TVBE July 2015 Digital Edition

www.tvbeurope.com

Business, insight and intelligence for the media and entertainment industry

July 2015

Bridging the gender divide Evaluating the landscape for women in broadcast

2020: visions of the future Special report: Eurovision Forum: Channel in a Box

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July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

EDITORIAL Executive Editor - James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com Editor - Melanie Dayasena-Lowe mdayasena-lowe@nbmedia.com Senior Staff Writer - Holly Ashford hashford@nbmedia.com NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 Contributors - Chris Forrester, David Fox, David Davies, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Catherine Wright Head of Digital - Tim Frost Human Resources & Office Manager - Lianne Davey Head of Design - Jat Garcha Editorial Production Manager - Dawn Boultwood Senior Production Executive - Alistair Taylor Publisher - Steve Connolly sconnolly@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Sales Manager - Ben Ewles bewles@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Account Manager - Richard Carr rcarr@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Managing Director - Mark Burton US Sales - Michael Mitchell Broadcast Media International, PO Box 44, Greenlawn, New York, NY 11740 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 0072 Japan and Korea Sales - Sho Harihara Sales & Project, Yukari Media Incorporated sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222 Fax: +81 6 4793 0800

Welcome

Bridging the great divide We must target the grassroots of our industry to bring the required balance hat a privilege it was to

W

to not only acknowledge the status

be sat amongst such

quo, but to identify how all of the

industry experience,

momentum created by forums of this

intellect, and inspiration. Our rather

nature will inspire action. There needs

functional setting may have lacked

to be a tangible result – something

much ambience of its own, but this

that can be measured in the same

was a roundtable debate of such

way a business measures ROI on its

expression and candour that little

activities.

external stimulus was required to encourage it along.

This was a room full of industry

Much of the discussion inside the apologetically beige interior of our Bloomsbury Hotel suite centred on

experts; achievers; a gathering of

the grassroots, on education; on

role models to the next generation

informing the next generation of

of talent that we as a business

talent that there is a future for them

must strive to encourage into our

in our industry – male or female. It

fold. The very essence of bringing these people

touched on the responsibility of senior female

together was so that somewhere on our horizon,

figures in the sector to support the new wave

they will be acknowledged for their professional

by becoming their champions, ambassadors,

acumen and achievements, and not because

and role models. There are many success stories

Circulation NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, LE16 9EF, UK

they have overcome gender discrimination and

in this marketplace: the dignitaries sat at our

other forms of ‘political’ imbalance to get to

roundtable a great example of that fact. Those

Free subscriptions tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848

where they are.

successes need to be highlighted more often,

Ultimately, this was a panel that could have been offering informed perspectives on a legion

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN, England NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

but in highlighting them, we need to ensure there is an end product.

of industry topics. The fact they weren’t tells you

Forums, seminars, roundtables, and all their

all you need to know about where we are in the

associated editorial coverage will only get us so

pursuit of gender equality in our sector.

far: it’s action that will bring about the change

Unfortunately, it appears that the only time

we envisage. And I agree with our esteemed

a significant body of female executives are

panel that to pave the way for change, the best

seen together on a conference panel or closed

place to start is at grassroots level.

© NewBay Media 2015. 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 qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.

seminar of this ilk is when gender equality is the discussion point. There must be a consensus

for concern, TVBEurope will remain a committed

Allow 8 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

throughout the sector to change this, but talking

advocate of the movement for change.

Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

far. That’s why we created this roundtable event,

about the existing problems will only get us so

And while gender imbalance remains a cause

James McKeown Executive Editor

4 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

In this issue

24

Bridging the gender divide A host of leading female industry authorities gathered at the Bloomsbury Hotel in London for an exclusive TVBEurope roundtable to discuss the continuing gender imbalance in broadcast and technology

36

28

2020: visions of the future

To follow on from the inaugural TVBEurope 2020 conference on 30 June, we invited Ericsson’s Simon Frost to offer a vision of the future of television within the Networked Society

10 Opinion and Analysis

12 Workflow

Russell Grute continues his focus on mergers and acquisitions by examining the ‘value of people’

Moving with the times: TVBEurope visits the new Modern Times Group transmission centre

Channel in a Box forum This month’s forum takes on a different shape with Philip Stevens talking to a number of Channel in a Box vendors to discover how their solutions are being utilised to maximum effect

38

Special report: Eurovision

32 TVBEverywhere

16 Workflow

Angela Buenger was on the ground at the Wiener Stadthalle to report on ORF’s live production of the record-breaking 2015 Eurovision Song Contest

Why OTT is an opportunity and not a threat to TV operators, by Michael Lantz, CEO of Accedo

Three French broadcasters are using Avid technology in diverse ways. Melanie Dayasena-Lowe visited M6, TF1 and TV5Monde in and around Paris to find out more

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6 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Opinion and Analysis

Metadata Meeting the SCTE-35 requirements splice point for substituting local advertising into

By Roger Franklin, CEO, Crystal

T

Providers are tapping into metadata to increase service value and generate new revenue and business models

the programme stream.

The DTMF descriptor instructs a receiver to initiate the specified DTMF tone. The result of this descriptor is the same as the Avail, but

he TV landscape has changed

it accomplishes this by signalling older

dramatically in recent years, with

splicing equipment that still require the

consumers growing accustomed to

audible DTMF tones.

receiving the content they want when and

often one segment, with other segments

where they want it. With this evolution is

for national and local advertising spots.

increased pressure on video providers to know

SCTE-35 can be used to define more specific

The segmentation descriptor is used to define the content of a programme segment. This descriptor has fields that are used to turn web

what the customer wants and to provide

segments than that. Individual scenes can

distribution on or off, or mark whether a segment

recommendations and compelling value added

be defined, enabling the possibility of scene

should or should not be blacked out.

services. Providers are tapping into metadata

substitution based on the age and preference

to increase service value and generate new

of the viewer.

revenue and business models.

The rules for content replacement are defined

According to the specification, the segmentation descriptor is added to a time signal command or other splice commands,

Metadata has been present in video streams

outside of the video stream and should follow

and is used to identify the content of a

since the middle of the 1970s. It is in the changing

the Event Signalling and Management (ESAM)

new upcoming segment. The segmentation

environment of consumer-driven content

and Event Scheduling and Notification Interface

descriptor message should be delivered at

consumption that metadata is the way to

(ESNI) standards.

least four seconds before the beginning of

enhance the viewing experience.

the segment, but is often delivered eight to 12

The SCTE-35 standard

Being SCTE-35 compliant: determining the ‘where’

With the SCTE-35 standard becoming a

SCTE-35 splice messages indicate where to

requirement, metadata must be handled

replace content in a video stream. Splice

in a very specific way. There is some confusion

points must be identified at the beginning and

as to what adhering to the standard

end of the content segment. Every splice point

actually involves.

should begin with an encoder-created IDR

The SCTE-35 standard provides more flexibility

frame and the encoder should insert the

than previous methods, making it possible to

SCTE-35 splice message. The splice commands

fully describe a segment within a programme.

are contained within a splice information

SCTE-35 messages not only define the start

section SCTE-35 message.

and stop points of a segment, but also the

seconds before the segment.

With the pace of change in the video distribution industry, it is clear the future for content distributors is in the value added to the content distributed

Because duration is present, while it is good

duration, and the content within the segment.

practice to supply both the start and stop points,

Making the most of metadata

This flexibility makes it easier to provide

it is only a requirement to provide one.

With the pace of change in the video distribution industry, it is clear the future

personalised content.

Determining the ‘what’

for content distributors is in the value added

Required metadata

SCTE-35 messages are used to define what

to the distributed content. It is a challenge

Two primary pieces of metadata are required

content is in each segment. Splice descriptors

to implement new standards quickly,

within the video stream: the first identifies

identifying the content in each segment can

especially when you need to leverage older

where in the stream a segment starts and ends;

be added to a splice information section

equipment and systems that are not fully

the second identifies what content is present

message. The SCTE-35 standard predefines

compliant. However, the companies that

in that segment.

three types of descriptors: the Avail descriptor

plan today to manage content smartly will

is added to the splice insert command, and

reap the rewards, delivering compelling

provider must determine what constitutes a

this descriptor functions like a cue tone. It is

content to viewers, and generating new

segment for them; e.g. the main programme is

interpreted by the receiving equipment as a

revenue streams.

In order to set those parameters, the video

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8 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Opinion and Analysis

Complying with interference guidelines O If you are buying new modulators or single

By Martin Coleman, executive director, the Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) atellite interference is a big topic. Much of

technology, based on an original development

thread encoders for video uplinking, they should

by Comtech EF Data, with Newtec and others

have CID support that meets the ETSI standard.

supporting testing and the DVB procedure. The CID

The next major deadline for this set of

info is now transported in a resilient spread-spectrum

resolutions is 31 December, 2017, at which point

carrier, ensuring the ID can be detected at all times.

you will need to ensure:

Most manufacturers have already integrated

O CID is included for all SCPC and MCPC video

this discussion and activity is sparked off by

S

CID support into their products and most new

and data transmissions.

broadcasters, who wanted to ensure the

launches have the ETSI version. The original

O The phasing out of the NIT version of CID and

seamless delivery of content. The satellite industry

Network Information Table (NIT) standard is still in

transition to the ETSI standard for CID.

responded by kicking off a host of activity aimed

place and functioning, but as we will discuss in a

at reducing interference over the last few years.

moment, it will eventually be phased out. So for

The FCC guidelines

broadcasters, buying new products and ensuring

The FCC is also doing its bit to ensure widespread

resolutions, training and quality programmes, and

they adhere to the ETSI standard for CID will

implementation of CID by making CID a

guidelines issued to ensure the various initiatives

guarantee being CID ready, but also future-proof.

requirement for all SNG/flyaway broadcast

There have been a number of specifications,

can be as effective as possible, but there is still a

platforms by 1 June, 2016. Of course, this

The WBU-ISOG resolutions

specifically relates to US broadcasts, however,

The World Broadcasting Union’s International

I would really like to see other regulators and

Carrier ID specifications

Satellite Operators Group (recently renamed

major broadcasters follow suit.

Carrier ID (CID) is perhaps the most talked about

International Media Connectivity Group or

initiative over the last couple of years, and is an

IMCG) issued a number of important resolutions

Getting CID-ready

effective way of fighting interference once it

relating to CID implementation. Some of these

The broadcasters wanted something done.

occurs. It takes the form of a unique embedded

affect satellite operators, to begin the transition

Although progress is being made, it is slow.

code within the transmission, meaning that when

to CID, and the broadcasters’ role to ensure

The satellite industry has made great strides in

interference occurs, it can be quickly pinpointed.

inclusion of CID in transmissions.

developing the technology and tools to combat

certain lack of clarity for some.

After much commitment and effort from the

So, here is what you need to be doing already:

interference and there really is some incredible

manufacturers, we now have a DVB specification

O CID support should be specified in all requests for

technology worth looking at, but what is really

and ETSI standard for a new CID insertion

proposal for any SCPC and MCPC video and data.

needed now is for the broadcasters to step up and implement CID and training programmes.

There are two principle parts to a broadcaster’s involvement: 1. Ensure your SNG operators are properly trained. Better-trained operators are less likely to cause interference in the first instance, and better equipped to handle any errors that may occur. Many operators in the broadcast environment are simply not sufficiently trained. Our End Users Initiative (EUI) Advisory Committee has created a customised training and certification programme, specifically tailored to the broadcast SNG environment. The certification ensures that uplink operators are properly trained, leading to reduced transmission errors and decreasing instances of interference.

2. Adopt the Carrier ID technology developed by the industry to combat interference by adhering to the guidelines. As a group we are working continuously on innovations relating to improving geolocation and tools for determining VSAT interference. This technology is well advanced, with the ability to use interference cancellation technology to ensure you can tackle this challenge.

The w ireless and mo st o f capturing

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10 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Opinion and Analysis

M&A: the value of people I hope you enjoyed last month’s feature ‘Ghosts in the machine’; Broadcast Innovation’s soft-rock-defined M&A review.

