IABM Journal - Issue 96

3RD QUARTER 2015

JOURNAL 96

R E P R E S E N T I N G

2015

B R O A D C A S T

A N D

M E D I A

T E C H N O L O G Y

S U P P L I E R S

Interview with IBC Chief Executive Michael Crimp IABM’s new Chairman revealed Introducing the UK Council B&MT Sector’s positive financial performance

W O R L D W I D E

Contents: Chief Executive's letter

1-2

Executive interview – James Gilbert

3-5

Executive interview – Michael Crimp

6-7

The APAC region report

8-9

Smaller trucks, bigger revenue

10-12

Local has gone viral in America

14-16

North America update

17

Update on market intelligence

18

Introducing the UK council

20

Member speak – Portaprompt

22-23

Member speak – NEP

24-25

Member speak – Datavideo

26-27

IABM update

24-31

New members

31

IABM, 3 Bredon Court, Brockeridge Park, Twyning, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 6FF, United Kingdom.

Telephone: +44 (0)1684 450030 Email: info@theiabm.org Web: www.theiabm.org

Twitter: @TheIABM

Chairman of the Board – James Gilbert Chief Executive – Peter White Journal Editor – John Ive Technical Task Group Chair – Simon Auty IABM Team – Anna Rudgely, Ben Dales, Caryn Cohen, Darren Whitehead, Elaine Bukiej, Fay Daniels, Joe Zaller, John Ive, Lisa Collins, Lucinda Meek, Lorenzo Zanni, Peter Bruce, Peter White, Sonali Nair, Stan Moote.

IABM Investments Ltd Chairman – Derek Owen c Copyright 2015 IABM.

A company limited by guarantee.

Disclaimer: The views presented in the Journal are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily those of the IABM.

During our conference session on Friday 11 September starting at 8:00am we will be debating this new world and asking where’s the money in broadcast and media?

Welcome to edition number 96 of the IABM Journal Peter White CEO, IABM

This is the IBC 2015 issue and it is fair to say the year has simply flown by.

Unfortunately we still find our industry in a state of flux. We have witnessed a progressive and fundamental structural shift in our industry and whereas sales overall in our market are still moving forward some traditional segments of our industry are in decline.

It is not like we have not been expecting this or predicting this outcome. Post recession the signs were clear and many of our conferences and events over the past six years have debated the evolution required of our industry to adapt to the changing environment.

We have witnessed the commercial models of many broadcasters and media companies change markedly.

In the last few years the rise of new digital and on-line delivery platforms, the shift to a file-based environment, the introduction of commercial off the shelf (COTS) IT hardware managed by softwaredefined networking architectures, have all driven a dramatic change in our industry.

We are no longer in a world of large broadcast technology hardware upgrades, our customers are seeking progressive incremental solutions that are built on the backbone of a software defined infrastructure. Business models have changed with so many new variables and it is fair to say that many broadcasters are still feeling around in the dark for the light switch, waiting and searching to find the right path forward. As a result, we are witnessing significant hesitancy to invest at present causing something of a pause in the market.

During our conference session on Friday 11 September starting at 8:00am we will be debating this new world and asking where’s the money in broadcast and media?

We will be presenting the latest findings from IABM Business Intelligence, our latest IABM End User Survey and Industry Index and the structural shift that is clearly signposted by the IABM DC Global Market Valuation and Strategy Report. We have a great expert panel made up of C level people from Imagine Communications, Microsoft, IBM, HP, EVS and Akamai so please make sure you get there if you can.

At the end of 2013 IABM commissioned an independent survey on how the industry perceived our association and it became very clear that we were seen as a valuable resource but one that should be bolder, shout louder

and deliver even more for our members and the industry as a whole.

In the summer of 2014 we commissioned some focused research on how IABM was tracking and matching the seismic changes that were besetting our industry so that we could remain relevant to the ever changing and widening vendor community that inhabits the digital media and entertainment industry.

These two pieces of research have helped shape our development strategy over the last 18 months or so and for those that have known IABM for a number of years I hope that you have seen how much we have accelerated your Association’s development in recent times.

It started at IBC 2014 with the launch of new membership categories and benefits and the establishment of the very first IABM Members’ Lounge. In the summer of 2014 we recruited two new Regional Directors, Peter Bruce in APAC and Caryn Cohen in North America and they complemented the great IABM team and helped us spearhead a real increase in activities in those key regions not to mention their invaluable contribution to IABM as a whole.

Since then we have moved on to recruit a Research Analyst, Lorenzo Zanni, who is developing the IABM Business Intelligence portfolio which progressively will yield even more key business information to members as part of their

IABM JOURNAL 1

IABM have given keynotes in London, USA, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, China and Krakow.

We have held receptions at BVE, CABSAT, CCBN, NAB, BroadcastAsia, and BIRTV

subscriptions/dues. See page 18 for an update from Lorenzo.

In marketing we have recruited Ben Dales as Online Media Executive and Head of IABM TV and he looks after our digital and video communications. We have also recruited Fay Daniels as Marketing and Events Executive to assist with events, exhibitions, print publications and general day to day marketing activities.

During this summer Darren Whitehead joined IABM as Director of Business Development to help devise and develop a joined up strategy for business growth and market development. Our most recent recruit has been Stan Moote who will contribute to IABM’s technology thought leadership and will assume responsibility for the development and scope of technical boards, committees, technology events and assist and formulate growth strategies in North America and APAC regions.

I think most people who have been in our industry for any length of time will know of both Darren and Stan and the immense experience they are bringing to IABM. We will be increasing the number of events that we run and attend and will establish a new approach to exhibitions around the world to ensure our members are best served at the events.

IABM.tv was launched earlier this year and this brand new video news and business information channel is there to serve our members on a brand new web platform.

So adding these new recruits mentioned above to our existing

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In 2015 has been the establishment of IABM Regional Councils. Made up from members these councils have the remit to represent IABM and our members’ interests in the region in which they operate

talented team has built a resource of which you our members’ can take full delivery. It has been vitally important to invest in people and we are confident we have built a team fit for purpose for the challenges ahead.

2015 saw the second iteration of the Global Market Valuation and Strategy Report from IABM DC. This has been developed with our joint venture partner Devoncroft to be the most comprehensive market valuation report in our industry and a must read for any business strategist interested in the broadcast and digital media industry.

We aim to please and this seems to be working, our membership has increased by 20% so far this year and we are targeting 40% by the end of 2015 Perhaps one of our most important initiatives in 2015 has been the establishment of IABM Regional Councils. Made up from members these councils have the remit to represent IABM and our members’ interests in the region in which they operate. We have already held the inaugural meeting in Singapore of the APAC Regional Council and expect to establish ones in North America and the UK by the end of 2015. You can see updates on these on pages 8, 17 and 20.

Throughout the year we have attended many events around the world and have given keynotes in London, USA, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, China and Krakow.

We have held receptions at BVE, CABSAT, CCBN, NAB, BroadcastAsia and BIRTV. We have had member pavilions at IBC MENA and BVE, executive breakfast briefings at BVE, CABSAT and NAB and member lounges at BVE, BroadcastAsia and NAB. The year is not yet over and we will be present at a number of key events around the world, at shows, member updates and of course the Annual International Business Conference, please visit our website for full details.

So to IBC and what of our activities and facilities at this year’s event? We have two member lounges, private meetings rooms available for member’s use, an IABM.tv studio, various clinic sessions designed to support your business, our Design and Innovation Awards reception, delivery of our new HEVC Workshop, special seminars, Exhibition Task Group meeting, Technical Advisory Board meeting and as previously mentioned our much anticipated State of the Industry Conference session. We will also be joined by the winning students from the IABM Educational Foundation Student Awards.

Not surprisingly with all these activities at IBC 2015 we will have a full team attending. Please come and see us, we are excited about the future of our industry and are determined that we will be there for our members to make your passage to sustained success a little easier.

The association provides a focal point for vendors.

It creates networking opportunities, and it gives members the chance to learn more about developments in the industry

Executive interview James Gilbert Chairman of IABM Board Founder and CEO, Pixel Power Ltd

What is your background? How long have you been in the broadcast industry?

I read engineering at Cambridge and when I graduated I set up Pixel Power with my business partner Nick Wright. That was in 1987 and I have been in the broadcast industry ever since.

Of course there have been a lot of changes in the industry since then, and graphics means a lot more than it did. Our business is now as much about helping our customers to earn new revenues through branding and interactivity, and Pixel Power is still dedicated to the industry – as am I!

