The magazine for global video PDF Free Download
1 / 40
/40
100%
www.csimagazine.com
June 2016
The magazine for global video
CSI Awards
Scaling IP video
AI in media
spring 2025
The growing convergence of broadcast and pro AV
•Also in this issue: How do broadcasters engage with younger viewers?
Direct-to-Device (D2D)
1_Cover.indd 11_Cover.indd 1 20/03/2025 15:24:0020/03/2025 15:24:00
Perspective Publishing
5 Maidstone Building Mews
London
SE1 1GN
www.perspectivepublishing.com
How do TV companies attract and engage with younger viewers? Will the viewing
habits of Gen Z and younger generations change as they get older? Is YouTube
(the new) TV? What does TV even mean and what will it look like in 2040? All
these are existential questions that broadcasters face the world over, which we look
at here on pages 6 and 8. Also in this issue, there is much excitement around
broadcast AV as the two worlds of broadcast and pro AV collide and merge, and we look at
the latest trends and developments in this space on pages 20 and 24. GN
Contents
06 Analyst corner
Reaching the lost youth audience
8 Engaging younger audiences
What can broadcasters do to attract younger
audiences and keep them engaged?
12 Live production with Appear
How Appear is driving the democratisation
of live event production
14 AI in media entertainment
Transforming the value chain from creation
to post-production
16 Cloud transformation with Amagi
Cloud modernisation and how broadcasters
and other media companies can harness the
power of the cloud
18 NAB Show 2025 preview
From AI to sports and more, a look at what
visitors can expect to see and hear at this
year’s Las Vegas show
19 The battle for consumer attention
with TiVo
How streaming and AI-powered content
discovery are redefining media consumption
20 COVER STORY – Broadcast AV
The growing convergence of broadcast and
pro AV technologies, including market
analysis from Futuresource (on page 24)
26 Executive interview
CSI speaks with Cédric Dufour, CEO and
President of Rakuten TV about the
company’s new FAST offering for telcos
28 Localisation innovation
Balancing AI-driven translation efficiency
with human expertise to expand global
reach
30 New satellite regulation
Helping businesses navigate today’s satellite
regulatory complexities, including Direct-to-
Device (D2D)
32 Scaling live sports events
What do the numbers tell us when it comes
to internet delivery?
34 Service List Registry
Unified service platform simplifies television
and video
36 Satcom evolution
Can the satellite industry cope with the
transition to a new space environment in the
face of big changes and disruption?
38 CSI Awards 2025 - enter now!
All the new categories for this year’s awards
www.csimagazine.com
June 2016
The magazine for global video
CSI Awards
Scaling IP video
AI in media
spring 2025
The growing convergence of broadcast and pro AV
•Also in this issue: How do broadcasters engage with younger viewers?
Direct-to-Device (D2D)
1_Cover.indd 11_Cover.indd 1 20/03/2025 15:24:0020/03/2025 15:24:00
Editor
Goran Nastic
Commercial
Camilla Capece
Design and production
Magdalena Witecka
Regular contributors
Adrian Pennington, Philip Hunter,
David Adams, Stephen Cousins,
Anna Tobin
Circulation
Alina Susca
Accounts
Mohamed Saidani
Editorial
tel +44(0)20 7562 2401
goran.nastic@csimagazine.com
Advertising
tel +44(0)20 7562 2421
camilla.capece@csimagazine.com
Subscriptions
tel +44 (0) 20 1635 588 861
perspectivesubs@dynamail.co.uk
Circulation manager: alina.susca@
perspectivepublishing.com
Subscription rates
Per year: Europe £88; UK £68;
Rest of World £98. Cheques payable to
Perspective Publishing
Limited and addressed to the
Circulation Department
Printed by Buxton Press
Managing Director
John Woods
Publishing Director
Mark Evans
ISSN 1467-5935
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 03
Editor’s report: Spring 2025
03_Contents_Spring.indd 103_Contents_Spring.indd 1 20/03/2025 15:24:5420/03/2025 15:24:54
news in brief
YouTube’s TV pivot as
smart TVs dominate
YouTube has become a
TV-first platform in the
US, with over 1 billion
hours of content watched
daily on television
screens, surpassing
mobile. YouTube CEO
Neal Mohan highlighted
this shift in a blog, noting
that today’s television
experience is no longer
limited to traditional
programming. The “new”
television blends YouTube
Shorts, podcasts, live
streams, sports, and
scripted content into a
single, interactive viewing
experience. YouTube is
expanding its TV-focused
features, such as
multiview and the
platform is also
experimenting with a new
feature called Watch
With, which enables
creators to provide live
commentary and real time
reactions to games and
events.
It comes as new research
by Ampere Analysis
reveals that Smart TVs
have become the primary
viewing device for US
internet users aged 18-64.
Smart TVs now account
for 31% of total viewing
time, surpassing
traditional broadcast TV
in Q3 2022. A similar
trend is observed in
Europe, where 76% of
internet users own a
Smart TV. Users spend
about an hour a day
watching smart TV in
Europe, where broadcast
TV remains dominant.
News
For the first time, revenue
from paid streaming services
in Europe has overtaken that
of public service
broadcasters funding,
according to research by
Ampere Analysis.
In 2023, streaming —
including subscriptions and
advertising — surpassed
public broadcasters’ income
from taxes, licence fees, and
ads. Going forward the gap
will widen; streaming
revenue is projected to grow
by 37% to €38.4 billion by
2029, while public TV
revenue stagnates, rising just
1% to €27.9 billion, the
research found.
US streaming giants are
driving this shift, with
Netflix leading the way
through ad-supported tiers, a
crackdown on account
sharing, and live event
expansion. Disney+ and
Amazon have also
introduced ad-supported
plans, with advertising
expected to contribute 8% of
their European revenue by
2029. Subscription price
increases and new service
launches, such as Max’s
expansion into Europe, are
further among factors
fuelling growth.
Public broadcasters remain
influential, commissioning
43% of all TV content in
Europe and maintaining
strong VoD viewership
among local audiences. In
countries like the UK,
Denmark, and Finland, their
streaming platforms are
among the most popular.
However, as streaming
dominance grows, public
service broadcasters face an
uncertain future, requiring
new strategies to sustain
their role in European media.
Streaming revenue surpasses public
TV in Europe
Amazon Prime Video is
testing an AI dubbing pilot
programme, introducing
AI-powered dubbing in
English and Latin American
Spanish on select licensed
movies and series.
The new service will
initially cover 12 titles that
currently lack dubbing
support, including El Cid: La
Leyenda, Mi Mamá Lora,
and Long Lost, helping to
overcome language barriers
and expand content
accessibility for its global
audience of over 200 million
customers.
Amazon is taking a hybrid
approach that combines
artificial intelligence with the
expertise of localisation
professionals to ensure
quality control, making it
possible to offer dubbing on
content that might not have
been dubbed otherwise. By
integrating AI into its
localisation processes, Prime
Video aims to boost
viewership and cater to an
increasingly diverse audience
eager to enjoy films and
series regardless of their
origin.
This initiative is part of a
broader industry trend where
media companies are
leveraging AI to enhance
customer experience and
personalise content offerings.
Localisation is widely seen as
one of the main use case for
AI within the media
entertainment industry.
“At Prime Video, we
believe in improving
customers’ experience with
practical and useful AI
innovation,” said Raf
Soltanovich, VP of
technology at Prime Video
and Amazon MGM Studios.
“AI-aided dubbing is only
available on titles that do not
have dubbing support, and
we are eager to explore a new
way to make series and
movies more accessible and
enjoyable.”
Prime Video tests AI dubbing
Credit: Amazon
04 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
p4-5_news.indd 4p4-5_news.indd 4 19/03/2025 12:49:0519/03/2025 12:49:05
Adobe has unveiled the
Firefly Video Model, a new
AI-powered video generation
and translation/dubbing tool
designed to integrate
seamlessly with its Creative
Cloud ecosystem. Now in
public beta, Firefly Video
aims to provide commercially
safe, IP-friendly video content
for creative professionals. So
far, in under two years, Firefly
has been used to generate
over 18 billion assets globally,
according to Adobe.
Translate Audio and
Translate Video tools have
also been released for the
translation of spoken dialogue
into over 20 languages while
maintaining an authentic
voice.
Alibaba Cloud has also
made its AI-powered video
generation models freely
available. It is the first model
to support text effects in both
Chinese and English, the
company said. By open-
sourcing these models,
Alibaba Cloud aims to lower
barriers for AI adoption in
video production. The
company claims that users
with standard laptops can
generate a five-second 480p
video in just four minutes.
Not a week currently goes by
without some kind of
announcement related to low
earth orbit constellations,
either for satellite broadband
or the direct-to-device sector
(D2D), both of which are
nascent and booming despite
questionable ROI, especially
where D2D is concerned.
Originally driven by the US
and other areas with patchy
terrestrial coverage, such as
India where Airtel has signed
a partnership with SpaceX,
Europe is now well and truly
caught up in the act.
Vodafone and AST
SpaceMobile have signed an
agreement to create a jointly
owned European satellite
service provider, which will
deliver space-based cellular
broadband connectivity to
mobile network operators
across Europe.
The new company will act
as the exclusive distributor of
AST SpaceMobile’s satellite
services to European MNOs
under a unified framework,
supported by a dedicated
network management and
operations centre based in
Europe. The company will
develop a network of ground
stations to facilitate backhaul
services, enhancing European
digital sovereignty by keeping
core network functions within
the region. Vodafone’s
expertise will play a crucial
role in managing these
operations as Vodafone
continues to make progress
with satellite-based
connectivity and its
investment in AST.
SES has, meanwhile,
invested in Lynk Global to
capitalise on the growing
D2D market. The satellite
operator will introduce
integrated services like MEO-
Relay, which allows D2D
providers to route traffic
between LEO and SES’s
MEO network. Adel Al-Saleh,
CEO of SES, said: “We
recognise D2D as an exciting
growth opportunity.”
Elsewhere, Deutsche
Telekom and Google have
successfully tested SMS
messaging via satellite on a
Google Pixel 9, marking
Europe’s first Direct-to-
Handset (D2H) SMS
transmission over a GEO
satellite. Conducted in Greece
using Skylo’s service, the test
demonstrated the capability
of commercial smartphones
to send and receive messages
in areas without terrestrial
coverage.
news in brief
BT advances MAUD
trials
BT has completed the
first trial of its Multicast-
Assisted Unicast Delivery
(MAUD) technology. The
trial, conducted on BBC
Two content via EE’s set-
top box TV platform using
Broadpeak and Qwilt
Open Edge technology,
demonstrated MAUD’s
ability to convert over
60% of peak-time unicast
traffic to multicast
delivery, easing network
congestion and enhancing
streaming reliability,
according to the telco.
Moving to the next stage
of the trial, BT is looking
to broaden the scope to
include more channels,
build out the full feature
set, as well as to test the
addition of dynamic ad
insertion, which would
enable a seamless,
personalised ad
experience for viewers.
Dallas named global
broadcast hub for FIFA
World Cup 26
Dallas has been officially
chosen as the
International Broadcast
Center for the 2026 FIFA
World Cup. The Kay
Bailey Hutchison
Convention Center in
downtown Dallas will
serve as the central hub
for global media
operations, hosting
around 2,000 broadcast
representatives from
January through July. The
centre will support TV,
radio, and digital coverage
across 16 host cities.
News
Europe catches LEO and
direct-to-device fever
Adobe and Alibaba launch GenAI video
models
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 05
p4-5_news.indd 5p4-5_news.indd 5 19/03/2025 12:49:2419/03/2025 12:49:24
The world of
entertainment gets
ever more complex. It’s
well understood that
young audiences still
watch linear TV, but
they simply don’t watch
as much as their older peers.
Perhaps more importantly, their
attention is divided among far more
online and streaming services than
the older generation. The under 25s
regularly watch nine different
streaming or online video services
compared to just five for the 45+ age
group (based on services watched by
at least 1/3 of age group). That
fragmentation of attention is key
because it means, given viewing time
is finite, there is less time and less
engagement with any one form of
entertainment.
That leaves broadcasters with a
problem because it has now become
clear from the data that the relationship
between age and behaviour is complex.
It wasn’t so long ago that received
wisdom said behaviour changes with
age. When viewers mature, they will
watch less on social media and more on
broadcast and traditional pay TV, right?
At Ampere we have been running
consumer surveys for more than 10
years. That means 18 year-olds when we
started surveying are now approaching
their 30s. The data shows that the
youngest age groups still watch less TV
and more social video than the older,
but all age groups are converging on
streaming and watching more social and
less TV, suggesting there are two
concurrent trends: behavioral carry
forward and a general drift towards non-
linear forms of TV.
The solution is simple of course: go
where the audience is. Unfortunately, life
(and business) never is that simple. UK
broadcasters were quick to jump on the
streaming bandwagon, launching
streaming versions of their main
channels that have since evolved into
full-blown free streaming platforms in
their own right. They have been
rewarded with some of the highest levels
of audience for their broadcaster
streaming services seen anywhere in the
world.
