IBC – A New Approach for New Times
Sep 8, 2011 10:45 AM, By Larry Thaler, Positive Flux
A typical approach to preplanning attendance at a trade show is to create a list of devices we need to replace or technologies we need for upcoming projects, and then looking up which vendors carry these products and setting some priorities. Booth tours and demos get scheduled; perhaps we may stop at a booth or two not on the schedule when something catches our eye. This tried-and-true approach has served to maximize our investment in time and travel dollars.
As we approach this year’s IBC, I propose we look at the opportunity differently. We are in a cash-constrained environment, where every investment needs to provide immediate return. Considering equipment alone is not sufficient, we need to think about operational impact and production efficiency before writing a check.
Fortunately, IBC is held in Europe.
Right now, there is no place on earth where there is more fiscal pressure than Europe, but European vendors are an adaptable bunch. We expect IBC to be loaded to the brim with more than just equipment, but creative, cost-effective solutions tailored to today’s environment.
Instead of looking for devices, I suggest we approach IBC looking for game-changing technologies and especially services. Which services will improve our business? Make us more agile? Allow us to service more platforms? Make us more efficient? What can we implement to generate cash or save capital?
Shared production services is one area where there is huge upside opportunity. We define “shared services” as any production or distribution service that provides functionality across organizations. The services may be centralized or distributed, open to all comers or only those inside a larger corporate organization. They can connect big or small organizations and have a limited number of members, or thousands. In any case, just like in computer networks, the value of the shared service grows with the square of the number of participants. In short, the participants in these services gain the leverage of scale, reduce the cost of overhead, and gain access to new and unique approaches.
According to our recent survey, the HD transition has just begun. Only a small percentage of U.S. stations are taking advantage of even the simplest shared services. Concerns about loss of control, lack of quality or the complexity of the transition are frequently cited reasons for not pursuing them. Although the study focuses on stations, the lessons are just as relevant to cable programmers, Internet video producers, and industrial and educational television organizations.
Although 70 percent of stations report sharing news clips, that means that fully 30 percent are not even taking this simple initial step.
But sharing production capability does not necessarily equate to lower quality or loss of control. As an example, the stations that share video clips are able to improve the quality of their story-telling by bringing in stories from outside their markets — a low-cost way to expand their on-air coverage while exposing their audience to national or regional stories. Typically, the quid-pro quo for getting this advantage is that the station simply shares its own material with stations outside its own market — a clear shared services win-win for most stations. The net gain is improved audience experience with lower cost and continued editorial control.
Another example is graphics, where sharing is really in its infancy. Only 22 percent of U.S. TV stations are sharing images and animations. Technologies and services for automated over-the-shoulder graphics workflows exist that are capable of freeing up creative personnel to focus on expanded animations, in-house show openings and production services for advertisers. These systems leverage the power of cloud resources and common elements to provide an instant library of faces, places and images for instant insertion into news run-downs while providing a customized look for each programmer.
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