Column: Software isn’t next – it’s now for Broadcasters
By Adam Noyes
Dr Andrew Cross of NewTek, recently posted a great article with nescaststudio.com, covering the evolution of broadcasting, and how it is easier and more affordable than ever to create a high quality product. The advancements of technology in the live streaming arena mean anyone can throw their hat in and get to work on a pristine product at a fraction of the traditional cost.
The article is a great look at the current state of live sports production, newsrooms, and the difference between Non Linear and Linear editing. Check out some highlights from that article, below.
Software is changing the world of broadcast because it is built on top of the economics of commoditization in technology coming from other sectors. Computer games drive down the cost of GPUs and drive up the performance for processing video. CPUs and memory are very affordable and deliver incredible performance. Adapting these commodities is causing broadcast workflows to change dramatically. The internet makes distribution affordable. Mobile devices that shoot great video use the same sensors used in higher-end cameras. The 4K selfie trend has lowered the cost and increased the availability of high-quality equipment, even outside of the tools used by broadcasters.
The cost of storage, computer power, and LED lighting have also all come down because these technologies have become commoditized in other markets. This all benefits broadcasters greatly. Software is now the icing on the cake of commoditization. Smart companies ride the wave of commoditization instead of ignoring it. They are the ones that disrupt the industry they work in. We have seen this time and again whether in online sales, phones, delivery and much more.
Ultimately, we are in the process of making shows, which means we will always need cameras and monitors, but even those have been commoditized by the broader consumer markets. Software sits in the middle. You no longer need to be in one place tied to some big piece of equipment.
Live sports production
For the last 50 years, live sports producers have believed they gained something by showing up on site and they are entirely correct, the big shows like the Super Bowl will always be better on site; there is a feel that exists in the stadium that you need to make an amazing show.
But for most other events it is becoming clear that a remote setup using broadcast talent in their own home or local office has the potential for ten games to be produced for less money and less time than it took previously for a single game. That is nine more games now taken to air that would never have made it before. This means more people are watching their teams more frequently, and the feeds can be made more personal to them.
This drives engagement and is ultimately how we make a difference. It might be on channel two, three, or four for a particular network, but they are still there where they weren’t before. Imagine getting a 10x salary increase and how that would change your life; remote production just gave you one.
The only way you get to that scale is by allowing the internet to bring camera feeds back and produce it remotely. There are companies and leagues that revolutionized this before COVID. What COVID did was reaffirm that we’re heading in that direction and force us to get serious about changes. For now we probably still need a camera operator on-site – although even that may change with affordable PTZ cameras and AI software with the potential to revolutionize the process even further.