But there is an elephant in the room,
not just in the UK, but around the world:
YouTube. And that goes double for
younger audiences. In most countries,
YouTube comfortably hits the top slot as
single most-watched video service.
What’s important, though, is total
audience. Again, UK broadcasters have
something to celebrate. When the
incremental reach of their streaming
services are added to that of their linear
channels, the ranking changes notably,
with the BBC and iPlayer actually
overtaking YouTube (when considering
all age groups) and ITV not far behind.
Unfortunately, among the younger age
groups, even the streaming services are
not making up for audience loss from
the linear channels. Again, the solution
Analyst corner
Chasing the dragon’s tail: Chasing the dragon’s tail:
reaching the lost youth audience reaching the lost youth audience
By Guy Bisson, executive director, Ampere Analysis
06 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
AnalysticCorner-Ampere.indd 2AnalysticCorner-Ampere.indd 2 19/03/2025 13:04:2419/03/2025 13:04:24
is surely simple. Following the same
edict of going where the audience is,
broadcasters should make use of
YouTube as a distribution platform to
reach the young audience. At first
glance the data is compelling. Taking
ITV as an example, the channel’s ITVx
streaming service adds an additional
13% of the viewing population who do
not regularly watch ITV linear channels
but do watch the streaming service.
YouTube would add an additional 23% of
the population who do not regularly
watch either ITV linear channels or ITVx.
Such gains in incremental
unduplicated audience explain why
Channel 4 has already embraced
YouTube for distribution not just of
clips, but of full length shows and why
ITV recently said it too would provide
access to full shows on YouTube.
Analysis shows that ITV is already a
prolific user of YouTube as a
promotional platform for short video
clips based on its entertainment
content. In fact, ITV has almost three
times the number of YouTube videos of
any of the UK broadcasters (excluding
news and other non-entertainment
content). Channel 4, though is the only
broadcaster to have so far embraced
provision of full length shows with
more than twice the number of videos
longer than 15 minutes of any other
broadcaster.
With its new deal and a new dedicated
ad sales team, it’s certain that ITV will
quickly ramp up its volume of full length
shows on YouTube. But there remains
one stumbling block to wholesale
adoption of YouTube as a distribution
platform for broadcasters: advertising.
Broadcasters have been keen to control
their own ad sales on YouTube but the
ad market still places different values on
linear TV spots vs streamed or YouTube
views. That will place a limit on the
degree to which broadcasters are willing
to risk cannibalising their ‘premium’ ad
outlets in favour of YouTube. In theory,
this imbalance will be solved by audience
migration if YouTube reaches the point
where it delivers mass live audiences that
some advertisers need then an
advertising premium should follow. In
the interim, broadcasters will need to
manage their ad strategies carefully and
use content scheduling and partial
season drops to pull audience gained on
YouTube back to the more valuable
linear channels.
Analyst corner
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 07
Editorial credit: T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com
AnalysticCorner-Ampere.indd 3AnalysticCorner-Ampere.indd 3 19/03/2025 13:04:4519/03/2025 13:04:45
Throughout the history of
television, broadcasters
have often struggled to
create content that
appeals to younger
adults. For example, here
is how presenter Pete Murray
introduced the first broadcast of the
Six-Five Special, a BBC TV pop music
programme, in February 1957:
“Welcome aboard the Six-Five
Special. We’ve got almost a hundred
cats jumping here, some real cool
characters to give us the gas, so just get
with it and have a ball.”
To be fair to the BBC, this was
delivered partly tongue-in-cheek, as an
admission that the UK’s national
broadcaster had no chance of appearing
“cool”. But if it was difficult for the
BBC to communicate with teenagers in
1957, today, in the smartphone and
social media era, it is arguably even
more difficult for broadcasters to
understand and satisfy the viewing
requirements of Generation Z (people
born between about 1997 and 2012) or
Generation Alpha (born since 2012).
There are risks in generalisations
about such a large group of viewers, but
many do seem to share some viewing
behaviours. First, they don’t spend
much time watching broadcast linear
TV. US consumers aged between 13
and 24 spend 21 per cent of their
entertainment screen time watching
“non-premium” video, such as short
form YouTube or social media video,
and only 16 per cent of that time
watching traditional TV, according to a
January 2025 Hub Entertainment
Research report. By contrast, viewers
aged 35 and over spend 39 per cent of
their screen time watching traditional
TV and only 14 per cent watching non-
premium video. In the UK, recent
research from Ofcom has found that
only 48 per cent of today’s 16 to 24
year olds watch broadcast TV every
week, down from an equivalent figure of
81 per cent in 2018.
The smartphone is, of course, a key
factor. A 2023 report commissioned by
Samba found that 92 per cent of US
Generation Z members streamed video
on mobile phones. In this respect they
may be similar to an ever-growing
number of older viewers, but both
Generation Z and Generation Alpha
live in a “mobile first” world when it
comes to watching video, says Nikki
Perugini, UX and design director at
Accedo.
They do watch bigger screens too.
“All the research I’ve seen shows that
[younger viewers] love big TV screens –
especially when they control them,” says
Tom Price, director of content
distribution for Europe and Australia at
Roku. “If they can put content they
want on the big screen they will watch
it.” Of course, what they watch may not
be coming from a broadcaster: in
February 2025, YouTube CEO Neal
Mohan declared that TV screens are
Youth viewing
Engaging younger
audiences
What can
broadcasters do
to attract younger
audiences and keep
them engaged in the
face of social media
and other digital
competition, asks
David Adams
08 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Young-viewing.indd 2Young-viewing.indd 2 19/03/2025 14:56:3919/03/2025 14:56:39
now the “primary device for YouTube
viewing” in the US.
Understanding younger viewers
The second important point is that
these viewers have high standards.
“There’s a tendency to think they’ll
watch anything, but actually they have
really high expectations,” says Price.
These are sophisticated digital natives
who, in most markets, have grown up in
a culture completely saturated by video
content and have absorbed a short
lifetime’s worth of knowledge about
how good video content works.
They also “have fewer preconcep-
tions” than older viewers, so lack “lega-
cy brand attachments that older viewers
have,” Price suggests. This makes it
more likely that if they are not enjoying
what they are watching, “they will move
on and try something else”.
Contrary to another myth, this is
nothing to do with short attention
spans, says Benjamin Shirley, product
manager, broadcast, at MainConcept.
While many young people do spend
hours scrolling through TikTok videos
and Instagram Reels, “if you’ve got
something that interests them for two
hours they’ll watch it,” he points out.
But continuous social media
consumption is influencing the way
young people (and the rest of us)
consume video. Ampere senior analyst
Sam Nursall thinks the way that content
viewed on social media is driven
towards each viewer by algorithms that
respond to their personal preferences
has implications for the way
broadcasters design and deliver content
discovery and navigation processes.
“On TikTok, Instagram and YouTube
Shorts, the algorithm recommendation
means the user isn’t required to go and
get the video, they’re just swiping to the
next one,” he explains. “That is hyper-
efficient at capturing attention,
assigning viewers to content they like.”
While viewers have got used to
personalised recommendation by
algorithm, social media has also
become an important source of content
recommendations. “Because social
media feeds are hyper-personalised
[younger viewers] put more faith in
these recommendations,” says Nursall.
The other aspect of social media use
that broadcasters ignore at their peril is
the opportunity it gives people to
interact with online communities of
viewers who enjoy the same content.
“Broadcasters need to consider how to
offer the same level of interest and
engagement,” says Shirley.
Perugini says one Accedo client spent
some time trying to work out how to
build more social interactions and
experiences into its own app, to recreate
a social media-type environment within
its own platform, before concluding this
was the wrong approach.
“In the end, what this customer
needed to do was build more of a social
media presence, offering more
snackable content,” Perugini explains.
This might involve use of short-form
content such as an actor talking about
their role in a series, or showing viewers
reacting to a specific scene, for
example.
Broadcasters hoping to retain younger
viewers will also need an appealing,
easy to use user experience,
incorporating some interactivity, says
Pierre-Alexandre Bidard, executive vice-
president, products and services, at
Viaccess-Orca.
“This generation are used to modern
user interfaces that are very interactive
and well-designed,” he says. “If your app
is not using the standard of UX you can
find on Instagram or TikTok you are
not going to succeed.”
Perugini believes younger viewers also
have a more “transactional view of their
entertainment experience” than most
older viewers. In part, she suggests, this
is because many are used to completing
microtransactions while gaming. It may
mean they welcome opportunities to
access broadcast or streaming services
on a more flexible transactional VOD
(TVOD) basis: paying to watch all the
episodes in a series, rather than buying
a full subscription, for example.
Perugini says Accedo has talked to
some broadcasters about using TVOD
to drive engagement with younger
viewers.
A transactional attitude coupled with
a liking for personalisation may also be
part of the reason why UK viewers aged
18 to 24 appear to more likely to be
receptive to targeted TV advertising,
according to findings of the Yonder BT
TV Content Survey, completed in
August 2023. A quarter of 18 to 24 year
olds surveyed said they liked advertising
personalised in line with their lifestyle,
habits and needs, and said they would
welcome more of it – a bigger
percentage than in any other age group.
Finally, gaming is also an important
influence. Hub’s January 2025 research
Youth viewing
Source: Ofcom
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 09
Young-viewing.indd 3Young-viewing.indd 3 19/03/2025 14:56:1819/03/2025 14:56:18
shows that 13 to 24 year olds spend 23
per cent of entertainment screen time
gaming; while 2024 research from
gaming marketing specialist Livewire
found that 74 per cent of 2,100 parents
in Australia, the UK and the US
regularly played video games with their
families, with 40 per cent of those
parents saying this meant they watched
less TV. Perugini highlights the way
Netflix is now promoting its gaming
services to subscribers more
aggressively, (with games often linked
to TV or movie content on the
platform), while working on technical
enhancements including lower latency
between gaming controllers and the big
screen TV.
Broadcasters seeking to incorporate
all these considerations in their
strategies for reaching younger viewers
will need to invest in excellent data
collection and analysis technologies, to
develop a deep understanding of which
viewers are watching which pieces of
content and how they are accessing that
content. This can then inform social
media and broader marketing and
distribution activities.
They will also need to monitor the
capacity and reliability of the
broadband infrastructures upon which
an increasing share of their services will
rely in the years ahead. Ian Parr,
broadband engineering director at BT,
says that TV and video, including
streaming of on demand and live
content from broadcasters, and material
consumed via social media, now
accounts for more than 60 per cent of
traffic passing through BT’s IP
networks in the UK; and by the end of
the 2030s, or earlier, it will account for
90 per cent.
That trend is being driven by viewers
of all ages and by planned infrastructure
changes, but it will accelerate as
generations Z and Alpha grow up and
are succeeded by even more digitally-
aligned younger viewers. Parr stresses
the need for collaboration across the
telecommunications, technology and
broadcast industries, “to support each
other in our transition to all-IP
delivery.”
Meeting new needs when they
grow up
Collaboration in general will be crucial
to the success of any attempt to attract
and retain younger viewers. It is already
visible in some recent agreements
between broadcasters and online
platforms, such as the deal announced
in December 2024 for ITV to join
YouTube’s partner programme, making
some ITV content available via
YouTube, including full episodes, clips,
compilations and fan content.
Perugini suggests that Australian
broadcaster Network Ten adding Pluto
FAST channels to its 10 Play OTT
offering is another example. “They’re
pushing that mobile-first, always-on
content experience,” she explains.
Price says using online platforms to
reach younger audiences requires a
comprehensive, multi-platform strategy.
“You’ve got to experiment,” he says.
“FAST channels are slightly retro, but
younger viewers do want to lean back
and watch content in that way
sometimes.”
It is also true that every generation of
the TV age has rediscovered the appeal
of the big screen at some stage,
particularly after they start a family.
Perugini expects something similar will
happen to many Generation Z and
Alpha viewers.
“Where they have a living room there
is still going to be that tendency to
switch the TV on, to find a show that
they can enjoy with their family,” she
says.
For now, perhaps the most important
principle that should guide
broadcasters’ attempts to capture and
retain Generation Z and Generation
Alpha audiences is to try to reach them
proactively, giving them as many
opportunities as possible to find their
content.
“Availability of content so that it can
become part of conversations and be
recommended – that’s how growth
happens,” says Nursall. Of course, that
content will need to be good enough to
recommend, and supported by an
effective and engaging social media
presence.
None of that is easy or cheap. But the
investments broadcasters make to
attract and retain these viewers could
deliver very valuable returns in the
longer term, says Price.
“People in their teens and early 20s is
that they are in their formative years,
when they form brand attachments,”
he explains. “There’s a real opportunity
here, if you can form those brand
attachments as a broadcaster or a
streamer.” One way or another,
broadcasters need to get with it (as it
were), to connect with younger
viewers, however cool or uncool they
might be.
