• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 18, 2012

According to new research from Avid and Ovum, says George Winslow of B&C, broadcasters and media executives are generally optimistic about both their traditional businesses and the prospects of their new digital distribution channels. 75% of media executives believe online, social and mobile platforms actually drive audiences to watch more television content

They identified the three drivers of their growth are increased audiences, multiplatform distribution, and growth in advertising revenues.   

Second Screens Grow First Screen (% of Respondents Who Agree / Strongly Agree)

• Uncertain macro-economic outlook a greater threat to business than internet fragmentation... 55%
• Internet will drive audiences to view more linear mediums (broadcast/cable/satellite) ... 74%

The survey also found that this confidence in the potential of digital platforms is also pushing a shift in the way broadcasters relate to their audiences and the investments they are making in their future, with multiple platform delivery, cloud solutions and the delivery of more personalized content becoming a high priority.
Gary Greenfield, CEO and chairman of Avid, says "... media organizations worldwide are moving from addressing homogenous audiences to delivering personalized experiences...  this change in the relationship between broadcasters and their audiences... forces a change in business models... “

78% of the respondents said that within the next 10 years, most content will be customized based on the profile attributes of the individual viewers, and 85% of respondents felt that multiplatform distribution will be critical to capturing new growth opportunities. 

78% of respondents say that in the future most content will be customized based on the profile attributes of individual viewers.  

Respondents Who Agree / Strongly Agree

• MPD will drive more professional content consumption... 63%
• Most content personalized for second screen viewing... 70%
• Content customized for individual viewers... 78%
• Access all premium video services via web... 83%

As this content is personalized, two-thirds of respondents say that asset-based workflows will enable new business models, and over 70% say they will result in OPEX savings.

Respondents Who Agree / Strongly Agree

• Increase Operational Agility... 79%
• Increase Business Efficiency, Create OPEX savings... 75%
• Enables better automation... 69%
• Enables new business models... 67%
• Solves problem with increasing content volume... 62%

The survey also highlighted some strains in the broadcast infrastructure that could limit some of this potential. On average, media producers reported that over a third of their archives could be profitably monetized but remain inaccessible and unavailable for such use.

• Estimated percent of archive potentially profitable... 40%
• Estimated percent of archive accessible today... 26%

And, the source of growth is expected to come from (percentage of broadcast respondents)

• Audience Direct Revenue... 70%
• Increased Advertising Revenue... 71%
• Increased Audiences... 78%
• Multi-platform Services... 85%

Even though only 24% of the respondents are using a cloud infrastructure today, over 75% are currently exploring cloud deployment for the future, and he Cloud is viewed as a means of enabling new business and distribution models.

• Most Valuable Attributes of the Cloud
• Currently exploring options... 44%
• Some experimental implementation... 33%
• Certain operations currently hosted by cloud... 17%
• Cloud a major part of infrastructure... 7%

For more information about the Avid Broadcast Survey conducted in July/August 2012, please visit here. Source of charts: OVUM, September 2012