Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

2019: a transformative year

20/12/2018

By Stuart Almond, head of marketing and communications, Sony Professional, Europe

Author:

ContributorPublish date:

Dec 20, 2018

2019 is going to be a transformative year and this transformation is a direct reflection of how current trends are reshaping our industry. However, you don't need me to tell you what you already know; yes, the media landscape is changing. But in the last year, we've not seen industry predictions change. What we've seen is the speed of that change accelerate.

The significance of traditional TV is decreasing as consumers are starting to favour on-demand streaming services. SVoD subscriptions have overtaken pay-TV for the first time ever, and nearly 765 million people worldwide are expected to watch content on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. In addition, by the end of this year, the global OTT market is expected to grow by a staggering 24 per cent. The appetite for OTT services has clearly exploded.

And disruption continues as viewing habits of modern audiences continue to change. Globally, about 20 per cent of content viewed on Netflix is currently accessed through mobile devices, with 20-25 per cent of that viewing happening across mobile networks. And with 5G networks just around the corner, these numbers are only going increase.

But swim up the supply chain and there you will find a big difference as 4K production has become the de facto industry standard, as more and more consumers are demanding 4K content in their own homes. In fact, the Worldwide TV Market Report from Futuresource Consulting highlights 4K UHD TV sets will ship over 80 million this year alone, whilst high dynamic range is present in 60 per cent of those. Content will remain king, with rights owners taking back more control.

So where do we go in 2019?

1. Deeper audience engagement / Consumer-driven change

Mixed reality will continue to be a big area of exploration for content providers as they look to engage audiences at a deeper level especially around live content. The VR market is quickly transforming into an entertainment and productivity platform, and when we look at the introduction of mixed reality in this last year, we can see why the fastest growing revenue segments will be VR and OTT.

In 2018 we've helped customers achieve deeper audience engagement through second screen services; for example, Sony helped Sky and the BBC connect with their audiences in a much deeper way, delivering live sports through VR with PlayStation VR. The success of this shows the demand for unique and personal experiences will continue.

2. Content is emperor! / A rethink of commercial models

As 4K HDR content becomes a demanded de facto benchmark in people's homes, the width and breadth of quality content will continue to grow. Access to technology that will allow for big budget content in an agile and cost-effective way will open new market players and strengthen partnerships like the Netflix Post Technology Alliance Program which Sony is already proud to be part of.

At the same time, when this is mixed with a change in consumption platforms we will see more non-traditional brands creating content to engage the same audiences that M&E companies are after, meaning the future of content control will sit with the rights owners more so than the traditional commissioning/buying supplier.

3. Streaming services 2.0 / Connected devices and IoT in M&E

With the signs of early introduction of 5G and the move of an industry that will depend on virtualised production and streaming services, mobile connectivity changes what's possible in terms of the experiences faster broadband will facilitate. And in response, we will see a boom in services offered in this space!

As a rapid growth area now that cloud services and opex models become clear advantages for production speed, cost efficiency and audience reach, more and more productions will benefit from decentralised curation as content can be created, shared, collaborated on, and published from anywhere, anytime. This means teams will be free to work in a more decentralised way, creating advantages, specifically in news production, allowing for more field-based journalism. This will reinstate traditional news providers with the ability to produce and quickly deliver content from wherever it's happening, supporting the integrity of the brand in the age of fake news'.

4. Data. Data. Data - and the acceleration of AI

As PwC predicts data traffic levels will grow by 22.3 per cent reaching 398 trillion megabytes in 2022, we know that the amount of data produced is going to drive even more insights about audiences, consumption, content and production methodologies. However, the key, and maybe obvious prediction, will be the continued acceleration of how this data will feed more AI adoption across the industry in 2019.

2019 will see the increased use of AI in the content creation side of the supply chain, not only automating more processes and workflows, but used in acquisition and pre-post production to both speed up delivery time across multiple platforms and pre-create content for a desired audience data preference.