Youth viewing
10 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Young-viewing.indd 4Young-viewing.indd 4 19/03/2025 14:57:0219/03/2025 14:57:02
These are good times for
video production, which is
enjoying a boom period
thanks to a combination of
new technologies and
business models driving growth and
innovation.
Fresh from celebrating its 20 year-
anniversary in 2024, Norway-based
media processing and content delivery
specialist Appear is not resting on its
laurels, coming out of the blocks in 2025
by spawning two brand new products
that will help drive even more excitement
for those working in the live production
space.
The all-new X5 and VX Software
Media Gateway represent a strategic
move by Appear that taps into what the
company’s CTO, Andy Rayner, calls “the
democratisation of live event
production”. Here, technologies like 5G
and LEO satellite connectivity are key
enablers. These advances provide the
necessary bandwidth to support high-
quality live streaming over public
internet connections, allowing even
lower-tier sports events and remote
productions to benefit from multi-camera
setups without massive infrastructure
investments.
By combining advanced features, low
latency, open interoperability, and cost
efficiency in a compact form factor, the
X5 in particular is designed to extend the
field-proven X-platform family (including
the 1RU X10 and 2RU X20) into
markets that demand compact, cost-
effective, and high-performance
solutions.
According to Rayner, the X5 was
developed in response to strong
customer demand for a smaller version
of the company’s flagship product, as
many broadcast professionals expressed
a clear need for a smaller, more agile
solution that could deliver high-value
content at a lower scale per site.
Customers with smaller channel
counts have long sought a device that
offers the same quality and feature set in
a smaller form factor. The X5 achieves
this by integrating advanced compression
and network interface tools such as
ST2110 into a low-power unit, making it
ideal for smaller-scale live productions,
remote bureaus, or events that require a
minimal channel count. The X5’s dense
integration of features and reduced size
not only cuts costs but also opens up the
possibility of multi-camera live coverage
for events that were once beyond reach.
Open interoperability and standards-
based design
Unlike many competitors that rely on
proprietary solutions, the X5 adheres to
industry standards, ensuring it can
integrate seamlessly with existing
workflows, including cloud-based
decoding and remote production
systems. This compatibility is
particularly important for broadcasters
looking to merge traditional and cloud-
based production workflows.
A critical aspect of the X5 is its
latency optimisation. In live production,
especially when operating remotely, the
timing between the acquisition site and
the production control room is crucial.
Appear’s engineering team has focused
extensively on reducing latency across
the device’s data flow — achieving
improvements that have met and even
exceeded customer expectations. This
latency reduction is essential for ensuring
smooth, real-time control in remote
production environments, where every
millisecond counts.
Additionally, the X5 incorporates a
highly optimised version of hardware-
accelerated SRT (Secure Reliable
Transport), a protocol that significantly
enhances performance over public
internet connections. By re-engineering
SRT from the ground up, Appear has
delivered a solution that offers high-
quality, secure transmission even when
using lower-cost, non-dedicated networks.
Media professionals working in live
production and remote contribution
won’t have to wait long to get their hands
on the X5. With orders beginning to
flow after NAB and shipments sched-
uled for the autumn, Appear is poised
for a significant ramp-up in production
later in 2025 and beyond.
Appear will be demonstrating the X5 and
VX at NAB Show 2025 (booth W2042)
and BroadcastAsia (booth 5C1-7).
The democratisation of live productionThe democratisation of live production
Two new products – the X5 and VX Software Media Gateway -
represent a strategic move by Appear into driving the democratisation
of live event production. By Goran Nastic
Sponsored article
12 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
12-Appear.indd 212-Appear.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:01:3919/03/2025 15:01:39
The media industry is
undergoing a
transformation thanks
to the adoption of
artificial intelligence
(AI) across the entire
value chain, from
content creation to production, post-
production, and distribution.
AI-powered tools are now embedded
in workflows and are enhancing
everything from newsroom analytics
to film editing, virtual production,
and personalised content
recommendations. They are being
deployed in real use cases, delivering
real commercial value as well as
helping creatives reimagine how they
work.
AI use is only going to grow. We are
currently seeing the emergence and
testing of agentic AI systems—capable
of autonomously managing workflows
and making complex decisions,
alongside multimodal AI models, which
integrate text, video, and audio
generation. All of these are enabling
faster, cheaper, and more scalable
content production.
Given the pace of development and
the growth of legal and regulatory
concerns, it can be difficult for
companies to understand where to
focus, and what tools to adopt. Doing
nothing is not an option, requiring a
transparent, open approach that tests
and learns across the value chain.
AI in content creation
AI is now playing a critical role in
automated storytelling, text generation,
and synthetic media production.
AI-powered assistants are now
co-writing articles and scripts, while
models such as OpenAI’s Sora and
Google’s Veo are generating high-quality
video content from text prompts,
opening new possibilities for
filmmaking and marketing. Agentic AI
tools like AutoGPT and Meta’s
CICERO are being explored for
dynamic narrative development and
character interactions, expanding AI’s
role in interactive storytelling.
Lionsgate’s collaboration with
Runway exemplifies how AI can be
deployed. Announced in September
2024, the partnership focuses on
developing a custom AI model trained
on Lionsgate’s extensive film and
television library, which will then be
used to assist filmmakers and creative
teams in tasks such as storyboarding,
pre-production, and post-production
processes. While no results have yet
been released, the collaboration
illustrates a smart approach – Runway
helps Lionsgate develop AI models
based on its proprietary content,
helping the studio to innovate, while
boosting its own knowledge.
AI in production
AI-driven virtual production, real-time
rendering, and automated
cinematography are aiding filmmaking
and music production. For example,
Unreal Engine’s AI tools are enabling
real-time scene creation, reducing
reliance on physical sets for production
such as The Mandalorian, The Lion
King and The Last Wish, a 15 minute
short that was created entirely using
Unreal Engine.
AI is now featuring in music
production, voice synthesis, and voice
cloning, from Paul McCartney utilising
AI to recreate a “final” Beatles track to
refining Adrien Brody’s Hungarian
accent in dialogue delivery in The
Brutalist.
The 2024 collaboration between
filmmaker Ellie Foumbi and OpenAI
shows the possibilities of AI within
production – and also the ways that it
transforms the creative process. The
project created the short film Black
Amber using Sora, OpenAI’s
advanced video generation model, as
part of the Sora Shorts program at
the Tribeca Festival. Foumbi’s
experience highlights the potential of
AI tools in democratising filmmaking,
particularly for independent creators.
Rather than following a traditional
linear process, AI enables post-
production, editing, and music to be
involved much earlier in the project,
increasing collaboration as well as
making it much easier for filmmakers
to present their concepts to potential
financiers and studios, thereby
enhancing the likelihood of securing
funding and commissions.
AI in post-production
Post-production workflows are
benefiting from AI-driven automation in
editing, colour grading, special effects,
and sound design. Runway’s AI tools
and Adobe Firefly are streamlining
video editing, VFX generation, and
AI-assisted sound mixing. AI-enhanced
CGI, such as Harrison Ford’s de-aging
in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of
Destiny”, is becoming a standard
practice in Hollywood, with filmmakers
now able to portray characters
14 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
AI in media
AI in the media sector: AI in the media sector:
Transforming the value Transforming the value
chain from creation to chain from creation to
post-productionpost-production
By Maureen Kerr, Partner and Head of the Media
& Entertainment Practice, UK, Arthur D. Little
14-15-Ai-in-media.indd 214-15-Ai-in-media.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:10:1419/03/2025 15:10:14
authentically across various time
periods by using AI.
Regulatory, copyright and ethical
challenges to AI use
As AI becomes embedded in media
production, copyright and intellectual
property rights are facing new scrutiny.
Who owns AI-generated content? Can
AI models train on copyrighted material
without permission? What are the
ethical considerations – and how do
consumers view the use of AI within
the content they watch and listen to?
In terms of copyright a number of
legal cases are now setting precedents
about what is considered fair use of
content when training AI models. In a
February 2025 US ruling, a judge
deemed ROSS Intelligence’s copying of
Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw legal
content to build a competing AI-based
legal platform not fair use under the US
Copyright Act. This could have broader
consequences for cases when large
language models are trained on
copyrighted materials and/or are then
used to generate new content via
generative AI.
Turning to acting, the emergence of
AI-generated actors and voice clones is
changing talent representation.
Agencies such as CAA and WME are
negotiating AI licensing agreements for
actors’ digital personas. While some
celebrities, such as Tom Hanks and
Keanu Reeves, have raised concerns
about AI replacements, others are
embracing AI-generated performances
as an opportunity for career expansion.
The SAG-AFTRA union is advocating
for protections against AI cloning,
ensuring that actors receive royalties for
AI-generated appearances.
On the regulatory side, the UK
government recently held a consultation
on AI copyright & fair use, examining
whether AI developers should pay
licensing fees for training models on
existing media. This closed on 25
February 2025 and sought views on
different options, with varying degrees of
permissions from copyright holders.
Additionally, AI-driven deepfake
regulations are also tightening, with the
EU AI Act and US FTC discussions
seeking to regulate AI-generated
misinformation and unauthorised digital
clones.
Four key approaches to incorporate
AI within the media sector
Whatever part of the media industry
you work in, AI brings opportunities
but also potential challenges, whether
legal, ethical or around understanding
and deploying the technology in
specific areas. Focusing on four
approaches should help accelerate AI
use while overcoming pitfalls:
1. Experiment widely.
If you are not already, start
experimenting by investigating a wide
range of use cases in your organisation.
Adopting a test and learn methodology
will help build skills, even if not every
project delivers value. As AI
deployments deepen, they move beyond
efficiency use cases to embrace new
business models and ways of operating.
Set aside time to work with tools such
as ChatGPT, and train it just as you
would any other member of the team.
2. Be transparent and seek consent.
The use of AI to refine spoken
Hungarian dialogue of the main
characters within The Brutalist created
some controversy in the media.
However, audiences were generally
understanding given it covered a very
small amount of speech, improved their
experience and did not change the
performances themselves. Being
transparent and disclosing AI use is
therefore vital, as is asking for consent
when reusing existing content.
3. Collaborate with technology
providers.
As the likes of Lionsgate/Runway and
OpenAI/Sora Shorts demonstrate,
collaboration between content creators
and technology providers benefits both
sides. They create symbiotic
relationships that improve knowledge,
increase creativity and foster new ways
of working. Therefore, work with AI
providers, rather than assuming you can
do it all yourself.
4. Do commercial due diligence.
AI is a developing industry, meaning
that as well as concerns around
copyright, there are possibilities that
your chosen partner might fold, be
acquired, or not respect the terms of
any contract. These can be guarded
against through commercial due
diligence and ensuring that you have
indemnified yourself in your contracts.
However, don’t take too restrictive a
view and ensure that legal concerns
don’t block all uses of AI.
AI is starting to redefine content
creation, production, and distribution,
enabling faster, smarter, and more
scalable media workflows. While there
are legal, ethical, and creative questions
to be addressed it is vital to balance
responsible governance with AI’s
transformative potential, ensuring that
companies and creatives receive its bene-
fits while guarding against the risks.
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 15
AI in media
14-15-Ai-in-media.indd 314-15-Ai-in-media.indd 3 19/03/2025 15:10:3419/03/2025 15:10:34
Cloud migration is revolu-
tionising the broadcasting
industry, offering multiple
advantages, from cost sav-
ings to - business agility
and even sustainability. Here are five
ways in which moving to the cloud
could benefit broadcast and media
companies.
1.Cost savings. One of the primary
and apparent advantages of migrating
broadcast operations to the cloud is
cost reduction – both CapEx and OpEx.
Traditionally, broadcasters have relied
on expensive physical infrastructure,
which includes data centres, hardware,
and on-site staff for maintenance.
Moving playout and automation to the
cloud eliminates these costs, replacing
them with a scalable pay-as-you-go
model.
Beyond infrastructure, operational
expenses also decrease. In traditional
setups, multiple servers from different
vendors require integration, leading to
complex workflows. With cloud-based
automation, these processes become
streamlined, reducing the need for
larger teams and frequent manual
interventions. This optimization also
lowers operational expenditures.
It’s a natural progression with much
room for improvement. “Cloud
migration is more about when than if.
Everybody we’ve spoken to is either on
the journey or exploring cloud
migration,” says Kalaivani Sivasankaran,
senior director of product marketing at
Amagi, a company that has been an
active participant in this transformation
since 2008. “People are quickly moving
some of the media supply elements to
the cloud. While Media Asset
Management tools and scheduling tools,
are already on the cloud, and are easy
to migrate, playout migration is the next
step that they need to do to really see
the cost savings.”
2. Increased business agility. The
broadcast industry is evolving rapidly,
with ever-changing demands, such as
launching single live events or
streaming-exclusive content. Traditional
hardware-based solutions require longer
procurement cycles, often taking six to
eight months to launch a new channel.
In contrast, cloud-based solutions can
set up a new channel in as little as two
to three weeks, if not less, enabling
faster go-to-market strategies.
