ASNAPSHOT:

ME & MY MARKET

Scott BurtonVOD, OTT, MAM, PLAYOUT 9.0

01

MY 2018top achievements & market growth

Securing new clients in the NetherlandsMaking multiple placements within this marketSuccessful first year at Caspian One

During 2018 I have seen continued change and growthwithin the Playout sector - with more service providersmoving their set up to fully virtualized IP. The ease of useand being able to commission channels in hours ratherthan weeks, will provide a quicker and more efficient wayfor broadcasters to introduce “pop-up channels” formarket testing and special sports events; such as pay-per-view. Moving into 2019 we will see the first serviceprovider offering “uncompressed” IP playoutsystems go live, maintaining premium videoquality with a low latency level.

Discovery closing down their UK non-live Playout centre resultedin the loss of 100+ jobs, and saw operations move to the US. Thiswas  linked with “technology innovation” and not Brexit, andPlayout of the non-live channels will be moved to a cloud-based service. In other news, Arqiva will slowly be closing their Playout over thenext two years, and the Encompass (end to end video Playout anddistribution company) and Babcock merger will increaseEncompasses reach around Europe, expanding their videostreaming service... especially live streaming for  sports events.

EVENTSof note in 2018

02

03TELCO2019 trends

VOD and OTT will continue to grow, bringingmore viewers away from traditionalcable/satellite suppliers to their subscriptions. This in turn, will create more market demandfor technical IP-based skillsets, related to thefull non-linear workflow. 

More Playout moves to thecloud and an increase of VODskills hires.

04We’re seeing more people being asked tohave networking/IT skills, and support theinfrastructure... as well as the broadcastsystems. Legacy Broadcast Engineers arebecoming increasing harder to find.

SKILLSETSin demand : hard to find

05TECHadvancements in 2018

Advancements in cloud technology haveseen a number of Playout centres move toCloud services and become virtualized. I seemomentum surrounding this continuingnext year.

Technology advancementsthat changed my market...

Broadcast IT engineers – havereplaced the traditionalbroadcast engineers.

0607

LOCATIONSI've worked in during 2018Initially focused on the UK, my recent wins andsuccesses have been with new clients inthe Netherlands. In October I had the opportunity to visitHilversum Media Park and tour my clients facilities andstudios... and I'll be returning to Holland in 2019.

MY  2019plans & goals

I feel that once Brexit passes, the Netherlandswill become a hub for Broadcast activity inEurope. Next year I'll be further developing

relationships with Holland's Broadcastcommunity, supporting the demand for

Playout capabilities in this market.

08

FINALTHOUGHTSWith my first year at Caspian One reachingcompletion in January, I'm really pleased withthe progress I've made... and the relationshipsI've developed. Recruitment is a challengingprofession, but when you see candidates aspeople - not stats on CV's - it's very rewarding. In2019 the Dutch market will have my attention,as will those clients I've supported in the UK in2018. 

Commentary by Scott Burtonscott.burton@caspianone-broadcast.com