Avid CEO Jeff Rosica talks to TVBEurope about the media tech industrys recovery from the pandemic, and sounds a note of caution about the return to physical trade shows
By Jenny Priestley
Published: May 12, 2021
Avid CEO Jeff Rosica talks to TVBEurope about the media tech industry's recovery from the pandemic, and sounds a note of caution about the return to physical trade shows
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Avid CEO Jeff Rosica talks to TVBEurope about the media tech industry's recovery from the pandemic, and sounds a note of caution about the return to physical trade shows
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/confidence-is-rising-avid-ceo-discusses-the-outlook-for-the-industry title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Last week Avid revealed its results for the first quarter of 2021, reporting a 9.2 per cent increase in total revenue year-on-year and a 78.2 per cent growth in subscription revenues compared to the first quarter of 2020.
Avid CEO Jeff Rosica spoke to TVBEurope about the results, stating the company's success is down to its customers and partners.
Our confidence is rising for sure. I think we've seen a real good trajectory over the last three quarters. The first half of last year was a really tough thing for humankind in general but also just for any business, but since about Q3 2020 all the way through to Q1 2021 we've seen a steady improvement in the market conditions. They've gotten better and better each quarter and Q1 was another example where it really turned out well, Rosica.
While the market is starting to recover, Rosica says it's also undergoing fundamental changes. I think that people are getting a lot more strategic about their investments, they're thinking really carefully about how they're going to leverage technology in probably more strategic ways, he adds. I think the benefit of that is people are looking more at how subscription can help to get more flexibility with what they're doing. I think they're looking at cloud and SaaS deployments. Obviously the whole concept of how people are going to work in the future is changing. We call it work from anywhere because you can anywhere with any content, on any device.
Rosica pays tribute to the team at Avid for changing business practices during the pandemic particularly launching a free license programme which issued over one hundred thousand licences. That was not my idea, it was our team that came up with that concept very quickly in the heat of the pandemic, he concedes. I think what I'm proud about from a company and a performance point of view is we understood this move to subscription. Obviously Adobe was the first one to do it for creative tools, but I think we really understood it from not just creative people but also from a business to business perspective and so I think that having more flexible commercial models where people have flexibility inherently built an on-demand SaaS offering, people were surprised that Avid would bring a complete on-demand cloud offering to the table so quickly. I'm really proud of us doing that because I think it was the right thing to do.
Looking forward, Rosica says he thinks it will be 2022 before the global broadcast technology market really fully recovers. He believes 2021 will likely be a year of recovery and improvement. I think the second half of 2021 will probably be a pretty robust period for the industry for technology suppliers and for all of our companies and individuals in the industry, but I think it'll be 2022 by the time we really see whatever that new normal is.
Returning to in-person events The second half of 2021 will see the return of our industry's two key trade shows: IBC in September and NAB in October. Rosica sounds a note of caution about the return of in-person events while the pandemic is still so prevalent in certain countries.
Let me say this, we at Avid really support the shows. We absolutely without a doubt want to say we absolutely support the shows and we support these organisations, he stresses. That said, I do think that when the world returns to normal it is going to be different and we're going to have to find our way together as an industry. There are questions around how big will the shows be, will we expect a different experience at the shows? I think the industry has learned some things. From our own standpoint, I think our marketing mix is going to change, I think we will be involved in these organisations and these shows, but we also have learned that there's a lot of value in a lot of the digital marketing and virtual events because you can reach a lot further on a global scale.
This year, to be honest, I think there are two issues: one is that we are concerned to make sure that all of our employees, all of our partners, and all of our customers are safe, and I think that talking about big tens of thousands of person gatherings in 2021 when the pandemic is still raging in Europe, and it's a mess in India, I think talking about shows this year is a little premature, I really do, he continues.
So from our standpoint we're going to be very careful this year, and we're going to return to physical face to face events when we feel like it is really the right time to do it. We're also looking at the return on investment. I don't know if the attendance is going to be real strong at the shows, we still wonder how big they'll be. So I think in 2021 we're trying to navigate our way through carefully and in 2022 obviously everything's back on the table and we'll look at everything very carefully. But what's important is we absolutely support these events and these shows that we're going to take very careful decisions this year.