Cloud infrastructure allows for
feature deployment on demand.
Whether it’s launching a niche sports
channel or adding custom
enhancements, broadcasters can make
quick adjustments without the delays
associated with physical hardware
integration. Cloud systems also enable
modular customization. Broadcasters
can tailor services based on channel
tiering — whether they need live
graphics, recording modules, or only
basic automation.
3. Scalability and flexibility. One of
the unique strengths of cloud
technology is its scalability.
Broadcasters no longer need to
proactively invest in infrastructure for
peak demand periods. Instead, they can
scale their playout operations up or
down as needed. For instance, a sports
channel might require live broadcasting
infrastructure only for a few hours daily.
With a cloud-based solution, resources
can be spun up only during live events
and spun down afterward, optimising
costs.
For example, Amagi DYNAMIC, a
non-linear solution for live event
management and playout, enables the
launching of pop-up channels and
on-demand scaling. It helps
Charting the journey to cloud playoutCharting the journey to cloud playout
CSI, together in partnership with Amagi, look at cloud modernisation
and how companies can harness the power of the cloud.
Sponsored article
16 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
16-17-Amagi.indd 216-17-Amagi.indd 2 20/03/2025 12:41:3620/03/2025 12:41:36
broadcasters spin up channels, whether
single event or multiple concurrent
events (Up to 50 events)— and spin
them down afterward, paying only for
the time used. This flexibility allows
customers to scale as they need and
prevents the need for permanent
infrastructure investment.
As a cloud-first company, Amagi has
built its ecosystem natively on the
cloud. Amagi emphasizes on a cloud-
first strategy enabling better efficiency
and flexibility. “[We have re-architected
the playout engine and automation
engines specifically for the cloud, with
the playout architecture built on
Kubernetes. We are truly cloud-native,”
she says.
4. Tapping into cloud technology
innovations. Acquiring the right talent
has been a big industry challenge for
some time now, especially with the shift
to the cloud, IT and software, making it
difficult to find engineers who
understand the worlds of both
broadcast video and DevOps. All the
cloud providers implement their own
infrastructure enhancements, such as
resilience and self-healing capabilities.
These are constantly evolving and
companies using the cloud get those
benefits immediately.
This includes advancements in AI, a
technology that hyperscalers are
dedicating significant time, energy, and
resources to optimize. For its part,
Amagi integrates AI-driven tools to
enhance scheduling, metadata
enrichment, and content preparation.
Features like automated live recording,
content segmentation, and Quality
Control (QC) improve efficiency while
reducing the need for manual
intervention. AI for clipping and editing
is another turf Amagi is venturing in.
5. Sustainability. Sustainability is an
often-overlooked benefit of cloud
migration. Leading cloud providers have
commitments to green energy solutions,
allowing broadcasters to reduce their
carbon footprint through metrics that
help companies understand energy
usage and CO2 consumption targets.
With broadcasters now equally
committed to sustainability goals and
practices, these benefits are now part of
the conversation when considering
moving to the cloud.
These opportunities are worth
bearing in mind because there is still
quite a way to go before the cloud
journey is complete. A recent report
revealed that while cloud adoption is
widespread, its integration into
workflows remains limited.
Amagi will be exhibiting at NAB Show
2025 in Las Vegas in West Hall at booth
W1721
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 17
Sponsored article
BUYERS’
GUIDE
2025
ENTER
NOW!
16-17-Amagi.indd 316-17-Amagi.indd 3 20/03/2025 12:41:1620/03/2025 12:41:16
AI took centre stage at
NAB last year and stole
the show, with hun-
dreds of conference
sessions dedicated on
the topic and a keynote
described as the world’s first keynote
speech co-presented by a human and
an advanced AI robot (an autono-
mously AI-powered humanoid robot
developed by Engineered Arts called
Ameca, pictured on the left above). It
remains to be seen whether this
year’s show delivers a similar ‘wow’
moment, but it would be a fitting tes-
tament to increasing AI maturity that
media companies double down on
real-world applications that the tech-
nology affords.
AI is playing an increasingly vital role
in content creation, transforming every-
thing from storytelling and audience
engagement to workflow optimisation
and revenue generation. While these
advancements open new opportunities,
they also raise important discussions
around responsible implementation, eth-
ical considerations and the long-term
impact on media professionals and audi-
ences, which this year’s show promises
to tackle through sessions and a dedi-
cated AI startup hub.
Hollywood writer and producer David
Goyer — known for “Blade,”
“Foundation” and his writing on
Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”
Trilogy — will explore the new formats
of collaborative storytelling he’s devel-
oping that are bridging the gap between
AI and filmed entertainment through
his latest franchise project “Emergence”
and the AI-powered platform Incention
as part of the Business of
Entertainment track.
Away from AI, sports in particular
will play a big role, with the newly
launched Sports Sumit running as a
new three-day event April 6-8. This will
take a deep dive into transforming fan
experience and unlocking new revenue
streams with conversations around
advancements in sports production, ath-
lete-driven content, NIL opportunities
and fan engagement.
WWE president Nick Khan and chief
content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque
will discuss the company’s continuing
evolution under the sports stream, while
the full NEB BEIT session lineup of the
broadcast engineering and IT conference
is available here, covering everything
from 5G Broadcast and SFNs to coding,
HDR and cloud native broadcasting.
Also new is Business of
Entertainment, a track that is billed as
giving insider perspectives, sharp analy-
sis and candid conversations on the big-
gest shifts in the industry—from media
dealmaking and content bundling to
new advertising models, evolving audi-
ence trends and the intersection of
Hollywood and the creator economy.
The new Startup Stage that will
feature early-stage startups pitching
their ideas; and AI Innovation Pavilion,
a dedicated space for exploring the
latest in AI-powered tools transforming
the media industry; and Premiere Park
in the West Hall: a “dynamic area”
showcasing first-time exhibitors and
exciting new technologies that promise
to redefine the media landscape.
Meanwhile, a Creator Lab in the
South Hall is an area designed for all
things creator economy bringing digital
creators together with advanced tools
and technologies to elevate their
storytelling.
Visitors can also expect to see and
hear about UHD HDR, ATSC 3.0,
interactive media, cloud virtualisation,
and the creator economy. These will
feature across 550+ sessions and dedi-
cated areas.
According to organisers, the 2025
NAB Show is expected to welcome over
67,000 attendees (vs 61,000 in 2024)
from 160+ countries and host 1,300
exhibitors, including Adobe, AWS,
AT&T Business, Canon, Dell, Intel,
Microsoft, Sony, Verizon Business and
more. With construction work continu-
ing to take place across the Las Vegas
Convention Centre, the show is clus-
tered around three halls: South (lower
only), West and North, with the West
Hall linked to the other two by a Tesla
underground hyperloop for those that
don’t want to walk in the long corridor
or the desert heat.
Courtesy: NAB Show
Show preview
NAB 2025 previewNAB 2025 preview
AI will likely steal the show again, but there is
much more to look forward to besides.
18 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
18-NABpreview.indd 218-NABpreview.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:16:3319/03/2025 15:16:33
The golden age of subscrip-
tion streaming is evolving.
Consumers, faced with the
rising cost of multiple
streaming services, are
reassessing their options.
Some are cutting back, while others
are embracing flexible viewing models
that offer greater control over their
costs. This shift has driven interest in
Free Ad-Supported Streaming
Television (FAST), but also in other
ad-supported models like AVOD and
BVOD, which provide free premium
content. For streaming platforms, this
presents a challenge. Retaining
audiences and advertisers requires a
shift in strategy — one that prioritises
consumer choice, seamless content
discovery, and deep integration with
Smart TV operating systems (OS).
The shift towards cost controlled
viewing
TiVo’s Q2 Video Trends Report found
that 77.8% of viewers are at least
tolerant of ads, up from 74% in 2023.
This signals a growing acceptance of
ad-supported models, especially as
content production costs continue to
rise and subscription fatigue sets in.
With thousands of streaming options
available, choosing what to watch has
become overwhelming. Price increases
across platforms are pushing audiences
to rethink their spending. Many are
turning to no-cost or lower-cost
alternatives — whether FAST channels,
AVOD services, or hybrid models.
These models cater to consumers
who want flexibility. Some prefer a
lean-back FAST experience with
scheduled programming, while others
enjoy on-demand content with limited
ad interruptions. Broadcasters offering
BVOD services provide another free
alternative, often with exclusive local
content. For advertisers, this shift
creates engaged audiences ready for
relevant messaging. But offering free
options isn’t enough. Streaming
platforms must also enhance the way
viewers discover content.
The power of seamless search and
discovery
In today’s crowded streaming
landscape, finding content quickly is
just as important as having access to it.
To keep audiences engaged, platforms
must surface the right content at the
right time. That means leveraging
AI-driven personalisation and
integrating directly with Smart TV OS
platforms to improve discovery.
By working with Smart TV OS
providers, streaming platforms can
offer:
• Unified search that consolidates
content across multiple services into a
single, user-friendly interface.
• Personalised recommendations that
leverage AI-driven insights to surface
relevant content.
• Universal watchlists that allow users
to keep track of their favourite shows
and movies in one place.
Without these integrations, viewers
risk falling into “doom-streaming”—
endlessly scrolling in frustration, which
can lead to disengagement or even
subscription cancellations.
Balancing monetisation and user
experience
With ad tolerance on the rise,
streaming platforms have more
flexibility in their pricing strategies.
However, ad-supported models must
strike the right balance. TiVo’s Q2
Video Trends Report also found that
while viewers are open to ads,
excessive or repetitive interruptions
can drive them away. The key is to
offer options that put control in the
hands of the consumer. Whether
through FAST, AVOD, BVOD, or
hybrid subscriptions with ad-supported
tiers, platforms must provide options
that align with different viewing
preferences.
Collaboration is the future
No single platform can succeed in
isolation. The most successful
streaming services will be those that
embrace partnerships — with Smart TV
OS providers, advertisers, and content
aggregators — to deliver a seamless
experience.
When streaming first transformed
entertainment, it simplified access to
content. Now, the challenge is
different: helping audiences discover
content they love, delivering it
affordably, and ensuring a frictionless
viewing experience across devices.
The battle for consumer attentionThe battle for consumer attention
How streaming and AI-powered content discovery are redefining media
consumption
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 19
Sponsored article
Gabriel Cosgrave,
General Manager, EMEA, Xperi
19-Xperi.indd 319-Xperi.indd 3 19/03/2025 15:20:1819/03/2025 15:20:18
Broadcast AV fuels Broadcast AV fuels
global rise in pro AVglobal rise in pro AV
Adrian Pennington examines the latest trends
and opportunities as the broadcast and pro AV
markets increasingly converge.
The global market for
Pro AV is tracking
double that of global
GDP at a rate of 5.4%
versus 2.7% over each
of the next 5 years to
top US$400 billion,
according to industry body AVIXA and
it is Broadcast AV which is fuelling
demand.
Broadcast AV is a category of
technology used for networked video
production in applications outside of
the traditional broadcast market. The
standardisation of video distribution
over IP, the democratisation of kit from
cameras to vision mixers and the
‘softwarification’ of traditional
hardware-based tools processed in the
cloud has closed the gap between use
by live streamers or broadcasters and by
retailers, education establishments or
banks.
“Let’s face it, video has become
ubiquitous as a means of
communication,” says Jon Wilson,
President and COO at Grass Valley. “In
the past, lower production values may
have been acceptable in certain
environments — but now, if the quality
isn’t there, the audience won’t be
either.”
There are a number of interrelated
reasons for the rise of Broadcast AV.
One is that the tech is being deployed
as extension of the live events business.
“Part of standing up a good event is
to treat it as a valuable content creation
20 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Cover story: Broadcast AV
opportunity,” explains Sean Wargo VP,
Market Insight at AVIXA. “More and
more enterprises understand this as they
attempt to produce content to stay
engaged with audiences of all kinds.
While this started before the pandemic,
it solidified its place as a long-term
trend. This is creating a whole new take
on Pro AV, one as more of an ongoing
events management and content
production capability leveraging the
combination of AV and broadcast skills
and technology.”
Another reason is the advance of
collaboration technology as a means for
companies and organisations to adapt
their office environments into hybrid
spaces to account for the changing
nature of the workforce. Video streamed
over IP is the common denominator.
In the aftermath of Covid, companies
suddenly had a lot of spare real estate
and workers from home. It changed the
specification of big boardrooms and
auditoriums from single use venues into
mixed-use spaces for training, team
building and multi-office messaging as
live streaming became part of every
business culture.
“If you’re doing a table tennis
tournament for your new starters in
20-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 220-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:41:0119/03/2025 15:41:01
London, it’s kind of expected now that
there’s a live stream of it, so those who
are not able to be there on that day can
still participate,” is a real-world example
cited by Tom Morrod, co-founder,
Caretta Research.
Large retailers are still building
studios in order to provide consistent,
localised content for their storefronts,
versioning in dozens of different
languages. Increasingly, consumer
brands are doing this too, investing in
asset management systems. More
recently sports clubs are equipping with
production capabilities to run fan
related content like videos of training
sessions and interviews.