5. Knowledge economy / The skills cliff edge is coming!

Finally, 2019 will see the need for knowledge, as a whole range of new roles are required across the industry. The desire for broadcast engineers who understand IT as well as video over IP, who understand digital distribution, who understand multi-platform audiences, is the utopia role many are seeking.

As the industry continues to transition in 2019, associations, bodies and partnerships to not only define standards, but collaborate on knowledge, will be essential. Individual content and media organisations will be looking for partners to consult, support and, very honestly, go on this journey with them together. It's a transformative ho
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/tvbeverywhere/2019-a-transformative-year...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

03/06/2026

SES Launches Multi-Orbit Satellite Inflight Connectivity on Viva Airlines

SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...

03/06/2026

CFP, ESPN, and TNT Sports Announce 2026-27 College Football Playoff Broadcast Schedule

The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...

03/06/2026

RED Digital Cinema to Host Panels and Demos at Cine Gear Expo 2026

RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations. P...

03/06/2026

Roku Launches Soccer Zone for FIFA World Cup 2026

Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...

03/06/2026

Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies Renew Multi-Year Partnership

Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, with Wasabi continuing as the club's official cloud storage...

03/06/2026

Sky News Australia Deploys Grass Valley AMPP for Cloud-Based Newsroom Production

Grass Valley has announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP as part of the relocation of its n...

03/06/2026

Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks

The Riedel Group has announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 201...

03/06/2026

Clear-Com Deploys Arcadia Central Station and FreeSpeak II at Itaka Arena in Poland

Clear-Com has announced the deployment of its intercom solutions at Itaka Arena ...

03/06/2026

Scott Coker Announces Six Executive Hires for New MMA Promotion

Scott Coker has announced six senior executive appointments for his new global MMA promotion, which launched earlier this year with $60 million in financing. Ad...

03/06/2026

Telemundo Announces Digital and Social Media Plans for FIFA World Cup 2026

Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup 2026, has announced its digital and social media programming for the tournament, running Ju...

03/06/2026

Bundesliga Launches AI Assistant 'Captain' in Official App, Developed With AWS

The Bundesliga has announced the launch of Captain, an AI assistant built into t...

03/06/2026

Anthony James Partners Serving as Technology Consultant for UNC Kenan Stadium Modernization

Anthony James Partners (AJP) is serving as technology consultant for a moderniza...

03/06/2026

Audio-Technica Presents 2025-26 Samurai and Presidents Awards

Audio-Technica has announced the recipients of its annual sales rep firm awards for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The awards were presented by Jim Schanz, Executive ...

03/06/2026

iodyne to Demo Multi-Cam Ingest and Color Workflows With RED and Adobe at Cine Gear Expo 2026

iodyne will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 alongside RED Digital Cinema and Adob...

03/06/2026

Women's College World Series 2026: ESPN Brings Out Cinematic Cameras, POVORA CapCams for All-Texas Championship

The broadcaster will deploy 39 cameras for game coverage, six cameras for studio...

03/06/2026

How Comcast Xfinity Made RealTime 4K, Multiview a Reality for World Cup Fans with Vito Forlenza

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is providing a great opportunity for not only Fox Sports...

03/06/2026

Sonys New PTZ Cameras Deliver 4K 60p; New STARVIS Sensor Meets Low-Light Demands

Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p compatible PTZ Auto Framing camera that uses Sony's proprietary AI to automatically recognize and tra...

03/06/2026

NBA Finals 2026: ESPN's 1080p HDR Experience Drives San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks Title Series

Game Creek Video's Flagship A, B, C, and D unit will wind up its first year ...

03/06/2026

New Sponsor Spotlight: Caretta Researchs Evangelos Vrysellas Says Booming Sports-Rights Market May Be Hitting the Brakes

According to Caretta Research, the sports-rights market may be hitting the brake...

