M+E Daily

Just a day after the new TiVo was introduced, the company used IBC to debut a new user interface and to share the results of a survey that should raise some eyebrows among broadcasters.

TiVo’s next-gen interface promises to offer viewers quicker access to content across more platforms, a slicker visual experience, customizable shortcuts, predictive analytics for content recommendations, and easier access to not just TV shows and movies, but also music and short-form videos.

“Content is paramount to today’s TV viewer, but finding what you want to watch has become increasingly difficult with the growing number of video providers. This was the impetus for the design of the new TiVo UX,” said Margret Schmidt, chief design officer for TiVo. “We are transforming TV viewing into an easy, personalized experience. The new UX brings the content the viewer wants right up front faster through expanded discovery and predictions from their own cable subscription and the best online video sources. In short, we designed this UX so the viewer spends less time searching channel guides and opening apps and more time enjoying their favorite shows.”

TiVo wasn’t done at IBC: the company unveiled the results of its “2016 Consumer Trends Survey,” and it’s a mix of good news and scary news for those in the pay TV business. Surveying 5,500 pay TV and digital content users across seven countries, TiVo found that the cost of pay TV and OTT and SVOD services is proving a barrier to viewers continuing with their favorite programming.

Thirty-seven percent of all viewers said they’ve stopped watching a show because it became too costly to continue to access the content, especially when it came to a premium channel via pay TV. And while the American respondents watched more than their international counterparts (5.5 hours a day on average, vs. 4 a day on average elsewhere) American viewers are also more likely to cord shave or downgrade their pay TV service (21% vs. 11% worldwide).

“Shifts in viewer engagement, like show-dumping, impact the whole value chain, further challenging business models in a fragmented marketplace with many different viewing choices,” said Paul Stathacopoulos, VP of strategy and strategic research for TiVo. “Unified discovery and seamless access to content removes some of these barriers for the consumer, improving engagement and resulting in real business benefits including higher content consumption, increased subscriber retention and improved service value, especially for the millennial generation.”

Other members of the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) had news to share as IBC got into full swing in Amsterdam:

Aspera

At IBC, IBM’s Aspera showed off how its FASPStream software is being used by both Betradar to stream live stream broadcast-quality live video for the Ballet Royalty Gala and the Mecum Auto Auction.

“FASPStream will give us a shorter testing and evaluation phase for new media rights and stream contributions, and give us a higher reliability for our premium high quality content received from other continents,” said Lukas Seiler, managing director of the audiovisual department at Sportradar. “We will be able to use our connectivity more efficiently to receive more streams in parallel from more locations while reducing the probability of stream interruptions,” he added.

In both tests, FASPStream delivered a standard satellite transmission feed that was returned to venues as a confidence feed, to go alongside the original transmission. Aspera is calling both trials a success, with less delay than the satellite feed.

“The success of these events marks a real shift in transmission across the media industry,” said Terry Linger, co-owner of INNOVATIVEi and producer for NBCSN. “Everything needed to recreate a ‘satellite quality’ transmission live from Cuba using standard Internet connectivity fit into a single carry-on. Plus, the FASPStream technology can easily be integrated into production trucks, venues and broadcast centers, perhaps even into talents’ homes. Overall, this is a real game changer.”

Dolby

Dolby won over more than one customer at IBC with its high dynamic range offering Dolby Vision, but none more effuse with their praise than Intertrust Technologies Corporation. The company’s ExpressPlay cloud-based digital rights management (DRM) system was made compatible with Dolby Vision in time for the show, allowing for secure delivery of UHD HDR content to the home.

“Dolby and Intertrust have each pioneered groundbreaking technologies that have revolutionized digital entertainment over many decades, with Dolby setting the standard for audio and video quality, and Intertrust setting the standard for security and trust in content protection,” said Curt Behlmer, SVP of content solutions and industry relations for Dolby. “Intertrust’s choice to support Dolby Vision will establish a one-stop, secure video solution for Dolby Vision HDR that will allow content providers and distributors the ability to protect their offerings reliably.”

Kenny Huang, managing director of greater China, South Korea and the ASEAN region for Intertrust, added: “Dolby Vision is much more than an HDR format – it is an end-to-end technology for creating, distributing and playing content. Dolby Vision compatibility with ExpressPlay protects content according to Hollywood’s highest standards for UHD while reliably delivering the premium quality audiences demand. We’re excited to be supporting Dolby Vision to provide astonishing content to home audiences around the world.”

Entertainment ID Registry

During IBC, Entertainment ID Registry (EIDR) had a major announcement that didn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserved: Warner Bros. Pictures’ remake of “A Star is Born” became the one millionth record in the EIDR registry of unique content identifiers.

“The EIDR registry has added its one millionth record in just under five years of existence,” said Kip Welch, president and chairman of the board of EIDR. “This is a testament to Warner Bros. and our close to 100 member companies who are committed to not only a wide coverage of their high-value content, but also to a rigorous quality control process.”

Jeff Stevens, VP of data governance and asset management for Warner Bros. Technology Solutions, and a member of the board of directors for EIDR, added: “We are thrilled to have ‘A Star is Born’ make history in the technology world as well as in the entertainment arena. ‘A Star is Born’ will see distribution and monetization across a number of platforms and distribution partners, and finding tools to manage that complexity drove Warner Bros. to help build EIDR in the first place.”

GrayMeta

Metadata experts GrayMeta had already come into IBC with two major announcements, so why not a third on the first day of the show?

The company announced several new enhancements for its Iris professional media player. Iris 3.1 supports Interoperable Master Format (IMF) and industry standards including HDR and the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) OTT video format for those in the mastering, distribution and QC businesses.