Dovetailed into the Broadcast AV mix
is the rise and rise of the ‘experience
economy’ which is a catch-all for
entertainment and live events in which
audience members are increasingly a
participant.
Corporate will remain the largest
single market for Pro AV, valued in
2025 to hit $71.8bn but with growth
forecasts of just 4.9%. AVIXA data
suggest M&E is already a U$53.9bn
segment of Pro AV growing at 6.1%.
Venues and events are valued at
$42.1bn growing at 6.3%. Retail, worth
$22.3bn today, is also supercharged
with a 5.9% growth.
“Technology solutions show a shift to
experiences,” says Wargo.
“Conferencing (growing at 4.5%) and
learning (3.8%) are in slower
replacement cycles but the experience
economy is where the buyers are.
AVIXA data finds Broadcast AV
growing at 5.6% per year but with the
sub-sectors of technology in
Performance & Entertainment (6%) and
live events (6.7%) growing faster.
Clearly all three are adjacent and
increasingly overlap.
“Broadcast AV is a very meaningful
area of investment for many of our
markets. It cuts across many different
solution areas and covers both fixed
install entertainment systems and
temporary pop-ups for live events,”
Wargo says.
“The real question here is not
whether [Broadcast AV] exists but
which market to place it in as it borrows
from so many. Put another way, this
trend is causing a shift in the
conversations from what a company
wants to do with its boardrooms to how
it wants to craft its digital identity,
video first.”
In recent AVIXA polls of AV users,
29% of those operating venues plan to
invest in or upgrade their content
production facilities, 31% of corporate
businesses will do the same and the
figure for retail is 31%.
The latter is eye-opening. “It tells us
the story of how content is extending
beyond just the performance on
premise,” Wargo says. “Retailers are
investing in Broadcast AV to engage
consumers with content. Now it is less
‘how do I get customers to the shop
floor?’ and more ‘how do I engage them
on social media and other platforms?”
Fuelling all of this is technology
which increasingly overlaps with
traditional broadcast. Caretta valued the
whole of Media Tech at $92 billion this
year of which Broadcast AV comprises
$18.7bn. By 2028 it has Media Tech
topping $100bn with Broadcast AV
growing faster in this period (at 3.2%)
than traditional broadcast and media
(2.5%).
Yet Morrod describes Caretta’s
forecast for Broadcast AV as “not very
aggressive… because everything is
getting cheaper so much faster, that it
basically balances out.”
While conventional broadcaster and
prodcos are adopting Pro AV tools such
as networking protocol NDI, PTZ
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 21
Cover story: Broadcast AV
Table 1: https://carettaportal.com/home
Table 2: https://carettaportal.com/home
20-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 320-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 3 19/03/2025 15:41:1719/03/2025 15:41:17
22 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
cameras, SaaS MAMs and lower cost
studio solutions, Pro AV is becoming
more like broadcast.
“Broadly, all professional technology
is more accessible and affordable,” says
Morrod. “Cloud and AI allow for high-
end video creation and delivery at lower
cost.”
This is pulling in heavyweight live
event equipment making brands like
Ross, Vizrt, Grass Valley and Chyron,
notes Morrod.
For example, GV’s AMPP platform
and its LDX Series cameras are
deployed by broadcasters as well as
corporates for live events. The AMPP
application Event Producer X enables a
single operator located anywhere to
produce and direct a full-scale live
event.
“This level of efficiency, flexibility,
and quality is driving demand in
corporate productions, live events,
education, and beyond—wherever
compelling visual experiences are
needed,” Wilson says.
Non-broadcast environments already
account for around 10% of GV’s
business, and Wilson expects that
growth to continue. “The demand for
high-end production solutions from
outside of the traditional TV sector is
escalating at a scale where we would
anticipate it to account for over 25% of
our revenues by 2030 - which is
impressive growth considering our
overall growth ambitions.”
Information gap
If there’s a fly in the Broadcast AV
ointment it’s that this part of the
industry is growing faster than the
knowledge required to maximise its
potential. At ISE in February there
appeared a gap in the technical skillsets
of companies now beginning to operate
media content production at scale.
Large scale high profile events like a
tech giant’s global developer conference
or major Esports competition tend to
have production outsourced to OB
specialists like NEP or IMG. Buying in
that expertise is clearly more expensive
than owning and running it in-house but
the level of sophistication and volume
demand for content to be created tends
to be beyond the capability of a local
AV crew.
“The AV technicians and engineers
that normally buy cameras and
switchers are also the team responsible
for the teleconferencing equipment,”
says Morrod. “They are installing
complicated video gear in a small
number of spaces, while also managing
hundreds or thousands of meeting
rooms. That kind of configuration is
pulling AV broadcast equipment into
the corporate world.”
He adds, “It’s not expensive to put
three cameras into an auditorium.
What’s expensive is knowing how to use
them and that seems to be the biggest
gap in the market right now. It’s making
good use of equipment.”
Grass Valley has seen the same trend.
“More corporations, universities and
retailers want to produce high-quality
media in-house, but many lack
dedicated technical staff to operate live
video productions,” says Wilson. “Let’s
face it, in most cases it’s not their
primary responsibility within the
organisation.”
Likewise, broadcast kit vendors
turning to Pro AV for growth are facing
what Carretta call “an information gap”.
Carretta’s survey found AV users
somewhat nonplussed by the jargon-
heavy engineering marcoms of media
tech vendors, advising they do a better
job of communicating what their
product does to a AV audience.
“Saying something is ‘12G-SDI
supporting higher bitrates and HDR’
works well for a broadcaster CTO but it
doesn’t scan very well into the AV
engineering space because those guys
don’t work in those particular
standards,” Morrod reports. “It’s quite
easy to make them feel alienated if your
jargon is unfamiliar.”
Instead, the advice is to talk to AV
user’s more generally about application,
usability and outcome. “Inform AV
users how they work with solution to
solve a problem or deliver an outcome
rather than major on tech standard,
specs or features.”
Even with the technology at hand,
there’s also a requirement to educate
the decision makers in the organisation
to make best use of it.
“For example, is the CEO aware they
can customise the screen with a logo?
Or that they can switch between
cameras? Media training would help.”
Addressing that skills gap with value
added training and service is an area
which AV integrators are encouraged to
fill.
“Because the technology has become
broadly relatively easy to operate, the
Cover story: Broadcast AV
Corrivium has been working with GV’s AMPP for 4+ years to provide live streaming services
20-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 420-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 4 20/03/2025 10:19:2520/03/2025 10:19:25
gap now is more around knowledge and
understanding what’s possible. There’s
business there for integrators to extract
a bit more cash (to service this gap),
rather than just dropping in some kit
and leaving.”
AVoIP network standardisation
Another significant area of growth
identified by AVIXA is cloud and
managed services. These two go hand
in glove and the business potential is to
migrate content production,
management and distribution silos into
broader AV over IP networks.
“Cloud and managed AV over IP
services is where a lot of growth is
going to come from,” Wargo says. “It’s
a great story for integration in a lot of
ways because that’s the bread and
butter of AV. It’s where the margins
story. But it’s also challenging in terms
of competency.”
As in the broadcast industry, AV is
struggling and possibly being held back
by competing video networking
standards like SDVoE, HDBaseT, NDI
and IPMX.
The latter two are protocols with
which broadcast users will be most
familiar. The standout difference is that
NDI uses a compression scheme
designed to maximise efficiency over a
1G network while IPMX is an
adaptation of SMPTE standard 2110
and uses 10G and 25G networks to
carry higher bitrates.
“Most AV over IP approaches to date
have been shaped by the convergence
envisioned decades ago,” says Rob
Moodey, Strategic Partnerships
Manager, Matrox Video. “However,
proponents of this approach are often
still thinking about the data networks
we had then. Using the 1Gbps network
because ‘it’s there’ is not necessarily
wrong but doesn’t acknowledge the
reality that network capacity around us
is increasing exponentially year on year.
“An end-of-life switch does not have
to be replaced with one of the same
bandwidth. More bandwidth gives
options—whether more similar streams,
better streams, or a mixture. And
human nature is to choose better if it is
conveniently available.”
ST 2110 started the multi-bandwidth
ball rolling, supporting both
uncompressed UHD60 at 25Gbps, as
well as constant bitrate compression on
lower bandwidth connections,
recognising different needs within the
broadcast community.
IPMX extends ST 2110, to create a
single transport mechanism now
encompassing standard AV applications.
Unlike other AVoIP approaches, IPMX
enables multiple codecs—those intended
for 1Gbps networks (inevitably highly
compressed)— through various degrees
of compression, exploiting from
2.5Gbps and 10Gbps right up to the
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 23
Cover story: Broadcast AV
“Saying something is
‘12G-SDI supporting
higher bitrates and
HDR’ works well for a
broadcaster CTO but
it doesn’t scan very
well into the AV
engineering space
because those guys
don’t work in those
particular standards.”
Image of Vion Series
uncompressed UHD60 requiring larger
bandwidths.
“IPMX doesn’t however mandate high
bandwidth pathways, a single codec, or
super performant edge devices,” says
Moodey. “If 1Gbps is right for the
scenario then this can be implemented
with lower cost endpoints. Critically,
the option to evolve later—without
needing to completely redo the control
plane—is built-in because the API is
common across different performance
levels and across different
manufacturers.”
Manufacturers tend to be agnostic to
standards by ensuring their kit is
compatible with leading ones. Grass
Valley for instance says emerging
standards enable new ways to tell
stories.
“The ability to seamlessly mix content
from any source—regardless of protocol—
means that creatives have more freedom
than ever,” Wilson says. “Thanks to our
technical excellence, we ensure that
every standard enhances storytelling
rather than distracting from it.”
The acceleration of high-end content
production in non-broadcast
environments will continue. Even now,
some of the equipment being used in
both areas is “of a near-equivalent
quality,” says Wilson. The key difference
is scale – both content output and the
production operations behind it.
“It’s very different running a linear
TV operation across multiple channels
and distribution platforms than it is
streaming a one-off live event,” he says.
“So there will remain differences, but
with shared practices I do see a future
where greater collaboration and
knowledge sharing takes place between
the two sectors to bring them closer
together.”
AVIXA value the total Pro AV market
at $346 billion this year and recognises
that’s trivial compared to the trillion
dollar value of consumer electronics or
the five trillion dollar value of IT. At
the same time bullish that the AV
industry – led by Broadcast AV - has
room to grow.
20-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 520-23-Broadcast-AV-2.indd 5 19/03/2025 15:42:0219/03/2025 15:42:02
The pro-AV and
broadcast industries
continue to converge
with the continual
democratisation of
technologies and a
growing appetite for
video communication and
consumption.
Furthermore, the rising importance
of general-purpose technologies, such as
AI, has been gaining more attention in
both pro-AV and broadcast industries in
the past years, driving the development
of solutions that can benefit all sectors.
Traditionally, verticals such as
corporate, education, house of worship
that produce video typically utilise pro-
AV technology like video conferencing
cameras. In recent years, however, these
end users have started to increasingly
incorporate professional broadcast
technology into their video productions,
such as broadcast quality cameras,
professional PTZs, cloud streaming
tools, and video editing software. This
can be seen in Futuresource’s System
and Box Camera Market Update
FY2023, which shows that the
corporate vertical now accounts for 8%
of global system and box camera sell-in,
where prior to the pandemic, it
accounted for just 2%. As a result, the
convergence trend of broadcast and pro
AV industries also signifies the public’s
shifting ways of creating and consuming
video content.
The demand for more video content
is one of the main drivers of the
convergence between pro AV and
broadcast technology. Video
communications and remote working
have become integral to people’s lives
since the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby
prompting more and more end-users
from non-traditional verticals to seek
sophisticated video solutions from
broadcast technology vendors. In fact,
video usage in these non-traditional
verticals has evolved beyond simply for
remote working. Companies are
bringing studios in-house to produce
their own internal training videos and
marketing materials.
The decreasing cost of professional
video technology further fuels the
convergence trend, instigating the
continual shift of end-users in non-
traditional verticals to use and invest in
broadcast equipment. For video
acquisition, end users can now access
full frame sensors for less than $5K in
Sony’s ILME-FX3 camcorder --
something that would have typically
cost more than $5K prior to the release
of this product and was reserved for
predominantly mid to high-end
cinematic productions. As such, small
to mid-size corporations, House of
Worship, and higher education bodies
can now access this high-end tech more
easily. This trend isn’t limited to video
acquisition either. With Blackmagic’s
free professional video editing software
DaVinci Resolve, people can easily
create a professional postproduction
look for their videos. As such, end-users
without big budgets now have access to
pro video gear across the content
production workflow. This, combined
with a growing desire to produce quality
video content due to video
communication becoming an integral
part of people’s daily lives, is driving a
convergence of pro AV and broadcast
equipment. These new end users will
still have pro AV equipment that they
will want to work with their new
broadcast technology-based investments
Due to this trend, broadcast
technology vendors have been designing
solutions dedicated to the specific
needs of nontraditional broadcast
verticals. These solutions often focus on
ease of use and lower costs for example,
Blackmagic’s ATEM-mini video
production switchers offer broadcast-
level technologies, such as Picture in
Picture (PiP) and various scene
transition effects, at a low cost, allowing
non-traditional end users to produce
more “professional” looking video
content without the need to learn their
way around a huge, broadcast grade
switcher tables. Another example can
be seen in Sony’s release of the HXC-
FZ90, a broadcast system camera
24 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Broadcast AV
Convergence in the pro Convergence in the pro
AV and broadcast AV and broadcast
industry industry
Joyce Wang, lead market analyst at
Futuresource, examines the current status
and further implications.
