The Brightcove Media teams are preparing to head to IBC in a few days. As a reminder, we are exhibiting in Hall 4, Stand B60. As we get ready to travel to Amsterdam, here’s what we think will be among the hot topics of discussion at this year’s show:
Stand-alone digital: Broadcasters moving more aggressively to offer online only services
As we see broadcasters looking to move further into the online only space, Channel 4’s All 4 approach is a great example of a traditional broadcaster moving to a “digital native” model. It’s a traditional catch-up service, but adds original short form content and microsites to provide a unified experience. No more home channel website linking out to a separate on-demand service. The All 4 portal is Channel 4 – one brand, one service, one user experience.
In addition, broadcasters need the ability to adapt how they deliver content – being able to develop the right content, in the right form, and for the right viewers is key. As a result, one single linear feed is no longer enough to engage audiences throughout the day. As consumers watch video on multiple devices at different times of the day, content must be developed across multiple feeds in order to capture their viewership and loyalty at all times. This all adds ups to more work: editing clips for online use and publishing to and managing social media channels, so tools are needed to make these tasks more manageable.
Money, money, money: How to effectively monetize multi-screen digital services
Monetization is obviously crucial for broadcasters, but once again, evolution is needed -- the days of the traditional 30-second TV commercial are numbered. Progress has been made with native and interactive ads, but there is still a way to go. Driving this progress forward will be the continued adoption of digital advertising solutions like programmatic and real-time bidding.
Ad blocking continues to be a growing concern for the industry, especially on desktops. The number of users employing ad blocking tools increased 41% between 2013 and 2014, with 198 million active ad block users globally, according to figures from PageFair and Adobe. As this number continues to increase, particularly among younger internet users, it will have a significant impact on advertising yield. PageFair and Adobe’s figures for 2015 estimate that total loss of revenue due to ad blocking software will be $21.8 billion.
This revenue issue is where the benefits of server-side ad insertion and Brightcove Once come into play. By stitching the ads directly into the content, server-side ad insertion enables companies to not only deliver a seamless and consistent ad-supported video experience but also to avoid client-side requirements that trigger ad blockers.
Moving from service to user experience
Broadcasters are increasingly focused on the whole viewer experience – they know that a bad user experience across a particular device, app or platform can easily lose them viewers. They recognize that they need to ensure their audiences have a complete, consistent, and appealing experience across every device and touch-point.
In addition with audiences shifting away from appointment to view linear TV experiences, discoverability of content across different devices and services becomes critical to the goal of a seamless viewing experience. Content needs to be easily accessible and searchable regardless of channel, service, or device.
Despite all these developments in technology and business models, some things never change. Viewers are still looking for one thing above all: relevant, high-quality content that entertains and informs. When it comes to video online, marrying the best content with the best monetization strategy will win, and this combination will be the goal for content providers planning for their futures at this year’s show.
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