Thomas Bostr m J rgensen, CEO, Appear, queries whether broadcasters should go all in on the next generation, or maintain focus on their declining pool of traditional TV viewers
By Contributor
Published: September 29, 2022
Thomas Bostr m J rgensen, CEO, Appear, queries whether broadcasters should go all in on the next generation, or maintain focus on their declining pool of traditional TV viewers
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Broadband has sparked a revolution across the entire content production and broadcasting value chain, enabling new ways to create, contribute and distribute content. With added flexibility, IP offers broadcasters and content producers the potential for massive cost savings. This is not, however, to say that IP as we know is a silver bullet that will solve all problems with traditional' content contribution and distribution. There are significant considerations to take into account on both a technical front, and with regards to meeting customer expectations. Leaning too far into IP-based offerings runs the risk of alienating a core customer base for many broadcasters, those legacy customers still using linear TV services, but by not developing next-generation OTT offerings there's a significant risk of being left behind the curve and missing the market's next shift. But what is the balance here? And why is customer expectation shifting?
Earlier this year we conducted a survey of players from across the broadcast industry to understand more about the technology areas and developments that would impact them in the year ahead. Of those that answered, 66 per cent believed that streaming services will slightly or rapidly grow, and traditional pay-TV services will decline-a lot or somewhat. For sport, 64 per cent think live streaming of sports and other events will be a similar or better experience to satellite or cable broadcasts of these events.
Two of the most impactful results of the broadband effect , how broadcasting has changed in response to the broadband revolution, are the ways that it has changed OTT and the resulting shift in consumer expectation. OTT, in particular, has rapidly moved from a niche content distribution method to one of the primary distribution methods that broadcasters use today, in order to be able to bring more content to more viewers.
When we think about traditional content distribution, we typically think about content distributed through linear channels in very controlled environments, with equipment designed for that purpose. Though restart and PVR mechanisms do exist for non-OTT services, they aren't capable of providing enhanced experiences that customers have come to expect. Broadband has, however, blown the doors open on this, with remote production teams now able to broadcast content from virtually anywhere that has a fibre connection, and in the future, anywhere with mobile signal, thanks to developments in 5G technology. However, our respondents feel the ability to use 5G for live transmissions of primary content is some way off, with the majority (55 per cent) of respondents saying that 5G networks will have low impact on contribution in the next 12 months.
That being said, OTT's growing popularity is a direct result of a shift in viewer demand to enjoy content on-demand. In days gone by, watching TV was very much a passive experience dictated by broadcasters, who aired content at set times, meaning viewers were very much limited in choice. But the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and others have disrupted the status quo, and today, viewers have much more control in terms of the content they watch and when. There is an ever- growing demand for choice, and viewers want to decide what they watch and when they watch it, completely of their own volition.
Though this demand is very real, and predicted to grow in future years as OTT offerings are the default for many younger viewers, there is still a sizable chunk of broadcasters' customer bases that prefer traditional services. This creates a problem for broadcasters, do they go all in on the next generation, or do they maintain focus on their declining pool of traditional TV viewers? Well, almost paradoxically the answer is both and neither. The way that broadcasters can keep customers happy both today and in future is to negotiate a balance between these two priorities, the exact way this is done depends very much on the demographic of your audience. Some regions or countries may have particularly strong fibre networks, encouraging more of a forward shift, while others may have a particularly dedicated satellite audience which will require a much gentler approach.
In either situation, from a practical standpoint what broadcasters need is flexibility. While hybrid models that incorporate both IP and satellite, cable or terrestrial are likely to dominate for some time to come, in order to make the most of the technology available, flexibility will need to be built into the value chain. With this in place, broadcasters will be able to meet the changing demands of their customers with on-demand content and dynamic viewing experiences.
An important point to grasp for broadcasters is to not just give customers what they want but to understand why they want it. Sports, for example, are one domain where satellite is still the preferred consumption method for many audiences. One key factor for customers is latency, in a die-hard football town, it's no fun hearing your neighbour shout excitedly 30 seconds before you see the goal and spoil the anticipation. Customers also want to be able to view sports on all kinds of devices, in all kinds of network situations, at a quality of experience that is comparable to, or better than, what they are used to. It's in understanding these cases that broadcasters can i
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
Thomas Bostr m J rgensen, CEO, Appear, queries whether broadcasters should go all in on the next generation, or maintain focus on their declining pool of traditional TV viewers