GrayMeta Iris 3.1 aims to accelerate the adoption of HDR, and supports quick switching between 5.1 and 7.1 audio, and adds professional scopes, tools and analyzers to users’ desktops.

“GrayMeta is the world’s best professional media player and we continue to innovate with new features and formats media and entertainment professional know, such as IMF, HLS and HDR,” said GrayMeta Mark Gray. “We are working with companies across the content delivery spectrum to ensure that media professionals who require absolute precision have access to an unmatched set of tools for comparison, quality control, measurement combined with desktop collaboration and annotation.”

IBM

IBM Cloud Video announced a major partnership with Massive Interactive, creators of the industry’s first video app UI server, in which the two will provide a simplified video logistics management solution for streaming services, one that also streamlines the ability to offer diverse content and tailored customer experiences across devices.

Dubbed Massive AXIS, the platform promises customizable video apps using an intuitive drag and drop interface. The announcement sees Massive and IBM Cloud helping Lionsgate extend the reach of its Comic-Con HQ (CCHQ) subscription VOD service, which launched at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego.

“The importance of delivering content to multiple devices cannot be understated, which is why our customers need a proven product that can deliver smart, robust video management and app control,” said David Mowrey, VP of strategy and business development at IBM Cloud Video. “Massive’s approach places the intelligence inside the cloud to not only streamline product development but also deliver a consistent multiscreen experience. This partnership highlights the potential to build entire OTT video properties on cloud-based services as a way of radically enhancing system flexibility and resulting user experiences.”

IBM Cloud Video also announced a partnership with digital product and mobile agency WillowTree, one that sees the later launching a new solution that reduces time to market for media companies deploying streaming video. The Salix service covers OTT and VOD.

“The use cases for digital video are so diverse that it is imperative for the IBM Cloud Video Unit to have the flexibility to work within any given time line for our clients,” Mowrey said. “WillowTree helps us to serve our customers with OTT solutions, that not only meet major entertainment needs, but also provide the additional benefit of speed to market. This level of fast-paced flexibility is a tremendous asset to any company looking to stay at the forefront of the digital video industry today.”

NexGuard

Kudelski Group, owners of forensic watermarking technology NexGuard, made a major anti-piracy announcement at IBC: a U.S. District Court has ordered China’s Zhuhai Gotech Intelligent Technology Co. (Gotech) and its associated companies to pony up statutory damages of $101 million, for manufacturing and selling pirate devices and services. The damages are a result of more than half a million individual infringements.

Gotech targeted all major conditional access providers and was enabling illegal content distribution, according to the ruling, and it was Kudelski Security’s anti-piracy intelligence work that proved critical in nailing Gotech.

“The pleasure that billions of people around the world get from television every day is dependent on the ability of the legitimate value chain to capture fair value for its hard work,” said Frederic Guitard, VP of media security services for Kudelski Security. “When pirates illegally divert the flow of money away from legitimate content creators and distributors, the whole industry and ultimately the end consumer will suffer. That’s why it’s our mission to identify and manage piracy on behalf of our customers, even as it continues to evolve and morph on a daily basis.”

Prime Focus

Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) announced at IBC that it had inked a deal with Viacom18 to deliver a new workflow solution for VOOT, their new OTT video platform. VOOT is home to Viacom18’s full portfolio of content, including VOOT Kids and VOOT Originals.

PFT will use its Clear Operations Cloud and Media Services to provide metadata tagging, WC, packaging and delivery of content to VOOT.

“Our desire to continue entertaining and engaging customers through different platforms and experiences paved the way for VOOT,” said Gaurav Gandhi, COO of Viacom18 Digital Ventures. “As digital video market is set to explode over the coming years, we select our partners who not only can manage scale, but also shape industry best practices. In Prime Focus Technologies, we found a partner who has the proven experience, mature processes and innovative technology that can handle content processing at scale and with a very quick turnaround.”

Ramki Sankaranarayanan, founder and CEO of Prime Focus Technologies, added: “We congratulate the Viacom18 team on their successful launch and are delighted to be working with them to deliver business value in a category that will define the future of the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry. We are thrilled to be a part of VOOT’s journey in delivering high-quality experience to today’s digital consumers.”

Sony DADC New Media Solutions

Sony DADC New Media Solutions (NMS) made a big announcement at IBC, sharing that BBC Worldwide had agreed to extend its global asset management and distribution agreement with NMS through 2019.

The deal has BBC continuing to use Sony’s media as a service (MaaS) platform Ven.ue, which is responsible for delivering BBC Worldwide content to more than 800 distribution points around the world.

“I’m really excited to be extending our global content distribution agreement with Sony. Sony’s service quality, collaborative approach and investments in innovation, were all important factors in this decision. The strength of the partnership that we have developed over the past 5 years drove us to renew our distribution agreement with Sony to the end of the decade,” said Andrew Bell, EVP of global operations for BBC Worldwide.

Wazee Digital

Cloud-based video management and licensing services Wazee Digital shared that it was working with Images of Freedom, the media library of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), to offer public-domain video assets from its archive, all running on the Wazee Digital Core platform.

“It is part of Wazee Digital’s mission to help rightful content owners achieve their goals in terms of acquiring, managing, archiving, and monetizing their most valuable content. In the Department of Defense’s case, the goal was to digitize and make that content publicly available,” said Tanya Sudolnik, VP of product line management at Wazee Digital. “It’s an honor for Wazee Digital to be entrusted with protecting and preserving America’s visual history. With this video implementation, the DOD can rest assured that the public will have access to all content, not just still imagery.”

The Images of Freedom online service allows access the all artifacts managed by the DOD, dating back to before World War II.