How would you describe the current status of the broadcast industry?

This is, of course, a hugely challenging time, but it is also very exciting.

What is really interesting is not just that the industry is changing, but that consumers are driving change rather than relying on what the technology can do. The way they want to consume content has moved us away from our dependence on linear television.

As broadcast vendors, the IABM community has to be clearly aware of these changes in consumer behaviour and how they affect our principle customers – the broadcasters and media companies. It is not just technology but the business models for content owners, which may in turn change the business models for vendors.

What motivated you to become chair of IABM? I have been on the board for a number of years and I know how the association works. Like any trade association it is only as strong as the active engagement it gets from its members.

So I thought I ought to put that into action myself. It is great to have my tenure as chair at such an exciting time of change.

What is the role of a trade association?

Well, most obviously it has to be of real value for members, providing them with tangible benefits. I see IABM as providing real resources for the membership. The recent addition of a dealer database is a good example and I hope we will go further on central resources in due course.

The extension to that is to provide valuable additional services, like the research we carry out and the work of our training division. The value of this can be overlooked. The trade association provides a voice for its membership. In our industry being heard on standards bodies is important, for example.

And of course the association provides a focal point for vendors. It creates networking opportunities and it gives members the chance to learn more about developments in the industry and to maximise opportunities.

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Every member company adopting a local school, sending staff to talk to students and encouraging them to visit to see what building today’s media technologies

How is IABM performing?

Do you have any short-term objectives as chair?

I think it is doing a pretty good job of what it does, but given the challenges ahead it needs to be agile. Given the pace of change I would not expect the association to be doing the same things a few years from now.

One area which I think needs attention from us all is the skills shortage. We have a crisis on two fronts: traditional broadcast engineering skills are held in an increasingly ageing population; and the need to develop new skills which bridge IT and broadcast.

IABM has developed – in conjunction with members – a range of training courses and if members do not take advantage of these and other training opportunities they are failing their companies. You will not be able to recruit trained staff if you do not play your part in training and establishing recognised professional staff.

The recent decision to take a more active role for sales in IABM with the appointment of Darren Whitehead is a great step forward.

I hope that Darren will achieve a better take-up in training as well as expanding the association’s reach.

What are some of the major strengths of IABM? As I said earlier, any trade association is only as good as its engagement with its members. So I see our events – like member days, the conference, and support at exhibitions – as opportunities not just for members to network but for the association to listen.

One area where I am particularly keen to build on existing strengths is our relationship with exhibitions. We are well represented on organising bodies and I want to ensure we get the most out of those relationships for the good of the membership.

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The big challenge facing everyone in the industry is clearly the transition to IP connectivity and software – defined technology. Where I see IABM taking a role – and perhaps taking a lead – is in interoperability.

The big challenge facing everyone in the industry is clearly the transition to IP connectivity and software defined technology.

Where I see IABM taking a role – and perhaps taking a lead – is in interoperability

I am a great believer that our customers should continue to have the choice of best of breed equipment. It is the only way to encourage innovation but they must have confidence that systems from multiple vendors will work.

Our role is not in making standards, but in helping people work together.

Maybe it means organising IABM plug-fests where multiple vendors can come together. That, I think, would be a good thing to do and if we can make real progress on this during my two-year tenure as chair I will be pleased.

What would you like to see in the longer term?

We are not going to solve all of the challenges of the IP transition in two years!

I would also hope to set the IABM membership on a long-term path to address the skills crisis. We have to find a way of reaching young people in schools to make them realise that this is a vibrant and fascinating industry. They need to be studying the right subjects so they can get into the right universities – good broadcast engineering courses exist, producing graduates which are snapped up, but they cannot get enough people to apply.

So my hope would be to see every member company adopting a local school sending staff to talk to students and encouraging them to visit to see what building today’s media technologies really means.

We have to find a way of reaching young people in schools to make them realise that this is a vibrant and fascinating industry

The other area in which I hope IABM has a growing influence in the future is in working with exhibition providers. There clearly needs to be a small number of forums in which we can all come together to share knowledge. IBC, for example, has not changed materially in 20 years while the industry has moved on. We need to have a shake-up in the way exhibitions are managed and how IABM responds to them.

Will IABM extend its international reach?

We are in a global industry, so we have to be a global association. We have to be where our members are, and given that many companies have offices around the world we must be seen as an international body.

We have recently launched the idea of local chapters and that seems to me to be a good idea. We need to see how successful these prove, and use that knowledge as the basis of further international innovations.

What is the single most important imperative facing the industry?

Without doubt it is the new technologies: IP, modular software architecture and the potential of virtualisation. We have to find a way of working together.

The SDI cable was a universal standard. We have to get to the same point in IP connectivity.

What are the future business prospects for members?

If you do not think your business needs to change over the next five years, then you need to think again.

Traditionally broadcast manufacturers are quick to change, and members who embrace this change will continue to thrive. Those who ignore it will gradually decline.

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This year’s global theme is The Future of Media in an Age of Disruption, which I think succinctly sums up the mood of the industry

Don't be surprised to find Hall 5 populated by hackers and encoders as we invite them to use IBC as a playground to brainstorm new ideas

IBC Executive interview Michael Crimp CEO, IBC

Mike, with IBC almost upon us, what for you are the highlights of this year’s event?

This year’s global theme is The Future of Media in an Age of Disruption, which I think succinctly sums up the mood of the industry.

You can expect disruptive technologies to be reflected across the show floor, the IBC Conference and within the interlocking feature areas which are the signature of IBC. Taking the technology off the show floor and into context of real world scenarios is the goal of IBC Content Everywhere Technology in Action Theatre. For example, visitors can learn all they need to know about IP in a special primer which kicks off the programme in the theatre.

Down to earth demonstrations about cloud, social media, data and OTT are available at the IBC Content Everywhere Europe Hub. The popular IBC Future Zone hosts some ground-breaking technologies in virtual reality, TV and internet convergence and resolutions beyond 4K. Don't be surprised to find Hall 5 populated by hackers and encoders as we invite them to use IBC as a playground to brainstorm new ideas.

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As ever, the main reason people choose to spend time at IBC is because of the incredible environment which every single visitor helps to create for the exchange of knowledge, strategy and expertise. That is the aspect that excites me every single year.

Can the RAI and Amsterdam cope with the changing and growing demands of IBC year on year?

IBC is the most comprehensive, informative and cosmopolitan event in the broadcasting and media calendar. So it is appropriate that it takes place in Amsterdam, one of the most cosmopolitan and welcoming cities in the world.

IBC works extremely closely with the City of Amsterdam to ensure that the whole IBC experience is a smooth, enjoyable and productive one. This includes arranging for all IBC visitors to benefit from free travel on the city’s buses, trams and metros, 24 hours a day and, in collaboration with the RAI, a comprehensive hotel and travel advice service.

IBC is expanding and this year we are delighted to be the first event to take advantage of the stunning new Amtrium building at the RAI.

What new developments can we look forward to in terms of the visitor and delegate experience?

We piloted Touch & Connect at IBC2014 and the reaction from all parties was so positive that this year we are making it available to

every single visitor and delegate to IBC free of charge.

Touch & Connect serves as an immersive online community allowing visitors and exhibitors to make appointments, exchange valuable information and engage with high level IBC content. Using App based technology and an IBC badge, it provides a simple, system for everyone, onsite or offsite.

Touch & Connect is also a superb networking tool, putting visitors and exhibitors in direct contact with one another to discuss issues relevant to them. It makes information gathering for everyone involved extremely efficient, it connects delegates at related IBC events – such as IBC Content Everywhere MENA – with their peers and it is exactly the kind of service our visitors expect. Along with all of that, Touch & Connect eliminates the need to print the usual amount of brochures and flyers when exhibitors can just send content directly to the people they meet digitally. We believe Touch & Connect is already an essential component of the IBC experience.

Is it going to be all UHD and IT evolution this year? Are there other themes we should look out for?

One of the most significant launches of the year was that of BT Sports' Ultra HD channel, the starting gun in Europe for the migration to Ultra HD. We are excited to be hosting a major keynote from BT TV Managing

Touch & Connect is also a superb networking tool, putting visitors and exhibitors in direct contact with one another to discuss issues relevant to them

Director, Delia Bushell which will expand on the company’s vision.

