Broadcast Has Entered the Arms of Creatives

And that inflection point could not have come at a better time.

 By March, most of us were being asked to self-quarantine. Suddenly, the definition of who was a broadcaster changed drastically – although those in the business would argue we had seen the development coming regardless of a pandemic. Regardless to who prognosticated well enough, the shift was now far more obvious. Your new broadcasters took the shape of churches, workout classes, concert live streams, comedians and graduation ceremonies.

Sports would soon arrive as golf, motor racing, football and rugby found ways to return – albeit with altered productions largely learned from the “newcomer” producers around the globe.

Regardless of the outside forces pushing against it, we saw content continue to flow. The reason why: broadcast has entered the arms of the creatives!

The change was always coming

 

Of course, smaller teams of creatives lack access to all the resources that a broadcaster, regardless of size, would have. But what they did have was access to enabling technologies that could leverage the power of IP production and delivery.

Content providers such as Netflix, Hulu and others had paved the way for this new type of content delivery. IP transport has become, in almost all ways, a standardized technology in television. The more personalized versions of this slowly but surely entered the fray – YouTube and social media sites each set up ways for individuals and brands to connect using video.

IP has become the established standard for connecting devices. And it is now being applied pervasively to media production. IP is a mature and existing technology that represents a known commodity already implemented. In short: IP is ubiquitous.

And when it came time to reinvent the creative video workflows, IP was at the core.

The bells and whistles are cameras and computers

Because this transport mechanism for video signals was already widely in place – both on the creation and delivery end – all it took was adding in relatively simple end points. Local networks can quickly connect audio and video signals without the need for complex wiring or cable setups. Suddenly, because of the network, living rooms and garages became studio spaces. Our mobile devices worked in a pinch, but the wide availability of live production systems, PTZ cameras, graphics systems and streaming devices that work natively over IP meant we saw high-end productions from many organizations world-wide. Through the use of converters we also saw digital cameras and other video end-points being utilized seamlessly in IP workflows.

And, because all these devices were on IP networks, it was all interoperable. This meant whatever workflow was most intuitive to the creative designing the show, was the workflow that was  used!

Is it too late to get started?

One thing that became clear from this sudden shift is that it is never too late to get a production up and running. If you have the creative idea for content, then neither technology nor a lack of studio space will slow you down.

Intuitive, easy-to-use systems exist that make the build out of a workflow seamless. Live production systems that work as “all-in-one” broadcast studios are available. IP-native PTZ cameras can be added or traditional cameras can be brought on to the network using converter kits. External microphones are quickly and easily added to cameras and brought into the IP workflow as well.

More sophisticated systems can add multiple camera angles and graphics – but even with these additions the live production system should handle most of the heavy lifting. In fact, a live production system can become as complex as you’d like it to be, with video mixing, recording, playback and native streaming options all included.

From there, it is a simple matter of adding the fantastic finishing touches to a production. Lighting is always a big upgrade. Green screens can be added to gain access to virtual sets – which are, again, included in the live production system!

The future of broadcast is flexible

Because entire broadcasts are entering the arms of creatives – and because they are all being done via IP from creation to delivery – the reality is that they can be quickly scaled for use by organizations and broadcasters of all size and type.

There is simply nothing stopping a broadcaster from negotiating for content with those who have become popular live content creators as a result of the challenges of 2020. The technologies available in our homes and small studios are now on par with even the largest organizations in the broadcast world – and that is a monumental change not only for streamers, but for consumers who are seeking new and different programming.