile devices, another area that the industry

needs to concentrate on in order to capitalise

on this growth. n

ENGAGEMENT BY DEVICE FOR COUNTIRES WITH THE MOST VIDEO VIEWS, APAC Q4 2015

THE RISE OF THE MOBILE VIDEOQ4 2015

JUL2013

JAN2014

JUL2014

JAN2014

JUL2015

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

SHARE OF PHONE VIDEO PLAYS nSHARE OF TABLET VIDEO PLAYS n

SUM OF PHONE + TABLET VIDEO PLAYS n

AUSTRALIA JAPAN MALAYSIA SINGAPORE INDIA PHILIPPINES VIETNAM NEW ZELAND INDONESIA SOUTH KOREA

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

PHONE nTABLET n

DESKTOP n

38-39 TVBE May16 Data centre Ooyala v3 HAJMcK.indd 2 15/04/2016 16:56

Save the DateIBC2016

IBC.org

Conference 8 – 12 September 2016Exhibition 9 – 13 September 2016

RAI, Amsterdam

Where the entertainment, media and technology industry does business

new tvbe template remade.indd 1 13/04/2016 12:54

Data Centre TVBEurope 41May 2016 www.tvbeurope.com

Much has been said of millenials, but it is

a new breed of consumer which media

and entertainment (M&E) leaders need

to turn their attention to: enter Generation Z. In its

recent report, ‘From innovation to expectation

– how M&E leaders are responding to Gen Z’, EY

defines the group as digitally native, social media

savvy, and the first to grow up immersed in mobile

technology and mobile video. The entrepreneurial,

innovative Generation Z plays an active part

in content discovery and creation, and seeks

immersive experiences.

Future consumersThe report defines Generation Z, sometimes

called the iGeneration, as those born since the

mid-1990s, representing about 25 per cent of

the US population. Ninety-one per cent of teens

(a core part of Generation Z) have access to a

smartphone, 65 per cent have access to a tablet,

90 per cent watch YouTube daily, and in just four

years time the group will make up as much as 40

per cent of the US consumer market.

In a rapidly progressing digital world,

technologies such as virtual reality, driverless cars

and 3D printing no longer surprise Generation Z,

who have moved ‘from innovation to expectation’

and no longer see tech as disruptive.

M&E leaders must respond to changing

consumption models, capturing consumer insights

and translating them into viable products, services,

business models and investments.

“Understanding the post-millennial consumer

can prove challenging, but thanks to data

analytics and sensor technologies, we now

have more insight into customers than at any

time in history,” said Martyn Whistler, EY media

and entertainment lead analyst. “Media

and entertainment companies struggling to

understand their customers need to see this as a

call to action, and to translate this information into

viable products, services and business models.

The industry as a whole is quickly shifting from

B2B to B2C models, which makes understanding

customers more paramount to success than

ever before.”

To better understand where investments are

being made, EY conducted proprietary analyses

of two groups. These included today’s leading

telecoms, technology and media companies but

also the next generation of companies in those

sectors. An analysis by EY of revenue streams,

as well as investments and deal activity, reveals

how the top ten in each of telecoms, technology

and media remain leaders in core areas, but

it also shows where overlaps are increasing.

Convergence is happening in six principal areas,

and by far the three most common are: digital

advertising, electronic games, and cable, pay-TV

networks and internet broadcasting (OTT).

Unicorns existThe analysis focuses on 60 ‘unicorns’; the world’s

most value, privately held companies that are

less than ten years old with market valuations

greater than $1 billion. ‘Decacorns’ have a market

valuation of $10 billion or greater. Incumbents are

taking positions in unicorns and creating a web of

investments: Vice Media has received two rounds

of investment from Disney; NBCUniversal holds

stakes in BuzzFeed and Vox Media; Comcast also

has a stake in Vox Media, is an investor in ftiness

tracker creator Jawbone, social network Nextdoor

and fantasy sports provider FanDuel. Leaders

are investing in unicorns to limit disruption, open

up new distribution channels and capture new

technology, as well as to and retain customers

and access new ones.

The outlook is positive, according to the report,

with 81 per cent of M&E executives saying the

global economy is improving, compared with

52 per cent who said that a year ago. In the

year ahead, 73 per cent of executives indicate

the M&A market will improve, up from 49 per

cent last year.

Capitalising on IoTThe Internet of Things (IoT) will play a significant

role in how companies obtaining and monetise

on customer data, according to EY, allowing

M&E companies to capture information about

their customers and deliver relevant content

accordingly. Success relies on combining

three efforts: doubling down on data; telling

stories and building experiences; and partnership

and acquisitions.

The humble set-top box can, and should, be

utilised as a data-collecting device. Its capabilities

are demonstrated by Comcast, which collects

viewing data from almost 90 per cent of its

subscribers, and monetises this with personalised

ad solutions, and by making data available to

third parties.

Telling storiesThe second focus for M&E companies needs to

be on storytelling. Generation Z are interested

in seamless experiences and building ongoing

relationships, which M&E companies must

capitalise on. Sky’s Sky Q box is an example of

this, designed to create a TV viewing ‘ecosystem’

in the home. The service enables users to watch

EY’s latest report explains the nuances of Generation Z and how their preferences and habits are dictating the strategies of M&E companies. Holly Ashford investigates

Move over millenials Enter Generation Z

‘Seventy-three per cent of executives indicate the M&A market will improve,

up from 49 per cent last year’

41 42 TVBE May16 Data Centre_v2 HAJMcK.indd 1 14/04/2016 10:31

Data Centre42 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com May 2016

content around the home on different devices,

as part of what the company has dubbed

‘Fluid Viewing’. Sky Q allows users to control all

connected devices, and offers, according to Sky’s

Jeremy Darroch, “a brilliant new way for customers

to experience TV on their terms”.

Seeking a partnerPartnerships and acquisitions are the fastest

route to expanding capabilities, accessing new

business models and achieving scale, according

to the report. In order to reach new customers,

technology, media and telecommunications

companies are investing in common areas:

voice/data connectivity and multichannel video

distribution, cable pay-TV networks and internet

broadcasting and digital advertising. In addition

to telco and tech specialists, M&E leaders are

seeking partners in cyber security services, health

providers, automotive companies and appliance

manufacturers. NBCUniversal’s Syfy Channel

recently partnered with technology firm Philips,

and is using its app to integrate programming with

Philips’ Hue smart lighting system. Shows are synced

to lighting, with changes in the storyline reflected in

changing colours and brightness. Such partnerships

show what can be achieved by combining two

elements of IoT, and offer a starting point for further

development through novel collaborations.

It is vital for M&E leaders to acknowledge

and better utilise data on Generation Z, an

increasingly dominant proportion of consumers.

It is only by gaining a better understanding of

data on Generation Z’s behaviours and desires,

EY reports, that M&E will win against emerging

competitive threats. n

“We now have more insight into customers than at any time in history”

Martyn Whistler, EY

US

UK

India

China

Australia

Top investment areas include China, the US, the UK, India and Australia

Digital continues to have the greatest impact on M&E companies’ core business and accquisition strategies

81% of M&E executives say the

global economy is improving

73% say the global M&A will stay

strong in the year ahead

Capital confidence continues to rise

41 42 TVBE May16 Data Centre_v2 HAJMcK.indd 2 15/04/2016 16:46

A joint venture partnership of

See you again next year

in Amsterdam.

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