24-25-Futuresource.indd 224-25-Futuresource.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:49:1419/03/2025 15:49:14
explicitly designed to cater to the needs
of traditional pro AV end users with its
single-chip 2/3” sensor and more cost-
conscious ASP.
Software and cloud versions of
broadcast technologies, such as video
production switchers, have also become
attractive for entry-level users as it does
not require any hardware investment
and can be deployed immediately on
computers. Broadcast technology
vendors also offer AR/MR and XR
tools for end-users in all verticals to
make videos more engaging for their
audience. For instance, Vizrt offers a
complete AR graphics and virtual set
solution, Viz Virtual Studio Go, that
can be easily deployed to increase the
production value of corporate internal
communications and make classroom
instructions in higher education more
engaging. As such, non-traditional
verticals, such as education, corporate,
and house of worship, have been using
these technologies to produce
sophisticated video content to increase
engagement, enhance the viewing
experience, and reach a broader
audience.
The democratisation of IP technology
also fuelled the convergence process
between the pro-AV and broadcast
industries. For instance, launched in
January 2024, Internet Protocol Media
Experience (IPMX) is based on the IP
transport standard in the broadcast
industry, SMPTE 2110, but specifically
tailored for pro-AV needs for IP video
transmission. By making IP protocols
more accessible, IP-based video
production is now possible for content
creators outside of the broadcast
vertical, further driving the convergence
between pro-AV and broadcast.
The convergence between Pro AV and
Broadcast Industry is a two-way street.
In other words, broadcast technology
vendors are also taking inspiration from
pro AV products and adapting them to
fit the needs of traditional broadcasters.
For instance, LED walls were mainly
used in pro AV settings for displays and
are now increasingly adopted in the
broadcast industry as an integral part of
virtual production. By using LED walls,
the broadcast industry can operate
more cost-effectively and more
sustainably without shooting on
location. Furthermore, broadcast
technology vendors are also
experimenting with new operational
ways by combining their products with
pro AV devices. For instance, end-users
can access and operate Grass Valley’s
AMPP on Apple Vision Pro for
augmented production experiences.
Through Apple Vision Pro, operators
can see and control virtual AMPP
platform offerings such as multi-viewers
and switchers. The combination of
AMPP and Apple Vision Pro showcases
a new potential for future video
production workflows. As such, both
Pro AV and Broadcast industries benefit
from each other’s innovations
As the convergence trend between
pro AV and broadcast continues to
deepen, the areas of innovation are
likely to shift for broadcast technology
vendors. Although research and
development for high-end broadcast
equipment are still important for
technology vendors, the increasing
demand from non-traditional broadcast
verticals signifies that resources would
be more titled towards developing
solutions that are suitable for workflows
in non-traditional workflows. This will
also lead to a slowdown in innovation
breakthroughs in high-end broadcast
technologies dedicated to traditional
broadcast verticals. Furthermore,
products that can operate within
ecosystems of both broadcast and non-
broadcast traditional verticals will be an
opportunity for pro-AV and broadcast
technology manufacturers.
In brief, both Pro AV and broadcast
industries benefit from innovation from
one another. The demand for creating
and consuming high-quality videos will
continue to drive professional video
production devices in verticals outside
of the conventional broadcast. With the
increasing convergence trend, it is
essential for technology vendors to
develop products and innovative
solutions that directly address the pain
points and production needs of
different verticals. In other words,
tailored solutions would be a key factor
for success for broadcast technology
vendors.
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 25
Joyce Wang,
Lead Market Analyst,
Futuresource
Broadcast AV
24-25-Futuresource.indd 324-25-Futuresource.indd 3 19/03/2025 15:49:3419/03/2025 15:49:34
Rakuten TV is expanding its
B2B services, Rakuten TV
Enterprise Services, with a
new initiative that aims to
support telecom operators
by providing content distribution,
monetisation solutions, and technolo-
gy for Free Ad-Supported Streaming
Television (FAST) channels. This
comes as FAST growth momentum
continues across the industry.
Rakuten TV, originally a B2C
streaming platform, has evolved
significantly over the past 15 years.
across 40+ European countries. The
new B2B solution allows telecom
operators, smart TV manufacturers, and
content owners to integrate Rakuten
TV’s content library, advertising
capabilities, and technology into their
platforms. By combining content
syndication, monetisation expertise, and
advanced technology, the company is
positioning itself as a key partner for
telecom operators, smart TV makers,
and content providers looking to
capitalise on the growing FAST channel
market, according to Rakuten TV CEO
Cédric Dufour.
Rakuten TV’s B2B offering is built on
three key components: content
syndication, monetisation, and
technology, Dufour told CSI.
Rakuten TV provides partners with
access to a vast content library, secured
through partnerships with major
Hollywood studios and local content
providers. This localised approach
ensures that viewers across different
countries receive relevant programming.
Unlike a white-label service, Rakuten
TV maintains its branding, which aligns
with its content licensing agreements.
Content is appropriately scheduled for
peak and off-peak hours.
The company has already
implemented this model with telecom
provider Orange in Spain. Orange
customers gain access to Rakuten TV’s
extensive movie catalogue expanding
their existing content selection without
altering their platform’s infrastructure.
Rakuten TV monetises its
ad-supported content through its
in-house sales team, which manages
advertising inventory across Europe.
This team specialises in Connected TV
advertising, differentiating it from
traditional television and digital display
advertising. The company has integrated
this monetisation expertise into its B2B
offering, helping telcos generate revenue
from their own FAST channels. For
example, telecom partners such as
Altibox in Norway not only use
Rakuten TV’s content but also benefit
from its advertising capabilities to
maximise revenue.
Rakuten TV has been developing
FAST channels for five years, fine-
tuning both the technical infrastructure
and content curation process. Unlike
simply aggregating content, creating a
successful FAST channel requires
strategic scheduling to optimise
viewership, Dufour argues. Indeed, he
points out that it took a while for telcos
to realise that FAST channels were
different from traditional TV channels
in terms of monetisation, content and
audience.
The response from telecom operators
has been positive, with many seeking to
outsource their streaming operations to
Rakuten TV, Dufour added. While
negotiations with large telecom
companies take time, industry
discussions — such as those at MWC —
highlight growing interest in FAST
channels and Rakuten TV’s solution.
Rakuten TV is also considering
expansion beyond Europe. Discussions
with telecom operators in Latin
America and South Africa indicate
potential growth opportunities, though
content licensing and monetisation
strategies vary by region.
AI is another focus area for Rakuten
TV, Dufour explained. The company is
exploring AI-driven improvements in
content recommendation and search
functions to enhance user experience.
AI is also being used to streamline
internal processes, such as scheduling
FAST channel programming, and
reducing manual workloads.
As part of the larger Rakuten Group,
Rakuten TV benefits from access to
advanced AI research and technological
resources. This synergy also enables
Rakuten TV to innovate and refine its
offerings. In France, for example,
Rakuten TV collaborates with
Rakuten’s e-commerce platform,
allowing customers to earn Rakuten
Points through purchases, which can
then be redeemed for movies. Similar
synergies are being explored with
Rakuten Rewards, a cashback platform
expanding across Europe.
CSI speaks with Cédric Dufour, CEO and
President of Rakuten TV about the company’s
new FAST offering for telcos
26 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
CSI interviews
Cédric Dufour, CEO,
Rakuten TV
Q&A
26-Rakuten-TV.indd 226-Rakuten-TV.indd 2 20/03/2025 10:25:0720/03/2025 10:25:07
28 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Localisation
The evolving role of localisationThe evolving role of localisation
Bridging cultures and expanding global reach in media and
entertainment. By Rosa Lee, Marketing Specialist XL8 and Josh Pine,
Chief Revenue Officer XL8
The success of globally
appealing shows like
Squid Games and its
much-anticipated sequel
has significantly
influenced the localisation
market. This example shows how
content can transcend language
barriers, especially if localisation is
done well. It also highlights the need
for solutions that can scale while
maintaining quality. The translation
and localisation industry is being
shaped by innovation, collaboration,
and a heightened appreciation for
cultural diversity. In 2025, this market
will become an even more essential
part of the media supply chain for
media and entertainment
organisations to adapt quickly and
keep up with the momentum and
demand for localised content.
Whether it’s the rise of niche
streaming platforms, the international
expansion of content libraries, or the
fact that OTT platforms are investing
heavily in producing and acquiring
content in local languages, localisation
is critical for retaining engaged
audiences and being a differentiator in
attracting new subscribers.
For live content, localised news and
media resonate better with audiences,
and high-quality translations that adapt
to cultural nuances make this content
more relatable. These opportunities also
empower niche media markets and
creator-led media ecosystems looking to
stand out in a highly competitive market
and build direct relationships with their
audiences.
Content strategy shifts
Localised shows’ success shapes
content strategies, driving greater
investment in original productions and
acquisitions in non-English language
content. Localisation has become a
cornerstone of a strategy aiming to
expand global reach and tap into the
potential of regional markets. Plus, the
growing demand for authentic
storytelling will continue to push
companies to invest in localisation.
For live streaming shows like news
and broadcasts or events, the success of
localised content hinges on authenticity,
relevance, and the ability to foster
community connections.
Localisation is not a “final touch” but
is quickly becoming a strategic tool to
expand global reach, open new markets,
and even shape a brand’s international
identity.
Balancing AI-driven translation
efficiency with human expertise
AI-powered tools are accelerating and
improving the quality of the localisation
process, and technologies like
MediaCAT allow media customers to
automate and refine their localisation
workflows. Yet, it’s not about
eliminating the human interface, as
there is great value behind hybrid
Localisation.indd 2Localisation.indd 2 19/03/2025 15:56:2519/03/2025 15:56:25
human-AI collaboration, with each
complementing the other’s strengths.
It’s not just about cutting costs; it’s
about maximising the impact of our
resources.
AI-driven platforms like MediaCAT
allow users and LSPs to automate many
early steps in localisation, such as
transcription, timecoding, and
simultaneous multi-language translation,
which are traditionally handled entirely
by humans. XL8’s engineers have
addressed these pain points with
AI-powered features, providing linguists
with tools for better planning and
resource allocation. This means
significantly reduced manual tweaks
and cutting editing time by over half.
While AI can handle repetitive tasks,
human linguists can focus on the subtle
differences of context, cultural nuances,
tone, regional variations, and final
quality assurance, removing the
bottlenecks of tedious manual tasks.
Beyond language
Localisation and translation aren’t just
about changing words - they’re about
connecting with people on a deeper
level. It’s about understanding cultural
quirks, preferences, and what matters to
your audience. Good localisation adapts
everything: images, tone, and humour,
so it feels natural and relatable. It’s
about making your product or message
feel like it belongs in someone’s world.
When done right, localisation builds
trust and fosters connection.
Take the creators of Squid Games, for
example: They didn’t just rely on
translating dialog; they ensured the
cultural essence of the story remained
intact while making it accessible to
audiences worldwide. They were able to
bridge cultural gaps with subtle context
changes and still keep the authenticity
of the Korean culture, which added to
the show’s appeal. Featuring well-crafted
subtitles and dubbing in multiple
languages yet still ensures the emotional
weight of the dialogue is preserved.
Real-time translation for live
broadcasts, global events, and news is
not just about translating words. It’s
about making sure the message
connects with the audience in a way
that’s culturally relevant and
contextually accurate. Real-time
translation engines, like our EventCAT
capture the moment’s tone, energy, and
emotion, whether it’s the thrill of a
sports event or the seriousness of
breaking news. It must also be mindful
of cultural differences, adjusting for
humour, slang, or references that may
not translate well across regions. Doing
so makes the message feel natural and
relatable to the audience, creating an
inclusive experience.
Shifting localisation earlier in the
production process
In the past, localisation was often an
afterthought, occurring only after a
movie, show, or series was finished and
sold into specific markets. This reactive
approach, which typically wasn’t part of
the original production budget, led to
delays and inefficiencies in getting
content to global audiences. But with
streaming platforms now taking the
lead, studios are realising the value of
integrating localisation earlier in the
production process, which helps make
the whole thing more cost-effective and
efficient.
