Success requires managing assets across the entire content value chain
May 22, 2007 1:00 PM
Administering content royalties is a single, but important, slice of what Oracle Systems’ Service Oriented Architecture can do for an IPTV operator, says Christy Lally.
There’s much more to the issues confronting IPTV than how best to use network bandwidth to deliver the Triple Play services to stay competitive.
For example, how best can IPTV service providers manage all of the rights issues associated with delivering content to their subscribers? What’s the best way to track intellectual property ownership and content use? Throw video on demand into the mix, and intellectual property management gets even more complicated.
At last month’s NAB2007, Oracle Systems said it could help IPTV operators as well as other media and entertainment companies not just manage rights but also the entire content value change. IPTV Update spoke with Oracle Systems Business Development Director, EMEA Media and Entertainment, Christy Lally about the company’s approach.
IPTV Update: What is Oracle’s strategy in the media and entertainment market?
Christy Lally: We believe we are unique in being able to manage the entire content value chain. By that I mean right from the inception of content through to storage, search, retrieval and playout distribution, incorporating customer management, rights management and, critically, financial management.
We have a variety of products and tools that can do that based on our Service Oriented Architecture. In addition, we have a handful of critical partners that help us do this as well. So we cover the fundamental structure to enable media and entertainment companies to have a seamless management from inception to distribution.
IPTV: While Oracle has a long history, is this a new play for the company?
CL: I would say that media for us is a growing industry. You probably haven’t heard of Oracle much in this industry up until now, but that is changing. So for us, Oracle is entering the media and entertainment market place. However, in the communications industry — cable, IPTV and communications operators — we have been doing a lot of work over a number of years. In fact, in terms of applications, we are No. 1 in that industry at the moment.
Thanks to our progress over the past year or two as well as our strategic acquisitions in that area, we are finding that the move toward convergence in telecommunications is helping us to build our success in media. We know the people and the organizations that media companies cooperate and compete with, which help us understand their technology needs.
IPTVU: What was your underlying message for NAB?
CL: The underlying message was being able — end to end — to manage the entire content value chain and build new revenue channels and business models. The reality is in order to be able to deploy any business model you want, you must consider a number of pieces in that value chain.
As you examine the business requirements for broadcasters and other niche industries, you will note that most of them have siloed and/or stand-alone homegrown IT systems. These systems can’t manage to deliver the capability needed to meet today’s business requirements. With our Service Oriented Architecture, we have the components and products to bridge the gap to allow providers to do what they want to do.
IPTV: How does Oracle approach existing media operations, like broadcasters or IPTV operators, that have an existing technology infrastructure for production, business management, and traffic system with a Service Oriented Architecture and layer that in without disrupting ongoing operations?
CL: That’s absolutely critical and a hot topic right now. Just look at the statements from analysts. For instance, Gartner recently said Service Oriented Architectures would become mainstream in broadcasting by 2010. The whole key for us is to say, “Look, we need to be able to provide the technology based on open standards and based on easily coupling applications that can allow you to keep your existing applications that are working very well, that don’t force you to change your workflow, that model those workflows that are working successfully. Therefore, you add the applications and the products when and where they’re required.
But what’s exciting for broadcasters is if they go down this route with us, they are not hemmed into an Oracle environment. They always have the opportunity to choose any application that’s appropriate for their company. Naturally, we would hope where appropriate they would choose an Oracle application, but that doesn’t have to be the case. The starting point has to be a commitment to a flexible, open standards-based architecture.
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