business today the year ahead
It’s traditional around now to wish people a
happy and prosperous new year. We can
certainly hope for the former; whether we can
guarantee the latter is sadly not within our gift
nor, one suspects, the broadcasting industry’s
as a whole. Joe O’Halloran reports.
A bright future
Y
ou probably don’t need too rivals, not just in terms of cutting in a blog posting in June 2009 by Matt
much reminding as to how prices but by offering innovative and Strauss, SVP, new media of Comcast,
hard 2009 was as the compelling services that delivered who laid out the company’s plans to
effects of the banking value for money. Even if things do give its video customers free online
collapses of 2007 and 2008 pick up, consumers will not go back to access to shows that they were
really began to kick in. Yet
In order to
spending money by some reflex paying to watch on TV. Strauss
even if their collective expertise did action: they are now locked into the detailed how Comcast had partnered
not indicate the full extent of the
grow a
mindset of demanding to see VFM in with Time Warner to create a simple
credit crunch, leading economists now profitable what they buy. And that’s not a bad set of principles bringing more TV
predict that there will be an economic
base of
thing either. The upshot for the content, more easily to more people
upswing during the next 12 months
service
industry is that providers need to across platforms so that existing video
meaning, in theory at least, there will
users, OTT
accept this fundamental change and subscribers could access content using
be an increased amount of disposable adjust business models accordingly. any broadband connection. Strauss
income for broadcasting services.
operators
There will be some likely drivers in appealed to programmers to make
There’s existed a lot of received
must either
2010, principally the football World their best and highest-rated
wisdom that those who survived 2009 give the Cup in South Africa as traditionally programming available online,
would prosper in 2010 as the
hardware
such tournaments have prompted a believing that both networks and
economic picture got brighter and
away for
spike in terms of broadcasting spend. video distributors should provide high-
people invested in new and exciting
little to
If the 2006 World Cup provided the quality, consumer-friendly sites for
broadcast services. If that is the initial impetus for the HD TV boom, viewing broadband content with easy
theory, just how likely is it to pan out
nothing or
this year’s tournament should spark authentication.
in practice? And what steps will the leverage an additional boost as there will not The following months have seen
industry need to take in order to be in
other
only be cheaper and more innovative this appeal and prediction play out
the right shape to take advantage of
Internet-
HD sets - LCD and plasma-based HD accordingly. One of the undoubted
any upswing that may come.
enabled
sets will be cheaper than ever and successes of 2009 was the Hulu online
Undoubtedly those companies that those built on advanced flat panel video service that offers popular TV
were successful last year were those
platforms as
technologies such as organic light programmes and films in the US. Hulu
who understood how to address
a conduit to
emitting diodes (OLEDs) will be more encompasses more than 1700 items
customer needs better than their the living available - but also HD services will be of video content from companies such
room.
more readily available from more as FOX, NBC Universal, ABC, Comedy
channels. Specifically in the UK, Central, Endemol, MGM, MTV
Freeview will start broadcasting in HD Networks, National Geographic,
so that the cost barrier to entry for HD Paramount, Sony Pictures Television
services is now limited to a relatively and Warner Bros, among others.
small one-off fee rather than a In a blog posting on 30 December
relatively pricey monthly subscription. 2009 reflecting on a successful year,
One of the
As well as HD being increasingly company CEO Jason Kilar revealed that
undoubted available over online sources as well, the service had 43 million monthly
successes of 2009
there is also the prospect of 3D TV users by the end of 2009, a 95%
was the Hulu
online video
becoming available in 2010. increase over 2008, and 924 million
service that offers
But many believe that the key for monthly streams, a 307% YOY
popular TV
programmes and
2010 will be the concept of TV increase. Kilar added that the
films in the US. Everywhere. This was well articulated company’s content library had doubled
6 l ibe l january/february 2010 l www.ibeweb.com
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44