The cost and complexity of
localisation depend on the languages
involved. For instance, translating from
English to Spanish is fairly affordable,
while English to Japanese can get
expensive fast. To manage these costs,
studios typically wait until the content is
sold to a specific market before
localising, which can cause delays.
However, studios can speed things up
and save money by using machine
translation and AI tools earlier in the
production process. Investing in machine
translation from the start allows studios
to automate a big chunk of localisation
(up to 80-90%) while the content is still
being made, helping them get to market
faster and cheaper. This shift reduces
bottlenecks, which means companies can
handle more content and scale their
localisation efforts more easily while still
maintaining high-quality results across
different languages and markets.
Looking ahead, it’s clear that
localisation has become much more
than just a final step in creating content.
It is now a key part of how content
connects with audiences worldwide.
With the growth of global streaming
services, niche markets, and live media,
localisation helps ensure that content
feels authentic, bridging cultural gaps
and creating stronger connections. As
AI-powered translation tools and human
expertise keep improving, the industry is
more capable of delivering high-quality
localised content faster and more
affordably. By integrating localisation
early on, companies will be positioned
to connect with global audiences and
thrive in new markets
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 29
Localisation
Localisation.indd 3Localisation.indd 3 19/03/2025 15:56:4319/03/2025 15:56:43
30 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Satellite regulation
Helping businesses navigate today’s Helping businesses navigate today’s
satellite regulatory complexities satellite regulatory complexities
By Alexis Martin, CEO of River Advisers
Within the satellite
and space
sectors,
technological
innovations
continue to
outpace regulations. The world of
satellite communications is evolving
rapidly, and modern technologies
have created a complicated
ecosystem which has proven difficult
for some businesses to grasp.
Direct-to-Device and HAPS - the
future of satellite connectivity
One such innovation within the satellite
industry is the rise of Direct-to-Device
(D2D) services, which allow consumers
to connect directly to satellite networks
without needing intermediary ground
stations or specific satellite phones. The
potential applications for D2D are vast,
from enabling emergency
communications in remote or
underserved areas
to providing
seamless
connectivity in
rural or hard-to-
reach locations.
By 2030 there is
expected to be
approximately
330 million D2D
subscribers across
the globe.
D2D requires
dedicated
frequencies to
transmit data
from the satellite
to the device, and
these frequencies
are highly
regulated. The
challenge lies in ensuring there is
enough spectrum to meet the rising
demands for both terrestrial and
satellite services while minimizing
interference. Regulatory authorities
must carefully balance the needs of
satellite providers with those of
terrestrial networks to avoid
fragmentation of the radio frequency
spectrum.
There are two approaches when it
comes to D2D – using it in Mobile
Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum, or in
the spectrum allocated for Mobile.
Using it for the former would have
implications regarding the phone design
and development of chipsets that
support the relevant satellite
frequencies. But more importantly, this
approach faces country-by-country
challenges unless the spectrum is
globally harmonised.
On the other hand, D2D services
operating within the mobile spectrum
work with existing and unmodified
mobile phones, providing a simpler and
more scalable solution for consumers.
However, this approach requires careful
coordination between mobile network
operators and satellite service providers
to ensure that both parties can access
and use the spectrum in a way that does
not cause interference or reduce service
quality.
Yet there’s one important question to
consider here - which entity is the
provider of the electronic
communications service? This could be
a real conundrum for the regulators. Is
it the mobile network operator, or the
satellite operator? Or even the terminal
manufacturer in cases where handsets
come with embedded technology linked
to a specific provider, such as Apple
with Globalstar?
This uncertainty can quickly lead to
issues unless resolved.
Alongside D2D, the use of High
Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS)
reflects another exciting development.
Positioned in the stratosphere, typically
at altitudes between 20 and 50
kilometres, HAPS provides a hybrid
solution that combines the best aspects
of both terrestrial and satellite systems.
However, HAPS also introduces
regulatory complexities because of their
unique positioning between terrestrial
and satellite. And even though HAPS
operate where air traffic is limited they
are still regulated by aviation
authorities, and issues like collision
avoidance, airspace integration, and
operational control must be addressed.
Striking the right balance between
regulatory oversight and fostering
innovation in this space will be a key
challenge for telecom authorities in the
coming years.
30-Editorial-this one.indd 230-Editorial-this one.indd 2 19/03/2025 16:08:1019/03/2025 16:08:10
In our 2025 predictions, we had
identified the scaling of live
sports event as a key subject,
and after all the recent events,
being Netflix Christmas games
and NFL Super Bowl 2025, we
now have some good data and
can take a step back to better analyse
those events.
2024 was a year filled with major live
events, starting with the Olympics,
followed by the now “infamous” Tyson
boxing match — Netflix’s largest-ever
live-streamed event. Just a month later,
Netflix streamed NFL games
exclusively, and more recently, Tubi
streamed Super Bowl 2025 for free. To
provide a broader perspective beyond
the U.S., we’ve also included
comparisons with the Cricket World
Cup in India and a lesser-discussed
ByteDance concert in China.
The table below summarises the key
characteristics of these events.
Key distinctions in audience and
streaming models
A crucial distinction must be made
between a global audience — such as
Netflix’s Tyson match —and a U.S.-only
audience. Additionally, there is a
difference between exclusive events, like
those on Netflix and ByteDance, versus
events where viewers have the option to
watch via traditional broadcast.
Data analysis
The Netflix Tyson event received
widespread commentary, exposing the
32 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Live streaming
Large-scale live events: Large-scale live events:
what are the numbers what are the numbers
telling us?telling us?
Industry consultant Thierry Fautier of Your
Media Transformation looks back at large-
scale events and crunches the data.
Operator Tubi only Total OTT US Netflix Global Netflix US Disney+Hostar ByteDance
event Superbowl'25 Superbowl'25 Tyson match Tyson match Cricket world cup concert
exclusivity No No Yes Yes No Yes
date February'25 February'25 November'24 November'24 2023 2023
Geography US US WW US India China
peak traffic 15.5 31 65M 38M 59M N/A
Household N/A N/A 108M N/A N/A N/A
AMA 13.6 27M N/A N/A N/A 350
bitrate (est) 14M 14M 6M 6M 0.8M 0.4
Peak traffic (T/s) 217 431 390 228 47 est 42
32-33-Thierry-art.indd 232-33-Thierry-art.indd 2 20/03/2025 12:11:0120/03/2025 12:11:01
limitations of supporting a large-scale
event using a single CDN—Netflix’s
Open Connect. Designed primarily for
VOD traffic, Open Connect struggled
with the demands of live streaming.
Network traces from several U.S. ISPs
indicated that traffic reached peering
saturation, with some sources
speculating that the peak traffic was
three times higher than initially
planned, making smooth streaming
impossible.
In contrast, Super Bowl 2025,
produced by FOX and streamed on Tubi
(its FAST—Free Ad-Supported
Streaming TV service), reached a
similar peak traffic level in the U.S. but
delivered a better quality of experience
(QoE). Notably, Tubi’s stream was
ahead of the broadcast feed, while
Netflix’s NFL games lagged behind by
at least 15–20 seconds. This
discrepancy can be attributed to
differences in content distribution
methods between OTT and traditional
broadcast.
More strikingly, the total combined
traffic from all OTT providers
streaming the Super Bowl (including
Tubi and various vMVPDs) reached a
peak of 431 Tbps, which was 90%
higher than the peak traffic of Netflix’s
Tyson match, despite relying on public
CDNs and delivering a superior QoE.
This suggests that ISP networks can
handle extreme traffic loads—up to 431
Tbps—while Netflix’s CDN was the
bottleneck.
Why was this the case? In Netflix’s
Open Connect architecture, some
caches are located inside ISP networks
(“on-net”), while others remain
outside (“off-net”). Under normal
VOD traffic patterns, on-net caches
handle about 60% of traffic, while off-
net caches handle 40%, requiring data
to cross ISP peering points. However,
during a live event surge, on-net
caches fill up quickly and become
saturated, forcing more traffic to come
from off-net caches—overloading
peering links.
How did Netflix manage the problem
during its NFL Christmas Day
broadcast? Observers noted that new
sessions often experienced delays of up
to two minutes before starting, likely
because Netflix was distributing traffic
across more servers, effectively
mimicking a VOD traffic pattern.
Can Netflix resolve this issue? To do
so, Netflix would need to upgrade its
caches from their current 200 Gbps
throughput to at least 1 Tbps per
server. Given that Netflix operates
over 10,000 caches worldwide, such an
upgrade would take several years to
complete.
Comparing to other global events
Looking at the Cricket World Cup in
India and ByteDance’s concert in
China, while both had a higher
number of concurrent sessions, their
aggregated traffic was lower due to the
lower streaming bitrate, as these events
primarily targeted mobile devices.
Conclusion
For now, a multi-CDN architecture
remains the most reliable solution for
large-scale live streaming. A single
CDN approach is feasible but would
require a live-optimised architecture
with significantly higher egress
capacity—something Netflix has yet to
achieve but is within reach for operator-
run CDNs specifically designed for live
streaming.
Thierry Fautier is Managing Director of
consulting firm Your Media
Transformation, that helps executives in
the Media & Entertainment tech industry
to address new markets or execute in a
more efficient way in existing markets.
Check his LinkedIn profile at www.
linkedin.com/in/thierryfautier
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 33
Live streaming
Thierry Fautier, Managing Director,
Your Media Transformation
32-33-Thierry-art.indd 332-33-Thierry-art.indd 3 20/03/2025 12:11:1720/03/2025 12:11:17
Television and video
services are too
difficult to access and
use. Navigating the
rapidly evolving
viewing environment is
increasingly complex
for both users and media providers,
as competition for audience attention
intensifies.
We have more viewing choices than
ever and so many more ways to watch,
but it is still difficult to discover how to
access audiovisual media services on
different devices and displays.
Traditional broadcast services are
struggling to compete with global
online players. We expect to be able to
access audiovisual media services on
any screen, over any network.
Finding a particular programme can
be frustrating, as we are often forced to
navigate multiple menus and similar but
separate user interfaces on various
screens.
As viewing moves from traditional
broadcast channels to the online world,
there has been no standard method for
devices and displays to discover services
or for media providers to promote them
to users.
This presents a significant challenge
for previously predominant
broadcasters. They are losing their
share of viewing in the face of
increasing competition for the attention
of audiences and attempts by other
powerful players to aggregate the user
experience.
With billions at stake, the ability to
connect viewers with the programmes
that they want to watch is the key to
unlocking the multiscreen experience.
The problem with current approaches
based on individual apps is that media
providers must deal with many
competing platforms and consumer
electronics companies to secure
distribution and prominent presentation
of their services.
While manufacturers aim to produce
products for global or multinational
markets, many media services address
national or regional audiences. This
market fragmentation causes friction
and limits economies of scale for all
parties.
Despite the growing popularity of
online video, many people still rely on
traditional television brands, which are
often strongly identified with familiar
channel numbers. These are associated
with viewing habits, shared experiences,
and cultural identity that remain
relevant in the modern media market.
There is a real risk of losing the
simplicity of an open competitive
ecosystem, in which any device or
display can access any available service,
whether it is free to view or part of a
subscription. This is a crucial concern
for regulators that seek to maintain the
prominence of public service media
while encouraging innovation and the
development of new forms of
distribution.
Unified service platform
The Service List Registry provides a
unified service platform to enable
devices, displays, agents, and
applications to discover audiovisual
services and empower media providers
to manage and promote them.
Imagine a machine-readable online
directory that products and applications
can use to look up lists of relevant
services and present them within their
user interface.
The solution is based on existing
open standards and does not require
any changes to current broadcast
transmission systems. By using web
34 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Service List Registry
Unified service platform Unified service platform
simplifies television and simplifies television and
videovideo
By Dr William Cooper, Chief Executive of the
Service List Registry
34-35-SLR.indd 234-35-SLR.indd 2 19/03/2025 16:20:5219/03/2025 16:20:52
technologies, the online service layer
can be easily integrated with various
client software systems, reducing
barriers to adoption.
The cloud-native platform built on
global infrastructure provides a
standards-based interface that allows
devices, displays, agents, and
applications to query the online registry
to discover services and titles.
The Service List Registry is uniquely
able to address the requirements of
media users, devices, providers, and
authorities.
• Users with compatible devices,
displays, or applications can simply
select services from lists of familiar
channels and online offerings in an
integrated view, based on their
location and the capabilities of their
screen. All queries are anonymous,
protecting personal privacy. Ordered
service lists enable simple and
accessible navigation, including
numeric selection.
• Devices and applications can use
open web standards to request service
lists and present the results in their
own environment. Third parties retain
the freedom to innovate and
differentiate the user experience of
their products in an open and
competitive multinational market.
This includes integration with
intelligent systems, including
personalised recommendations, voice
control, and home automation.
• Providers of media services can
publish details of services available by
region across various delivery
networks. They can promote their
brands and retain control of the
distribution of their services, with the
option to prioritise different modes of
delivery and offer higher quality
audio and video formats for
compatible displays.