This month, part two focuses on the greatest intangible of all in successful M&A: the value of people. By Russell Grute

resources to adapt to the consequences of an acquisition than investors realise. Often, it causes a loss of interest.”

Indeed, I have seen many occasions where in addition to the unintended consequences of poor

t’s the subject that comes up time and again

future within the merged organisation. Whilst the

customer communication, the competition takes

in discussions about M&A. With individual

press releases may make all the right noises, the

immediate clear strategic action to benefit from

behaviour often triggered by perceived threat

discussion in the pub may be more confusing.

an acquisition or rumour in the short term. Extra

or opportunity, assessing the role and ongoing

So it’s important that the new structure is made as

stamina is required to get growth going again. Even

value of key individuals and teams causes many

clear as possible as early as possible: time is

if that is present in the target sales team, it may

misunderstandings.

of the essence.”

take longer for the people at resellers or systems

I

Regardless of company size or funding

So how do potential investors successfully

integrators to regain their impetus and direction.

type, it’s the people that innovate and deliver.

mitigate this – how do they get beyond the

Working together they market, sell, and support a

spreadsheets and the roadmaps? It’s not

playout and media management at Ericsson

company’s value proposition.

uncommon during an acquisition for there to be

Broadcast and Media Services, adds, “In recent

a target list. Specific individuals, who are judged

projects where vendors have been acquired,

marketing at Dalet and an M&A veteran from

to be of the highest value, may be obliged to

the results have been mixed and comparatively

both AmberFin and Omneon. “As an investor or

stay with the merged company for a prescribed

small issues have caused tangible performance

shareholder, gauging the success of a merger

length of time post-acquisition. Their loyalty may be

issues. Sometimes, problems arise in support and

or acquisition could be fairly black and white:

incentivised; so called ‘golden handcuffs’. There

in larger issues related to premature or rapid

largely deduced over a defined period of time

can also be a longer list of those who are protected

decisions on product rationalisation without proper

from the (merged) companies’ quarterly or annual

from ‘combined efficiency’ restructuring targets

communication, both internally and to customers.

financial statements. For customers, the benefits of

later on too. Maybe they get boxing gloves?

I spoke with Ben Davenport, director of

one vendor acquiring another can be much less

Davenport again: “Smart integrations try to

Joachim Bergman, head of service area

“For us, there is a need for transparent and rapid communication of roadmaps and changes

obvious. It’s important to remember, especially in

understand the value of individuals and the

in order for us to mitigate any potential negative

such an innovative industry as ours, that companies

intangible values they bring. Acquisitions often

consequences. Hiding or waiting to communicate

are actually about people. It’s people that have

fail to achieve enough growth when there is

bad news is never a good option and that has

the courage to collaborate, innovate and create.

inaccurate perception of these intangible values or

sometimes happened. It is better for us to have the

Sure, you buy a product and might compare that

inappropriate leadership.”

difficult conversations up front with a constructive

like-for-like with other products, but later on you

dialogue about transition and ‘sunset’ of products

actually buy from a person or group. Personal

Timing is everything

relationships are often your direct connection to a

Havard Myklebust, CTO at Norwegian commercial

brand and crucially where you have placed your

broadcaster and media house TV 2, gives his

especially with longer-term technology investments

loyalty and trust.”

customer’s point of view when an acquisition

such as MAM, newsrooms systems and automation

becomes public knowledge.

that have lengthy implementations, often conflict

Once those key people start to move or are moved around then trust has to move too. That’s

“For vendors of strategic technology, it can

and services.”

The customers’ buying cycle and expectations,

directly with the timescale of acquisition – and

a difficult transition, impossible to predict. The long-

affect their short-term business negatively. In many

the product strategy post-acquisition. People are

term, face-to-face dialogue which helps forge that

cases it can be a double negative. It casts doubt

important here too, as many situations are better

trust with customers is hard won. Ask any real sales

over any urgent choices. A vendor that you may

dealt with face to face.

professional. And it’s great sales people that often

have been investigating successfully for many

suffer most during a change of owner, if they judge

months can suddenly look like a less clear choice.

Where’s the edge?

that their promises and customer commitments

Why are they being acquired? The local sales

Investors often comment to me that the broadcast

might be affected by the new regime.

team cannot usually offer the reassurance you

and media technology industry is financially difficult

need. The next thing you know is that you receive a

to size – appearing both too big and too small at

media services at BBC Studios and Post Production,

delegation from the new management promising

the same time. The edges are hard to find. So many

adds, “Acquisitions can cause unintended

everything will stay the same, or that everything

products appear unfinished, too.

uncertainty for customers and while those in the

will change. Only one of those statements may

boardroom understand their rationale behind

actually be helpful. Alternatively, the delegation

sometimes challenging to ascertain exactly how

bringing companies together, this is quite often

comes fishing for answers about your requirements

mature the target’s emerging new technologies

misunderstood by those that interface directly with

and the market potential; this can really set alarm

and products really are. Early adopter users are

the clients; their concern is often more about their

bells ringing. Customers have much less time and

looking for the same thing as more adventurous

Keith Nicholas, head of operations for digital

For investors, and customers of course, it’s

TVBEurope 11

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Opinion and Analysis investors, something with suitable potential that

I’ll leave it to Keith Nicholas to bring us back down

can be overlooked at the time of merger, but it

is currently undervalued. In other words, the right

to earth. “However long you have worked in

can make the difference between a sales call

marginal area for public or private investment as

the industry, we all develop a network of trusted

being accepted or declined. I am a strong

explained by Josh Stinehour in last month’s issue.

colleagues and associates who we work with and

believer that our industry’s greatest strength is still

Optimal success comes when products and

follow from supplier to supplier. These relationships

the people and personalities.� „

solutions are ready enough. Or ‘out of the box’, as speciďŹ ed in many an RFP. This takes real discipline in product management and in selling to control commitments. And perhaps ‘the box’ might be a strange shape; not square. Maybe the cardboard is a bit soggy.

By way of example, in my experience smart appliance vendors (for example Axon, Evertz, Snell and Ross) are better at this. Telestream and Elemental impress, too. However, many MAM, automation and newsroom control vendors have a more difďŹ cult time. Their products are

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more complex solutions with multiple third-party integrations, and they suffer where clients do not effectively communicate all of their requirements.

I use these to illustrate where I have found investors confused by the dynamics of the broadcast industry. Please don’t write in.

Smaller, privately owned vendors often innovate the fastest in any industry. Private ownership allows them to optimise their own balance of innovation and risk internally. This is usually via a succession of early sales, where they try to mature their solution (ďŹ nish the product) whilst gaining feedback. This is a tried and tested path for the vast majority of the start-up and small (say around $5 million annual revenue excluding support) vendors at NAB. This inevitably leads to a highly challenging imbalance: choosing between continued investment in innovation and development versus the growing pressure to deliver on their commitments in new sales and projects.

With many customers actually much larger than the suppliers their businesses rely on, in terms of revenue, customers do exert inappropriate pressure at times. When further growth is required beyond what is possible organically in-house, or it looks like the wheels are falling off due to customer success and pressure, investment is sought.

Another potential cautionary indicator is when

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a vendor’s key developers end up on the projects.

Late night tactical coding on the job accompanied by too many ďŹ zzy drinks is fast, but often means poor quality control and bad documentation. This high wire act is usually managed instinctively by a small core group of people. Often, the company founders, led by a charismatic CTO, are performing the front line communications face to face. Unless this can be scaled-up, the acquired company, however smart, may not add as much growth as expected.

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12 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Workflow

Moving with the times Philip Stevens visits the new Modern Times Group transmission centre ntil earlier this year, the UK operation

U

and administrative centres for MTG (Modern Times Group) were located in

buildings some miles apart. With the lease on the operations centre due to expire in 2015, the group made a decision to locate all of its UK operations under one roof. The result is an impressive facility close to London’s Chiswick Park that handles the playout for some 60 television channels in both SD and HD serving various parts of the world.

But what is a Swedish company doing with a truly state-of-the-art broadcast facility in the UK? And why does it also have another major TX centre in Latvia?

“When MTG started broadcasting to Scandinavia in 1987 there was no commercial TV market there,” explains Magnus Lindholm,

The MCR at the MTG facility is located close to the playout room

CEO of MTG Broadcast Centre, Sweden, Latvia and Africa, and project manager for the

London is not, however, the only transmission

Essentially, the live productions in those regions

Chiswick Park build. “Therefore, we obtained a

centre for this international broadcaster. Until

are produced locally, and sent via fibre network

licence in London, and set up a broadcasting

2010, MTG also operated three separate

to Riga for inserts.

facility that could offer entertainment channels

broadcast centres in the Baltics, but all were in

to viewers all over Scandinavia via satellite. As

need of extensive technological investments.

separate playout facilities across a number of

our channel offering grew over time, it continued

The most effective solution was to centralise

MTG’s outlets, but more importantly they provide

to make sense to have a central broadcasting

playout to Riga, Latvia, but keep the studio and

back-up for each other’s priority channels in

hub in London.”

sports productions in the neighbouring regions.

the case of an emergency or a breakdown.

Today, both Riga and London provide

TVBEurope 13

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow “Our goal is to be the leading digital entertainment company in each of our major markets” Magnus Lindholm, MTG

for the new facility, it was reasonable to go with Pebble Beach Systems Marina, with which we felt very comfortable.”

Alongside the main transmission facilities in Riga and London, MTG also utilises Pebble Beach Systems equipment in other centres in Sweden, Ghana and Tanzania.

“By using the same brand across several sites,

Each day, the transmission playlists are

we can share knowledge and components but,

loaded in both locations so that a switch can

most importantly, we are more effective,” states

be made, if necessary.

Lindholm. “London and Riga playout centres

“That essential duplicating of operations

are interlinked with a fibre – so what we ingest in

played a major part in the technology

London is available in Riga and vice versa. We

decisions when we moved into this new

use Front Porch products mainly due to stability

facility,” says Lindholm.

and flexibility. We had an alternative supplier for this application, but due to the required archive

The new Transmission Centre has been planned to allow daylight to be seen in the room

Synergy

synchronisation and robustness, Front Porch was

He continues, “[The Riga facility] was built

the choice.”

about five years ago and that was based on an

He says that the complexity of the London

automation system from Pebble Beach Systems.

operation makes considerable demands on

When we decided to build the new UK facility

all the equipment. “For instance, with the TV3

it made sense to look at synergies and

Swedish channel and 19 regional opt-outs being

efficiencies that could be made. So when we

part of the mix, all the systems need to be totally

looked at the options for an automation system

reliable and readily manageable.”

14 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Workflow

One of the shift supervisors checks for new schedules in order to chase any missing material for later in the day The change of system involved considerable

Axon Cortex software is used for controlling the switching of these 19 regions of TV3 Sweden.

All ingest is carried out in HD format, with transmissions for the SD channels being downconverted within the centre.

Automated ingest

MTG’s facility close to London’s Chiswick Park handles playout for some 60 TV channels in both SD and HD serving various parts of the world

re-training, but it was completed with few, if any, problems.”

The transmission centre utilises two separate Harmonic systems. Each system is fully redundant providing four spectrums in total. To minimise transfers and disturbances there is a cache of 36

From the outset, the facility has been built

hours of each spectrum.

for tapeless operation. Although some of the

“We need to store broadcast material for up

content still arrives on tape, MTG is looking to

check, which we see as an important element to

to six months, so the video archiving solution

transition to total digital file delivery by the

increase speed, while maintaining quality.”

from Ideas Unlimited was a good option. This is a

end of 2015.

Rachel Bernard, vice president of Broadcast Operations in London, explains more. “Ingesting directly to a central storage with instant

One major change of supplier came with

disc-based system that is attached to their server

the choice of media asset management

giving the users access to the complete period via

(MAM) system.

the Ideas Unlimited software,” explains Bernard.