While Ultra HD is one significant theme, you will see it played out at IBC in tandem with the move to IP networking. In particular, there will be considerable debate as to whether it is wise to invest in Ultra HD technology for live broadcasting today, or to wait for when it is possible in the near future to route those signals over IP. Related to Ultra HD, the IBC Big Screen sessions take a thorough examination of High Dynamic Range for cinema and TV, a technique which many believe offers a considerable enhancement to storytelling. You will also find threaded throughout the exhibition – in conference sessions and at the Hub – ideas which disrupt storytelling. These include Virtual Reality, emotion-detecting wearables and second screen apps.

I also want to highlight the gamechanging implication of OTT delivery. In recent years it has been a question of how broadcasters deal with the threat posed by OTT players like Netflix. At IBC2015 we will hear from senior representatives at OSN, Sling TV, Sky Now, All3Media, Time Warner and Discovery that OTT is now mainstream, offering many new business opportunities.

The conference is always an important differentiator for IBC, what are this year’s highlights?

Indeed the IBC Conference is firmly established as the forum for leadership and debate on the future of our industry. Because of that we have managed to attract the most senior representatives from the companies making the most impact in electronic media and entertainment today. I would encourage everyone to review the full conference programme online, since it is hard

for me to pick out just a few highlights. However, visitors can look forward to influential keynotes from Jean-Briac Perrette, president of Discovery Communications and Roger Lynch, CEO, Sling TV among many others. To enable more visitors to take advantage of the valuable insights from the conference many of the sessions are free and many too are available live and on-demand from our IBC TV service.

Sensing the mood at IBC is a good reflection on the health of industry, are there any pointers so far from exhibitor plans or advanced registrations?

You could take almost any aspect of our industry, from any corner of the globe, and you would find genuine excitement about the future. There are more than 1,700 exhibitors taking up more floor space than ever before and we anticipate we'll receive more than 55,000 visitors.

The industry is experiencing such a rapid and fundamental period of change and is bringing so many opportunities and challenges with it that many people view IBC2015 as simply the best place to move forward.

Do you anticipate any changes, or ongoing changes in the exhibitors and from visitor registrations?

As you know, our well-established Future Zone is a can’t-miss part of every IBC and 2015 is no exception.

Here visitors can check out technologies such as 360° capture for cinematic VR experience, depth-enhanced 2D and 3D parallax imaging and much more.

Some of the brightest new ideas come not necessarily from the established players, but from exciting new brands. IBC is putting the spotlight on these innovations,

There are more than 1,700 exhibitors taking up more floor space than ever before and we anticipate we'll receive more than 55,000 visitors

2015 with a new area called the IBC Launch Pad. I would encourage everyone to plan a visit here to see new technology and brands never before seen at IBC. The rise in interest in aerial filming from UAVs has been astonishing over the past 12 months, so we reflect this in a dedicated IBC Drone Zone, located outside and in the centre of the RAI building, where visitors can see the latest machines being piloted.

We’re also introducing the IBC Hackfest for 2015 which will bring hackers from all over the world for 48 hours to help create hacked solutions and inventions. We want to empower young talent with bright ideas to take on new and exciting challenges and introduce them to the IBC world.

What do you see as the most important role that IBC plays in the broadcast and media industry?

IBC is for the industry, by the industry and what that means is that we listen to all of our stakeholders, we understand the direction the industry is headed and seek to provide the best forum for networking, education and leadership anywhere.In addition, IBC is supported and guided by a group of international partner organisations who are among the most authoritative in their field.

They include, of course, IABM, who can be found this year at the new Partners’ Pavilion.

I look forward to welcoming you all to IBC2015.

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APAC regional council was established with a good cross section of the industry from small to large companies

It has been an eventful past few months in the APAC region Peter Bruce IABM APAC, Director

APAC events carried out In May IABM attended the KOBA Show 2015 in Seoul, South Korea for the first time to support our members who were present. There is a clear move for many companies to have their own booths there now instead of relying on resellers. The reason for this trend is that there is a move for the principles to have multiple resellers in the Korea region. Thus the discounting of 10% was appreciated on booth space for IABM members. IABM looks forward to working with KOBETA (the Korea Broadcasting Engineers & Technicians Association) more in the future.

In June we had the main South East Asia event “Broadcast Asia 2015”.

This serves as IABM’s APAC flagship event and our networking event had record attendees. The IABM members lounge was well used during the show and appreciated by those who could take the time to use it.

The boost to activities and events during BCA resulted in several member sign ups – we are pleased to have you all on-board! In July IABM also attended SMPTE

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The IABM APAC office in Singapore is fully under way and June saw the first APAC council meeting, and the beginning of the regional member meetings in Singapore. With several added events to the IABM calendar it has been an eventful past few months. Q3 saw further additional activities and also the start of training in the APAC region.

Australia (Biennial event) and our new Director of Business Development, Darren Whitehead attended the Broadcast and Media Technology Show in Chennai, India.

Ray Sanders presented a paper at SMPTE on behalf of IABM titled “Broadcast Manufacturers Rising to the Challenges of the TV Anywhere Era” which was well received.

Training modules were sold to a major Satellite and Cable TV station in Malaysia. The training includes six courses plus a “Train the Trainer” module. This will enable them to roll out IABM training under license.

APAC events There are still several exhibitions and conferences to be carried out in Q3. We were present at BIRTV, China where we had a stand and

held a networking event.At IBC we will be hosting a specific APAC networking event on the Thursday evening.

APAC Council The first APAC regional council was established with a good cross section of the industry in attendance from across the region, including SI’s, Hardware and Software companies. Paul Jones of Oracle was voted onto the position of Chair and this leads him to be appointed to the main IABM board.

The next meeting will be held in September and we look forward to guidance from APAC council members.

Technical activities IABM was invited to the NHK open day in which many future technologies were demonstrated including a full workflow demonstration of 8K with live links, recordings at 120Hz frame rates.

In June we started a series of regional member meetings. The format is a technical paper for ¾ hr followed by a networking event.

The first event was performed by

Village Island with the technology difficulties of covering the Pope’s visit to the Philippines earlier this year.

Training In August we started the roll out of training modules sold to a major Satellite and Cable TV station in Malaysia. The training includes six courses, plus a “Train the Trainer” module. This will enable them to roll out IABM training under license.

Further to that, the AV Essentials and Network Essentials courses were held in Singapore at the local APAC office.

Summary To summarize, the APAC regional council will start to give traction and guidance to activities from Q3 onwards.

The initial regional members meeting was a success allowing IABM APAC to continue on a bi-monthly basis. With increased activities happening in the APAC region including more events, training and visits to member companies!

Wishing everybody a great IBC!

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RMP’s fleet has completed productions in more than 20 U.S. states that have aired on the four major U.S. television (both over the air and on pay-tv) networks and broadcast internationally in more than 100 countries.

Smaller Trucks, Bigger Revenue Michael Grotticelli

For reasons both economic and practical, the veritable remote production truck, or OB Van, has undergone a renaissance of sorts, getting smaller in size but still maintaining the requisite sophisticated multi-camera production capabilities critical to live sports coverage; at every level of the live production landscape. Indeed, production companies and equipment vendors within the IABM community recognize an opportunity to attract new revenue from a much larger client pool operating in that middle to lower tier sports market.

In the U.S., as in other parts of the world, there is a huge demand for live sports content, be it on the national level or for local high school sports. However, budgets are smaller for the later “B” level games, so the trucks that support them have become smaller (with less cameras) and less expensive for producers to use.

Ross Video, makers of a wide range of live production equipment, and a long-time IABM member, recognized the need for smaller trucks several years ago and has established a separate division, called Ross Mobile Productions (RMP), which features a fleet of five 25-foot trucks and three additional production trailers that serve as B-Units for the Ross “FIN” Series of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans. Another of the five, the company’s “Blizzard,” is a 20-foot Nissan van. This entire initiative was predicated by Ross’ purchase of Mobile Content Providers (MCP), a mobile production company based in South Florida, in October of 2013.

At NAB 2014 Ross introduced its first compact Mercedes Sprinter-size production vehicle, called the “OT1.”

Its small form factor still accommodates a tightly integrated Ross Carbonite production switcher

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and XPression graphics system, support for up to 10 cameras with either fiber or Triax camera transmission capabilities, an advanced communication system and a dual-user eight-channel replay system. This enables RMP’s vehicles to deliver network-quality production and meet consumer demand for coverage of more sporting and other live events.

RMP’s fleet has completed productions in more than 20 U.S. states that have aired on the four major U.S. television (both over the air and on pay-tv) networks and broadcast internationally in more than 100 countries.

