Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Five years on: the impact of Covid on the broadcast industry

24/03/2025

Five years since Covid-19 first arrived, TVBEurope hears from leading figures from across the media and entertainment industry to find out what has changed in the intervening period

By Matthew Corrigan

Published: March 24, 2025 Updated: March 25, 2025

Five years since Covid-19 first arrived, TVBEurope hears from leading figures from across the media and entertainment industry to find out what has changed in the intervening period

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

Five years ago this week, everything stopped. Countries across the globe quickly enacted plans to effectively close their doors in an attempt to defend against an advancing threat Covid-19. For weeks, the news had carried stories of a new and unknown virus tracking around the world. There was a real Eve of the War feeling abroad. We all knew it was coming, but nobody could possibly grasp the extent of the carnage it would bring.

March 23rd 2020 was unseasonably warm in the UK. That evening, as the Prime Minister began to address the nation, there was a palpable air of disbelief among the populace. Moments later, reality dawned. The first stay-at-home order was announced and the country was in lockdown.

What followed brought many changes: we all adapted to new ways of working, socialising, and living. The media and entertainment business was thrown into turmoil. Thankfully, the pandemic is now receding into the memory. But as we reach the fifth anniversary of our first Covid lockdown, TVBEurope has asked leading figures from throughout the industry to share their thoughts, answering a single question in their own words.

How has the media and entertainment industry changed since the Covid-19 crisis?

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Today I think most industry insiders will reflect on the macro-economic challenges over the past few years which have impacted the industry a lot. Instead, I would like to reflect on how the average consumer has changed. Prior to Covid, streaming premium video was still largely an early adopter market. Now, just a few years later, streaming has penetrated almost all consumer segments and countries. Had it not been for Covid and consumers, desperate for entertainment, quickly embracing new technologies and user experiences the development would likely have been three to four years slower. We've seen record growth of mass market adoption of any technology, with Covid playing a significant role.

Andr Rosado, head of product, AgileTV The crisis reshaped the media and entertainment industry, accelerating shifts that were already in motion, while introducing new consumption patterns and business models, especially on the Ad-supported paradigm. As audiences turned to digital platforms in record numbers, companies had to rethink how content was produced, distributed and monetised. The result? A transformed landscape where flexibility, efficiency and diversification became the keys to success.

With lockdowns keeping people at home, streaming services saw explosive growth, solidifying on-demand consumption as the new norm. Binge-watching soared and the so-called streaming wars intensified as platforms fought for audience attention. Yet, live sports remained a major draw, with tech giants like Amazon and Apple investing heavily in sports rights to secure their place in the competitive streaming market.

Cost pressures pushed telco and media companies to optimise operations. Cloud-based workflows and automation became essential for content production and delivery, generating cost savings and enabling faster deployments, changes that are now permanent fixtures in the industry. Broadcasters and OTT providers embraced these tools to streamline everything from video editing to distribution, ensuring scalability and resilience in an increasingly competitive landscape.

ITV's Emmerdale enacted social distancing protocols As subscription fatigue set in, streaming platforms leaned into ad-supported tiers. Services like Netflix and Disney+ introduced lower-cost, ad-based options to attract price-sensitive audiences while diversifying revenue streams. This shift reflects a broader industry trend: finding new ways to monetise content without alienating consumers.

The proliferation of OTT platforms led to content fragmentation, pushing consumers to juggle multiple subscriptions and UI experiences. Now, the industry is shifting towards re-bundling, where partnerships and content aggregation efforts on the telcos and ISPs services mimic traditional cable, offering convenience without sacrificing choice. Telcos are experimenting with bundled packages that combine streaming services, mobile plans and even consumer utilities services

Social media platforms like TikTok thrived during the pandemic, driving a surge in short-form video consumption. Traditional media players adapted, producing snackable content to engage audiences in this fast-paced digital landscape. Even legacy broadcasters are now leveraging vertical video and AI-driven recommendations to stay relevant.

The pandemic didn't just disrupt the media. It accelerated its evolution. Streaming dominance, ad-supported models, cloud-driven efficiency and shifting content formats are shaping a future where adaptability is key.

