Ben Keen

Here at #TheBridge we consult with content creators and leading broadcasters/ streamers on new and innovative commercial routes to funding for TV, film and programming budgets. Where once long form, linear TV led the way, now gaming first-models are leading IP development and funding can be found in brand partners and VC investment before some commissioning editors come on board a project. As the television industry shifts from B2B to D2C there are multiple routes to audiences for content creators. If you are wondering how to bridge this new world, enter The Bridge Report. 🌉 This resource will serve as a compass for navigating the current turbulent waters of commercial growth for TV producers. It's not just data – it's a narrative of proven models working with producers and funding, programmes and commissions and eastern and western content markets. The report will delve into topics such as where and how to find funding for production budgets and how to work in increasingly global markets. The Bridge Report will provide actionable insights that can help you steer your own success through these choppy changes! Please get in touch if you'd like to know more. 💻🤝 Remember, knowledge isn't power until it's applied. #co-development #co-production #co-operation #content #tvproduction #productionindustry #finance #tv

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I have spent some time formulating carefully my thoughts on this report. TLDR; A massively biased report that because of the bias misses critical issues that make its entire focus invalid. 1. The point made by the OFCOM Future of TV report is that the change is driven by consumer choice - which is not 'controllable', the decisions need to be managed. 2. The issue to be addressed is how to deal with the inevitability that the cost of providing a completely separate infrastructure to support linear consumers will mean that Broadcast is not financially viable at a point in time that is in our immediate future. 3. The report was targeted at driving responses from the industry on exactly HOW to manage the sunsetting of broadcast infrastructure in a controlled way, including an option that kept a cost (not profit) driven base minimum service to cover those who are slowest to make the transition, and to ensure minimum service to those who are left out of the IP transition. The option is not mandated as the number of those left out may be so small, that to run this minimum service may not actually make any sense. 4. The issue of cost is how to deal with the ADDITIONAL COST of running two separate infrastructures, where one is only for delivery of linear TV, and the other (WHICH WILL HAPPEN ANYWAY) covers all services, including ALL telephony from January 2027 (i.e. if you want a phone, you have to have broadband anyway by then). 5. Many of the arguments in the report are not expected to be an issue - e..g no one is suggesting that consumers will pay extra for IP delivered TV. In fact many of those arguments are based on an interesting problem that the largest cost of TV is the TV licence fee, that can be avoided if you do not consumer linearly delivered services, which is actually what is happening (currently I understand TV licence payment is at 81% of households and falling). 6. There is also a fallacy here that DTT has better coverage than broadband, driven by using an invalid broadband speed figure as the required speed to be able to stream HD video. Current USO figures of 10Mbps is sufficient for HD video streaming today, and the figures used assume the consumer is going to be streaming 4K or multiple HD services. A 10Mbps streaming service can provide you with single stream access in HD to all services, not just one Multiplex which is what is defined by the DTT 99% coverage figure. 7. Current USO is 99.26% of the country. 8. This is a discussion of how much more does the UK want to pay to run a dedicated infrastructure for only linear (which will only be 11% of viewing across both IP and Broadcast), and 20% more is too much in cost and energy terms for this. There are more points, particularly about the somewhat unbelievably (made up) numbers and invalid assumptions. This is a report targeted at finding an answer the customer wanted rather than a real assessment, even though the answer achieved is not valid. Discuss.

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Everywhere the broadcast landscape is shifting inexorably from linear to digital and with it the nature of the distribution infrastructure from over the air to internet. But the UK is a beacon in continuing to want to enshrine universal access to public broadcast channels from the BBC, ITV and others. The report points out that even though Digital Terrestrial and satellite delivered households are declining, the resilience of live TV as a shared cultural experience for key moments such as cultural and sporting events has not gone away. While every household in the UK has the right to ‘decent affordable’ internet connection of at least 10 Mbit/s this would be put under strain if there were a sudden switchover to IP. Without greater advances in compression, superfast broadband speed (30 Mbit/s) is more likely to provide a reliable viewing experience but that will cost capital investment. Ofcom point out that if investment or technology advance is not forthcoming then broadband speeds would not be sufficient for a reliable IPTV viewing experience making any imminent abandonment of DTT unlikely. So how the country transitions to a future of increased reliance on broadband networks for video streaming while ensuring availability for all will be a complex decision – and one where technical considerations will likely not be the only factors at play. #DTT #NextGenTV #IPStreaming #Freeview #Freesat https://lnkd.in/e3Gr4swP