“We looked at around three MAM solutions

playback and editing was one of our key

and TMD Mediaflex came out strongest,” states

Onscreen options

requirements, mainly to minimise time for file

Bernard. “At the time of the selection process,

When it comes to graphics, MTG uses both

transfer. The Dalet iCRs were the only application

TMD offered one of the few systems supporting

Pixel Power and Vizrt systems. The former is

at the time that could meet these requirements.

two of our key requirements: Quick Time

used mainly for the group’s free-TV channels

The iCR in combination with the Aurora is the

reference and multilingual audio and subtitling

dynamic branding, while Vizrt is employed on

perfect match to automate ingest and quality

which is used on our pay-TV channels.

the pay-TV outlets.

TVBEurope 15

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow “MTG has been using a mixture of other brands over the years, but we keep coming back to Screen’s products” Magnus Lindholm, MTG

“We have also been using Screen

house productions of commercial

Subtitling products for many years,

material, trailers editing of ingested

not only in London, but also in

material and compliance editing.

Riga,” says Lindholm. “Screen

Currently, we have more than

offers rapid remote and onsite

100 stations which are connected

support and we are happy with

to large production storage

their performance. MTG has been

to increase efficiencies with

using a mixture of other brands

minimised file movements,”

over the years, but we keep

states Lindholm.

coming back to Screen’s products.

SDI Media, the owner of Screen

Working environment

Subtitling, delivers MTG’s access

Alongside the new equipment

services and this system is well

and state-of-the-art technology,

integrated into our workflows in an

Bernard has worked hard to

efficient way.”

establish an exceptional working

As far as the physical operation

room has windows that enable

consists of three ‘pods’ plus a

operators to see the difference

supervisor position running 24 hours

in night and day. Wherever

a day. There is also a schedule

practical, other rooms, such as

checking operator position that is

the ingest facility, have been built

manned seven days a week.

with access to daylight. An area

“It is a fairly small team, but

has been set aside that will be

that is adequate because we

equipped with computers and

handle all our own ingest and

printers where technologists will be

because we are really hot when

able to experiment with new ideas

it comes to QC, especially the

and concepts. Even the canteen

metadata,” says Bernard. “So,

has been designed to look like an

a great deal of the hard work

outdoor leisure facility. technical areas spread across five

really dedicated team that makes

floors, there is ample space for the

certain everything is ‘good to go’

working environment. recently been completed, there is

is vital that a policy of ‘ingest once,

still movement towards the future.

playout anywhere’ is followed.

Although there are no studios

reliability. And because it releases camera operators from more expensive systems using licensed channels or cables, it’s cost-effective too.

You also get return video, talkback, tally and camera control and an Ethernet bridge over the wireless link.

To find out more or arrange a demonstration go to www.idx-europe.co.uk/CW-F25

“Our goal is to be the leading digital entertainment company in each of our major markets,”

for live production in the London

says Lindholm. “Geographical

centre, there are editing facilities.

expansion and content are our

Before the relocation, MTG

Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) automatically chooses the best available channel and Beam-forming technology maintains directional signal integrity. This unique combination means that no other wireless system using WiFi channels delivers greater

Although the move has only

She says that with multiple sites it playout many, ingest anywhere,

The new CW-F25 Wireless HD Video System from IDX frees you from the restrictions of cable and provides the flexibility you need to get the best shots back to base.

And with all the offices and

passed to transmission. We have a

before it hits the robot.”

How can you demonstrate your creativity if your equipment holds you back?

environment. The main control

is concerned, the control room

is done prior to material being

UNTIE YOUR TALENT

other key priorities; therefore,

was using a mixture of editing

we’re actively looking for and

formats, but with the move a

creating our own formats,

decision was made to minimise the

securing Hollywood studio deals

number of brands and solutions

and long-term sports deals, such

for compatibility, knowledge and

as the UEFA Champions League,

commercial reasons. “We use the

Formula One, NHL and the English

Adobe Premiere mainly for in-

Premier League.”

Reliability and safety first

16 TVBEurope

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Workflow

French broadcasters value collaboration and innovation Three French broadcasters are using Avid technology in diverse ways. They are adapting their workflows to meet the changing needs of their networks as well as adapting to more digital and non-linear services. Melanie Dayasena-Lowe visited M6, TF1 and TV5Monde in and around Paris to find out more y touring the offices of French TV networks

“The main addition to our technical infrastructure

M6, TF1 and TV5Monde, it was clear that

recently is the asset management system,

the broadcasters all share the same vision

Interplay | MAM.” The new Avid workflow

B

when it comes to technology. Collaboration

enables M6 to share purchased content

and sharing assets emerged as the common

between 50 concurrent users and four

requirements expected from their systems.

departments and maximise the value of its

The first visit of the day was to M6 Group, one

massive archive of media assets.

of Avid’s longest standing customers, which is

“Avid Interplay | MAM enables us to save

very strong in digital offerings and innovation.

valuable time and resources across our entire

The media group operates ten channels,

organisation. Our old workflows and systems were

which includes the flagship M6 generalist

limited, and did not allow easy co-operation

channel, W9 aimed at a younger audience, and

between departments.

6ter for families. The company also produces its own original programming such as teleshopping.

On the digital side, Mathias Bejanin, CTO at M6

“Now, 80 per cent of our archive is digitised and is directly accessible in the Interplay | MAM system” Mathias Bejanin, M6

Group, said it is the number one group in terms of visibility on the web with dedicated sites such as Meteocity for weather reports. “We have digital services for replay. Our main service is 6play. It delivers catch-up TV for the main channels of the group and also offers online channels for specific thematics such as food or fashion,” he says.

In terms of technical infrastructure, Bejanin outlines the group’s set-up: “We have a lot of technical operations because we have studio

We are now able to easily share media between

production, post production and internal

all of our different departments.”

subsidiaries of the group focused on media

Bejanin explains what M6 was looking for from

production. We have chosen Avid for both

a MAM system. “A few years ago, we had a lot

newsroom and magazine production.

of technical infrastructure for post production

“Regarding magazines, we have about 45

and different teams working on post production

to 50 Media Composer rooms and seven Pro

infrastructure but quite independently, which

Tools rooms across the various buildings. In

means every team would keep their own

the newsroom, the system can host up to 30

archives and database. There was no exchange

NewsCutters associated with ingest servers,

with the newsroom. This was difficult to operate

playout servers controlled by iNEWS Command, Capture Manager and iNEWS. The full Avid range in fact.

Mathias Bejanin: “It’s in our plans to plug more and more teams into Interplay | MAM.

and didn’t allow us to share images or save costs as we could end up buying images several times.

“We started looking for a system that would unify

TVBEurope 17

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow In the M6 newsroom, the system can host up to 30 NewsCutters associated with ingest servers, playout servers controlled by iNEWS Command, Capture Manager and iNEWS

all databases, allow us to share and give the same tools to all the teams. We wanted to have common rules for indexing, description of assets, and archiving.”

“It is impossible to just think linear. We have to think 360 degrees” Alexis Renard, TV5Monde

Exchanging media Talking about the benefits, Bejanin adds: “Interplay | MAM has opened up collaboration between the internal teams and that was the initial goal. We can now see each other’s assets.

cent of our archive is digitised and is directly

It really facilitates the exchange of media

accessible in the Interplay | MAM system.”

between different services and we reach a much larger database than before.”

The company also has plans to extend accessibility to the MAM. “It’s in our plans to plug

M6 has also built an interface for Interplay

more and more teams into Interplay | MAM. The

| MAM. “We have an interface with our MAM

most recent addition is the promo department as

for the broadcast part. Interplay | MAM is used

they need a lot of images to make their promos.”

for archive but there is a different MAM for

One of M6’s other goals was to fully switch to

broadcast. The perimeter for this second MAM is

a file-based workflow and that has already been

that all the files are ready to be broadcast and

achieved. There are no more tapes, everything

are not archive files.”

has been digitised,” he adds.

Alongside the MAM project, M6 had already

The next stop was to TV5Monde, a French-

started a programme to digitise all of its assets

speaking TV network created by French-

because most of it was on tape. “Now, 80 per

speaking countries such as France, Belgium,

Alexis Renard: “We wanted a product that was reliable and flexible in terms of IT integration”

18 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Workflow TV5Monde is French speaking and attracts 250 million households worldwide

“More and more we’re making graphicsonly stories” Hervé Pavard, TF1

Canada, and Switzerland. “We broadcast every kind of content including entertainment, movies, and news,” says Alexis Renard, deputy technical director, TV5Monde.

The network’s content is French speaking and attracts 250 million households worldwide.

describing the content and filling in

According to Renard, its audience comprises

metadata in Interplay | MAM. It is also used

mainly French-loving people and those wanting

for referencing and tracking the content that

to learn French. “In order to attract non-French-

is used for playout.”

speaking people we subtitle content, so this is a

Renard says the Avid system is crucial

key differentiator for us. We’re subtitling about

for TV5Monde. It is used for traditional post

12 different languages including English,

production plus there is a native Avid workflow

French, and Arabic.”

for news. iNEWS is used by the journalism team

And what goes on behind the scenes with

to access footage and validate stories while

TV5Monde’s technical set-up? “Technology is

NewsCutters are used for editing and Interplay

everywhere because we have four main systems

Central for rough cutting, rushes and logging.

for ingest, broadcasting, post production, news,

“Everywhere else, the workflows are managed

and archiving/storage,” he explains.

by our SOA SYGEPS where processes are

“In order to link everything together we have a

scripted. That’s where we can master and

centralised service-oriented architecture (SOA).

control our operations. SYGEPS is also connected

It was mainly an IT integration project, which

to the supervision system.”

started in 2012 and took two years.”

Flexible and open

The project was progressive, “not an on-off operation”, he remarks. “With the traditional

Renard praises the Avid system for its openness.

broadcast operation, we offer a lot of services around that: internet, mobile platform, catch-up and non-linear content services.”

TV5Monde has been an Avid customer since

“We wanted a product that was reliable and

Hervé Pavard: “TF1 is still working with a traditional MAM to edit stories”

flexible in terms of IT integration. Now, there is

step and is then sent to the production control

deeply in a modern TV organisation.

2000 and Renard explains how Avid’s technology

room. Cold content goes through the traditional

plays a key part in enabling the staff to share

ingest and playout system.”

proof that we can integrate that system very “We wanted to optimise the quality of the content and storage we wanted to buy. We

For archiving, Interplay | MAM is used for two

decided to go for XDCAM HD, which the Avid

“Everything that is focused around hot content

purposes. “We extract everything valuable from

system supports. It’s also flexible so if we want

(news and live) goes through the Avid system. It is

the hot content, which can be reused later and

to extend the system and scale it, we can. The

ingested there, goes through a post production

archived. There is a team of people in charge of

post production system is separated from the

assets and collaborate.

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20 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Workflow

iNEWS is used by the journalism team to access footage and validate stories

ingest system. This was a major step because in

TF1’s news shows at 13:00 and 20:00 are the most

FTP. We are managing files and these are then

the past it was the same and in terms of resource

popular shows. The broadcaster also produces

pushed to the Avid system.”

allocation it was not perfect,” he comments.

the 24/7 LCI news channel.

When it comes to technology, the network has

Located in Boulogne, the TF1 building features

For TF1 news, there are 13 editing rooms with Media Composer and two Pro Tools mixers. “TF1

also focused on sustainability and conserving

a main studio for TF1, one for LCI, and two for

is still working with a traditional MAM to edit

energy by building a green room three years

production facilities. The broadcaster uses non-

stories,” he explains.

ago to house its technical equipment in an

TF1 facilities for shows such as The Voice.

environmentally friendly manner.