Ben Grafchik, vice president of business development at BitFire The Covid-19 crisis forced instant change for broadcasters. Suddenly, the standard playbook - pack a truck full of gear, roll into a venue, and throw 30 people at the problem - wasn't an option. The industry had to adapt fast, and that meant embracing remote production in ways that had always been talked about but rarely implemented at scale.

At BitFire, we understood that this shift was more than a temporary workaround; it was the next step in the evolution of live production. Our IP-based transmission network helped broad
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/five-years-on-the-impact-of-covid-o...
See more stories from tvb

Europe Stories

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...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

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

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

22/04/2026

Spotify and WNBA's New York Liberty Bring Basketball and Music Together With New Partnership

Spotify and the New York Liberty are teaming up to give music and basketball fan...

22/04/2026

The story of the Focusrite ISA preamp

New 20-minute documentary explores iconic design The Focusrite Room in Mesa, Arizona, where John Aquilino hosts the Studio Console 005. In 2025, Focusrite co...

22/04/2026

EverSync SP-10 wireless from Cloudvocal

Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...

22/04/2026

Arturia release Augmented Persia

Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...

22/04/2026

Acustica Audio launch Salt 2

Combines three distinct analogue EQ emulations The latest addition to Acustica Audio's ever-expanding collection of analogue-emulation plug-ins combines...

22/04/2026

Analog Empire: Bass & Lead from Melda Production

Final instalment in vintage-inspired instrument series Analog Empire: Bass & Lead marks the final instalment in Melda Production's vintage hardware-insp...

22/04/2026

Strymon reveal the Canoga

Fuzz pedal joins all-analogue Series A line Given that Strymons reputation was built on unapologetically digital pedals, it was a little surprising to see t...

22/04/2026

VEON's Banglalink to Bring Starlink Mobile to Customers in Bangladesh

22 Apr 2026 VEON's Banglalink to Bring Starlink Mobile to Customers in Bangladesh Bangladesh becomes the third market where VEON and Starlink Mobile partne...

22/04/2026

FIRST LOOK FOR NEW U DRAMA SERIES HIT POINT

U have unveiled exclusive first-look images for their six-part police thriller Hit Point, starring Nick Blood (Day of the Jackal) and BAFTA nominee Saffron Hock...

22/04/2026

UKTV Highlights: Saturday May 9th -15th 2026

What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week? This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...

22/04/2026

Sky announces fifth year of WNT Fund with 30,000 bursary supporting players and grassroots football

Wednesday 22 April 2026 Sky announces fifth year of WNT Fund with 30,000 bursa...

22/04/2026

Retail Media Standards Are Expanding Into Commerce Media - Here's Why That Matters for Measurement

The move from Retail Media to Commerce Media is about broadening the scope of th...

22/04/2026

Dolby and BMW Bring Dolby Atmos to the BMW 7 Series, Expanding Immersive Audio Across Future Models

April 22 2026, 07:00 (PDT) Dolby and BMW Bring Dolby Atmos to the BMW 7 Series,...

22/04/2026

RT Licenses Stolen Sister to Pushkin

RT Documentary On One 7-part series breaks US market for first time RT Programme Sales has announced its first deal with a US distribution partner for its 7-...

21/04/2026

5 Years of Spotify in Pakistan: The Trends Shaping the Country's Music Scene

Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...

21/04/2026

The Next Wave of RADAR Spain Artists Arrives for 2026

Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...

21/04/2026

EverSync SP-10 from Cloudvocal

Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...

21/04/2026

Arturia launch Augmented Persia

Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...

21/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Validation in May

Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...

21/04/2026

A first look at The Cathy Newman Show, live from 27 April

Tuesday 21 April 2026 A first look at The Cathy Newman Show, live from 27 April Everything you need to know Sky News has announced The Cathy Newman Show, a m...

21/04/2026

Sky Sports to make ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 available to all

Tuesday 21 April 2026 Sky Sports to make ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 available to all The opening matches for all the home nations plus final will be a...