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Fresh back from attending #MIPCOM last week, I was going to write a post summarising the evolution of the TV business focusing on FAST. But then THR did it for me, and much better than I could have. If you're curious about the FAST opportunity in Europe, read this: https://lnkd.in/dTjsRGKf

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Do you plan to tune into election coverage by news broadcasters at the next general election? The BBC maintained its place at the top of TV viewership ratings at the 2019 General Election, while Channel 4 found its audience had halved since the 2017 Election. For more than a decade, Channel 4 has hosted 'Alternative Election Night', which features contributions from comedians, reality TV stars and other non-political media personalities alongside news presenters and political commentators. Following a drop in ratings in 2019, the Channel plans to play it safer this time round with a return to a more traditional format, albeit featuring appearances from cast members of Gogglebox. We polled the public on viewing preferences when it comes to election programming by news broadcasters. Four in ten (40%) plan to watch election coverage this year, with Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters notably more likely than Conservative supporters to tune in. A third (33%) say they consider it inappropriate for election coverage to feature non-political media personalities such as reality stars and comedians, and this proportion rises among older generations. Almost a quarter (23%) say they would be less likely to watch election coverage if it featured contributions from non-political media personalities, while one in seven (14%) say they would be more likely to watch this sort of coverage. Full results tables can be found on our website: https://lnkd.in/eAGQDvUz

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Folks, If you wondering how to get your CI program started, then join Fouad Benyoub - his session will start shortly! You can also catch it later on via simulcast. join us free - https://vcapax.vfairs.com #competitiveintelligence

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'Recording' in the end is purely an interim solution whilst we were in the scheduled TV world. Now that we have transitioned to the release TV world (where programmes are linearly delivered but also released at, or before even, a time/day and then made available for a variable time window for consumption when you wish to) then it is clear that 'Recording' disappears as not required - as needed for the modern world as much as analog phone lines and telephone boxes... Quite just for something that in many countries only exists because of legal actions in the late 1970s about recording on video tapes... The only challenge to this is bad behaviour by rights holders who try to bleed too much money out of distributors for those catchup / on demand rights, or those who mandate the inability to avoid ads that are not of interest...

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As our smart TV home screens gravitate to global viewing, it stands to reason that expanding the Geo-Block ban on the audio-visual sector must include expiration of regional licences and introduce one single content licence. Not just for Europe, but for every streaming territory as a whole. Although much can be said about content quotas, they are in fact near-sighted to the fact that technology and consumers are driving this demand because of the content choices audiences are making. Netflix features content in over 60 languages, with 80% of the platform’s users claiming to use subtitles at least once a week. This implies that content providers would be compelled to make movies and TV shows unlicensed in one country but sold in a neighbour available on the same streaming service on the same device in Amsterdam or Sydney. For those interested, 'Streaming Without Borders' is a panel topic at this year's Ad Forum event in Sydney. #CTV 🌏

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#TheFutureOfTV remains TV, but with innovative delivery and monetization methods. It's not about cheapening the experience or earning less due to poor technology. #FAST and #FASTChannels need a new format to manage losses, but audiences demand quality. The future lies in maintaining traditional TV routes while leveraging PMP #AdTech to boost advertising and revenue, reaching 10x more devices. Let's stop reinventing TV to fix programmatic issues that harm content studios and broadcasters. Instead, let's uphold the #GoldStandard and keep it simple. #futureoftv #contentisking #broadcasting #streamingmedia #streamingtv #ctv

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So that's how we're helping the industry stream over cellular better by integrating a private 5G connectivity into our bonded cellular solution. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AVZPC #5G #Celona #Haivision #VidOvation

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In 2024, one of the standout discussions revolved around the evolution of remote production and integrating private 5G networks to bolster connectivity. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/ASRJd #5G #Celona #Haivision #VidOvation

