6 minute read
Broadcasting
Live from Amsterdam – at last!
IBC describes itself as the world's most influential media, entertainment and technology show. Last year, however, its many halls fell silent. Now IBC is back – and, as Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, explains, IBC2021 will bring the content and technology industry together once again to discover the future of media and do business face-to-face.
IN 2019, MEDIA, entertainment and technology show IBC attracted more than 56,000 attendees from 150 countries around the world to Amsterdam, Last year, like so many other trade shows, it was cancelled. Michael Crimp, CEO, IBC, told us what it’s like to be back and what topics are likely to be discussed at IBC2021.
Communications Africa (CAF): What do you think will be the main talking points at this year’s IBC? Michael Crimp (MC), CEO, IBC: Firstly, I can’t wait to be back in Amsterdam in December. Our industry has been apart for too long, and I know there's a huge desire among the media entertainment community to get together again in person to learn, network and do business.
We’ve always had an unwavering commitment to encouraging knowledge sharing within the industry, which is exemplified by the fact this year’s content programme will be available for free to all IBC2021 attendees. This year we have a number of exciting keynotes from top speakers from Discovery Inc., Fox Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Olympic Broadcasting Services, Starz, Unity Technologies and Warner Media. The keynotes will be hosted in the new Showcase Theatre in Hall 12, alongside thoughtleadership-led sessions on pertinent industry
trends from exhibitors and sponsors.
We'll also have four themed show floor stages placed in the main exhibitors' halls with dedicated themes: Production & Post Production; Content Supply Chain; OTT/Direct to Consumer (Content Everywhere); and Live & Remote Production. Innovation is the fifth content theme at IBC2021, which will be reflected in sessions from the IBC2021 Technical Papers Programme. The IBC2021 Accelerator Media Innovation Programme also falls under the Innovation umbrella and will deliver groundbreaking projects and fascinating trends that I think will generate lots of interest this year, including in areas such as 5G, XR, facial recognition, voice control, cloud, AI, and advances in audio.
The IBC Innovation Awards will also return and this year we’ll be spotlighting collaborative projects and announcing the recipient of IBC’s highest accolade: the IBC International Honour for Excellence. Previous recipients of the IBC International Honour for Excellence include Ang Lee, Andy Serkis and Sir David Attenborough, to name just a few, and I’m incredibly excited to see who will be presented with the honour this year.
CAF: It sometimes seemed that demand for entertainment was if anything stronger over the past two years. Is this true? MC: Absolutely — entertainment was a real saving grace for many of us throughout difficult periods of lockdowns and quarantine measures. We saw demand for content constantly growing, but that’s not just because people have been spending more time at home; streaming has boomed over the past two years, with new platforms emerging around the globe.
The media industry adapted to a new reality, with many content owners distributing new cinema releases direct to streaming platforms while movie theatres were forced to close. And in the action-packed summer of sports this year, millions of viewers were glued to their seats for live events like Euro 2020 and Tokyo 2020 – the most-streamed Olympics in history. There’s undoubtedly been a huge demand for entertainment, and the way audiences are consuming that media is evolving. That presents new business and technology challenges of course, but also huge opportunities.
CAF: And how did modern technology enable broadcasters to keep working – and help them to serve demand safely? MC: Innovative technology workflows and many talented, creative thinkers in our industry played a huge role in keeping media services on air and running smoothly. Remote production enabled teams to overcome logistical and technological challenges over the course of the pandemic, but the trend toward remote workflows was already well underway, and we’ll continue to see cloud technology and remote production models deployed in our industry to enable highly flexible, efficient media operations.
The show is an opportunity for technology vendors, broadcasters and media service providers to re-engage with one another.
CAF: Did the pandemic inspire any innovation in the broadcast equipment industry? MC: Our industry is forward-thinking and innovative by nature — but the pandemic definitely accelerated the adoption of new technologies, including remote and cloudbased workflows. In many respects, vendors
and their media customers were forced to rethink how we can create and deliver content, and that certainly accelerated innovation within our industry.
Emerging technology such as 5G has become a key industry trend recently – and it’ll be a focus in this year’s IBC Accelerator programme, which will spotlight trends such as the role of 5G in three areas: Innovation in Live Production Workflows; Remote Production in Live Sports; and how it is enabling LB XR (Location-Based eXtended Realities). Innovation is something we pride ourselves on at IBC – and it’s the bedrock of our Accelerator Programme. This year, 85 companies will collaborate towards developing innovative solutions to common business and technology challenges. Associated Press, Al Jazeera, the BBC and RTE will be involved in championing accelerators for a third year, with others, including BT Sport, the EBU, ITV, Reuters, Sky, TV2, Yle, Unity Technologies and Unreal/Epic and ViacomCBS, taking part in the programme for a second time. Each Accelerator Project is 'championed' and led by broadcasters and studios, supported by teams of expert vendors and solutions providers.
There is a huge amount of innovation happening in our industry right now — and the Accelerator Programme will showcase a wide range of these innovations and emerging trends. Al Jazeera is this year leading a project on how AI can be used to detect, measure, and flag bias and tonality in the representation and portrayal of diverse genders, cultures, and ethnicities in reportage and news coverage. Sky is leading the RT-3D Interactive Content Creation Project for Multi-Platform Distribution. In addition, there are projects focused on providing low-cost smart animated remote production and immersive audio and sound imagery. Also, a team of worldclass broadcasters will lead a project on sustainability in live production, exploring how to improve production efficiencies and reduce energy consumption.
CAF: Was the actual trade in broadcast equipment badly hit in the past 18 months? MC: Like all technology industries, the last 18 months presented commercial challenges, and
Michael Crimp: “There's a huge desire to get together again in person.”
the global chip shortage has naturally had its effects on broadcast manufacturing. But we’re already seeing a rebound as media organisations look to deploy advanced technologies to fuel innovation and differentiation. IBC Show has a role to play here; it’s a long-awaited opportunity for technology vendors, broadcasters and media service providers to re-engage with one another, share insights and knowledge — and drive business leads.
CAF: Which of the areas IBC covers do you expect to attract the most interest at the show – and in general in the coming year? MC: IBC Show is a broad church that spans a wide array of technology trends. New technologies and business strategies that can have the greatest impact for companies within media entertainment and unlock new and exciting opportunities will always attract a huge amount of interest. Programmes like our Accelerator Programme are showcasing groundbreaking use cases for exciting technologies such as 5G, AI and remote production, so I’m expecting these topics to generate lots of discussion at this year’s show. ✆
To find out more about IBC2021 and register, go to https://show.ibc.org
