Everything we know about: Coronavirus and the Media Tech industry

TVBEurope breaks down what the virus means for the media tech industry

Dan Meier 35 mins ago

TVBEurope breaks down what the virus means for the media tech industry

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) is currently dominating headlines and disrupting global affairs amid fears of the virus being further broadcast. TVBEurope breaks down what it means for the media tech industry.

How are international trade shows being affected?

NAB is still due to go ahead on 18th-22nd April in Las Vegas, but is still closely monitoring the virus. The organisers are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines around cleanliness and ensuring medical care is readily accessible.

AJA Video Systems became the first major vendor to pull out of the show, out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our employees and partners worldwide.

Nikon followed suit, calling health and safety the company's top priority. We will continue to closely evaluate our travel policies, programmes and activities to mitigate risk, the company said.

What impact has the virus had on broadcasting of major sporting events?

The Vietnam Grand Prix is expected to proceed as planned on 5th April, though drivers from affected countries could be prevented from entering. German broadcaster RTL will not send its team to Hanoi, reporting instead from its studio in Cologne.

Italy has ordered all sporting events to take place behind closed doors until 3rd April, including 32 Serie A football matches and the Six Nations rugby clash between England and Italy. Sky Italia tried to make the Derby d'Italia available for fans on free-to-air TV but were prevented over rights issues.

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Japan's Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto said the Tokyo Olympics could be postponed. We are doing all we can to ensure that the Games go ahead as planned, she added.

WARC noted that cancellation of major sporting events could deal a heavy blow to TV growth.

Which other sectors have been hit by the coronavirus?

UK broadcasting union Bectu has raised concerns on behalf of freelancers who may need to self-isolate. The body has contacted the government to ensure it lobbies insurance companies to cover any lost earnings.

Freelancers should not be missing out on pay because of the coronavirus, said Bectu head Philippa Childs. This could hit Bectu's freelance members particularly hard. Unlike employees who receive contractual, or Statutory Sick Pay, many of these workers will lose thousands of pounds.

Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts called Netflix an obvious beneficiary if consumers stay home due to coronavirus concerns, citing 0.8 per cent share growth.

Tech giants such as Facebook and Amazon could also benefit, apparently immune even to health crises.

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/everything-we-know-about-coronaviru...
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