MAD Perspectives Blog

I was in Las Vegas last week, attending the annual broadcast industry gathering - NAB. The conference is an opportunity for technology providers to promote their capabilities to broadcasters such as CNN, Comcast/NBC Universal, ABC and others. After working around this industry for 8 years before leaving HP, I'm still interested to see how broadcasters evolve. This year I attended with one goal. I wanted to understand the hot topics and see how they had shifted since I last attended NAB two years ago.

The topic that has been trending for several years is that of multi-screen delivery or OTT. This means the delivery of TV content to the PC, tablet or smartphone. We've all become used to watching video online, but probably don't think about the behind the scenes effort involved with making that content available. Vendors such as EVS, Harris and Ericsson TV are providing broadcasters with solutions to simplify the adaptation, delivery, branding and user interface for their programming. Streamlining and simplification are increasingly important. Due to the rise of tablets and smartphones and 4G or LTE networks, consumers are demanding content in real time regardless of device.

The trending topic coming out of SXSW and into NAB is that of social TV. This is the integration of social content into and around TV broadcasts. Any of us watching news broadcasts or reality TV have seen the incorporation of Twitter or Facebook feeds into the on-air graphics. The vendors that provide the platforms enabling this integration are ramping up their efforts.  

Broadcast use of social media started, not surprisingly, from a pure marketing perspective. TV shows, broadcast journalists and networks created Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, YouTube channels and iPad apps to augment their on-air programs. The use of these "second screens" created a social buzz around the content while it was on air, but also even when it was not. Companion apps such as Buddy TV, Miso or Get Glue track this buzz and will let subscribers know what their friends are watching.

However, the new challenge is to integrate live social content into programming in real-time.  Vendors such as Mass Relevance and Never.no have created modular platforms to moderate select and integrate social feeds into broadcast workflows, adding Twitter or Facebook comments to on-air graphics. These niche social TV platforms must integrate with leading graphics vendors such as Chyron, Vizrt and Harris.  In fact, these start-ups provide these long time vendors with the ability to showcase new capabilities. The challenge for broadcasters is to curate the social feeds, provide the expected level of interaction as well as select the best content to share on-air. This is a new challenge for producers and requires new skill sets both behind the scenes and on-screen.

The broadcast industry faces an ever shifting landscape as it struggles to remain relevant in the face of news driven by un-substantiated Twitter feeds.  Its acknowledgement and incorporation of social content is critical to its survival. There are still challenges related to media asset management, tagging and metadata to be addressed, but it was great to see the dating ritual underway between social TV and traditional broadcast vendors. The marriages will follow - of that I am sure!

What's your perspective?

I'm here in Vegas to check out what's new in the broadcast community as it relates to social media.  There has been a lot of buzz around the topic of social TV in the last year or so. Social TV can be defined as either the use of a second screen (usually a tablet or smartphone) or the integration of social media and online video.  Either way, advertisers are salivating at the thought of incremental channels through which they can reach and influence consumers. VC's are putting money into technologies which simplify integration of social streams into programming.  Large technology companies (Google and Microsoft to name two) are investing. Microsoft recently demonstrated the integration of social plus online tv via its XBox at the Social TV Summit in San Francisco. Big name broadcasters (CNN, NBC, CBS, MLB, WWE and more) are investing in apps to make sure their content is wherever their viewers are, physically or virtually.

Traditional broadcast vendors like Chyron and Vizrt have already adopted technology to integrate social feeds, from Twitter or Facebook, into onscreen graphics - making the social audience an integral part of the live broadcast. I'm curious to see other ways social is impacting the broadcast industry. This is a space in constant transition. Social media could be considered a double edged sword, both threat and possible savior. It's all about engagement, but where will that engagement occur?

Stay tuned. Today is day one of NAB2012.  I'll keep you posted on what i learn!

What's your perspective?

September has been all about IBC for me for the past 10 years.  In light of the dynamic nature of the broadcast industry and its influence on our daily lives, my next few blogs will examine the intersection of the Internet, Social Media and TV.

IBC is underway, this week, in Amsterdam.  The intersection of social media, Over-the-Top TV (OTT), and Broadcast TV are some of the hot topics being discussed.  Social TV is a term that has risen to the forefront in the 2-3 years, especially since it was named as a top 10 trend to watch in MIT’s 2010 Technology Review.  You may be wondering, what is social TV?  Hasn’t TV been social for years?  Yes, it has.  Social TV, today, is the technology that supports online social interaction in the context of watching TV or influencing TV viewer behavior.

Two years ago, at IBC, I noticed that many of the TV middleware vendors (those vendors who provide the applications that manage your subscriptions, on-demand content, channel guide and other applications viewed on your TV screen) were presenting demos of Facebook and Twitter integrations.  They showed how you could view a Facebook or Twitter feed onscreen while watching programs.  You would be able to connect to your social networks and share content while watching the program.

Today, the goal is not necessarily to communicate on your TV screen.  The increased use and adoption of smartphones has given rise to mobile social networking while watching our favorite TV programs.  New technologies from Miso or TVGenius provide integrations between access devices simplifying sharing and receiving content recommendations.  In short, technologies are emerging that mimic old school water cooler conversations.  In addition, companies like Bluefin Labs are collecting and correlating statistics about which programs are discussed most frequently on popular social networks.   It adds another dimension to the concept of Nielsen ratings.  In turn, digital agencies like Razorfish, use this data to identify which programs and which time slots show high social influence.  Broadcasters are using the data to refine the programming decisions.

We’ve been multitasking while watching TV for years.  Now we have the ability to multitask, share our opinions about the programs we watch and potentially influence the schedule, the advertising, the outcome of the plot.  Are you wondering what programs are the most social?  The recent MTV Video Music Awards currently ranks as the most social program with 1.2 million comments shared by 559,000 people.  Other highly social programs, as measured by the volume of social activity, are Glee and The Voice.  The most social TV network as I write this blog, per www.socialguide.com, is MLB.

Social TV has the ability to change how networks develop their programming and how, when and where brands advertise.  Are you social when watching TV?  Let me know!  If you are at IBC (sadly I am not attending this year), please let me know what you learn about Social TV!

What’s your perspective?