The Media Industry is changing, so stay tuned!

The IBC trade show (12-16 Sep) is just around the corner! At this year’s show we will see consumer technology trends driving rapid changes in the media industry. One of the key trends is multiplatform content delivery in our non-stop “TV Everywhere” world. This one trend alone will have dramatic effects throughout the media industry, as it will necessitate significant transformation in the workflows in use today.

According to eMarketer, the average time spent with digital media per day will surpass TV viewing time for the first time this year. In addition, Ooyala’s Global Video Index reports that mobile and tablet viewing increased 133% year over year between Q1 2013 and the end of Q1 2014. So digital media consumption is not only growing fast, but specifically video on mobile devices is a significant area of dynamic growth.

As with any change that comes to the industry, media professionals are asking, “what workflow changes do I need to make to engage this new audience and how does that change the way we go to business?”

In the short term, it’s about leveraging the workflows you use today. In the long term, success depends on adapting your workflows to new technology. Read on to find out how.

What are the goals and keys to success?

Workflows in TV Everywhere applications allow users to access their favorite content on their favorite devices, and discover new interests by searching for content or accepting recommendations. Your TV Everywhere goal is to create “stickiness” or engagement that encourages consumers to stay longer to drive your bottom line advertising and/or subscription revenue.

However unlike traditional broadcast workflows, TV Everywhere requires an array of codecs, streaming formats, digital platforms, and new and vastly different workflow architectures.

One of the most important goals when planning and building for the TV Everywhere future is workflow agility. Codecs, streaming formats and devices will change and evolve at a much more rapid pace than broadcast technology. Anticipating TV Everywhere technology, the foundation of your workflow must be agile enough to meet the requirements of today, while also being able to support new workflows with ease. Media organizations with legacy technology based on proprietary infrastructure, proprietary protocols, and inflexible technology will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage to their competitors.

Another important goal is to create simplified and consolidated file-based workflows based on a data center infrastructure. The technologies you choose need to work together simply, with a focus on an exponential reduction in operational costs. File-based workflows will significantly reduce the need to manually create and deliver media, maximizing topline growth and bottom line results. Data center technologies such as networking, virtualization, software-defined architectures, data analytics, and cloud solutions will increasingly be part of tomorrow’s delivery of TV Everywhere.

There is no arguing that the media industry is in transformation. While the living room TV screen continues to be the screen of choice for many viewers, it is clear that smaller screens will continue to see dramatic increases in video traffic. Seizing the opportunity to engage and entertain this new viewership, media organizations need to focus on technologies that enable business agility and data center file-based workflows.

Have you started your transition to agile, simplified and consolidated data center file-based media workflows? How has this industry transformation influenced your visit to this year’s IBC trade show?

Stop by the EMC Isilon booth #7.H10 to see our new storage software, platforms, and media solutions. I look forward to talking to you, and showing you how EMC Isilon can help you incorporate new technologies, design adaptable workflows, and improve your bottom line.