Connections

By Jeff Berman and Chris Tribbey –

Members of the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) will be bringing connected TV, OTT and application solutions to Las Vegas next month for the 2019 NAB Show.

Here’s a quick look at what companies like Applicaster, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Comcast Technology Solutions, Deluxe, Eurofins, FilmTrack, NAGRA, Prime Focus Technologies, ThinkAnalytics, TiVo, Verizon Digital Media Services and Vistex have on tap.

Applicaster

Applicaster will be demonstrating its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based app platform Zapp, an open-ended platform that Mark Cokes, VP of marketing, said “includes everything you need to prototype, develop, and maintain direct-to-consumer apps across phones, tablets, and connected TVs.”

During the show, Applicaster will also be highlighting the depth of its partner ecosystem and will have representation from Cleeng, Comcast and other ecosystem members at its booth. SU11114

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will be among the bigger players at NAB, with demonstrations covering AWS Elemental, AWS Thinkbox, Amazon Machine Learning, and Amazon Content Delivery services.

AWS will also host members of the Amazon Partner Network (APN) in its booth, including Accedo, Arc Publishing, Accurate Player powered by Codemill, Deluxe, Grabyo, GrayMeta, Meta, Overcast, Piksel, Reach Engine by Levels Beyond, Veset, and Vidispine.AWS’s media solutions include AWS Elemental, which allows media companies to deliver live and on-demand video to any device. Alex Dunlap, GM of Elemental, will take part in the April 9 panel “Video Storytelling as a Service: How Cloud Helps Broadcasters Streamline and Become Go-to Digital Destinations,” while Hector Leano, industry marketing lead of M&E for AWS, will take part in the April 8 panel “The Future of Transportation.”

On April 9-10 at the Westgate, Amazon Web Services will hold a brand new AWS Workshop event, offering two days of hands-on labs and workshops, geared directly toward the media and entertainment crowd. For more information, click here. SU2202

Comcast Technology Services

Advertisers, content providers, global operators and tech providers, all are serviced by Comcast Technology Solutions, a division of Comcast Cable, which brings innovations and technology aimed at simplifying campaign workflows, delivering and monetizing content, helping operators grow market share with minimal capital investments, and by cost-effectively improving voice and IP transit performance. CTS’ various platforms — for ads, video, wholesale and syndication — will all be on display. Encore Hospitality Suites

Deluxe

Every solution for every corner of post-production — animation and VFX, mastering and duplication, subtitling and closed captioning, and workflow solutions — will be on display at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group’s suites. The company will share how it’s one of the world’s leading video creation-to-distribution firms, offering global, end-to-end services and technology, helping content creators bring their creative visions to life. Encore Hospitality Suites

Eurofins

Eurofins Digital Testing will showcase its suite of automated test tools, test services, training and cybersecurity services at NAB, according to the company, a global leader in end-to-end quality assurance (QA) and testing services.

The company will demonstrate its video and digital media systems and services —for set-top boxes, 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR), ATSC and more — as well as its testing services for cybersecurity, according to Johan Craeybeckx, business line director at Eurofins Digital Testing International.

“We are also very excited about a new test suite that we plan to unveil next week, which will also be showcased in Eurofins’ booth, suite and at the show’s emerging technologies area, ‘Futures Park,’” he said.

Eurofins Digital Testing has test lab facilities in the U.S., Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, U.K., Poland and Hong Kong, and serves companies including Com Hem, Conax, Freesat, Freeview, Hisense, Kabel Deutschland, KPN, LG, Liberty Global, Panasonic, Sky Deutschland, tivù, Vestel, Vodafone Group and Zenterio. The company is part of the Eurofins Group, a leading provider of multi-industry analytical services, with an international network of more than 800 laboratories in 47 countries, 45,000 staff members, and sales of more than 3 billion euros, it said. N1335 and Westgate

FilmTrack

For more than two decades, FilmTrack has made its business collecting, handling, and analyzing media and entertainment, covering everything from content management to advanced financials. At NAB, the company will show off all-encompassing IP management SaaS solution, and share how its cloud-based platform offers tools to manage mission-critical data, allowing clients to get a clear handle on their contracts, rights, royalties, and asset management, all in one place. Encore Hospitality Suites

NAGRA

NAGRA will be demonstrating its latest technologies around content protection, anti-piracy services, active content monetization and watermarking. Details from the company are under wraps for now, but look for multiscreen TV solutions that are geared toward better content discovery, better streaming for mobile devices, and faster detection of pirated content. SU3624

Prime Focus Technologies

Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) will showcase the latest with its CLEAR Media ERP Suite, including automation-led solutions and managed services. The latest from PFT includes its AI-led micro services offering Vision Cloud, providing automation and data to accelerate the adoption of AI within specific M&E business use cases.

“With Media ERP, our focus has always been to help M&E enterprises solve specific operational challenges through automation, on the back of ONE software. The latest additions to our solutions & services will continue to enhance automation for our customers, assisting them in their collective effort to manage supply chains, while reducing Total Cost of Operations,” said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, founder and global CEO, Prime Focus Technologies. “We’re particularly thrilled with the progress we’ve made on the AI/ML front with Vision Cloud, and we are extremely excited to be taking our AI-led micro services to the market for solving real business use cases.”

PFT’s Content Acquisition Portal, Promo Operations Automation, DAX Production Cloud and Mastering Automation solutions will all be on display. SL9605

ThinkAnalytics

At NAB, ThinkAnalytics will “showcase our content discovery, real-time viewer insights, and enhanced metadata solutions, which help our customers around the world boost engagement, reduce churn, and increase loyalty” and average revenue per user (ARPU) “by delivering personalized experiences at the right place and the right time for the viewer — driving the engagement economy,” said company CEO Gabriel Berger.

He added: “We will highlight two different customer use cases that utilize personalized experiences that are proven to boost engagement.” SU7525

TiVo

TiVo will showcase the latest with its Personalized Content Discovery (PCD) platform, sharing how content companies are using it to seamlessly deliver and manage personalized customer, with the end goal of driving increased viewership and engagement.

TiVo’s PCD platform’s integrated reporting and analytics insights modules enable content companies to test and manage search and recommendation performance in real-time, improving the user’s experience and generating more engagement from searches. Wynn Hospitality Suites

Verizon Digital Media Services

Verizon Digital Media Services will be sharing the latest with its platform, and its comprehensive streaming service, one built to meet OTT demand for speed, reliability, and TV-quality viewing, in a way that’s simple to prepare, deliver and monetize content.

“Our integrated platform simplifies your workflow, delivers exceptional quality, and gets you to market quickly,” VDMS said of its NAB presence. “It eliminates having to piece together an online video service from multiple vendors whose technology may not work well together. It delivers everything you need to effortlessly move content from encoding to delivery to monetization – at broadcast quality, all in one place.” SU3605

Vistex

“Intellectual property rights are the lifeblood of content companies, and managing contracts, rights exploitation, revenue, and expenses in an increasingly complex consumer environment is creating challenges across the media and entertainment industry,” according to Amos Biegun, Vistex global head of rights and royalties.

“Vistex solutions provide a central hub for rights that enables aggregators to maximize the return on intellectual property, irrespective of format or business unit, as well as offering the ability to analyze results and collaborate internally enterprise-wide, and externally with partners and customers,” he said, adding:

“There is little doubt that content will remain ‘king.’ With more content being developed and consumed faster across so many more platforms, the industry is faced with ever-increasing volumes of data that needs to be aggregated and analyzed. By leveraging Vistex solutions, both licensees and licensors gain precise insights into content distribution, rights clearance, royalty audits, scheduling, payments and more.” N6214