The main studio used for TF1’s news shows –

Graphics-only stories

Going forward, TV5Monde will be tweaking

built by TF1 with help from a set designer – was

With LCI, there are 15 to 20 editing booths, which

and customising its workflow. “The architecture

refurbished back in 2010/2011. Hervé Pavard,

are journalist operated. Pavard explains how

has been conceived for change, thanks to the

CTO for TF1, says it was a complex project to

there is now a shift towards more graphics-only

openness. We keep moving especially when we

ensure the equipment was kept cool through

stories. “More and more we’re making graphics-

talk about non-linear services.”

sufficient airflow and circulation.

only stories. We used to use stock shots but now

Renard elaborated on the importance for non-

Pavard provided a guided tour of the

linear services: “Now it’s impossible to promote

broadcaster’s facility with a detailed look at the

and develop the business if you don’t offer non-

operations and workflows.

linear content around the core offering. We work

TF1 has a main incoming and recording facility.

we try and make it 100 per cent graphics. We tell the story only with graphics.”

Overseeing the main technical operation is the cockpit. “It looks more at IT supervision of

with our digital team to provide content for these

“The main incoming desk is where we record all

the complete infrastructure and at broadcast

non-linear platforms: catch-up, streaming, VoD,

the feeds and all the stories/rushes in our Avid

supervision. It checks everything in real time.

mobile apps, web apps and websites. Everything

system using Interplay Capture. That is recording

There are messages about what needs to be

is managed from the same system. Workflows are

on the ISIS system,” explains Pavard.

done and alarms if anything goes wrong in

managed by SYGEPS for delivering content to

He describes the change in workflow in

these non-linear channels. It is impossible to just

terms of how files are received compared to

think linear. We have to think 360 degrees.”

a few years ago.

The final leg of the tour was to see TF1, the

“We now receive files that can

the system. You can control the complete facility from here.”

There is also a test and investigation room where people can isolate themselves and take

oldest French TV channel, which is considered to

come from our own teams and news agencies

control of the equipment to check everything is

be the leading broadcaster for news in France.

that we use from around the world through

functioning correctly.

TVBEurope 21

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow RTL developed a green screen concept that would provide images in different areas of the new studio

Filling a window on the world Philip Stevens learns how a dynamic virtual 3D solution breathes new life into Dutch news programmes

and foreground. “The look I wanted to create was of an empty studio populated with some very big green screens. The idea was to frame the news pictures in such a way as to create urgency while explaining stories for our viewers.”

TL News organisation’s Amsterdam

Dynamic upgrading

operation recently upgraded its studio and

So just how did RTL go about achieving the

gallery to high definition (HD) and, at the

effect it wanted to create?

R

same time, extensively transformed its existing

Hank van de Loo, manager AV techniek,

facilities by incorporating some innovative

RTL Engineering, explains more. “You have

virtual 3D solutions.

to remember that we are talking about a

“Our previous set-up was somewhat basic,

Because so many of RTL’s viewers use devices such as iPhones and tablets, television news output should offer a similar look and feel, with the ability for presenters themselves to ‘swipe’ to the next image in the story

studio that was more than ten years old. It

Van de Loo says that because so many of

and we need to develop a new look,” explains

was still operating in SD and so as well as the

RTL’s viewers use devices such as iPhones and

director of news, Marc Schreuder. “What we

need for the more dynamic look for our news

tablets, television news output should offer

wanted to create was a studio with the option

programmes, we needed to upgrade the output

a similar look and feel, with the ability for presenters

of incorporating a group of very large virtual

to HD. Not only that, we thought this was a good

themselves to ‘swipe’ to the next image in the story.

images and graphics. These would enable us

moment to see whether or not we were still on

The first phase saw Belgian company Pièce

to expand the scope of stories or to carry out

track with our audiences. We wanted to know,

Montée create a new design for the studio. This

animations and on-screen explanations.”

for example, if we were getting our messages

would include the ‘windows’ that would display

across in a way that fits with the current way

the virtual images that were essential in meeting

of perceiving news.”

RTL’s objectives.

Schreuder goes on to explain that he wanted to use large virtual images in both the background

22 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Workflow “The Belgian developers came up with a physical ‘window’ which included an in-built virtual augmented frame,” describes van de Loo. “This design centred on a virtual and augmented environment in a studio that had no cameramen, five robotic cameras on the floor, and a production gallery with only three people: the director, the assistant to the director looking after robotics, and the editor-in-chief with responsibility for the content of the broadcast.”

Close collaboration “With the concept in mind, we had the additional challenge of a number of different suppliers having to work together to achieve our desired look,” states van de Loo. “But we did get some significant help from other parts of the RTL organisation. Although the Netherlands operation of RTL had not previously used an Orad product, I found that its virtual solutions had been used with amazing results in other parts of the broadcasting group. For example, M6 in Paris

With ‘windows’ surrounding news presenters, dynamic images can be shown from various angles

employed Orad PowerWall, and later installed the company’s solution for its dynamic graphics across all 12 of its channels.”

The result was a period of intense collaboration

on the 11mx20m wide studio floor. Central to

on the technical infrastructure and design from

the solution is Orad ProSet for keying content

Orad, Sony and Vinten as well as the RTL board,

over the virtual panels and creating augmented

technical management, editorial and news

reality elements.

teams. “This cooperation across multiple vendors

Orad ProSet extracts camera, positional

and groups was key in innovating the way we

and lens parameters from each of the robotic

ultimately designed the studio and now present

cameras to enable the keyed graphics to be

our news programmes,” emphasises van de Loo.

accurately displayed on the three virtual panels

The outcome is a new RTL studio workflow,

“This cooperation across multiple vendors and groups was key in innovating the way we ultimately designed the studio and now present our news programmes” Hank van de Loo, RTL

within the physical studio. ProSet’s authoring

which includes three virtual big green screens

software retrieves bitmap files in a format that

and one large frame for augmented content

permits per-layer manipulation and animation. It also has dynamic scene-blending architecture that permits the triggering of multiple graphic scenes at the same time using just one system. This allows a virtual background to be generated from one scene while foreground objects are created from an alternative scene.

Both sources are then combined into a single unified output channel to provide the overall graphic solution.

The system’s internal chroma keyer is utilised for controlling the sharpness of both the graphics and video content. In addition, ProSet generates the augmented reality elements to create the distinctive look for each of the programmes that are originated in the new studio.

Orad’s own HDVG4 rendering platform renders intricate 3D graphics scenery in real time, providing depth and perspectives as well as realistic textures.

Full-screen graphics, tickers, lower thirds and other graphic elements are under the

TVBEurope 23

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow “The new studio provides our audience with a stunning visual set that is very flexible in terms of graphics presentation” Hank van de Loo, RTL

Quick-change sets According to van de Loo, the solution provides RTL with all the advantages of a video wall but without having to install a ‘physical’ component.

“We produce 25 different shows each day from that studio, so that’s a heavy workload. Although the number of personnel in the studio and gallery has been reduced, we have increased the size of the graphics department to handle the new

management of another Orad component:

demands. The screens are two metres high, and

Maestro control. This handles the workflow from

eight metres wide, so that’s not a normal 16:9

ingest, through authoring, managing, distribution,

picture. That means we have to be quite creative

playout, to archiving.

when it comes to making images that are visually

The playlist, including the virtual background and the on-air graphics, are generated by the

good on the screen for the viewers at home.”

He concludes, “The new studio provides our

Maestro News Producer plugin, embedded within

audience with a stunning visual set that is very

the Avid iNews newsroom computer system.

flexible in terms of graphics presentation. It has

Rundowns are created by dragging and dropping

enabled us to raise brand awareness that has

graphic elements into a playlist. These rundowns

seen audiences more connected to the news

are controlled by the Sony ELC studio automation

programmes, thanks to the hyper-reality richness

system, which triggers the Maestro-created playlist

of the content. As far as the future is concerned,

to air. This automation also controls camera robotics

we are already preparing with Orad for the next

from Vinten with APS (Absolute Positioning System)

generation studio which we anticipate will be

and Egripment track hanging in the ceiling.

online later this year.”

24 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

in association with

Bridging the gender divide The gender imbalance in the broadcast industry is an on-going point of controversy. Much has been said and written about the obstacles that stand in the way of progress for females in broadcasting and technology roles, and the statistics make for uncomfortable reading, but what are the solutions? This TVBEurope roundtable event sought to drill down into the fundamental issues that surround this imbalance by inviting a selection of prominent industry leaders to offer their experiences, and learned perspectives

Introduction Michelle Munson, CEO and co-founder of Aspera, an IBM company

how we can encourage the next generation

At a higher education level, the consensus

of talent – male or female – into the

was that there’s many respected educational

broadcast industry. So where do you start

institutions providing excellent broadcast

a discussion on whether there’s a gender

engineering courses. Many of these universities

gap in our industry, and if so, what can be

and colleges are even seeing their students

done to help to balance it out? Statistics

secure a job before they’ve finished the

always help. Recently, I heard that in the

course, which is very encouraging.

When I was honoured with the task of

USA, just 25 per cent of women work

moderating this debate, above all I wanted

in technology. Of this 25 per cent, the

needs to be done at a grassroots level to

it to be a frank and open discussion with a

breakdown of those working in broadcast

encourage children (of all genders) to pursue

group of women who individually represent

technology hits single figures.

an interest in maths and science. Through

a broad spectrum of the broadcast industry,

The discussion took on many routes to

One prominent conclusion was that more

education and getting children excited about

from education through to heads of media

analyse why this was, with education being

where their skills can lead, more generations

services companies. Second, we agreed

a big part of the debate. As well as what

will want to pursue a career in broadcast

that we wanted the outcome to be the

the industry needs to do to encourage more

technology, ensuring that our industry

start of a continuing conversation about

women into technical engineering.

continues to innovate.

TVBEurope 25

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

Roundtable: Evaluating the landscape for women in broadcast

By Holly Ashford

ccording to a Creative Skillset report,

A

representation of women in the creative industries has increased from

53,750 in 2009 to 69,590 in 2012, yet this still represents only 36 per cent of the total workforce.

A more recent survey conducted by the training and skills agency, released in May, revealed that women in TV earn on average £2,250 less than men. These issues are not unique to the UK: the Women’s Media Center published ‘The Status of Women in US Media’ earlier this year and made the disheartening conclusion that, “media on all platforms are failing women”.

With the aim of examining the current landscape

for women in the industry, and the opportunities for better representation across the board, TVBEurope hosted the first in a series of dedicated roundtable events at The Bloomsbury Hotel in London. Michelle Munson, CEO and co-founder of Aspera, moderated the panel, which generated impassioned insights and personal experiences from figures across the broadcast environment: Anne-Louise Buick, head of TV compression portfolio marketing, Ericsson; Christine Corner, partner, Grant Thornton; Sinead Greenaway,

The panel listens intently to Carrie Wooten (foreground)

director of operations and technology, UKTV; Sadie Groom, managing director, Bubble and Squeak;

Despite gloomy employment stats, Greenaway

Wooten agreed, saying that from a

Lesley Marr, COO, Deluxe Media Europe; Meryl

opened on a positive note, saying that she

creative point of view things are fairly

McLaren, commercial manager, BBC S&PP; Emma

“joyously walked into a business that’s 64 per

balanced, though women are still under-

Riley, head of business development, dock10;

cent female”, and described UKTV as “bucking

represented in the broadcast technology

Sophie Wilson, director of sales and marketing, PHA

the trend”. However, she admitted that in the

market. “I’m not feeling as positive,” she

Media; and Carrie Wooten, head of commercial

technology community there is a “ferocious

admitted, using the example of being the only

development, Ravensbourne.

[gender] imbalance”.

woman on the bus leaving the

26 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

in association with

There was a healthy balance of serious and light hearted discussion around the table

Sophie Wilson expresses her thoughts

Las Vegas Convention Center at NAB, as being indicative of the state of the industry on a wider scale.

