ERICSSON MEDIA SOLUTIONS - Executive Predictions for 2018
As we enter 2018, we can see how consumer demand is driving greater choice, better quality and personalization and to remain competitive, content owners, broadcasters and TV service providers are responding to these shifts by enhancing the overall viewing experience.
Consumers have access to more video enabled devices and services than ever before, yet the challenge of content discovery remains a fundamental issue. According to 2017 Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media research, the average time spent searching has increased to almost one hour per day, while one in eight consumers believe they will get lost in the vast amount of available content in the future.
The industry must find new ways to simplify the process of content discovery and enable more accurate, relevant and engaging recommendations – yet the personalization opportunity can extend even further. There are multiple commercial and promotional opportunities, enabling service providers to target specific demographics, based on decisions around content type, time of day, user groups, sponsored links and editorial selection.
Another huge challenge will be to meet the demands for more immersive and differentiated experiences; already 4K/UHD TVs are present in close to a quarter of households worldwide. To meet this demand there is a growing need for greater flexibility, superior low latency and the ability to repurpose processing functions cost-effectively.
In 2017 we saw the approval of the SMPTE ST 2110 Professional Media over IP standards. This new suite of standards specifies the carriage, synchronization and description of the spate of elementary essence streams over IP for the purpose of live production, content exchange and primary distribution. This will be a significant development in the drive towards all-IP and its inherent operational efficiencies and cost savings. Adoption will be extremely fast where possible, with the expectation that very soon all software should be cloud native.
As all-IP and agile cloud solutions become table stakes, it’s never been more important to foster interoperability and a unified approach to realize this vision. By establishing common standards, the industry can build flexible systems that can scale up and down more easily to meet these market demands.
Mark Russell
CTO & HEAD OF STRATEGY | ERICSSON MEDIA SOLUTIONS
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