Seismic Shift: Broadcasters Usher In New Era Of Software Defined Networks (Pt. 2)

Marco Lopez, the president of Grass Valley added another angle: "Customer groups are trying to find ways of improving their business models so they have typically been reducing staffing levels, and the technology is changing so quickly we need to be there to support them.
"We have created a completely new service division with almost its own PNL structure because users are demanding much more direct relationships with suppliers," he added.
"Companies will migrate, it's going to happen. Our role is to support them during migration and make them future ready."
Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications and Gates Air, said: "The larger scale equipment suppliers certainly are hoping to follow the vertical integration that we are seeing with our end users, and as more of the industry consolidates – from an end user perspective – the only way the equipment supplier market is going to be able to survive is to see the same kind of solution.
"As the industry is getting ready to go through this very transformative era, I think consolidation is going to be tricky because the time to market and the acceleration around the kind of R&D that needs to be developed will challenge a lot of M&A," he added. "It certainly puts a lot of pressure on it, but I do think we will see many more acquisitions.
"We are seeing the competitive assessments that are being placed on this industry because of how far we are behind. This is going to be an exciting three to five years. (IBC) shone a spotlight on a seismic shift that's set to impact everybody in the broadcast industry, he continued."
Picking up on the skills shortage issue, Vogt said: "The average employee in the broadcast industry is 45 years old. We need more purple haired IT savvy people."

IABM reacts to transformative factors
A new membership structure offering a wider scope of benefits starts with global membership for multinational organisations as a standard feature of all categories.
"The launch of the new packages is being driven by our mission to assist members in being more successful in such a competitive climate," said White. "Organisations can now select the best membership option that suits their requirements as the advantages are more appropriate to the needs of their business. It is really about the level of engagement that a member wants with IABM and the industry as a whole."
A wider industry group can now opt for Bronze, Silver, Silver 100+, Gold and Platinum feature structured benefits around areas such as access to top quality business intelligence, information and research, training, resources, networking and various discounts on global conferences and events. To kick-start this, new members are offered free membership for the remaining year when signing up for 2015.
"With the scope of benefits on offer, especially for organisations that attend the conferences, events and exhibitions, the subscription fee essentially pays for itself," said White. "In addition, our business reports and intelligence are made available to members at no cost or at significant discounts, depending on the type of research, and often this information is not available anywhere else."
Platinum membership is new: "With this, we are really looking to pass where we've gone before. Companies in this category are seen as industry trail blazers," said White. "Additional benefits are geared towards helping these members reinforce or achieve this view by offering extra engagement opportunities through conferences, briefings and summits."
The platinum gang will also be invited to present webinars and submit thought-led articles to the IABM journal. Bronze membership is also new and caters to organisations that do not directly supply products and services to end users, but support the broadcast and media industry and the organisations within it.
"We recognise the valuable role that affiliate organisations, such as public relations agencies, recruitment companies and finance houses, play within the ecosystem," said White.

George's piece is also available to read in BFV online.

(IT/JP)