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Everyone TV partners with TV sets - but government could help more "Everyone TV – the organisation leading the evolution of free TV in the UK – has revealed multiple new #smartTV brands are joining the Freely line-up with Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Metz all confirmed to offer the new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The addition of these four new brands means Freely has confirmed six smart TV partners in total. Existing partners include Bush and Hisense, with Freely currently accessible on their 2024 4K smart TV models." Freely is the amalgamation of the UK #publicservice #broadcasters content, although its not clear whether there's only a selection of content found on the #psbs or whether everything you can find on their own #streamingplatforms you can find on Freely too. However, it's already making a mark that they've got agreements with big Smart TV manufacturers. It doesn't seem though that there will yet be an Freely button, rather just an app built into the home screen. However, amongst the brands that have made an agreement with Everyone TV, there are some big omissions, Samsung TV, LG, Roku, Amazon, Google etc. What share of the market do these companies have vs the one that have taken on Freely? It's clear that a majority of smart TV's won't have Freely. Here's where the government in the UK, or a future government via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, could step in. It could mandate that public service media has prominence on the home screens. It could even mandate a button on controls that would massively increase recognition of Freely and UK public service media, giving them a much needed boost in the fight for relevance against the global streamers. While traditional #lineartv remains relevant, the traditional advantage that psbs had was the primacy on the EPG to always appear at the top. No matter what TV or set-top box, unencrypted or #paytv you would always see BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5. In the world of #streamingmedia, there is no such requirement or equivalent. The government is playing catchup in many areas, and to support the burgeoning UK creative sector, they need prominence as they have on linear. Government has not supported the psbs enough on this, and it should be top of the list of the DCMS to help psbs. It's not just the PSBs that will benefit, it will be the wider UK media industry. #tvindustry #mediaindustry #television #uk #creativeindustries #freelytv #epg #streaming

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📺 The Battle for Your TV Screen: The OS Wars! TVREV's latest report dives deep into the high-stakes world of smart TV operating systems. As streaming becomes dominant, control over the TV's interface is the next frontier. The stakes are HIGH – controlling the OS means dictating viewer interaction, gatekeeping content, reaping variable kinds of ad revenues, and harnessing viewer data. The OS Wars are being fought globally by three main groups: 1. Home Electronics Manufacturers (Samsung, LG, VIZIO) 2. Internet Giants (Google, Amazon, Apple) 3. Independent & local TV OS Makers (ZEASN's whaleOS, Xperi's TiVO) According to the report, what makes a great TV OS? Some 🔑 factors: 🔹 Responsiveness & speed 🔹 Natural language voice search 🔹 Personalized content discovery 🔹 Integration with smart home features 🔹 Innovative ad formats 👑 One thing is for sure: the company that can best navigate the complex landscape of content, data, and user experience will have a major advantage in the living room of the future. Download The Report 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/ek8yTYAT #TVOSWars #StreamingWars #ConnectedTV #SmartTV #IPTV #Broadcast #Television

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🌍 Sorry to miss some key industry events this week, but it’s always great to stay in the loop by reading reports. There are many interesting insights in this report but one particularly captured my attention (I have simplified it here). Despite the buzz, interest and investment, AI (and big data) still seem to be lagging when it comes to delivering value in the media industry. Why is this happening? While there’s always an initial gap between technology innovation and value creation, I think that there’s much more at play here. There are some good reasons behind this trend cited in the report, but I suspect that this (how do we derive value from AI and data) will be a conversation that we’ll continue to have next year. Looking forward to it! #MediaTech #IndustryTrends

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Every company founder has a story to tell, and in the case of the Connected TV Marketing Association, there’s quite a tale to tell. In ‘Beam Me Up, The Future of Smart TV - Battle for Control' (Ch 7), I share with readers the 7 year legal battle and fight to control the CTVMA during the global streaming wars. For those of you who don’t know, there were over a hundred people involved in our foundation, and many of whom are prominent, well known, leading industry figures in entertainment, business, broadcasting, advertising and finance, who will all receive special mentions in my upcoming book #StreamingWars 💣

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Ensuring your streaming service has an effective Genre model and rich metadata is now mission critical. Read our latest blog to understand the significance of genres for both those monetising and creating the content we love. https://lnkd.in/eti4T-cr

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