Perhaps responsibility for ‘bucking the trend’ lies with individual businesses, then? Compression is one of the oldest parts of the business, opened Buick, and although traditionally maledominated, “we see this widening out” at Ericsson. The company has a stated goal that by 2020, women will make up 30 per cent of leadership and executives; at present, the figure is 22 per cent, and “there is a massive push and real commitment from Ericsson, top down, for diversity and gender equality,” according to Buick.

are “tons of women on the production side”

“It comes back to confidence,” said Marr. “I

of sports broadcast, according to Greenaway;

do think that’s a massive problem especially

departments there is roughly a 50/50 gender

McLaren has experienced an overwhelming

when it comes to women’s representation

split, however, “we have 40 engineers, of which

amount of strong women working for production

at conferences and on panel discussions.”

two are women”. She is the only woman on the

companies; and at Deluxe there are “a lot of

Indeed, when Females in the Broadcast Industry

ten-strong senior management team, and only

women around the accounts side – that’s a

(FBI) hosted a panel discussion at IBC2014, it

one of seven members of the company’s board

skills-based thing, women tend to be better

was probably the first time in the trade show’s

is female. Wilson seems to sum up all of the

at negotiating,” according to Marr. dock10’s

history that five women in the industry (including

roundtable attendees’ experiences – and those

Riley added her own experience of working in

roundtable participant Sadie Groom) had

of many women in the industry – admitting that

production and that aside from one male boss,

appeared on the same stage. “I was brought

“the elephant in the room is discrimination”. At

everyone else was female, concluding boldly

up to be very confident,” said Groom, and

a recent trade show in Dubai, she said, she had

that “women make TV”.

similarly Marr admits that confidence is part of

At dock10, said Riley, outside of the tech

“had enough”, having been pretty much the

After sharing the challenges and setbacks

her “personality type”. McLaren too says she

only woman at the tradeshow and experiencing

they’d faced, talk at the roundtable turned

grounds her confidence in “upbringing and

“rampant misogyny”.

to why there are not more women working

education”, as well as a love of sport, which

in the broadcast industry, particularly occupying

naturally drives and promotes competitiveness.

high-level positions.

But is such confidence the norm among women?

Not all areas of the media industry have such meagre female representation, though: there

TVBEurope 27

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

Corner believes that “women generally are less

and will go some way to narrowing the

However, the roundtable participants

conďŹ dent about speaking out, telling storiesâ€?.

gender gap in the broadcast industry. “Support

also stressed the importance of looking

And what about women who have experienced

in the collective and in the sisterhood and

after yourself and commanding respect, so,

a very different upbringing? Can conďŹ dence be

helping one another,� summarised Wilson,

as Wilson added, “you can then be that

so easily learned?

is “crucial and key�.

inspiration to other people�.

Marr puts a degree of her conďŹ dence down to “educationâ€? and a deep knowledge and understanding of her subject matter. Wooten, of specialist digital media and design college Ravensbourne, also stresses the importance of education and “enabling students to feel conďŹ dent in themselvesâ€?. She relayed the story of a female student studying in an environment in which she experienced persistent “male banterâ€? and sexist remarks – which as the vast

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[gender] imbalance,� implored Greenaway earlier in the discussion.

But will positive role models and conďŹ dence be enough to address this imbalance? Or will the imposition of compulsory quotas be the only way to increase the number of women in high-level positions in the broadcast industry? In November 2013, the European Parliament voted in favour of a draft law that would impose a 40 per cent quota for female directors on company boards.

To become law, the plans needed the backing of EU member states. The UK has been reluctant to impose quotas; in 2011, a government report recommended that FTSE 100 boards should aim for

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28 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Feature

2020: visions of the future Television in the Networked Society

Television has come an extremely long way since the first public demonstration of televised silhouette images in motion 90 years ago, writes Simon Frost, head of media marketing and communications at Ericsson. But as we move closer to 2020, we are about to witness the greatest transformation our industry has ever seen

Redefining the TV experience TV packages in 2020 will be both completely different, and yet ironically similar. The concept of bundling will be challenged where sell-through of content will become more transparent and selective, yet the service of aggregation will be even more valuable in a highly fragmenting

he Networked Society is changing all the

This will be driven by the transforming elements of

business rules; it’s an irreversible entity and

mobility, broadband, and the cloud, overhauling

will continue to open up a whole range

the traditional rules of engagement and redefining

demand for an integrated, accessible and tailored

of exciting and potentially ground-breaking

how consumers demand and consume video. The

television experience, which is personalised to

opportunities across all forms of video.

internet era of TV will not be mutually exclusive to

their interests, devices and personal situations.

the traditional players in the existing value chain.

Consumers ultimately want a continuous, seamless

T

By 2020, we will see a firmly established internet era of television. Over the next five years,

Vision, innovation, and a laser focus on the

distribution model.

Service providers are cognisant of consumer

and unified viewing experience throughout the

operators, TV service providers, content owners,

consumer are the winning formula in the era

day, with a content mix that is deeply tuned to

broadcasters, investors and new innovators

of the Networked Society and new players

their specific needs at that moment. This does

will revolutionise the way content is produced,

on the market will have the same opportunity

not mean the end of an era of scheduled TV,

delivered, discovered, and experienced.

to shape and drive this future TV landscape.

but the schedule becomes personal, suggestive,

The emergence of new technologies and

Widespread mobility, increased scalability and

and enables both lean-forward and lean-back

increased connectivity will enable greater

unprecedented choice will enable disruption

scenarios of consumer moods.

interplay between players across the entire

and play a pivotal role in the way all forms of

media spectrum. Market revenues will soar

video – premium, social, and informational – is

for many years, thanks to the ubiquity of TV VHS

to $750 billion.

delivered to the consumer.

box sets and DVDs, OTT players are now offering

Although binge viewing has been a feature

TVBEurope 29

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature unprecedented convenience and access to entire

better distribution opportunities and extend strong

change the way consumers discover, navigate

TV series, without the prohibitive high cost of acquiring

brand trust in local markets into broader markets.

and experience content. Cloud-based services

the content. This is rapidly increasing competition

We already see the trend of content owners

will enable service providers to offer an enhanced

across the value chain, particularly for content

and broadcasters re-entrenching their intellectual

video delivery experience and the capacity to

owners, broadcasters, and TV service providers.

property in great content through investments

power and deploy new platforms that deliver ultra

and acquisitions of creative agencies, content

agile and flexible TV services at web speed.

These consumer trends are already challenging the value of traditional bundled packages and

rights and production companies.

Underpinning the infrastructure of the Networked Society will be the growth of IP. It will become the

offers of content as new service providers drive

Equally, we see large-scale TV service

viewing time to on-demand libraries of content,

providers consolidating their leverage and

future of video delivery and a fundamental ‘given’,

and consumers increasingly question the value of

position by investing both for broader market

which will enable all the various types of activities

so much linearly distributed, scheduled content.

coverage to drive buying scale, as well as

consumers will want to experience in TV. The need

2014 research by the Diffusion Group states that

complementary technologies, especially to drive

for ubiquitous and higher capacity broadband

around 15 per cent of adult broadband users

a fixed and mobile IP broadband capability.

connectivity is fuelling an ever increasing demand

who subscribe to a pay-TV service are considering

Charter Communications’ recent announcement

in data traffic in mobile networks, thanks to the

abandoning it within the next six months.

of its intentions to takeover Time Warner Cable

growth and uptake of video services across an

is illustrative of the types of industries that will

abundance of user devices. Ericsson’s June 2015

highlights that over 40 per cent of OTT users still

soon quickly fuse together and adopt a more

Mobility Report suggests video is the key growth

regard linear TV as a very valuable service. This

collaborative approach. The overall theme is

factor in mature mobile broadband markets, with

helps to demonstrate the balance that needs to

scale, in both the content and delivery roles.

60 per cent of all mobile data traffic forecast to be

Nevertheless, Ericsson ConsumerLab research

from video by 2020.

be struck between the provision of live content, alongside the rapid popularity and integration of OTT services. Ericsson Media Vision 2020 research predicts the consumption of linear and VoD services will be 50:50 by 2020 in advanced markets.

Empowering business

The true value of television will never be eroded. Technological innovations are there to enhance the television experience

Despite widespread agreement that the future of video delivery is IP via the internet, the internet itself is not ready for ‘TV scale’. Large investments in broadband capacity will be required to feed the demands of video consumption in the Networked Society and right now, many are discussing who will pay for the investments needed to replace current

The consumer is going to witness the explosive

distribution networks with IP-based networks in the

fragmentation of their television experience as

medium term.

content owners and broadcasters rapidly drive

Whatever media strategy an organisation may

forward with their OTT strategies and build-out

have adopted today doesn’t necessarily have

their ‘digital app environments’, hoping to keep

to remain their strategy going forward. Different

TV beyond 2020

the consumer’s attention for as long as possible.

industry players will need to adopt different

Over the next few years, the definition of television

While the depth of content on offer may be

strategies for success. Their place in the value

itself will evolve. To enable the ultra agile and flexible

compelling, the experience of so many apps, on

chain is fluid; indeed, we are starting to see

model that consumers want, the industry will have

so many platforms without consistency, will be

the arrival of brands as broadcasters, with their

to experiment in order to set the consumer agenda.

deeply frustrating to most.

own approach and strategy. The increasing

Nevertheless, even as we move towards 2020, the

connectivity and availability of video content is

fundamentals of the service of television will remain

those that own the content, it will require the next

enabling brands to reach their audiences with

the same. Television remains an emotive, storytelling

generation of advanced aggregation platforms

niche and resonating content that can build

medium with a purpose to educate, entertain,

and services to truly evolve the TV experience as

loyalty and a wider global reach.

inform, and offer a means of discovery.

market consumer loyalty. We will witness significant

An explosion of cloud services

Technological innovations are there to enhance

innovation inside single brand content apps, as

The cloud is one of the current hot terms in the

the television experience; greater picture and

well as single brand ultimate aggregation services.

industry, and as a topic is essential for several

sound quality, immediacy on every connected

reasons; yet the overarching one is agility.

device with a screen, interactivity, social groups and

quickly new innovators can re-establish consumer

Everything about the future of television will be a

sharing, and perhaps most crucially: discoverability.

expectation and perception of value in content

moving target, an adaptation, and will evolve.

offerings and access. The panacea for today’s

Many organisations from the internet industry

platforms such as Periscope present a future

industry players is to become an organisation

have this technology and service philosophy at

challenge for the industry business model around

that not only influences consumer perception

their core, serving the continually shifting and

content rights, enabling consumers to stream and

but also consumer behaviour. It’s imperative that

ever changing demands of the consumer.

deliver instantaneous live footage to a huge

So while OTT is certainly going to be successful for

we know it, and secure the next wave of mass-

The birth of the internet era of TV saw just how

the media industry focuses on the next emerging

The true value of television will never be eroded.

So, the cloud will play a primary role in the future

The rapid emergence of new social broadcast

critical mass of users.

consumer trends and where the consumer

TV experience and those who embrace it and

will want to go next while entrenching its core

who deploy new innovative solutions the fastest will

the Networked Society the deepest and who are

values. From the content owner and broadcaster

delight the next generation of TV consumer. It’s an

prepared to focus on how to innovate the quickest

perspective, their core asset is in the curation and

industry imperative which will deliver a whole host

in response to consumer demands, will grow the

creation of great content. They need to develop

of cross selling opportunities, social interactions, and

fastest in the new internet era of TV.

Industry players that understand the potential of

30 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

in association with

Start 4K now Sitting down a group of VIP broadcasting experts and asking them to deliver their advice on Ultra HD guarantees plenty of passion and some controversy, and yet there was a strong sense of consensus by the end of the session. Chris Forrester moderated the roundtable discussion, hosted by Marquis Media Partners in conjunction with TVBEurope, during which panellists shared their views on 4K/Ultra HD, when we might see transmissions, and whether over-the-top (OTT) will be the dominating driver for 4K availability

The Groucho Club in London provided an exclusive setting for the debate

higher frame rates, higher dynamic range and the ‘better pixel’ arguments likely from wider colour gamut images.