I also have to say publicly, I
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
From immersive storytelling to laugh-out-loud comedies, podcasts are booming in ...
15/04/2026
Books have always moved with us, whether tucked in our bags or humming in our he...
15/04/2026
For many artists, independent venues are where music careers begin and fan communities take shape. Independent venue operators work hard every day to keep local...
15/04/2026
From gripping thrillers to poignant memoirs, the 21st century has had no shortage of unforgettable books. To celebrate the standout storytelling of our modern e...
15/04/2026
Vintage broadcast experts release second plug-in
Telsie T is the second plug-in to be released by SonicWorld, a German audio company who specialise in servi...
15/04/2026
Includes eight free UAD plug-ins
Universal Audio's latest bundle brings together a selection of their renowned plug-ins and virtual instruments, and is ...
15/04/2026
Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S BroadcastShield at...
15/04/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the market launch of the ACCE...
15/04/2026
April 15 2026, 13:34 (PDT) EVO Entertainment to Bring Dolby Vision Atmos Across Its EVX Auditoriums
Integration would cover 17 screens across Texas, New Mex...
15/04/2026
Wednesday 15 April 2026
Introducing Smart Home from Sky, a simple way to stay c...
15/04/2026
Wednesday 15 April 2026
The Burbs confirmed to return to Sky and NOW for a second season
Mystery-comedy series, The Burbs, will continue its exclusive resid...
15/04/2026
With new broadcast standards evolving all over the world and OTT streaming striving for the pole position in media consumption, both next-gen video and audio co...
15/04/2026
Harmonic's XOS Media Processor Delivers Exceptional Video Quality to More th...
15/04/2026
Five Decades of Box Office Intelligence: Comscore Celebrates 50 Years of Movie M...
15/04/2026
Two Cities Television and Keeper Pictures to produce six-part series in association with Screen Ireland for RT and ITV Studios
RT has commissioned Two Citie...
15/04/2026
RT 100
RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film
...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai
On March 27, 2026, X-Rite Pantone, the global authority in color standards and color science, held the...
14/04/2026
14 Apr 2026
VEON and JazzWorld Receive Competition Commission of Pakistan Appro...
14/04/2026
Tuesday 14 April 2026
Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood to host next two episo...
14/04/2026
Lead writer and executive producer Jack Lothian joins alongside lead director Je...
14/04/2026
Wuppertal April 14, 2026
Thomas Riedel Acquires Premium Manufacturer ARRIStrategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, f...
14/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliabili...
14/04/2026
Luxembourg, April 14, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, today annou...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: The Composition Builder 2026 application for macOS enables TV stations and Live Event broadcast...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: just:live pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel Live Production Playout solution for video and static or real-ti...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: just:play pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel automated 24/7 Master Control playout solution with SD, HD and U...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: live:cut is an option to just:in mac pro 2025 and enables multicamera production workflows for up to 16 cam...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: The Just In Mac Lite NDI application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specific...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: The Just In Mac Lite application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specifically for...
13/04/2026
ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate
More Details: just:in mac pro is a macOS-based client-server multichannel capture solution to record SDI, HDMI, N...
13/04/2026
Intuitive EQ plug-in gets an upgrade
Following its official launch back in February 2026, Musik Hack's intuitive EQ plug-in has been treated to its firs...
13/04/2026
Flagship soft synth collection expanded
The latest version of UVI's flagship vintage-inspired soft synth collection has just arrived, expanding the suit...
13/04/2026
Free version of innovative string library arrives
Released in October 2025, Lux Orchestral Strings was said to be Sonuscore's most ambitious library to ...
13/04/2026
The Girls' Research Camp is part of the Technology - Future in Bavaria edu...
13/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz transforms submarine communications for real time underwater dom...
13/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz enables Pulsar signal simulation to support next-generation navi...
13/04/2026
The search for Ireland's newest country music star is live on Friday 17 Apri...
13/04/2026
Monday 13 April 2026
Global environmental action NGO WRAP brings recycling to l...
13/04/2026
J nger Audio has joined the EBU ADM Implementers Group (ADM-IG) as a founding me...
Avid CEO Jeff Rosica talks to TVBEurope about the media tech industrys recovery from the pandemic, and sounds a note of caution about the return to physical trade shows
