As we count down the final days to the IBC conference, I’m struck by the forces that are massing on the battlefield of the digital media business (if “the digital media business” is even the right term to use anymore). When IPTV first started, the battlefield seemed simple enough: the Telcos were pitted against established cable operators that had encroached on the Telcos’ broadband and telephony turf. They had to respond defensively with video (or else).
At first, Telcos interpreted “video” as being a network engineering challenge, as the tend to do; and not a service or business challenge. After a few years, the Telcos began to realize that “video” also meant content, and that cable companies weren’t the only competitors providing it to consumers. For many rural consumers, and in most metropolitan areas, there’s direct satellite. ISPs saw this as a challenge to their own broadband turf and added TV services to their own consumer offerings.
The definition of “IPTV content” itself has added the Internet, personal images and video, and social media to the existing TV and video-on-demand. Add the consumers’ increasing insistence that operators bring all of this to any device anywhere, any time; starting with the PC and now, mobile.
As a consequence, some operators are pushing beyond IPTV into the multi-play arena; with this thing called “convergence,” which has major implications both on network engineering and with content; not to mention a need to deliver different forms and formats of media content to different devices. Add features that cross device and service boundaries, like remote PVR and caller-ID to the TV.
Not to be left out, the mainstream consumer electronics makers are adding new kinds of devices to the mix, ranging from game consoles, to Internet-enabled TVs, place-shifting devices, smartphones, e-book readers; and to custom-designed set-top devices that are tightly integrated with content offerings. Most of these are sold through consumer retail channels – outside of the control of the operator.
Mix (vigorously) with all of the various network access options, ranging from copper and fibre fixed-lines, to 3G and WiFi and the emerging 4G and WiMAX access alternatives; and season it with the need to secure all of this against piracy and to make it all simple to use.
Maybe the best way to keep it all straight is to build a multi-dimensional animated diagram in your mind’s eye and let the imagination run wild! Starting now, the next few years are sure to be filled with surprises as all of the blocks in this imaginary diagram continue to move around and all of the sensitive dependencies between business models, technologies, networks, devices, and content play off of one another.
None of this is standing still, and the old “plate tectonics” metaphor moves too slowly. Don’t blink!
About the author
Steven Hawley is an independent consultant, industry analyst, and researcher serving the telecommunications and digital media industries. His consulting practice, Advanced Media Strategies LLC (tvstrategies.com), provides subject matter expertise in the areas of broadband television (IPTV and IP-delivered Video) and converged multi-play services.
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