21/04/2026

Comscore Continues Building Momentum in Local Measurement Through New Agreements with More than 15 Clients

Comscore Continues Building Momentum in Local Measurement Through New Agreements...

21/04/2026

Cultivating creativity: Super Garden is back for another season

Summer is nearly here and Super Garden is returning to our screens to spark some gardening inspiration. The new series kicks off on Thursday 23 April at 7pm on ...

20/04/2026

3 New Ways to Dive Deeper Into the Music You Love

A song that captures a moment can feel like magic. But when you uncover the story behind it-who made it, what inspired it, and the meaning woven into the lyrics...

20/04/2026

Deity Microphones announce the PR-4

Ultra-compact 32-bit recorder set for launch Deity Microphones will soon be launching a new 32-bit six-track recorder that's been designed with producti...

20/04/2026

Lectrosonics preview the S1

Uncoming lightweight shotgun mic announced Production-sound experts Lectrosonics have recently announced the upcoming launch of a new lightweight shotgun mi...

20/04/2026

The story of Focusrite ISA

New 20-minute documentary explores iconic preamp In 2025, Focusrite commissioned a new short-form documentary with filmmaker Chris Mayes-Wright - the direct...

20/04/2026

Sampleson release Boomcha

Turn quick sketches into real drum grooves Sampleson have been experimenting with assitive production tools recently, and their latest creation aims to make...

20/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration van at Counter UAS Technology Europe 2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration...

20/04/2026

Ready for the Next Step?

Thomas Valter Director of Product Management, RTW March 26, 2026 For users of the classic TouchMonitor, one obvious question is: what does the TMxCore offer...

20/04/2026

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results Via Webcast

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Result...

19/04/2026

Waves update Sync Vx

Now available in VST3, AU and AAX formats Waves have recently released an update that extends their vocal-alignment plug-in's capabilities to all DAWs -...

19/04/2026

Riedel's SimplyLive Solution Powers Centralized VAR for Argentina's Top Football League

Wuppertal April 19, 2026 Riedel's SimplyLive Solution Powers Centralized V...

19/04/2026

Bridge Digital and Riedel Build CampusWide ST 2110 Network for Eastern Kentucky University

Wuppertal April 19, 2026 Bridge Digital and Riedel Build Campus Wide ST 2110 N...

19/04/2026

Riedel Showcases Next Advances in IP-Based Production at NAB 2026

Wuppertal April 19, 2026 Riedel Showcases Next Advances in IP-Based Production at NAB 2026MediorNet HorizoN ST 2110 MultiViewer App, SmartPanel Commentary Con...

19/04/2026

Harmonic Enables DIRECTV to Reimagine Nationwide DTH Service

Harmonic's Cloud-Native VOS Media Software Lowers Costs by Unifying Media Playout to Delivery on a Single Platform SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 19, 2026 - Harmo...

18/04/2026

Blackmagic Design introduce Fairlight Live

Free software mixer now in public beta Blackmagic Design are best known for their high-end video hardware and DaVinci Resolve editing software, but the latt...

17/04/2026

Nuvo Flight mic kit from AEA

Versatile ribbon mic kit revealed The latest arrival to the AEA line-up brings together three contrasting models from their Nuvo range, delivering a versati...

17/04/2026

MPG Awards 2026: Winners announced

Revealed following sold-out MPG Awards ceremony Following another sold-out MPG Awards ceremony at The Troxy in London, the MPG have released a full list of ...

17/04/2026

VEON to Release 1Q26 Earnings Update on May 13, 2026

17 Apr 2026 VEON to Release 1Q26 Earnings Update on May 13, 2026 Dubai and New York, April 17, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator (toge...

16/04/2026

Introducing a Smarter, Smoother Experience for Tablets

At Spotify, we want your experience to feel intuitive and personal across every moment of the day. Whether you're streaming your favorite playlist while you...

16/04/2026

Telsie T - SonicWorlds extended classic German Equaliser

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...

16/04/2026

Softube unveil Flow Studio

Compact unit offers hands-on plug-in control Softube have just announced the launch of their latest hardware unit, the Flow Studio. Housed in a compact desk...