Cisco @ IBC 2018 Show-verview: From Broadcast to Film to Sports, the Media Industrialization Era Is Accelerating

Hi, it’s Rog. The kids are back in school and the last summer holiday weekend is upon us, which can only mean one thing: It’s time for 60,000 or so of us to pack our bags for Amsterdam, and IBC.

And my job, in this blog, is to impart my take on what’s going to be happening when we all get there, in a few weeks. A show-verview, if you will.

Here goes.

My take on the 2018 IBC is that we’re going to see a continuation, and an acceleration, of a trend that started a few IBCs back, and threaded its way through the last few NABs, too: The industrialization of the broadcast and media sector. An industrialization fueled by the IP and cloud technologies that matter to the pace of progress. Studio production and post-production is moving ever faster; they no longer want “dailies;” they want “hourlies.” Sports are not just delivering “the game” but multiple flavors of the game. As a result, venues are morphing into real-time sports production studios. All of it is anchored in IP and cloud.

The IP-industrialization trend is spreading because it’s repeatable. It’s repeatable, in that once you plug it in – a professional camera, or systems for graphics, audio editing, storage, or content management – you know what results you’re going to get. You get a positive outcome; a business return. And it does not matter if it is an IP-based appliance, virtualized software, or cloud-based. What started in the broadcast segment a few years ago is now expanding into sports and film.

It’s all about powering new ways to create, manage and distribute digital content, with smart, secure platforms. Platforms that increase audience engagement with content, which drives revenue and profitability. It’s about industrializing the implementation of IP and cloud technology, to make it repeatable across the media and entertainment industry, and by industrializing operations, to enable organizations to confidently capture the business value of their investments.

Here’s the proof. Allow me to start with the most recent developments, and work backwards: Disney took its IP and cloud intentions to a very significant next level, opening the Walt Disney Studios StudioLAB. As a founding member and official innovation partner of the Disney StudioLAB, we’re helping to further join the communities of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, by developing and applying cutting-edge technologies. See for yourself here.

The IP-industrialization of sports can be seen in the continuation of our relationship with the NBA. (Which, if you weren’t aware, is off the charts with uniquely interesting use cases for IP and cloud!) See for yourself here how ensuring security across internal IT systems and externally facing systems is critical to delivering quality fan experiences and protecting the NBA brand.

And, earlier this year, there was our massive collaboration with NBC Olympics, on the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games— which covered the pursuits of 2,914 athletes, via 2,400 hundred hours of 4K/HDR content, for 18 days, across 7,000 miles, and with a 14-hour time difference.

Unmistakably, the spread of IP and cloud technologies is accelerating into related broadcast/media segments — film and sports, for sure, and more to come. It’s unstoppable; it’s on.

So that’s my response, when people ask me what I’m thinking about, going into this year’s IBC. I’m thinking about the journey, from when we first announced our Cisco Media Blueprint, now nearly three years ago. I’m thinking about the acceleration of the industrialization, and how to take those successes and make them all the more repeatable, into other adjacent media segments.

I’m thinking about how studios, like Disney, don’t really want “dailies” anymore. They want — and they’re getting — “hourlies.” I’m thinking about how sports powerhouses, like the NBA, are starting to transform venues into studios.

And I’m thinking about you! Yes, you. Come by. Lots to see, lots to discuss and lots of people to meet including Cisco’s newly promoted Vice President for Media & Cable – Morgan Bondon!
Morgan – welcome to the most fun and exciting industry to be in right now.

September 14-18. Stand 1.A71. See you in Amsterdam!