03/06/2026

Film Festival Watch: Catch These 11 Must-See Sundance Institute-Supported Films at Tribeca 2026

Retrieval still courtesy of Tribeca. By Jessica Herndon This year, the Tribeca...

03/06/2026

Beat Panner from Sound Particles

Step sequencer-style panning tool revealed Alongside their flagship self-titled sound-design platform, Sound Particles offer an array of creative effects an...

03/06/2026

Eventide to launch the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2

Now features full H90 algorithm library Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...

03/06/2026

Aim Audio's Essence price drop

Significant discount available until 1 October 2026 Aim Audio have just announced a promotion that sees a significant discount applied to their Essence micr...

03/06/2026

Clarification: SBS's position on definitions of antisemitism

Clarification: SBS's position on definitions of antisemitism 3 June, 2026 Media releases Statement by Mandi Wicks, SBS Director of News and Current Aff...

03/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz to supply CERTIUM advanced communications system to Memmingen Airport

Rohde & Schwarz to supply CERTIUM advanced communications system to Memmingen Ai...

03/06/2026

Clear-Com Powers Itaka Arena with Arcadia Central Station and FreeSpeak II beltpacks

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

03/06/2026

Comcast Xfinity to Deliver 4K Coverage of FIFA World Cup 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Sony to Show New PTZ Cameras at InfoComm 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Oklahoma City Thunder Tops Nielsen Ranking of Most Viewed NBA Teams

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

SmallHD Introduces OLED 16 4K Production Monitor

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

ANDREW WILSON DELIVERS AUTHENTIC SOUND FOR FILM USING NU...

For more than three decades, Re-recording Mixer Andrew Wilson, AMPS, CAS, has helped bring the natural world to the screen with exceptional audio enjoyed by mil...

03/06/2026

From Stadiums to Campuses to Corporate Studios- Telestrea...

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will showcase its latest innovations for modern AV production environments at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N...

03/06/2026

DPA ADVANCES INTEGRATED AUDIO SOLUTIONS FOR PRO AV ENVIR...

DPA Microphones will present a comprehensive portfolio of integrated audio solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of today's professional AV environm...

03/06/2026

Lightware Expands Gemini GVN With Full-Featured USB-C

Lightware announces the GVN-HC-TX220AP, a new transmitter in the Gemini GVN 1G AV-over-IP family that introduces full-featured USB-C for professional 1Gb AV-ove...

03/06/2026

Minno Teams with Evergent to Enhance Faith-Based Streamin...

Evergent, the customer management and monetization leader for streaming and digital subscription businesses, and Minno, the global leader in faith-based content...

03/06/2026

Alfalite brings its LED technology to RTVE iconic Teatro...

Alfalite, Europe's only LED display manufacturer, has completed a new broadcast installation with the deployment of two UHD Finepix 1.5 MATIX AlfaCOB LED di...

03/06/2026

Broadcast Solutions delivers new Ultra HD outside broadca...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is completing a contract to build eight...

03/06/2026

NAB Launches Merkhet Solutions to Advance Deployment of BPS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

FCC Kicks Off First Spectrum Auction in Four Years

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Utopai Studios Launches Pai 2.0, Cinematic Storytelling AI System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Roku Introduces NHL Zone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Study: Record Revenue Expected for FIFA World Cup 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Frequency Launches In-Scene Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Creamsource Introduces Vortex2 and Vortex2 Soft

Creamsource, known for its tried-and-true Vortex Series of cinematic lighting, has announced the Vortex2 (V2) and Vortex2 Soft (V2S), two compact additions to t...

03/06/2026

Do not read this media release! Andy Lee's smash-hit show returns to ABC this July

Do not read this media release! Andy Lee's smash-hit show returns to ABC thi...

03/06/2026

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette Jessie Electa Petrov June 2, 2026 0 Comments The 2026 release helps artists tackle complex ...

03/06/2026

La Tl's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design

La T l 's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 2, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic Videohub 120 120 12G provi...