“Large [52-ft] trucks will always have their place, but there is big demand in the market for high quality, network level productions that are at a much lower price point than currently available,” said Mitch Rubenstein, founder of MCP and now President of Ross Mobile Productions. “National sports networks don't want to compromise on the look and feel of their productions of college and professional sports. We have been successful in providing full-featured productions with network level graphics.”

Ross Mobile Productions vehicles offer clients new technology normally only available in the largest budget productions.

Ross Mobile Productions now offers clients new technology normally only available in the largest budget productions, such as Remote Social Media Content Moderation tools.

“Our goal is to continue building our fleet of these vehicles, become a national mobile production company and offer full-service production packages and rental services,” Rubenstein said. “The transition from MCP to RMP has given us the technical and financial resources to grow successfully in what is a huge market that demands high-quality, network-level productions at affordable prices.”

As well as providing crew and equipment, RMP also undertakes the responsibilities of the producer and provides a full-service solution known as “packaging.” RMP’s

The first of our courses we are putting into this virtual classroom is our popular ‘Understanding File Formats’

TNDV’s 40-foot “Elevation” truck was built to accommodate smaller budgets and work at more space-restricted arenas and temporary outdoor venues.

services include customizing and creating score bugs and graphics packages for each project.

Rubenstein said RMP has begun funding freelance training initiatives to enable the nextgeneration of Ross Video’s workflow tools to become widely and easily accessible. This talent pool has always been key to live productions and is equally important to RMP’s success.

In order not to avoid direct competition with its mobile production equipment customers, Ross Video will make many of the integrated solutions it refines for RMP available to other mobile operators and packagers at special package pricing and with support arrangements.

“It’s clear that the emergence of smaller production vehicles is simply a result of current market conditions and logistics”, said Frank Jachetta, President of MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic

Systems, another IABM member.

The company makes transceiver products, like its new SilverBack 4K5 camera-mounted transceiver, for sending video over fiber-optic cabling to allow signals to travel farther and with no signal degradation.

Not only does Jachetta foresee production trucks getting smaller, but he predicts that, once cameras, switchers and other production gear begin to include Ethernet connections, in the near future there will be no production truck at all, just a small van that pulls up to a stadium and retransmits game signals to a remote location, where the announcers will sit and a master control operator will insert commercials—from perhaps miles away.

“With the advancements in IP technology and packet-based time stamping methods, the notion of a virtually automated live production workflow is closer to reality than

many think,” Jachetta said. “Some would say that OB vans will continue to get smaller, and carry less equipment and staff as IP infrastructures become more commonplace. We think the very notion of an OB van pulling up to a venue with a full crew of guys (or gals) will slowly become a thing of the past, due to cost savings and operational efficiencies. Producers will run their shows from virtually anywhere.”

Another element to the trend in smaller trucks is a matter of physics. Many productions are increasingly being done on small streets or inside smaller venues that can be difficult for a larger truck to navigate. This reduction in size has been happening in Europe for several years but is a newer trend in the U.S. Indeed, in the past, video production trucks required a dedicated “machine room” to house the switcher, recorders, routers, title generator, servers and replay systems.

IABM JOURNAL 11

We think the very notion of an OB van pulling up to a venue with a full crew of guys (or gals) will slowly become a thing of the past, due to cost savings and operational efficiencies

However, due to the continuing process of miniaturization, equipment is getting smaller and smaller, according to Hillary Swanson, Marketing Manager at TV Pro Gear. Because of this, production companies like TV Pro Gear (located in Glendale, Calif.) have been able to install all of the equipment in half-racks underneath the operator consoles. The consoles are on stainless steel rollerbearings tracks that easily pull out from the wall for installation and service.

By doing this, TV Pro Gear said it has achieved that same effective working area in a 35-foot truck that previously was only available with a 40-foot or larger truck.

Earlier this year, TV Pro Gear completed a 35-foot video production truck for broadcaster GISL TV4, located in Trinidad, which is now being used for live concerts, news and sports production throughout the country. Built on a

Gerling & Associates box, the savings TV Pro Gear said it achieved in overall length was critical because the roads in Trinidad cannot easily accommodate 40-foot trucks.

Even production companies that typically build and operate large 52-foot “expando” trucks are contemplating offering its clients smaller trucks in order to meet the needs of what many call “mid-level” projects. They are also providing “flyaway kits” that represent a full production system in a few travel cases.

Another veteran production company that works with smaller trucks – although some of its six-truck fleet are over 40 feet – is Nashville, Tenn based TNDV. It built its latest, the 40-foot long “Elevation” truck, just to accommodate smaller budgets and work at more space-restricted arenas and temporary outdoor venues. The truck supports up to 10-camera productions.

“We’re taking live programming to air, streaming it online, recording line cuts for DVD editing, professionally mixing audio tracks, and driving image magnification for multiple display screens all at once,” said Nic Dugger, President and Owner of TNDV. “And we’re accommodating all of this from compact, energy-efficient trucks that take up a lot less space on the production site. Our footprint may be all over the venue, but we’re never in the way of the client. Our trucks strategically integrate all required equipment in a smaller package than most high-end trucks. That keeps everything nimble, which our clients consider a significant benefit.”

As more and more content is needed, smaller vehicles will become the norm, mostly because they are easier and less expensive to build and the return on investment for production companies is that much faster.uch

TV Pro Gear says it achieved that same effective working area in a 35-foot truck previously found in a larger truck.

12 IABM JOURNAL

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IABM JOURNAL 13

Local NEWSFLASH Local has Gone Viral in America In August I presented at the 62nd annual Texas Association of Broadcasters event, TAB2015. This is the largest single state-broadcasting event within the US that covers both Radio and Television. The state of Texas itself is larger in size than France.

Stan Moote CTO, IABM

14 IABM JOURNAL

Social media and streaming of local TV and Radio stations allows people to keep their ties close with those communities

News12 being a cable news channel can target specific areas by using targeted cable TV offerings

There are 27 million people in Texas and due to its large size about half of the state has a population density of fewer than 10 people per square mile. Having these vast sparse regions makes local broadcasting very important.

This state supports over 1100 radio stations with about 300 being AM. I had the opportunity at TAB to mix with several station owners to find out what is really happening in their part of the industry.

The thrust for local People want local news, local sports, and local events coverage. Within these sparsely populated areas there are enough small businesses to support advertising. The stations don’t need to focus on branding or creating a buzz to maintain listeners. By supporting the local environment, they have become the cornerstone of the community.

Being a technology guy, I asked – so what about streaming? They said, we stream to keep ahead of the technology curve and in the community people that have moved or are travelling are the main listeners of our streaming service. One even added that he made a “deal” with a local Internet provider to provide streaming for advertising his ISP services.

Now that really is keeping the community spirit strong.

Looking at television in the larger Texas cities, it is also their local content that is keeping them strong too. The

station’s news doesn’t just report about local crime, city infrastructure issues or weather disasters. They get directly involved in the community by highlighting issues to officials, rallying neighbourhoods together to monitor crime, generally keep a watchful eye out, and teaching people how to react properly when a tornado is approaching. The stations that are taking this direct, compassionate approach over simple gloom and doom news coverage are the strong winners.

So I pressed beyond the borders of Texas and asked IABM’s North America Director Caryn Cohen what is happening in her region with respect to local. Caryn lives on the east coast in the most continuous urbanized area within the US, just minutes away from New York City.

“The Tri-State Area news that includes New York Metropolitan (not upstate NY), New Jersey, Philadelphia and Connecticut faces several challenges with coverage since it is so densely populated, with over 50 million people in the area.

In this area there is access to the TV Networks’ news programs but also the cable providers offer news programs. The Network news isn’t driven by local or community specific news since there is so much to report within the area. New York City is often the focus of most of the content covering crime and politics with very

IABM JOURNAL 15

Online, the weather channel app will break down weather by using your location and show by the hour what to expect

People want local news, local sports, and local events coverage... ...By supporting the local environment, they have become the cornerstone of the community

few “human interest” stories. The cable providers (such as Comcast and Time Warner vs. Verizon FIOS) offer more “local” programing such as News12 which covers happenings by regions: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Connecticut, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. News12 is offered to Comcast and Time Warner subscribers so if you are in an area that has Verizon FIOS you do not have access to those channels. NY1 is also another example of local news in the region. Because the region is so large another area that differs is how weather is covered. Weather coverage is specified sometimes as granularly as by weather within towns. Online, the weather channel app will break down weather by using your location and show by the hour what to expect.

