Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) January/February 2018 Volume 35, Issue 1 | Page 21

January-February 2018
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personalised linear-like playback of either editorially curated , or algorithmically machine-recommended content .
A third application to TV Every where is standalone subscription video-on-demand ( SVoD ) services that are decoupled from an operator ’ s billing system . “ To support this model , you need to employ a complex and rule-rich product monetisation module ,” Sørhaug adds , while emphasising the Vimond provides an end-toend suite of products to support every step in setting up and running a successful TV Everywhere ecosystem .
He describes : “ Vimond ’ s deep application programming interface ( API ) library and editorial tools enable front-ends with discoverability and usability in mind — with tools for real-time and dynamic content updates to keep the service fresh and relevant , keeping viewers coming back day after day to watch their favourite shows and movies .”
And while cord-cutting is increasingly a worrisome trend as content consumption moves towards connected devices and screens , there is also a need to address the cord-nevers — people who have not had any pay-TV subscriptions to speak of — as Sørhaug points out .
For this segment of consum-
Vimond offers an end-to-end suite of products to support every step in setting up and running a successful TV Everywhere ecosystem , including Vimond IO , a cloud-based editing tool .
Stein Erik Sørhaug , VP of product strategy , Vimond : TV Everywhere offers the potential to better understand what viewers want through technologies such as AI . Content discovery , particularly , is an immediate application for AI .
ers , keeping content fresh and relevant is critical , alongside the offering of cost-effective and flexible subscriber plans . “ For these paying customers , it is extremely important to apply functionality , as Vimond does , to reduce churn and reduce customer retention costs .”
Because TV Everywhere involves the streaming of video content over the open Internet , there exist challenges and oppor-
tunities in equal measure . Where the former is concerned , piracy is an existential concern .
Content protection is indeed an increasingly important topic , highlights Edgeware ’ s Brandon . “ A few years ago , those wanting to pirate a movie would have to go into a cinema with a camera and produce copies of a video or DVD . Now , because so much content is delivered online , programming
is more exposed to the threat of piracy than it has ever been .”
To combat this , Edgeware offers a forensic watermarking solution that integrates Content- Amor ’ s technology into Edgeware ’ s TV CDN platform . The solution , which was awarded the IABM Design and Innovation award at IBC 2017 , is able to identify and manipulate several pixels within video streams and change them in a way that creates a specific code within the video itself .
“ And again , because programming is delivered from the edge of the network , a distributor can add this watermark at the latest point , so each viewer has a unique code ,” says Brandon . “ This is what makes it easy for us to help content distributors spot exactly who has stolen a particular video stream .”
The transition to the online video domain , however , offers the golden opportunity to truly understand each consumer , and reinvigorate the discovery process by offering personalised content that will truly appeal to the target audience .
As sophisticated metadata continues to proliferate , articificial intelligence ( AI ) is likely to come to the fore this year . Vimond , for example , recently announced a technology and marketing partnership with video AI company Valossa . With the integration of
their respective products , the companies add content recognition capabilities to Vimond ’ s platform , making it easier to search for contextually relevant images and video content .
Vimond ’ s Sørhaug says : “ While many AI solutions in the market have been waiting for a business plan , Vimond and partners like Valossa have found real-world applications for the now in AI .”
One area AI has made great strides , he believes , is in video recognition and the automated creation of “ deeply rich ” metadata that can be searched in the cloud to open up vast content archives previously inaccessible . “ This opens new opportunities for using historic video to rapidly create new materials and content .” For example , if there is a celebrity death or a royal marriage , archive content can be accessed , and using Vimond ’ s storytelling tools , new and deep content can be quickly created .
Content discovery , Sørhaug agrees , is also an immediate application for AI . “ Using machine learning and intelligent understanding of human behaviour , you can now blend with editorially curated content from a human , a personalised linear viewing experience targeted exactly to your own interests beyond simple genre matches .”

New CEO ready to scale new heights with Imagine Communications

Imagine Communications was born out of a desire to drive the broadcast and media industry towards IP , the cloud , virtualisation and software-defined networks . Where these transitions are concerned , how would you access where the industry is now , and what factors , if any , is holding back adoption ? Tom Cotney : After working through the why and the when issues surrounding the transition of their operations — even the mission-critical ones — to a new and more agile technology foundation over the past couple of years , media organisations are now clearly focusing on the business aspects behind the modernisation of their networks .
That IP , virtualisation and commercial-off-the-shelf ( COTS ) equipment are the future is indisputable . Entering 2018 , media companies of all types — broadcasters , content owners and over-the-top ( OTT ) players — are focused on figuring out the most cost-effective and strategically viable way to transition operations to a virtualised , software-based setting . There is little , if any , hesitation related to the readiness of technology .
The standards are there and
Having worked with companies such as Apple and IBM , Tom Cotney has been named the new CEO of Imagine Communications . He succeeds Charlie Vogt , who is joining the Gores Group as a senior adviser to continue to drive M & A and business development activities at Imagine Communications . Speaking with APB , Cotney details how he intends to build on the legacy of Vogt to build a “ bigger and stronger ” Imagine Communications .
broadcast engineers are steadily acquiring the skillsets to design and maintain next-gen facilities .
Can you share with us some of the key strategic initiatives that you will be implementing to continue the work that Charlie Vogt and team have put in place over the past four years or so ? Cotney : I view the continuation of the work that Charlie has done at Imagine over the past few years as one of my top strategic objectives . The leadership transition at Imagine is purposely designed to be as seamless as possible and I will continue to work closely with Charlie , who is now focused full time on inorganic growth initiatives , to fully realise the vision that he and his team unveiled a few years ago .
We are 100 % committed to the technology and product path , defined by IP , software-only and
cloud-native , that Imagine has been pursuing since 2014 . I have worked for some of the most innovative companies in the world , including Apple and IBM , and I can state without hyperbole that Imagine is delivering some of the most innovative technologies I ’ ve ever been associated with .
For me , job number one is helping our clients move forward and keep pace with change , rather than falling behind . That includes making it easier for them to gracefully and cost-effectively transition their networks , without squandering existing investment or disrupting current operations .
Media companies are struggling with their own issues . In addition to evolving consumption preferences , many are dealing with ongoing M & A activities of their own . They don ’ t want to work with suppliers who bring more drama into the equation . They want suppliers who are big enough and strong enough that they will be around for years to come . The market does not want to buy from small suppliers with questionable longevity or from a fragmented marketplace . I am laser-focused on helping Imagine get scale and make it as easy as possible for our customers to buy our solutions and services .
What are some of the key trends and developments you expect to dominate in 2018 , and how is Imagine Communications geared up to help your customers address the challenges ahead ? Cotney : As I have said before , we have a huge advantage in next-gen technology — from IP to microservices , then to more modular designs for our software systems . Now , we need to focus on execution . It ’ s not enough to dominate with the availability of a good technology . What I want to dominate is the issue of flexibility for the operators and financial stewards in the broadcast world .
As a technology provider , we can no longer rely on large orders that require hand-wringing and over-analysis by our clients . Their cost structures are under pressure . The burden is on me to innovate both commercially and technologically , so that we will emerge as a dominant player in terms of being a leading entity with which to partner .
That flexibility will also help us be dominant in the category of adding value to the top-line growth of our clients with ad management software that produces higher yields on static inventory and offers new sources of inventory to buyers .
Again , this theme of getting bigger and stronger comes into play . In the ad management portion of our business , we need to be ultra-selective about how we build on our strengths . We literally have 100 % share in certain markets . In those markets , we need to grow by adding new products and services to that already-strong base . In other markets , we will focus on growing our geographic coverage .