• Authorities and regulators can
designate and approve service lists to
maintain the prominence of public
service media prov®iders so that they
are universally available and easily
accessible. This identifies the
provenance of licenced services
within their jurisdiction, ensuring
media plurality and fulfilling public
policy objectives.
The real strength of the system is in
the aggregation of services from diverse
and competing media providers. The
Service List Registry provides these
service lists in a consistent and
interoperable format, creating shared
value for all participants in the
ecosystem.
The unified service platform delivers
economies of scale that individual
media providers and service operators
cannot achieve. This creates a
multinational market that manufacturers
and developers can address cost-
effectively and allows media providers
to reach a wider audience.
The Service List Registry ensures
authenticity, preventing the inclusion of
illegitimate or unauthorised services. By
serving as a definitive and trusted
source of service information, it
maintains the integrity of service
discovery, protecting products, services,
and users.
In many markets, regulation demands
the clear prominence and provenance of
services, particularly those of public
importance. The Service List Registry
ensures compliance with these
regulatory requirements, protecting
service integrity and promoting
consumer confidence.
Open standards
The Service List Registry is based on
freely available open standards and
specifications, providing interoperability
and ease of integration for rapid
implementation, deployment, and
adoption.
Central to the registry is the DVB-I
specification for service discovery and
programme metadata developed by the
DVB Project.
DVB-I delivers audiovisual service
information online using open
standards. It allows the aggregation and
integration of services from multiple
sources into a coherent and consistent
proposition.
To improve the developer experience
and make the DVB-I specification more
immediately accessible, the Service List
Registry translates the essential
elements into a documented
Application Programming Interface.
The key to opening up DVB-I to
developers is an OpenAPI specification,
a declarative document notation that
provides concise yet comprehensive
documentation and code examples in a
machine-readable format. By offering
clear, interactive definitions, OpenAPI
simplifies integration, accelerates
development, and deployment, reducing
implementation costs and risks.
In addition to XML, OpenAPI
natively supports lightweight responses
in JSON, a language-independent
format that is readily readable and
easily consumable by software clients,
including HbbTV and other browser
applications. These responses are
specified in standard JSON Schema
notation to facilitate software validation
and testing.
A clearly defined application
programming interface enables services
and programmes to be discovered not
only by viewers, but also by other
software systems. These can include
artificial intelligence agents that can
search for viewing options on behalf of
viewers.
Through its unified service platform
and published application programming
interface, the Service List Registry
enables media providers to reach users
across compatible devices or displays.
The aim is to simplify television and
video viewing, offering users choice,
convenience, and control.
Dr William Cooper is an independent
consultant who has worked at the
intersection of broadcast and broadband
television and video for over two decades.
He is the founding Chief Executive of the
Service List Registry. Further information
is available at slrdb.org.
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 35
Service List Registry
34-35-SLR.indd 334-35-SLR.indd 3 19/03/2025 16:21:1319/03/2025 16:21:13
36 spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
Satcom evolution
The new satellite landscapeThe new satellite landscape
Can the satellite industry cope with the transition to a new space
environment? By Helen Weedon, Managing Director, the Satcoms
Innovation Group
The satellite industry is
undergoing a
transition. Previously
the domain of
traditional operators,
legacy hardware, and
longstanding
processes, it is experiencing one of
the biggest shake-ups in its history.
Of course, in broadcast, we have seen
a shift away from satellite for
contribution and distribution over
recent years. However, the advent of
new players and mega constellations
makes it easier and cheaper to access
high-capacity satellite coverage,
which is proving a valuable
alternative, especially for those hard-
to-reach areas.
With so much change in a very
traditional industry, however, can the
satcoms sector keep pace with that
evolution and cope with the transition?
“The satellite environment is
undergoing dramatic changes that are
impacting not only the space industry
but also our broader economy and daily
lives,” says Leshan Uggalla, Senior
Lecturer, University of South Wales. “In
the UK, satellite-based services
contribute nearly 20% of GDP,
underlining their critical role as both
national infrastructure and a standalone
industry.”
Uggalla adds that one of the most
significant changes is the shift from
traditional geostationary (GEO)
satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO)
services, which offer lower latency and
more direct communication.
According to Manik Vinnakota, Vice
President, Product and Customer
Solutions, Telesat: “The tremendous
proliferation of LEO satellite
constellations is a game-changer for
connectivity globally. There is massive
demand for ubiquitous connectivity
across multiple industry and
government sectors, and first
generation, consumer-grade LEO
satellite services are only just beginning
to tap into that market potential.”
This is a view echoed by Ali Ahmed
Al Kuwari, President & CEO,
Es’hailSat: “The biggest changes in the
satellite environment have been the
advent of global Non-Geostationary
(NGSO) constellations, driven by a
reduction in launch costs and backed
by demand for connectivity across the
globe.” Martin Coleman, Board
Member, the Satcoms Innovation
Group adds: “These constellations are
pushing the boundaries of what is
possible in satellite communications
and their scale is transforming both the
commercial satellite market and the
way we think about global
connectivity.”
At the same time, there are some
major business shifts. As mentioned by
Kevin Dunne, CEO, ETL Systems:
“We’re witnessing a significant trend
towards consolidation within the
market. In recent years, we’ve seen
several high-profile mergers, such as
Viasat/Inmarsat and Intelsat/SES, as
organisations reposition themselves to
meet the evolving technological
demands. This consolidation trend will
likely continue, both among the largest
players and within the mid-size satcoms
businesses. The result will be a less
diverse but ultimately more resilient
market.”
The technology shift
“Next-generation, enterprise-class LEO
satellite constellations will massively
expand the addressable market by
providing immediate access to reliable,
secure, and pervasive connectivity in
even the most remote regions of the
planet,” believes Vinnakota. “These
technologically advanced satellite
networks will bring mission-critical
connectivity to the many digital deserts
that still exist today to drive digital
transformation and new opportunities
for citizens, businesses, and
governments everywhere.”
And we are already seeing how these
evolutions are drastically changing
satellite’s potential. According to
Richard Jacklin, Commercial Lead,
Plextek: “Direct to Device (D2D) is
going to be a potential gamechanger for
the satellite communications industry.
For decades cellular and satellite has
coexisted and worked together
successfully in backhaul; but now we
36-37-Satelite.indd 236-37-Satelite.indd 2 19/03/2025 16:37:2019/03/2025 16:37:20
are seeing the potential for satellite to
device (fronthaul) services.” He goes on
to highlight that the “impact could be
significant as D2D can disrupt many
markets including maritime / cruise
industry, emergency service
connectivity in remote areas, and
probably governmental and security.”
Al Kuwari adds: “On the broadcast
side, the growth in Over-the-Top (OTT)
viewership driven by the preference
towards on-demand streaming of
content has been a significant shift in
the way video content is consumed. TV
channels that were primarily using
satellite for linear distribution, also have
OTT offerings to cater to more
connected audiences. However, many
channels such as public broadcasters
continue to value the reach and
coverage of satellite distribution.”
Indeed, we have even seen some good
examples of how LEO satellites have
been used with other technology to
enable more cost-efficient broadcast
contribution. One such example is some
of the work being done by Open
Broadcast Systems, which is using 5G
together with LEO satellites for
occasional use sports broadcasting.
Kieran Kunhya, CEO, Open Broadcast
Systems says these technologies are
also: “useful as a backup solution for
linear channels on fibre connections,
ensuring uninterrupted 24/7 service.”
Another major technology shift
happening within the satcoms industry
is highlighted by Dunne: “the shift
towards digitalisation remains a key
driver of change in satellite
communications. Both space-based and
ground infrastructure are evolving, with
the aim of creating software-defined
satellites and a virtualised ground
segment. Achieving this vision will
close the traditional divide between
ground and space – two sectors that
have long operated in parallel but
largely independently. With the
introduction of digitalisation into
satcoms, these two elements will
ultimately become an integrated,
synchronous ecosystem.”
Of course, as we have seen across the
broadcast industry, AI is also having an
impact in space. Uggala comments: “the
integration of emerging technologies
like AI and IoT is enhancing the
capabilities of satellite systems, enabling
smarter and more efficient operations.
Collectively, these changes underscore
the transformative impact of the
evolving satellite environment on both
our economy and our way of life.”
However, Vinnakota warns: “If next-
generation LEO satellite operators
continue with consumer-grade, best-
effort services, service quality will
inevitably deteriorate as uptake
increases. To ensure consistently high
levels of service quality, LEO satellite
operators must provide guaranteed
performance that’s backed by service
level agreements (SLAs) and the ability
to prioritize traffic within different
classes of service.”
How the industry is adapting
According to Coleman: “The new space
environment is driving smarter, more
adaptive and cost-effective solutions.
Multi-orbit networks, AI-driven
automation and software-defined
satellites will increase efficiency,
scalability and security, while space
debris mitigation and sustainable
practices will ensure long-term
viability.”
That is certainly evident from the
people we spoke to, both in terms of
the ground segment and in space. From
front-end RF engineering at Plextek to
tools that adapt to the digital shift from
ETL Systems, that is well into the
development of the next phase of
Digital IF products.
Satellite operators are also adapting.
Telesat has built-in leading-edge
innovations such as digital
beamforming, integrated onboard data
processing, and optical inter-satellite
links for better link performance,
increased network efficiency and
enhanced flexibility. Es’hailSat has also
grown and adapted its portfolio of
products and services. This includes
complementing its satellite video
distribution with cloud-enabled playout
and media services.
The future of satcoms
It is certain it is an exciting time.
Jacklin believes: “more funding will
move to private sector non-defence
space and satellite development, the
space industry will continue to
transform into a higher speed
development opportunity.” At the same
time, as Uggala warns it also appears:
“somewhat concerning.” Talking about
the proliferation of LEO constellations
he cautions while it “is likely to reduce
service costs for customers, it also risks
overcrowding space and increasing the
potential for collisions. Although the
overall situation holds exciting
opportunities for innovation and
enhanced connectivity, there is an
urgent need for stringent regulatory
mechanisms to govern space traffic and
mitigate environmental impacts.”
Vinnakota also warns caution: “If
LEO satellite networks are to fulfill
their huge potential to bridge the digital
divide and eliminate digital deserts, they
must be designed and built to integrate
with terrestrial telecom and enterprise
networks, provide flexibility for
terrestrial operators to define and
control their satellite services, and meet
strict security requirements.”
And while LEO is gaining traction, Al
Kuwari is optimistic about the role of
GEO: “The future will be a
combination of GEO and Non-GEO
satellite solutions as both are required
in their own way.” He also believes:
“Ground infrastructure will become
more of a service as Teleports become
more connected and allow for seamless
networking across applications.”
Ultimately, as Coleman points out:
“The future space environment will be
highly interconnected, AI-driven and
commercialised, with lower costs, faster
deployment and smarter networks.
However, managing space traffic,
cybersecurity and sustainability will be
key challenges.”
www.csimagazine.com spring 2025 37
Satcom evolution
36-37-Satelite.indd 336-37-Satelite.indd 3 19/03/2025 16:37:3919/03/2025 16:37:39
www.csimagazine.com/awards
The winners will be announced on September 12 2025 — at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam.
The CSI Awards 2025
Established in 2003 the awards, now in their 23rd year, are among the most prestigious and competitive
technology awards in the industry, designed to recognise and reward innovation and excellence in the cable,
satellite, broadcast, IPTV, streaming and associated sectors.
1. Best video processing technology
2. Best network delivery technology
3. Best edge/video CDN deployment
4. Best monitoring or network management solution
5. Best content or service protection/Best anti-piracy
protection
6. Best live streaming technology or service
7. Best TV everywhere or multi-screen video
8. Best data & analytics solution
9. Best cloud or virtualisation innovation
10. Best TV user experience
11. Best use of AI or Machine Learning in video
12. Best implementation of GenerativeAI in video
13. Best advance in AdTech or Monetisation
technology
14. Best remote or virtual production / Best IP
production development or project
15. Best TV middleware - NEW
16. Best sports broadcast or streaming innovation
17. Best advance in content discovery
18. Best TV app
19. Best FAST innovation or deployment
20. Best TV / cloud gaming project or service - NEW
21. Best interactive streaming technology or
application - NEW
22. Best sustainability project or initiative
2025 categories
AWARDS CEREMONY
12 September 2025
38 Spring 2025 www.csimagazine.com
For the latest news and updates follow us @CSI_Magazine #CSIAwards
www.csimagazine.com/awards
Organised by
www.csimagazine.com Spring 2025 39
AWARDS CEREMONY
12 September 2025
For awards or entry enquiries:
Olivia Richardson
+44 (0)20 7562 2413
olivia.richardson@
perspectivepublishing.com
Camilla Capece
+44 (0)207 7562 2438
camilla.capece@csimagazine.com
The free-to-attend CSI Awards ceremony will be
again taking place at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam
Deadline for entries: 16 May 2025
Enter here: wwww.csimagazine.com/awards/enter_the_awards.php