No matter what the news channel, you can count on the following areas of coverage: Crime, Politics, Weather and Sports. Personally, I (Caryn) love to watch the BBC, both when I’m home or out of the country, as it gives a view of the world we often don’t see in the US.” Caryn brought up an interesting point here about how News12 being a cable news channel can target specific areas by using targeted cable TV offerings. This allows them to localize their coverage directly to various communities.

16 IABM JOURNAL

So it doesn’t matter where you are in the US, people can focus on what has gone viral in the world that day or migrate back to their local roots.

Wherever I travel in the US, I come across people that have been transferred or have moved for new experiences, schooling or family reasons. The majority go back home annually for Thanksgiving to keep up with family and their local community and they stay interested in the news and events from that area. Social media and streaming of local TV and radio stations allows them to keep their ties close with those communities.

Just like the stations in Texas, many of the local broadcasters are figuring out ways to capitalize on the human need for help within their communities rather than just reporting gloom and doom. As vendors to these broadcasters, we can help provide tools to promote, define and capture their local endeavors in such a manner they strengthen their roles within their local viewership and at the same time improve their profitability.

We are bringing US sales power to our international members in two sessions on how to sell into the US market hosted in our Amtrium member lounge near Hall 4 at IBC

North America Update Caryn Cohen Director, North America, IABM

June kicked off with a visit to InfoComm in Orlando, Florida, where IABM had over 30 member companies exhibiting. The show was reported as the largest ever with 38,000 attendees, a 5.6% increase over 2014.

We can expect the number of IABM members to increase in this space as InfoComm International brings Infocomm Connections to Javitz Center in New York this November, where it will be co-located with the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) Content Communications World (CCW) and Satcon. Not only is “broadcast quality” important to the AV community, so are the technologies used in producing “Live Events.”

Both factors will continue to drive convergence and new opportunities for IABM members in this space.

In August, IABM’s CTO, Stan Moote attended the Texas Broadcaster Association (TAB) convention, the largest single state broadcasting event for the past 62 years covering radio and television broadcast and attended by 1100+ registrants and 125 exhibitors with nearly 40% being IABM members. You can view Stan’s video blog report here by following this link: http://www.theiabm.org/news/news_detail.video-blogfrom-tab-2015-by-iabm-s-stan-moote.html IABM has great things planned for IBC 2015 in Amsterdam. We are bringing US sales power to our international members in two sessions on how to sell into the US market, hosted in our Amtrium member lounge near Hall 4, one on Sunday morning and one on Monday morning. These sessions are designed to educate member companies outside of the US on how to maximize their sales efforts in America. This presentation will examine the major aspects any organization should consider before entering the US television market. Topics include: Market Size, Television Market Segments, Logistics, Sales Models, Service and Support, Time-to-Market, Factors Unique to the US Market. This “Know before you go” session is being hosted by Rich Hadju of Sandrun Consultants.

Rich has over 30 years’ experience with several major industry organizations and has US domestic and international experience in direct and channel sales, marketing and operations.

Rich was also instrumental in helping IABM develop its worldwide dealer/reseller database which can be found on our website.

Utilizing the database is a great opportunity for member companies to set up meetings ahead of IBC. In addition to our Annual State of the Industry Breakfast, Design and Innovation Awards, and the ever-expanding IABM TV efforts, IABM will also host a exhibition task group meeting and a technical advisory board meeting in which we encourage member participation. Details can be found on the IABM website.

After IBC, IABM will attend SMPTE in Los Angeles where Stan Moote will be receiving SMPTE’s Digital Processing Medal Award, which recognizes significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. Stan Moote will receive the 2015 award for development of the first reliable video/audio scrambling system for composite analog video and analog audio in the early 1980s.

Following SMPTE, IABM will be attending CCW in New York City, where we will also hold the inaugural meeting of IABM’s North American Regional Council. The aims of an IABM Regional Council are to promote, represent and support the broadcast and media technology supply industry on the level of a local region. We want to lead the strategic development of the Association within the region and we will look to do this through a number of initiatives, including the creation of new networking events, forum discussion and action on pertinent regional issues and the sharing of information and knowledge.

We will announce the members of the council after IBC. IABM will once again sponsor the drink reception at CCW and we look forward to increasing member support as we continue to grow in North America.

IABM JOURNAL 17

IABM Industry Index is a statement of fact looking back at recent results to track overall performance trends in the industry

The August 2015 Index analysis shows some stability in growth in sales and profits. Profit growth continues its resilient escalation which started in February 2015

Update on Market Intelligence Uncertainty prevails in B&MT sector despite positive financial performance

Lorenzo Zanni Research Analyst, IABM

The next published version of the IABM Industry Index will be released during IBC 2015 and will contain a special in-depth commentary about the current macroeconomic climate, major industry trends and CEO comments. Exceptionally, a short excerpt of the August 2015 Index analysis is given here to provide a snapshot of the current state of the broadcast and media technology industry before IBC in Amsterdam.

The integration of these quantitative insights with the qualitative outcome of the recently released IABM Industry Trends Survey July 2015 allows us the opportunity to develop a fresh and comprehensive view on latest trends affecting the B&MT sector.

The IABM Industry Index is released quarterly, and covers the financial performance of 70+ companies in the North American and European broadcast and media technology sectors. It is based on latest filed financial updates, accounts and submissions to IABM under NDA from member companies. The IABM Industry Index is therefore a statement of fact looking back at recent results to track overall performance trends in the industry.

In contrast the IABM Industry Trends Survey is a report that looks forward assessing the mood and confidence in the market and highlighting key issues. It is a qualitative report based on responses from senior decision makers in IABM member companies representing a broad cross-section of companies in the broadcast manufacturing and media technology sector globally.

respondents feel confident about the future of the industry.

Confidence has also increased compared to the last survey.

A careful analysis of the comments though reveals a widespread uncertainty on whether or not increased R&D spending will yield the expected financial returns.

End users are hesitant to invest in new projects as the market landscape and future business models remain unclear. Many companies are also reporting the continuing struggle they have to find the right personnel to cope with the convergence of broadcast and IT technology.

In fact, the survey suggests that this transition has already led to a partial reshuffle of the technical workforce.

Macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty have also played an important role in shaping some of the responses and as the geographical analysis suggests vendors are seeking more stable markets outside of Europe to compensate for poor performing traditional markets.

70.0%

The August 2015 Index analysis shows some stability in growth in sales and profits. Profit growth continues its resilient escalation which started in February 2015.

Reading CEO and Chair comments however would suggest that currently profits are being maintained more by cost management and the alleviation of loss rather than margins which continue under pressure.

The IABM Industry Index also shows a slight increase in the percentage of companies in loss both years, as evidenced by the chart below. The Industry Trends Survey July 2015 outcome is positive overall as the majority of

18 IABM JOURNAL

60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% In profit both years

20.0%

Moving from loss to profit

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Highlight from the August 2015 Index analysis

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There will be a European Council and other councils in North America and APAC

Introducing the UK Council Jennie Evans Secretary IABM UK Regional Council

The first point to make is that IABM’s Regional Council initiative is still in its infancy. The fact that I have been asked to jumpstart a UK Council is part of the pilot programme. In due course there will be a European Council, just as work is going on to establish other councils in North America and APAC. The second point is that we are in a global industry and UK businesses trade around the world. Equally, global businesses may have their EMEA headquarters in the UK. So we are representing much broader interests.

I suspect that eyebrows were raised around the world at the suggestion that IABM – an organisation with its headquarters in the UK – should need a UK Council to support its members.

There are plenty of good reasons why it is a good idea, so let me tell you some of the rationale behind IABM’s thinking.

‘meets’ each other and discusses in general terms the remit of the Council. The first face-to-face meeting will be on the last day of IBC at the RAI. The council will be driving a real agenda forward and have specific objectives and deadlines. So that first physical meeting, as well as appointing a chair, will set out the parameters and outline a strategy for the future.

We are aiming in the first instance is to get a broad cross section of the industry. We expect that the council would include large and small companies, traditional broadcast and new media, UK businesses and multinationals. The representatives should be CEOs or at senior management/board level.

What will the council do?

Meeting around four times a year the key aims as set out in the IABM policy document are as follows: n Create a forum for discussion, debate and actions on issues pertinent to the region n Provide advocacy for members in the region n Promote best practice n Deal with complaints and issues n Provide collective representation and leverage the collective purchasing power of the supply community n Be the voice of IABM in the region n Help create networking events, disseminate information and knowledge

By the time you read this, the inaugural virtual meeting should have happened whereby everyone

So the principal aim would be to bring the UK Membership together, to provide a collective voice on UK

Meet the council At the time of writing, I am still enthusing people to join the UK Council. I have some signed up, and more in view.

