
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
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
10/09/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Supports DOCSIS and Fiber, Enabling Midco to Deliver Reliable Multi-Gigabit Connectivity to Subscribers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 10,...
10/09/2025
RT brings three days of live radio, live entertainment, live news, live weather, personal appearances, and more
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Oliver ...
09/09/2025
Since 2020, Spotify's RADAR program has been a launchpad for emerging talent...
09/09/2025
In 2020, Spotify launched RADAR with a clear mission: to identify, nurture, and ...
09/09/2025
If you're on BookTok, you know the drill. You scroll, you tap, and suddenly your To Be Read list is overflowing with trending must-reads. Not unlike Spoti...
09/09/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
09/09/2025
Harmonic's VOS360 Ad SaaS Enables Personalized Ad Delivery and Seamless Integration with the Ad Tech Ecosystem SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2025 - Harmonic ...
09/09/2025
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in New Jersey needed audio that truly connects and they found the answer.
Read the full case study here!...
09/09/2025
From AI-driven sound design to adaptable systems and uncompromising audio quality, the discussion highlights how innovation is shaping the future of performance...
09/09/2025
The conversation covers DPA's natural, uncolored sound, how to choose the right mic for any application and the company's latest innovations including C...
09/09/2025
From the origins of CORE to the latest CORE+ upgrade, the article explores how DPA minimizes distortion, expands dynamic range and ensures clarity at every SPL ...
09/09/2025
September 9 2025, 07:22 (PDT) Dolby Revolutionizes Entertainment on Four Wheels...
09/09/2025
The Autumn Schedule has begun on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta, with a feast of music, entertainment, news and current affairs programmes as well as an interesting s...
08/09/2025
The company continues to focus on its own training programs. Recently, 20 new ap...
08/09/2025
How an MVP-first approach helps you move faster, stay flexible, and deliver smarter.
Too often, media technology projects aim to solve everything at once ma...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Resolution of Murdoch Family Trust Matter New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Comp...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Co...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Pricing of Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, September 8, 2025 Fox Corporation ( FOX ...
08/09/2025
PantoneLIVE Adds New Color Libraries to Meet Growing Demand for Two-Piece Alumin...