BT’s Mark Wilson-Dunn said, in his view: “The material I have seen in 4K from the likes of Netflix is less than perfect. The danger for all of us is that people will buy into Netflix and think that’s as good as 4K can be, and it certainly is not. It could really backfire on all of us, given

T

Panellists Tim Bertioli

VP, media technology, NBC-Universal

Mark Wilson-Dunn

VP, BT Media & Broadcast Enterprises

Francis Rolland

CEO, Globecast

Mike Whittaker director, operations & technology, SIS Simon Fell John Ive

director, technology & innovation, EBU director, technology & strategic insight, IABM

Mark Smith

CTO, ITV

Doug Clark

cloud leader, IBM UK & Ireland

Rod Fairweather

senior director, infrastructure, Viacom

Martin Turner Andy Baker

director, media business, Inmarsat controller, major projects/ infrastructure, BBC

Chris Steele

MD, Marquis Broadcast

he BBC’s Andy Baker summed up the

that they are buying panels at a huge rate

industry challenges, saying: “Today, we

and those panels really are not ready for what

have 4K TVs on every retailer’s shelves but

we all know as Ultra HD. And this isn’t helped

there’s very little 4K content to display on them.

by the fact that there’s no content out there.

The 4K content is being made but it’s certainly

The other question that we all recognise is to

not being delivered except by one or two well

ask how many of these buyers will be viewing

known OTT suppliers.”

4K at the optimal viewing distance. There’s

The IABM’s John Ive expressed the view that

also the problem of the current crop of highly

consumers had very little choice when buying

fashionable curved sets which, in my view,

into 4K. “They can choose a size but, as we saw

don’t help matters at all.”

with HDTV when after a while it was very difficult

The EBU’s Simon Fell argued that people

to get a standard definition set, I think the same is

were already making 4K ‘programming’

happening to 4K.”

from their own smartphones. “The end results

The panel agreed that 4K in retail stores

are quite spectacular. It is the same with

was now near ubiquitous, and that the price

still images. In other words, it’s very easy for

premium for (so-called) 4K sets was no longer

consumers to be impressed by 4K displays but I

a disincentive. But there was considerable

think we are seeing something of an ‘emperor’s

discussion as to the capability of those

new clothes’ in that the display will look good

displays to handle ‘true’ 4K, let alone cope

to them, and their neighbours, no matter how

with today’s fast-moving developments in

close or far they are sitting from the screen.

TVBEurope 31

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

We would argue, of course, that we want

“We have to encourage the industry to get on with 4K otherwise we will all be waiting forever” Mark Wilson-Dunn, BT Media and Broadcast

improved frame rates and better resolution but I can tell you the viewer is happy with what’s out there already”.

ITV’s Mark Smith said that the complete content delivery system needs to change.

“There’s storage for a start, then compression, and I can see us ending up with bandwidth for 4K not being that far off from today’s HD. However,

just gotten on with it. We have to encourage the industry to get on with it otherwise we will all be waiting forever.”

NBC-Universal’s Tim Bertioli said there was little interest from the USA’s main broadcast networks.

“It is the usual challenge: where is the money coming from?”

His comments were echoed by Viacom’s Rod Fairweather, and not helped by

while we can all agree that three years from now

his company’s focus on kids and music

the technology will have improved, we still need

infrastructure. It coped. Add on HEVC and it

programming. “And even with the high-quality

to make that transition.”

would have coped even better. We have done

MTV Music Awards, I doubt whether you’ll see

football, rugby, golf, and now cricket. I have to

much 4K action for some time. We’re not

while agonising over what might happen, there

say they all require different filming techniques

going to lead this revolution.”

were broadcasters who had already made the

to get the best out of 4K.

BT’s Wilson-Dunn reminded panellists that

switch. “There is a broadcaster who is running

Globecast’s Francis Rolland said he expected

“The biggest issue we have, in my view, is that

France’s Canal+ and Orange to be leading the

4K today to a whole nation, and that’s Star TV

everyone is talking about high dynamic range

change to 4K, and as far as contribution and

in India, who started their service on the back

and wider colour gamut, instead of talking

distribution services were concerned, Globecast

of the ICC cricket earlier this year. BT carried

about how we can launch 4K and getting on

was ready with extra bandwidth.

the signals from Australia, running for eleven

with it. I think we risk confusing the message.

and a half hours a day in 4K and HD across two

The USA is having a problem getting over

the panel agreed that certainly as far as the UK

continents through to their set-top boxes. It can

the ‘final mile’ of getting a signal into the

was concerned, within six months consumers

be done right now. We bolted four decoders

home because of the technical challenges.

would see lots of 4K channels. They unanimously

together and ran the signals over our existing

Meanwhile, a couple of Indian operators have

expected Sky to lead the charge.

Asked to say when UK services would start,

EDITORIAL PLANNER 2015 2015 will see TVBEurope attend and cover more of the key events on the broadcast media industry calendar.

Following the successful redesign of TVBEurope, we have developed a more comprehensive list of features for each issue over the coming year, and will be launching a dedicated section covering the latest developments in OTT, multiscreen, and TV Everywhere: TVBEverywhere. Our Opinion and Analysis and Features sections will deliver the big stories every month; Workflow will continue our bedrock coverage of UHD, 4K, IT/IP infrastructures, and pre and post production insights; and our Business section will provide a regualr analysis of the marketplace, and all of the key M&A activity. Our Audio for Broadcast coverage will now be present in every issue and major sports/live broadcast events will be reported on throughout the year.

For all advertising and sponsorship opportunities, contact the sales team: Europe Ben Ewles: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000, bewles@nbmedia.com,

Issue Date

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Feature

Audio for Broadcast

Sports/ Live broadcast

August

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• Broadcast graphics forum • IBC product preview

• Mics/ monitors/ consoles

•Wimbledon 2015

September

• IBC show issue

• Quality control forum • IBC show issue: product showcase • Audio for broadcast special • IP technology forum

October

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

November

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

December

• TVBAwards

• Acquisition focus: all encompassing • Transcoding forum

• Media Asset Management forum • Archiving and storage roundtable

• Broadcast audio feature •Rugby World •Cup 2015

32 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

TVBEverywhere

Why OTT is an opportunity and not a threat to TV operators The media world has been evolving at a dramatic pace over recent years, writes Michael Lantz, CEO of Accedo. The improvement of devices and networks has made it possible to distribute high quality video directly over the internet to virtually any consumer device, and TV operators should embrace this new OTT technology

to content outside of the home is a key value for the modern consumer. This is a good move, which may significantly reduce churn over the next couple of years.

The standalone OTT service is another beast.

The move to launch the possibility to subscribe to an operator-powered OTT TV service is still

ost TV operators were set up to control

worried about implementing any measures

considered aggressive, even more so if the service

the entire distribution chain. They built

which may risk destroying margins or causing loss

includes linear channels. Operators need to build

and controlled the technical distribution

of subscribers, even if they know that such moves

up new subscriber bases, new technology stacks

may be vital for long-term success.

and establish new business models, both with

M

(cable, satellite, terrestrial, etc), licensed the channels/content, and also established the

Secondly, operators have a long history

consumers and suppliers. The challenge of going

consumer brand name and the billing and

of implementing and controlling technology

head to head with pure play OTT companies like

customer relationships. The only thing they did

internally, with huge departments responsible for

Netflix and Amazon is daunting, but if operators

not control was the content creation and the

distribution of video to consumers. Clearly, with

want to grow rather than protect their market

channel creation. The TV operator and the

OTT, these departments will gradually be smaller,

share, this is an inevitable move. Operators like

channel provider built up a very attractive

both in terms of budget and manpower.

Sky and Viasat have launched standalone OTT

partnership where both providers managed to

Finally, TV operators maintain that they

generate more and more revenues and profits

understand content due to their long history

relevant and keep the initiative in a transformative

from a content-hungry consumer market with

of packaging channels. I firmly believe that TV

market, and both have succeeded with creating

relatively weak competition.

operators understand consumers enough to

strong local standalone OTT services.

The operator had a virtual monopoly

price and market a subscription offering, but

regarding their distribution networks, either

generally do not understand content once we

because of the very high investment barriers or

drill down one level below the channel structure.

personal relationships with the channels, where and money. The TV operators typically enjoy a sheltered competitive environment, in the form of either an actual monopoly (only one operator available per household) or a practical

OTT as an enabler for a service aggregator Clearly, some TV operators may not be interested

due to legal hurdles. Consumers had stronger higher competition existed for consumers’ time

initiatives on their respective markets to stay

or structured in a way that they can succeed

By embracing OTT technologies and relying on third-party vendors with strong cloud infrastructure, it is possible to completely change the cost structure

with a standalone service. Are these companies destined to disappear a few years from now, or can they find an alternative strategy to stay relevant in an OTT world?

I believe that the way forward for more

monopoly (very long subscription periods and

traditional companies will be to slowly transform

high barriers to churn).

into a service aggregator. The strong customer and billing relationships in local markets, as well

This will all change with the emergence of OTT, and TV operators who can adapt to this new

In an OTT transformation of a TV operator,

as an understanding for consumer packaging,

opportunity can succeed.

they need to address these weaknesses. If

will remain attractive in an OTT world. A service

they do, they have a fantastic opportunity of

aggregator will establish distribution agreements

The operator’s weaknesses

becoming formidable competitors to the pure

with broadcasters, VoD providers and other

Most TV operators are fully aware of their

play OTT companies.

relevant video distributors on a multiscreen basis

strengths. It’s clear that the consumer

and provide attractive consumer business models,

relationships, established billing processes,

OTT as a standalone service

user experiences and marketing. Many consumers

attractive content agreements, and possibilities

Now, I’m sure that many TV operators are of the

are not particularly interested in visiting different

of bundling with other services are all great

opinion that they have already launched OTT

services to find the content they like, and the

strengths when moving into OTT services. It is

services on the market. They have done this in

operator is probably the only credible player to

always more difficult to be objective about

the form of a mobile extension to their core TV

solve the aggregation challenge in a market.

one’s weaknesses.

offering, a value-add for existing subscribers.

First of all, operators are defensive. Their existing business is valuable to them and they’re

Of course, inclusion of third-party services and

In all likelihood, this has been deployed as a

apps in your own offering will probably mean

defensive move on the market, where access

that operators should stop or at least downplay

TVBEurope 33

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEverywhere their own video initiatives to be attractive as a

The pressure on TV operators to embrace OTT technologies in order to lower costs will only accelerate as OTT technologies mature and become more reliable and faster to deploy

partner on the market. Similarly to what they did when they started aggregating TV channels in pay-TV packages, the operators should evolve to be the best possible partner to the video services on each market. This may mean relinquishing some control to the third party, but also adding value to them in a way where they can justify getting a share of the relevant revenue streams.

while the change over the last three years has been quicker than anticipated. Going forward, we believe that the service fragmentation will accelerate. Many well-funded media companies are in the starting blocks of providing their own standalone OTT service.

Business models of SVoD services of between $5 and $10 per month and the abundance of services lead us to believe that many consumers will have two to three simultaneous

OTT as a driver for cost transformation

The pressure on TV operators to embrace OTT

increasingly use OTT technologies to drive

An often forgotten opportunity with OTT is the

technologies in order to lower costs will only

loyalty or new subscriptions. This will add to the

possibility to significantly lower the cost of setting

accelerate as OTT technologies mature and

complexity and the market fragmentation in

up and running a video service operation.

become more reliable and faster to deploy.

the short-term future.

Historically, operators spend tens of millions of

The continued rapid innovation in the industry is

dollars building networks, setting up headends,

clearly indicating that this trend will continue for

consolidation. Consumers will converge around

creating and deploying a service, and licensing

the foreseeable future.

the best services, and we will see merging

subscriptions. On top of this, operators will

proprietary technologies to distribute a premium

Long-term, it is likely that we’ll see some

between several different companies to create regional players and special interest companies.

relying on third-party vendors with strong cloud

Short-term versus long-term change

infrastructure, which can be shared between

We at Accedo have been preaching the virtues

reduced number of companies after the initial

many video providers, it is possible to completely

of OTT technologies for more than ten years. The

burst of activity we will see over the coming two

change the cost structure.

initial market change was slower than expected

to three years.

service. By embracing OTT technologies and

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We will still see healthy competition, but with a

34 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

TVBEverywhere newer businesses, bringing new functionalities

OTT service subscribers are predicted to increase from 92.1 million in 2014 to 333.2 million globally in 2019

and services into the market, have a greater expertise in this area than themselves – a challenge akin to trying to hit a moving target.