20 IABM JOURNAL

specific issues and input into the global debate in our industry of which the UK is such an important part.

The council will set the agenda, but I can see a number of key events being held that would include an educational element, policy and technology initiatives, as well as a great opportunity for networking. I can also see the Council taking a collective stance with UK-based organisations and Government.

We do not know exactly where this initiative will take us just yet as it is the role of the council to define the roadmap for itself within the confines of IABM policy parameters.

However, we do expect there to be positive cross pollination between each Regional Council as they develop and establish their own voices.

The concept of strong Regional Councils dealing with local issues but coming together as a global voice when necessary will hopefully create an irresistible force in our industry. Ultimately, though, all IABM Regional Councils will only succeed through the support of the membership.

This initiative is in place to help members do business better.

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IABM JOURNAL 21

The nature of prompting is that a skilled operator will provide a discreet service that, apart from what the presenter sees, can be invisible and therefore a forgotten or overlooked feature of production

In 2009 when we were awarded a Technical Emmy for the development of the world's first Digital Teleprompter

IABM Members Speak – Portaprompt Jon Hilton Sales and Marketing, Portaprompt

What is your personal career background?

I joined Portaprompt in January 2013 to help grow our sales and develop our marketing programmes. Prior to this I worked for over 30 years with Sony Broadcast in a variety of sales, marketing and senior management roles initially in the UK and then across Europe.

I guess most people know of video prompting but perhaps you could explain your product range?

Our product line-up covers two critical applications – “On Camera Systems” and “Conference Systems”.

These include, on camera Head-Ups: Quasar and Premium (7” to 24”) for Broadcast Applications, the Fusion Range (15” to 19”) – more than tablets but not the sophistication of the BC Range and 365 Personal Prompting rig for tablets, phones and micro-prompts.

We also have, active and passive Interrotrons plus WinDigi prompting software with wired and wireless foot and hand controllers and fully integrated MOS Newsroom Integration.

In the conference space, we have motorised and non-motorised Conference Glass (“Obama Glass”) and Prompting Hides and Stands for large screen and on-stage repeater monitors.

With more content being created but at a budget level, how does this influence your product strategy?

We see affordable, high quality technology and new business models as an opportunity rather than a threat and firmly believe we need to provide prompting services for high, mid and low budget productions.

Cheaper technology means we are talking with more and more clients who have not previously been able to cost justify prompting but now can and clearly see the benefit wishing to save costs through more efficiency, reducing the amount of takes and improving the professionalism of their presenters.

22 IABM JOURNAL

How do you market and sell your solutions worldwide?

Our business model is simple – we create demand ourselves through our marketing activities using a mixture of digital and traditional tools. The Hire Business is essentially a direct to user service. The Sales Business combines both direct and indirect sales through a formal worldwide Dealer and System Integrator Channel

Are your customers exclusively broadcasters and video producers?

About 50% of our business comes from Broadcast with clients like BBC and ITV in the UK, FR3 in France, NDR and ARD in Germany, RTP in Portugal, TVB in Hong Kong and we work on a plethora of domestic TV Shows (The Voice, Children in Need, Watchdog, Elaine Paige Show, The Chase, the French Open for the Tennis Channel).

The other 50% is a mix of Live Events (Monty Python Live @ the O2, BAFTA TV and Film Awards), numerous AGM’s, Conferences and Award Ceremonies working with independent programme makers and Conference Suppliers and Agencies.

Ever lower cost competitive systems are appearing on the market. How can you differentiate your offerings?

For us it is less about defending market share on one product type and more about ensuring we have the right product range and services that the addressable markets will buy or hire!

Our product line up extends from a 24” Quasar display for £4k to under £600 for a 365 Personal Prompter rig and so it is critical that there are clear features and differentiators in our product and services.

To achieve this we spend time with our clients and operators to understand exactly what they need for the job and the budget they have so they can make the appropriate choice on the prompting technology that is best for them.

We always a

What innovations have you introduced in to the market in recent times?

We have a very strong reputation for continuous innovation since we set up in the 70’s which was formally recognised in 2009 when we were awarded a Technical Emmy for the development of the world's first Digital Teleprompter.

Over the last 12 months we have developed a number of new products including a new Motorised Conference Pole System that is 30% lighter and cheaper than its predecessor and we have a 365 Personal Prompting Rig which can be used with Tablets, Phones, Micro Prompts and also as an Interrotron. A prompting rig for every day of the week – hence 365!

At IBC 2015 we will launch the Fusion Range, available in 15”, 17” and 19” screen sizes designed for professional users who do not need the extended facilities of the Broadcast Ranges but find that the 365 options are too limiting and require large screen prompters for longer “Reading Distances” with a PC based prompting software package.

Shure’s SM57 c

What is your biggest challenge right now?

The nature of prompting is that a skilled operator will provide a discreet service that, apart from what the presenter sees, can be invisible and therefore a forgotten or overlooked feature of production. One of our biggest challenges is to try to change this perception and convince clients of the key role prompting plays.

In terms of product and technology development the integration of an IP remote workflow that has no prompting latency or delay issues between Talent in location A and Operator in location B remains a challenge!

What is the biggest challenge for your customers?

Great question and given the variety of customers it is hard to generalise but I would suggest the biggest challenge for most in TV Production is how to deliver more for less which in turn for us as a supplier leads to the question of how we continue to make money in this environment?

What do you see as the next step beyond the current Portaprompt offerings?

We are very proud that we always have and always will be a prompting company – this is what we do and is our core strength!

Our future development will continue to deliver fantastic and affordable prompting solutions for both the TV and Live Events markets. Plans over the next 12 months are that we continue development in our Large Screen Displays, IP Workflows, Personal and Mid-Range Prompters, Motorised Conference Poles and our prized resource – our prompting operators!

IABM JOURNAL 23

NEP is headquartered in the United States with offices in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Australia

IABM Members Speak – NEP What are the core business activities today?

George Hoover CTO, NEP Group

What is your personal career background?

I started my television career at WTVJ, the then CBS affiliate in Miami in the midsixties. A fabulous place to start a career with great mentors. News graphics, audio, TD, video tape editing, directing, remotes, maintenance; I learned a ton. Then off to college at Florida State which turned into a staff engineering job at WFSU-TV the first week on campus, leading to Chief Engineer at Florida Public Broadcasting network. I headed north in the mid-1970s working for RCA but missed "television" and joined WPHL as Assistant Chief for Studio & Remote Productions. The station was eventually sold, so the station’s production manager and I started Video East to carry on that work. Looking to be home more after the birth of my son, I joined New Jersey Public Television as Director of Engineering and eventually held the dual role of DE and GM. In the mid 90's I joined NEP working through Director of Engineering, to GM, to Sr. VP Engineering and eight years ago CTO. Through most of this I also worked professionally in the theatre as a set, lighting and sound designer.

NEP is a huge enterprise, where did it all start?

NEP is a spin-off of WNEP, the ABC affiliate in North-eastern Pennsylvania, WNEP. The station was sold and the Shelburne family retained the outside broadcast and post production business.

NEP relocated to Pittsburgh in the early '80s when it acquired Total Communications Systems.

24 IABM JOURNAL

NEP has a diverse portfolio of services. Outside broadcast still represents just over half the business, but studios, post production, visual effects, uplink, signal transport, smart media asset management and logistics, master control playout and smart VOD services make up the broadcast side. The other major service is live events which currently centers around large displays, either LED or projection for indoor and outdoor events. Of course, our display business finds its way into studios and remotes as well. We also sell and service equipment in certain markets and provide full below the line creative and crewing services as well.

How has your business changed over the years?

In addition to the broadened service line we have grown significantly geographically. NEP is headquartered in the United States with offices in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

As live events become increasingly complex and expensive, is this sustainable?

There are of course the big, jewel in the crown, highly complex, live events that draw huge ratings and are so valuable to our clients and our common culture. There is real volume growth in the smaller and mid-sized events around the world. To be successful you need to have a diverse mix of projects from a client, genre, service and geographic perspective.

There’s much discussion about remote productions, minimizing the on-site presence, what is you view?

Our clients’ desire is to have their productions with smaller audiences have the signature look and sound of their network's premier event at a price point that aligns with the audience potential. Minimizing the on-site presence is one of many tools to achieve that goal. We enjoy working with our clients to help streamline the production process at all levels. To that end, we support a number of our clients’ remote needs with essentially just cameras and microphones as the kit on site. It's pretty cool and works amazingly well within its creative constraints.

