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‘Transformation is an overused word’ – Day One at MediaTech 360 Summit

Inaugural event in full swing with a look at the state of the market

TVBEurope’s inaugural MediaTech 360 Summit is now underway, with Day One focusing on The IP Roadmap with a series of discussions, case studies and masterclasses.

After a short introduction from NewBay content director James McKeown, Day One chairman Simon Frost – industry expert in internet, media and telecoms – delivered the opening address, stating: “The ongoing transformation is not exclusive to broadcast. What customers value changes every year, and we need to continue leveraging next-generation technologies to keep them satisfied.”

The first session of the day, titled the state of the market, was chaired by MTM managing director and co-founder Jon Watts, who was joined by; Martyn Whistler, Ernst & Young lead analyst for media and entertainment; Daniel Toole, executive partner, IBM; and Tom Burns, CTO, media and entertainment, Dell EMC.

Whistler got the discussion underway with an overview of the ongoing transition. He said: “People always talk about the ‘path’ that we’re moving along towards technologies like IP and the cloud, but a path implies that we know exactly where we’re going. We don’t have a specific destination. It’s more of a treadmill.

“Transformation is an overused word. The end product that customers really want remains the same. The way we deliver it will continue to evolve – better, faster, more accessible – but the actual product – ie films and television shows – will not change.”

Toole added: “Two years ago, you would not have imagined that any major broadcasters would have moved to the cloud in 2017. At least two are already there.

“All in all, however, while consolidation has changed dramatically, this is less so for broadcast. Just look at print and music. Broadcast is evolving, but the format has not changed unrecognisably.”

Looking forward to the next five years, Whistler added: “We’ve gone a little crazy in our research for the future landscape of broadcast. We looked a bit beyond 2022 in terms of connected cars and that sort of market. Assuming the driverless car eventually becomes a reality, we calculated that the US will have 22 billion more hours to consume media! We’re getting ahead of ourselves of course, but it’s always interesting to consider the extra market space. that technology will bring.”

The afternoon’s panels will see the discussion evolve into cloud-based workflows, eSports and mixed reality, while Day Two will focus on business transformation.

An in-depth write up of the state of the market keynote panel session, along with the rest of the exciting insight and debate encompassed by MediaTech 360, will be available in the coming weeks.