These newer businesses are evolving very quickly while more “traditional” organisations are “just learning how to walk”.

The chief concern among several broadcasters is how to respond to the “massive proliferation” of new TV services offering content across “different price points, difference operating systems and different vendors”. Whilst most commentators agree that the quality and experiences offered by these enhanced ondemand services are exciting and valuable to consumers, debate remains around how quickly these new distributors will have a measureable impact and how much of a ‘substitution’ they are or will become.

An opposing view is that OTT services are set to

The future of broadcast, or part of broadcast’s future mix?

thrive best as value-add services used effectively to complement traditional regional broadcast, where brand, local investment and knowledge are highly valued.

Those broadcasters dipping their toes into the OTT water have said they will continue to have a mix of distribution methods to match viewers’ consumption patterns, providing complementary

By Tom Cape, director of connected solutions, Arqiva

T

he broadcasting value chain is facing an

Faced with new international market entrants such as Netflix, whose content, subscribers and revenue are fast making major waves, echoes of the death knell abound

or video on-demand content on companion devices. The industry acknowledges the fluidity of the current environment, and that the future outlook for consumption is unclear. One broadcaster we spoke to recently said that the big question in the short to medium-term was to what extent activity and emphasis would

era of convergence; one impacted by a

shift from its television channels to newer forms

number of ‘disrupters’ both from outside

of digital distribution, as live and on-demand

their organisations, to inside, as well as the

viewing finds a new equilibrium.

audiences themselves. We’re facing a time

Faced with new international market entrants

Those willing to take a bigger risk can benefit

of uncertainty as industry players adjust to

such as Netflix, whose content, subscribers and

from the alternative revenue streams generated

a confused technical landscape affecting

revenue are fast making major waves, echoes of

by the “outside” disrupters. The dynamism of

mainstream television. With OTT service subscribers

the death knell abound: but in reality, how much

the current environment presents these new

in particular predicted to increase from 92.1

impact will such companies really have on the

opportunities. One broadcaster explained

million in 2014, to 333.2 million globally in 2019,

traditional establishment? Are they game-victors

that those broadcasters who are also content

this uncertainty is only expected to increase.

or merely new team players?

creators or rights holders should benefit as

TV is, and always has been, a world of many

Recently, when Arqiva questioned leading

content moves online, providing new digital

acronyms. Those in the industry are constantly

players in the industry, including free-to-air

avenues to exploit. If growth exists in this digital

playing catch-up with the next set of apparent

broadcasters, pay broadcasters, rights holders

world, they should “seek it”. Content owners

game changers. It’s perhaps a hassle to keep

and platforms as part of our Connected

in the US have been using this model for years,

on top of, but never have a group of acronyms

Broadcasting campaign, there was a general

with recent hit shows such as Vikings, originally

taken on such a menacing tone as those the

sense of “powerlessness” with the imposition

produced for The History Channel, subsequently

industry are dealing with today. From the modest

of change being perceived to be brought by

being made available on Amazon Prime.

yet important move away from linear viewing to

“outsiders”. Broadcasters are anxious about the

‘VoD’, to the stellar rise of ‘OTT’, ‘SVoD’, ‘TVoD’

“imposition” of a new reality by the newly arrived

holders can no longer ignore the advance of

and ‘EST’, many of the services behind today’s

international OTT players.

the OTT companies, and are having to make

acronyms have been heralded as the beginning of the end for broadcast TV as we know it.

Broadcasters acknowledge the pace at which the market is changing. One explained that

Whatever you believe, broadcasters and rights

some serious decisions about their own direct-toconsumer operations as a result.

The global resource portal for media technology content

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36 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

Special Report

Eurovision Song Contest with record-breaking production

By Angela Buenger Austria’s national broadcaster ORF implemented complex file-based workflows for AV recording and distribution of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest to 80 countries worldwide

I

n its 60th anniversary year, the Eurovision Song

VideoHouse, ORF’s broadcast supplier – and the

Contest (ESC), one of the most popular TV

video and audio distribution of the commentary

entertainment programmes worldwide, was

solution were based on IP networking technology.

about to beat its own record. In addition to the

To distribute all of the audio signals to the

spectators in the hall, the final shows were watched

different suppliers and OB vans while minimising

by almost 200 million viewers from 80 countries

equipment and cabling required, as well as

– which included China for the first time in the

increasing flexibility, the signals were collected

event’s history – and topped its 2014 viewing figures

by a central audio router. The heart of the set-up

by around two million viewers, according to EBU

consisted of a Lawo Nova 73HD audio routing

reports. The show was even awarded a Guinness

core. Ten DALLIS I/O systems were connected to

World Record in 2015 for being the longest running

the core via RAVENNA audio-over-IP technology.

annual music television competition.

However, the real revelation was not Sweden’s

The installation comprised a decentralised collection and distribution of the signals at the

Mans Zelmerlöw beating his adversaries from

venue, including 96 Sennheiser Digital 9000

Russia and Italy, but the complex file-based

wireless microphone systems, 32 Sennheiser

workflows Austria’s national broadcaster and host

in-ear systems for the artists, and an AVID Pro

of the event in Vienna implemented behind the

Tools playback system. In addition, all sync and

scenes at the event venue, the Wiener Stadthalle.

timecode signals needed for the production

The overall technical concept of the host broadcaster included the routing of all

were also distributed via the infrastructure.

According to Lawo, over 6,600 audio signals

The 2015 ESC proved to be the most popular cross-media event in ORF’s history VideoHouse trucks were equipped with V__pro8 video processing systems for audio embedding,

audio signals via a RAVENNA/AES67-based IP

to six OB trucks and to the FOH and monitor

de-embedding and format conversion. To

infrastructure, a novelty in the broadcasting of

consoles inside the venue were routed by the

manage and control the whole set-up, a VSM

the ESC event. In this context, both the Lawo

Nova infrastructure. All OB vans from both ORF

system (L–S–B) was in use.

Nova 73 audio matrix – and all connected DALLIS

and VideoHouse were equipped with m²66 or

I/O systems used by Belgium-based company

mc²56 digital mixing consoles. In addition, the

In addition to the signal routing, the commentary system was also resting upon IP networking technology. A team of 14 engineers equipped 45 commentator cabins with LCU commentary units, which were networked via RAVENNA/AES67 with the commentary control room and the commentary equipment room. Here, the signals were forwarded to the Prodys ISDN and IP codecs that connected all international broadcasters with the event location. The video signals for the 90 video screens in the Eurovision commentary boxes were streamed via V__link4 video-over-IP systems.

The equipment was provided by Audio Broadcast Services (ABS), a rental partner of German-based manufacturer Lawo AG, and the

All audio signals were routed via Lawo IP infrastructure

technical concept as well as its implementation and on-site support was managed by Lawo as a turnkey solution.

TVBEurope 37

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Special Report For the video production workflow, ten EVS XT3 live production servers in an eight-channel SD/ HD configuration and eight IP Director suites for ingest control, metadata management, on-the-fly editing and playout scheduling were operated. In addition, three workstations running on XFile3-controlled file transfer, met archive requirements of the workflow. The video codec used in the production was Apple ProRes 422 HQ at 185Megabit.

All recordings and video clips were stored on an Ardis DynamicDrivePool (DDP) with a capacity of 70TB. Overall, the complete video production workflow was file-based and the XT3 production servers had an integrated backup. However, to be on the safe side, all recordings were additionally stored on tape with two HDCAM, one HDCAM SR, and one XDCAM in operation.

In total, four operators were in charge of the whole production system and one supervisor controlled the file transfer of the material recorded to the various user groups in the viewing room and the creation of specific user profiles. A complex access control ensured that each delegation only had access to their own recordings.

Although the efforts that have to be made

In addition to the spectators in the hall, the final shows were watched by almost 200 million viewers from 80 countries

in terms of production for TV and internet broadcast as well as on-site security are increasing every year, the event in Vienna again set a landmark for the Eurovision Song Contest and was considered to be the most popular

All radio and intercom systems, as well as the

cross-media event in history for ORF. In a recent

signal distribution system, were supported by

statement, Alexander Wrabetz, director general

Riedel. In total, around 600 radio sets were used

panels and 15 mainframes were implemented.

of the ORF, Michael Haeupel, mayor of Vienna,

to interconnect around 2,500 crew members on

The signal distribution system included Riedel’s

and town councillor Christian Oxonitsch also

site. For example, the intercom matrix comprised

MediorNet solution for video, data and audio

drew an upbeat conclusion: the costs for the

nine Artist mainframes that were distributed

communication and comprised 45 MediorNet

event were below the estimated budget and

across the venue. In order to integrate the

mainframes and a total of 127 HD-SDI inputs as

the national and international reactions were

OB trucks into the whole system, around 300

well as 148 HD-SDI outputs.

more than positive.

38 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

CiaB Forum

The case for boxes This month’s Forum takes on a different shape with Philip Stevens talking to a number of Channel in a Box vendors to discover how their solutions are being utilised to maximum effect

If anything has aroused comment among industry experts it has been the topic of Channel in a Box (CiaB). Definitions have varied as CiaB has come to mean different things to different people. But whatever designation is used, the technology has brought about changes in operational practices that have been far-reaching. However, there are still some doubts as to the appropriateness of the concept. How has your solution benefitted the industry?

Is CiaB the end of the story, or is there a better solution?

Pixel Power’s French connection TV5MONDE is a worldwide network of channels broadcast in French in more than 200 territories across the world. It has nine different channel feeds for various regions across the globe with eight being broadcast from Paris, covering all continents, and the ninth – TV5 Québec transmitting from Montreal.

“TV5MONDE formalised plans to launch new thematic channels, including a children’s offering,” reports James Gilbert, Pixel Power’s CEO. “It uses a third party for its playout, but wanted to be able to launch these channels inhouse. This project needed to be as cost-effective automated channel graphics. In addition, it

in a Box system would provide the cost efficiencies

needed a tightly integrated production and

that TV5MONDE needed, but would it be able to

playout solution, allowing a faster time-to-air. This

handle the more advanced playout requirements?”

included the requirement for compatibility with its

PARTICIPANTS: Don Ash, PlayBox Technology Goce Zdravkoski, Stryme James Gilbert, Pixel Power Jan Weigner, Cinegy Janis Krampans, Veset Karl Mehring, Snell Tom Gittins, Pebble Beach Systems

James Gilbert, Pixel Power

as possible, but also required sophisticated

To answer the question, TV5MONDE turned

main channel graphics playout technology, Pixel

to Pixel Power’s integrated playout solution,

Power’s dedicated LogoVision 3D unit.”

ChannelMaster. “This is a highly scalable solution

Content for the new channels is created

that frees broadcasters from the compromises

collaboratively and updated in-house, matching

of many existing Channel in a Box offerings,”

the existing channel’s branding quality. Any

says Gilbert. “Alongside two dual redundant

new technology also had to support material in

ChannelMaster 3D systems, the broadcaster also

both 4:3 and 16:9. In short, TV5MONDE required

specified Gallium, a highly integrated and scalable

an economical yet rich playout and branding

scheduling, asset management and automation

solution to create, move and schedule video

technology, that provides the intelligence to build a

and graphic assets across various channels.

variety of playout solutions using Pixel Power output

Gilbert continues, “It was clear that a Channel

devices. Already-installed versions of automated

TVBEurope 39

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

CiaB Forum BCC racing cars

and text templates can be activated by a mouse click. TitleBox provides total control during on-air sessions, including text selection, running speed and transitions.

CaptureBox allows high-definition or standarddefinition content to be captured from SDI digital feeds, analogue sources and MPEG transport streams. Four video sources can be monitored on a single screen and controlled via a new streamlined user interface. Audio levels can be monitored as loudness/true-peak displays and adjusted when required.