We’re different becau

With the move to IT technology and communization, live production seems to be the last bastion of bespoke solutions. Do you have a view?

Television and media production are niche markets within the greater IT market place and live is the niche of that niche market. My personal view is the real starting place for IP technology is the millions of two to six camera productions in sports, corporate, government, industrial, etc. There is real simplicity and efficiency to be gained in this space with a reasonable volume of product to be sold. We already live in an IP workflow for editing, file transfer and playout, so for most operations the IP live component is pretty basic. I guess, I wonder what the ultimate size of the niche market for large production switchers and massive routers really is world-wide.

How do you approach renewal?

Technology changes fast, end users want new features but continual replacement is expensive.

It’s the foundation of our business. Our clients’ years ago decided they could put their capital resources to better use and not own OBs. Now that has transitioned to virtually every other equipment and service aspect of broadcast production and distribution. Our scale, while it would seem contradictory, is very important to keeping our facilities current and cutting edge state of the art for those clients that require it.

Tungsten and HMI will remain

How closely integrated are your worldwide teams?

Let’s start with the acknowledgement that each country approaches production slightly differently. A different accent of the language of television production. Equipment that may be loved and revered in one country may not be acceptable in another. To your specific question, our back office functions are tightly integrated across NEP. Our worldwide technology teams work very closely together in resource sharing, new product development, service and support. Our operational and sales teams cater to their individual market and are focused on their clients’ requirements.

You must be one of the best customers for some of our other IABM members, what do you look for in a supplier?

NEP builds and strives for long term lasting relationships. We want suppliers who are passionate about both their products and television production.

Suppliers who understand how their products will be used in various markets and applications are very important. We look at both the cost of ownership over the life of the product and its potential utilization over time.

Cost vs. utilization potential is a major factor in our buying decisions along with reliability, service and support.

What is the biggest challenge you face?

As our business and industry becomes more international we are working through the world-wide service and support processes. I may have a camera bought in the UK, being used by NEP Australia on a project in Brazil. Service needs to be seamless not "you didn’t buy that from us here". I'm happy to say that most days it’s more like "Where are we going to get the NEP world-wide technology team together for dinner at IBC?" Will the next few years be more of the same or are there changes ahead?

Our clients businesses are evolving, technology is always changing and consumers are changing the way they consume the content our clients create. As long as people like to sit around the collective campfire and hear stories of how the game was won, or who has the best singing voice, who won the award, and what happened on Game of Thrones or House of Cards or Big Brother there will be a place for storytellers to create content. As the technology used to tell those stories becomes more complex, sophisticated and expensive to own, NEP will have a place facilitating the storytelling.

IABM JOURNAL 25

Datavideo are: Local TV Stations, Religions, Schools, Production Houses, Sport Stadiums, Weddings and Corporate businesses

IABM Members Speak – Datavideo Jack Lin President, Datavideo

What is your personal career background?

I was an electronic engineer and worked for R & D, international trading and plan management for about eight years, before I started my own company.

How and why did Datavideo get started?

I was very keen to start my own business since I was a student. Continuing this idea I started my own business after about eight years of selftraining, through several wide ranging jobs.

However, the first five years I ran Datavideo as a design house, then over the following four years set up a small factory for ODM business mainly in US and Europe.

Datavideo started as an own brand name for the prosumer market 21 years ago and transitioned to professional and broadcast business over the past 18 years.

It’s your 30th anniversary – Is there anything special to mark this achievement?

It’s a long journey. Datavideo earned the trust of customers over many years and that's why we are still running today and our focus on professional video products has never changed. We’ve built a solid customer group we call Mr. Datavideo world-wide and are expanding not only in broadcast, but also in Education and A/V markets.

As a smaller Asian company, what initial challenges did you face when starting?

The biggest challenge was no experience to face all kinds of unknown problems and limited resources to reach our goal. Nobody can lead you side by side to success, for most issues you need to count on yourself.

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What product or service categories do you specialize in?

Datavideo specializes in Mobile Video Solutions for multiple applications, with worldwide offices providing turn-key solutions using the Datavideo full lineup of our own products and accessories to the requirements of customers.

Could you tell us about the worldwide structure of Datavideo?

Overall we have up to 11 offices (China offices count as one only) worldwide today. The headquarters and production line is in Taiwan. Besides that, there are four main offices: In Europe it’s in The Netherlands, the other two are in England and France, main sales office in America is in LA California, there is another R & D office in San Jose California. The main office in South Asia is in Singapore. We also set up the office in Noida/India and another website individual new company in Singapore to promote the virtual set background.

The area in China has two main offices, one is in Hong Kong, another main office is in Shanghai China.

Besides that, Datavideo China has set up four other offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and Fuzhou.

How would you describe the typical customer categories for Datavideo?

The main customers for Datavideo are: Local TV Stations, Religions, Schools, Production Houses, Sport Stadiums, Weddings and Corporate businesses.

How do you differentiate your offerings?

Datavideo is offering solutions, not only standalone products. We also provide training material and courses, not only for resellers but also direct to end users.

We’ve built a solid customer group we call Mr. Datavideo world-wide and are expanding not only in broadcast, but also in Education and A/V markets.

Datavideo specializes in Mobile Video Solutions for multiple applications, with worldwide offices providing turn-key solutions using the Datavideo full lineup of our own products and accessories to the requirements of customers.

What is your biggest challenge right now?

Due to IoT and Industrial 4.0 getting popular, not only are new product lifetimes becoming shorter, we also need to provide service direct to all end users, not only count on resellers.

the successful experience to new marketing place with new business model.

What do you see as the next future step beyond the current offerings?

Datavideo face the same problem as other brand name vendors due to IoT issue, it’s not only the product issue. The final winner will be at service end, who will be the final survivor if he can find the effective way to give good service direct to the customer and meet customer expectation.

How would you describe the current status of your current business sectors?

Datavideo has a steady marketing share and customer group in broadcast market, the new challenge will be in Education and A/V market, we need to duplicate

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I ABM Annual International Business Conference & Awards 2015 Date: 3-4 December London, Heathrow

IABM JOURNAL 27

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IABM UPDATE...

New CTO

IBC 11-15 September 2015 We have planned a variety of different activities and events at IBC this year, including some exciting new initiatives to further support our members.

2015

Thursday 10 September

Sunday 13 September

HEVC Workshop: 10am – 3pm This half-day course provides an introduction to the new High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, also known as H.265.

Know before you go – Selling in the American market: 8.45am – 9.30am This presentation will examine the major aspects any organization should consider before entering the US television market.

Friday 11 September State of the Industry Conference: Where’s the money in broadcast and media?

8am – 10am Understanding the dynamics of the industry, the disrupters and objective business data is vital, plus informed debate. This session provides all three.

Saturday 12 September Design and Innovation Awards Ceremony: 6pm – 8pm We will be announcing the winners of our awards at a special reception.

Monday 14 September Know before you go – Selling in the American market: 8.45am – 9.30am Exhibition Task Group: 2pm – 3pm We invite all members to have your say on the IBC show and share your views on what is and what isn’t working, for us to feed back to the show organizers to ensure the success of future shows.

Tuesday 15 September Technology Advisory Board: 8am – 9am This event keeps members up to date with the latest technology related information from IABM.

Clinics Each day of IBC will have a two hour session promoted for the following categories: n PR/Marketing n Exhibition Services

n Media/Recruitment n Finance

For a full schedule visit www.theiabm.org/ibc

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We welcome Stan Moote to our team. Stan is a wellknown personality in our industry and possesses an excellent combination of technical and business capabilities that will further support and increase the wide range of activities to our membership, and raise awareness of IABM internationally.

Stan’s appointment comes at a time when IABM is experiencing growth in both its membership and events delivery. Stan will contribute to IABM’s technology thought leadership and will assume responsibility for the development and scope of technical boards, committees, technology events and assist and formulate growth strategies in North America and APAC regions.

John Ive, IABM’s Director of Technology and Strategic Insight will be working closely with Stan and will help him transition IABM to a new and deeper level of technology services for our members.

Stan’s appointment now affords John more time to spend on some of the more strategic development projects we have identified for the continued success of IABM as the go to vendor’s association for the digital media and entertainment sector internationally.

DESIGN & INNOVATION AWARDS 2015 – SHORTLIST A record number of entrants were received Acquisition & production for this year’s industry accolades, which recognize those products that offer Audio Content & significant solutions or new communication infrastructure Post production opportunities to the broadcast and media industry.

