Reflections on a decade of disruption

Hall 14 has always been the outlier at IBC. The somewhat mysterious tent houses mostly software companies whose business models are based on helping broadcasters, operators and content companies profit from disruption. 24i is no exception. This year we are celebrating a decade of success and disruption by showcasing the next generation of video experiences, for the next generation.

As the number of direct to consumer (D2C) video services grow, forward-thinking operators and broadcasters are having to disrupt their own business models in order to thrive and even survive. These next-generation video service providers understand the impact their video experiences have on their brand value, and are looking for modular-based solutions which upcycle existing technologies and allow them to create relevant and personalised services for every one of their viewers.

Over the past year, we have been working on a number of OTT services which are disrupting their markets and providing the next generation with experiences they love, including Slovak Telecom, NPO, iflix, KPN, PureFlix, RTE, NLZIET, Fox Sports, Globo and Sinclair Broadcasting Services. All these and more will be highlighted on our IBC stand.

The broadcast and online video market is undergoing rapid change, but not every media business is at the same place on the disruption curve taking the industry from broadcast and hardware to streaming and cloud-hosted video platforms. In response to this we are seeing the emergence of the next-generation OTT ecosystem where specialist companies work together to support media businesses and operators on the many points along the curve. At 24i we have already taken the next steps in the OTT ecosystem evolution by recently becoming the video experience software division of Amino communications.

The combination of our SmartOTT video experience framework with Amino’s back-end software enables service providers to profit from disruption faster, upcycle their existing technology investments more effectively, and seamlessly address Live VOD and EPG content across iOs, Android, Web and Android TV. In the worlds of Peter White at Rethink Research, “rarely do we see such a highly complementary marriage of technologies.”

In terms of ‘trending topics’, I anticipate most of my discussions at IBC will focus on new deployments of next-generation video experiences. However, a few key OTT video technologies have developed quite significantly over the past year that also warrant discussion during the show, including data-driven UX, operator-tier Android TV launches, and HbbTV.

Plenty of food for thought there, and we look forward to discussing this with you – and to celebrating a decade of disruption – at IBC 2019.

Martijn van Horssen is CEO at 24i