Cinegy puts local station to Air Glimt Television, a Swedish TV station located in Karlstad, the regional capital for Värmland, started

branding playout software Pixel Promo and DJ – for

broadcasting last year using Cinegy Air PRO.

automated dynamic junction creation – have been

Live shows are sent to the playout as RTP feeds

further developed as part of the launch process.

over the city fibre network and played out live in

Integration with Polistream from Screen to deliver

HD to a number of different distributors. Cinegy

DVB subtitles was also completed.”

Air also acts as a client to control the playout

As a result, TV5MONDE was able to realise its

engine from remote locations. “The brief from

primary aim of introducing channels cost-effectively

Magnus Westlund, the managing director of

while deploying technologies that also support a

Glimt TV, was to provide a robust, cost-effective

quicker and far more efficient launch model for

and flexible CiaB solution for file playout, live

thematic channels moving forwards. Gallium is

programmes and advanced real-time graphics,”

configured with the ChannelMaster 3D systems to

explains Jan Weigner, managing director, Cinegy

create a powerful, dual redundant branding and

GmbH. “Magnus’ aim is to produce quality TV

playout solution. Pixel Promo automated branding

with a local touch.”

technology continues to be used to extract schedule metadata to populate graphic templates,

Cinegy Air PRO technology removes the

Don Ash, PlayBox Technology

monolithic black boxes, which are replaced

running alongside Dynamic Junction building

by TCP/IP network-attached real-time software

interstitials, both using pre-defined rules. This also

appliances. The system provides a broadcast

allowed TV5 to re-use existing graphic designs and

automation front-end and a real-time video

templates, further reducing time-to-launch.

server for SD, HD and/or Ultra HD (4K) playout in an integrated software suite. It offers a high

PlayBox Technology in the Baltics

degree of flexibility by playing mixed format and

Eesti Telekom, part of the TeliaSonera group,

mixed resolution content, as well as un-rendered

purchased a PlayBox Technology system for the broadcast playout facility at its headquarters in the

PlayBox server

Estonian capital, Tallinn. It is being used to control the branding, scheduling and delivery of four new

server with a direct DVB output. They are located

broadcast channels in three separate countries.

in the company’s central apparatus area and

“Eesti Telekom chose this solution for several

controlled from a master playout suite.”

reasons,” comments Don Ash, PlayBox

According to Ash, the AirBox content playout

Technology’s managing partner and director,

and streaming system can operate both in

sales. “Firstly, we are able to perform encoding

SD and HD. “Designed for 24/7 unattended

and redundancy routing within the system

operation, it can be connected easily to third-

which keeps the infrastructure size down and

party devices. AirBox supports MPEG1/2/H.264,

allows easy future expansion to accommodate

HDV and DV streams from practically any

extra channels. Secondly, management of

production platform capable of providing AVI,

files in several languages is easy because we

MPEG, MXF, QuickTime or WMV content. Files

can multiplex several audio channels into

from third-party broadcast content servers are

one container using ISO-639 language codes.

natively supported.”

Each of the four channels consists of an AirBox

TitleBox delivers on-air graphics that can

playout server preloaded with TitleBox and

be controlled interactively. Multi-layered

CaptureBox, plus a multi-language subtitling

simultaneous crawls, rolls, animated logos, clocks

Jan Weigner, Cinegy

RAI Amsterdam Conference 10-14 September : Exhibition 11-15 September

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TVBEurope 41

July 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

CiaB Forum

Cinegy equipment

CNBC has a long history of working with Pebble Beach Systems

edit sequences straight to air.

Using a Genesix VideoServer supplied by

Vericom AB, a Cinegy gold partner in

Stryme, the 24/7 playout automation of the mostly

Scandinavia, worked closely with Glimt Television

live production content runs independently on

throughout the entire installation process.

one machine and enables the station to reduce

Weigner adds, “This is a prime example of

the number of technical personnel need for

Cinegy’s broadcast, automation and branding

transmissions. In fact, the multichannel ingest,

solutions providing broadcasters around the

playout and graphics solution is responsible for the

world with flexible, scalable and cost-effective

total operation of the Krakow studio.

solutions, which are designed to meet the

The production schedule allows for races to

most demanding real-time requirements

start alternately on each channel. Eight cameras

of busy control rooms.”

CNBC swims with the Dolphins

are employed on every racetrack, alongside one

Tom Gittins, Pebble Beach Systems

Goce Zdravkoski, Stryme

Business and finance news specialists CNBC

slow motion camera for high-speed recordings on the finish line.

Goce Zdravkoski, Stryme CEO, explains more.

International has a long history of working with

functionality for ingest, channel branding and

“In this case, the high-end automation of the

Pebble Beach Systems, having deployed its first

frame-accurate multichannel playout,” says

VideoServer LPS (Live Production Studio) removes

generation Neptune automation system at the

Gittins. “The flexible pipeline design gives the user

the need for a traditional master control room. This

broadcaster’s London facility over a decade

the ability to customise the virtual output chain

results in an enormous reduction of infrastructure

ago. So when the opportunity arose to streamline

for each channel, specifying the order in which

and personnel costs in BCC’s daily broadcast

the technical operations across CNBC Europe

functions including graphics, effects, and aspect

business. The flexible out-of-the box configuration

and CNBC Asia, Pebble Beach Systems was

ratio conversion are handled within the system.”

of the Genesix VideoServer easily enables the

approached to offer a solution.

“The goal was to implement a single

The channels carry a mix of live and clip-based content and various graphics elements, including

integration of various workflows, in this case the automatic live production.”

operational structure across sites in London

a ticker generated from CNBC International’s

and Singapore, enabling CNBC International to

in-house system. Dolphin provides flexible keying

traffic lights system, with red and green

benefit from efficiencies,” revealed Tom Gittins,

of the multiple elements that make up the CNBC

phases which indicate whether a studio is on

sales director of Pebble Beach Systems. “The

International channel style including a 2D DVE,

air, or ready for live transmission. In each studio,

designed solution had to enable them to operate

channel branding with static and animated

there is a team that prepares the track for the

both the London and Singapore sites using the

logos, and 2D graphics.

next race. When the team is ready, the referee

same operators, but without compromising

The playlist for the server incorporates a

triggers the green light to indicate the server

the on-air appearance or presentation style

Racing ahead with Stryme

can be switched to that studio. If neither studio

of either region.”

AMUsys is an Austrian sports betting terminal

is ready to send live content, the Genesix LPS

manufacturer that also owns the licenses for

automatically starts the predefined playlist that

Dolphin integrated channel devices were

two television channels, BCC TV 1 and BCC

is fed by background information on the races,

selected, under the control of the company’s

TV 2. These channels broadcast 900 live races

flashbacks and forecasts on new events.

flagship Marina automation solution. In Singapore,

each day live via satellite and internet streaming

the Marina system replaced the legacy Louth

from its own studio. The transmissions include

BCC TV to react rapidly to any kind of

automation system. This transition was made

automatic timing to one ten thousandth of a

eventuality in live production and automation,”

easier because of Marina’s ability to import the

second, super-slow motion replays, referees,

explains Zdravkoski. “The use of the built in

database and playlists, and export As Run logs,

sophisticated rules and perfect result processing.

signal detection means the LPS manages

Following an evaluation, Pebble Beach Systems

from this legacy system.

“The Dolphin devices deliver highly automated integrated audio, video and graphics

A subsidiary in Poland owned 100 per cent by

“The whole system is designed to enable

the handover from the playlist model to the

AMUsys is responsible for the operation of the

live production and vice versa without any

BCC TV studio in Krakow.

human intervention.”

42 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com July 2015

CiaB Forum Genesix video server channel. Based in London, and with plans to expand within Europe, it launched The Medical Channel to deliver trusted, evidence-based and unbiased health-related content to audiences in eastern Europe.

In November 2014, Limeclip decided to migrate its playout from traditional hardware to the cloud.

It contacted Veset and within a few months completed planning, testing and implementation of its new Nimbus cloud playout. “The Veset Nimbus solution allowed the channel complete playout functionality from playlist management, media aggregation and graphics overlays to transport and monitoring,” explains Krampans. “Limeclip’s media assets are stored with one of the leading cloud resource providers in the UK. The channels software only solution.”

Snell goes for the soft(ware) option

are played out in 1+1 mode, the primary from the

Snell has introduced a strategy to migrate

To state the obvious, an increasing number of

broadcast technologies to a software and IP

CiaB systems are being implemented for premium

domain across the board. A number of file-based

channels, playout than with traditional devices.

and live conversion software products are already

“With new lower cost CiaB systems being available,

available, and ICE On Demand is to be released

such as Snell’s ICE LE, the argument for using CiaB

this year. The company is also developing a wider

for low revenue channels and/or backup channels

portfolio for signal processing, live routing, and

is more compelling than ever,” states Karl Mehring,

production switchers in the IP domain.

head of product architecture, Snell. “To satisfy the demands of premium channels, features like

Veset moves the box to the cloud

rich 2D and 3D graphics, Dolby E, ancillary data

According to Janis Krampans, chief technology

insertion and extras, such as Nielsen ratings, are

officer at Veset, it was not long ago that

indispensable offerings for a CiaB product.”

broadcast engineers were slow to take to

He goes on to say that selecting the right

integrated channel solutions that collapsed

partners to provide key software technology

traditional functionality of disparate playout

plug-ins is essential in order to fast-track product

devices into as few boxes as possible. “While

development, and that greater flexibility can be

these integrated channel technologies cleverly

achieved from keeping the overall solution in a

marketed themselves as one-stop-shop Channel

UK and secondary based in continental Europe.

single platform.

in a Box solutions, they eventually displaced

The video stream is then transported via two

legacy automation systems by delivering easy

separate paths over the internet to the headends

progress with its ICE On Demand solution, with the

installation, easy operation, high reliability, easy

in Croatia and Slovenia. There, the video stream is

first product scheduled for release in mid-2015. “With

maintenance, and easy scalability. Although

re-encapsulated back to DVB compliant UDP.”

ICE OD being fully software-based and virtualised,

they have become the mainstay of playout

Snell is able to offer cost models of OPEX-only which

capabilities today, they still require more than one,

Veset has enabled Limeclip to streamline its playout

allow the deployment of new services by simply

and often several, component bits of hardware

workflow processes. Limeclip has now only to

enabling a new software licence.”

and software that necessitate a tremendous

provide video content and playlist timetables to

amount of configuration, supervision and support.

Veset and the rest is handled by the Nimbus solution.

outputs, ICE OD offers significant reductions in

The Channel in a Box solutions have effectively

Limeclip also gets a centralised and secure cloud-

infrastructure costs and integration times. That’s

shrunk the size of huge automated processors into

based media archive, enhanced video quality and

because there is no requirement for SDI cables,–

sleek small boxes, but not much more.”

lower broadcasting expenses.

Mehring reports that Snell has beta trials in

Being a software product with IP inputs and

it’s just a case of utilising existing network fabric to the distribution platform.

“Despite the fact that we have reached a

It is the newly emerging cloud playout and

Karl Mehring, Snell

Janis Krampans, Veset

As a result of migrating playout to the cloud,

“Limeclip can now quickly launch new channels

IP capabilities that truly eliminate the need for

in other countries. This level of flexibility would have

component boxes, other hardware, and cabling,

been unthinkable using traditional broadcast

point where CiaB products are feature rich, there

yet simultaneously offer a full playout capability

methods, as it would require the deployment of

is now a strong movement towards software-

complete with security, reliability and scale.

hardware across multiple headends and channels.”

based solutions. However, such solutions with the

And while broadcasters may be somewhat slow

same level of functionality demand a great deal

to adopt this new technology, there are those

is expanding to other platforms in Bosnia, Serbia,

of processing. That means the most feature rich

who clearly see the operational cost savings of

Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland and

channels are still utilising CiaB products, while

moving playout from hardware to the cloud.

later has plans for the UK, Baltics, and the rest

low cost and DR systems are moving to using a

UK-based broadcaster Limeclip is one such

In the coming months, The Medical Channel

of the EMEA region.

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