Storage Services Storage

System automation & control

Test, quality control & monitoring

Playout & delivery systems The shortlisted candidates have been designated by the nine IABM Design & Innovation Awards categories, which reflect the entire breadth of the broadcast industry pipeline, from acquisition of content to playout and delivery:

Acquisition and production n Suitcase TV n Grass Valley, a Belden

Brand n I-MOVIX n Gearhouse Broadcast

Post production n Marquis Broadcast n Telestream n Thinklogical

Content and communication Infrastructure n EVS n IHSE GmbH n Riedel Communications

Audio n AATON-Digital n Clear-Com

Storage n Ardis Technologies n Ericsson Inc n GB Labs

System automation and control n Avid n ChyronHego n Net Insight AB

Services n Anvato n Conax AS n PROVYS

Playout and delivery systems n Elemental Technologies n Harmonic n Imagine Communications

Test, quality control and Monitoring n Archimedia Technology n Omnitek n Volicon Winners for each category will be announced at our awards ceremony at IBC on Saturday 12 September. All nine winners will then be put forward for the prestigious Peter Wayne Award, with the final result announced at IABM’s Annual International Business Conference in December 2015.

COMING SOON...

IABM App – Increasing digital engagement with our members We are very excited to be developing a dedicated IABM App which will be launched at our Annual International Business Conference in December. The aim of this app is to provide another useful digital platform for our members, with functionality that will include: n All of our IABM TV video content so you can watch conference sessions, key interviews and industry updates whilst on the go n The latest industry news so wherever you are, you don’t miss out n Regular online polls giving you the opportunity to express your opinion on key issues in the industry n The ability to give instant feedback at shows which we will pass onto the organisers n The option to open your own discussions with fellow users – For example, avoid standing in the taxi queue at shows longer than you have to, by asking fellow attendees how long the line is n Looking for a place to eat or visit whilst at a show? Our app will enable you to search for local restaurants, hotels or bars and see what experience other users had before you book n At a number of shows we have member meeting rooms and with the app you can see when they are available and book a slot As with all our member benefits, we value your feedback so please let us know if there is anything else you think would be useful in the app.

IABM JOURNAL 29

IABM UPDATE IABM elects new Board and Chair We recently announced our newly elected board members to lead the association with the appointment of James Gilbert, founder and joint managing director, Pixel Power as IABM Chair.

Where will you see us next?

15 - 17 October 2015

11 – 12 November 2015

18 – 20 November 2015 Pictures from left to right, from top to bottom: James Gilbert, Jan Eveleens, Jordi Capdevila Espitia, Ben Davenport, Tom Favell, Nicki Fisher, Mark Gederman, Glenn Lebrun, Marco Lopez, David MacGregor, Paul Nicholls, Mark Osborn, Peter Sykes, Roger Thornton and Kevin Usher.

Paul Nicholls, Phabrix; Roger Thornton, Quantel; Peter Sykes, Sony; David MacGregor, TSL; Mark Osborn, Vitec Videocom; Jordi Capdevila Espitia, VSN.

Elected every two years, the Board is responsible for the overall operation of IABM. It sets, reviews and changes policies as necessary, and has overall financial control of the Association. James has over 25 years’ experience in the industry, has worldwide commercial responsibility in his current role, and acts as the interface between customers, and technical aspects of product development.

Rounding out the Board are its four non-elected members: Derek Owen, non-executive director; Graham Pitman, vice-chair; Lucinda Meek, finance director and Peter White, chief executive.

Joining James on the IABM board are: Immediate past chair, Jan Eveleen, Axon Digital Design; Kevin Usher, Avid; Mark Gederman ChyronHego; Nicki Fisher, Clear-Com; Ben Davenport, Dalet; Marco Lopez, Grass Valley; Tom Favell, Hi-Tech Systems; Glenn Lebrun; Imagine Communications;

The breadth of experience these individuals bring will strengthen IABM’s ability to serve the needs of its members and others working in the industry and also to deliver on its broader purpose: to be the authoritative voice of the broadcast and media technology supply industry worldwide.

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18 – 20 November 2015

3-4 December 2015

I ABM Annual International Business Conference & Awards 2015

3-4 December London, Heathrow

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IABM Training Academy - Course Dates 2015 Advanced DVB-T/T2 9 Nov Hampshire, UK

NEW MEMBERS

Advanced Networks for Broadcast Engineers 24 Sept Toronto, Canada 5 Nov San Francisco, USA 15 Oct Gloucestershire, UK 16 Dec Gloucestershire, UK

Atos www.atos.net

Audio & Video Fundamentals for Engineers 6 Oct Gloucestershire, UK 16 Nov San Francisco, USA 19 Oct Toronto, Canada 8 Dec Gloucestershire, UK

AVT Audio Video Technologies GmbH www.avt-nbg.de Axinom www.axinom.com

Baseband Digital Video 29 Sept Winchester, UK Broadcast and Media Technology – Understanding your Industry 22 Sept San Francisco, USA 17 Nov Toronto, Canada 19 Oct Gloucestershire, UK Broadcast Technology Workflows 24 Sept San Francisco, USA 22 Oct Gloucestershire, UK

19 Nov Toronto, Canada

Compression Fundaments & Applications 8 Oct Gloucestershire, UK 18 Nov San Francisco, USA 21 Oct Toronto, Canada HEVC Workshop 10 Sept Amsterdam RAI, EMEA 28 Sept San Francisco, USA

26 Oct Gloucestershire, UK 9 Nov Toronto, Canada

Introduction to RF and Wireless Communications 30 Nov Hampshire, UK MPEG-Dash for Multimedia Streaming over HTTP 28 Sept Hampshire, UK Network Essentials for Broadcast Engineers 13 Oct Gloucestershire, UK 14 Dec Gloucestershire, UK Satellite Broadcast – RF Transmission 24 Nov Winchester, UK 2 Dec Winchester, UK Understanding File Formats 29 Sept San Francisco, USA 27 Oct Gloucestershire, UK

10 Nov Toronto, Canada

Brightcove, Inc www.brightcove.com Broadcast Magazine www.broadcastnow.co.uk Canara Lighting www.canaralighting.com euNetworks www.eunetworks.com Haivision www.haivision.com IPE www.ipe-products.co.uk K2E Tekpoint www.tekpoint.com Media Links EMEA www.medialinks.com Metaglue www.metaglue.com MOG Technologies www.mog-solutions.com NEP Group Inc www.nepinc.com

Understanding DVB-SI 23 Nov Hampshire, UK Video Systems and Applications 1 Oct San Francisco, USA 29 Oct Gloucestershire, UK

BPL Broadcast Ltd www.bpl-business.com

12 Nov Toronto, Canada

To view our training course dates and book your space, visit www.theiabm.org/training

Prime Focus Technologies www.primefocustechnologies.com Ripple Networks www.ripplenetworks.com

IABM JOURNAL 31

EXPLORE UNTAPPED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND

EXPAND YOUR GLOBAL REACH The NAB Show Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) is comprised of leading broadcast, media and entertainment executives from around the world who will discuss and promote innovations regarding next-generation TV, in addition to the Internet’s increasing role as a content delivery platform in China. You will have the opportunity to meet and network with major global brands as well as visit new-to-market product demonstrations and tabletop exhibits.

Session topics include: Cinematic technology, social media platforms, post-production, broadcast IT, acquisition/production, next-generation cinema technologies, end-user display technologies

PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP PARTNERSHIP WITH

DECEMBER DECEMBER 3–4, 20 2015 • SHANGHAI, 15 • SHANGHAI, CHINA Shanghai Int ernational Convention Convention C enter International Center gix shanghai.nabshow.com gixshanghai.nabshow.com

Produced ed in par partnership tnership wit withh C Chinese National National Base B ffor or Int ernational Cultural TTrade-International rade-International High Tech Tech International Cultural De vice Clus ter (T CDIC) Device Cluster (TCDIC)

SPONSORING ORGANIZA GANIZA ATIONS TIONS ORGANIZATIONS

SUPPORTING ORGANIZA ORGANIZATIONS ATIONS TIO TIONS

E R Y! D R DA O O T Broadcast and Media Technology

GLOBAL MARKET VALUATION & STRATEGY REPORT

The only report to cover the entire breadth of today’s broadcast and media technology space Most complete and detailed segmentation model available today, covering many market niches Effects of global events on market structure Essential reading for senior executives, financiers and industry stakeholders

IABM DC DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET INTELLIGENCE

34 IABM JOURNAL

ORDER TODAY www.iabmdc.com