As an industry we are on the brink of achieving a real goal for consumers. They want to be able to choose their content, when they watch it, where they watch it, and the device on which they watch it. All the technological elements are in place for this to happen.
But to make it a smooth, seamless experience for the consumer, and to make it financially viable for the service providers, the industry needs new partnerships, new business models and new interconnectivity. Telcos, mobile network operators and ISPs are as much a part of this new industry as broadcasters and production companies.
The technology platforms will be built on big data applications. They will run in virtualised environments or in the cloud. It will all depend upon very high speed connectivity.
This is an exciting new world, and IBC has created a new venue for all these parties to come together to forge the future. IBC Content Everywhere is a new series of global events across Europe, MENA and LATAM. It extends IBC’s expertise and reputation in the broadcast market into this new and vitally important arena.
This new market cannot be served by an old approach, and so IBC Content Everywhere has taken a very different angle. While formal opportunities to discuss issues will exist, and products and solutions will be demonstrated in an exhibition, the emphasis is on growing a community of interests.
Through the use of near-field communications (NFC) devices, delegates will not only have access to paper-free documentation, they will build up a unique personal community around who they meet, what they see and the solutions they discuss. Knowledge will be shared through the Touch & Connect Portal, providing an immediate and intuitive exchange of ideas 365 days a year.
It is not just about five days in Amsterdam, either. The IBC Touch & Connect Portal remains open through the year. Registered users can continue to share knowledge through this closely targeted social network. White papers and case studies will be published online in the future, and the IBC TV archive will be hosted within the Portal as well.
Visitors to IBC last year may have seen – or even been involved in – the live trial of the technology behind this. IBC’s Touch & Connect devices proved themselves in the 2013 trial, and now form a central part of the plans for IBC Content Everywhere.
The plan is for a series of global events, to be held in hotspots of interest for new media distribution. The first, IBC Content Everywhere Europe, is being held here in Amsterdam, in parallel with IBC.
You will see its branding in a number of areas across IBC. The IBC Content Everywhere Cloud Solutions Theatre in Hall 3 and the IBC Content Everywhere Workflow Solutions Theatre in Hall 9 are part of IBC Content Everywhere. There is also an IBC Content Everywhere Hub in Hall 14. All theatre areas stage presentations and debates, as well as being networking points for like-minded visitors.
All are open to IBC visitors, too, and the presentations are free for everyone. The advantage of registering for IBC Content Everywhere lies in Touch & Connect, so you can start building your community of interest today.
The next event will be held in Dubai in January 2015, serving the rapidly growing MENA market. Later in the year the event moves to São Paulo in Brazil. LATAM is another area of rapid growth, not least because of the Olympics which will follow in summer 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Each will contribute further to the wealth of information and opinion on the Touch & Connect Portal.
IBC Content Everywhere is an addition to the existing IBC programme. It is designed to meet a new market, and it will do this in a new way, using technology to support the sharing of experiences, here and into the future.
To find out more visit www.ibcCE.org.
