September 2023 M&E Newsletter

IBC Bound!

Author

Andy Beach
September 12, 2023

Hello, everyone! I hope you are having a great September so far. I'm excited to share with you some news and updates from the media industry, especially about the upcoming IBC show in Amsterdam. IBC is one of my favorite events of the year and it’s always a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues from all over the world. These shows are a great way to see how the industry is collectively talking about a broad range of topics, exchanging insights and ideas about the latest trends and challenges. Sometimes, IBC or NAB are the only occasions where I get to see some of these amazing people, and I always value these conversations.

This year, we are expecting AI to be a dominant topic at IBC, as it is transforming the way we create, distribute and consume media content. I invite you to come by the Microsoft booth, 7.A43 in Hall 7, to see how we and our partners MediaKind, Avid, Harmonic, and Evertz are leveraging AI to enhance media workflows. But there is obviously a lot to see at a show so large. I’ve added a section this month highlighting some our our partners with details around their booths to help you decide what you want to see at the show.

I look forward to seeing you at IBC!

Microsoft in Media

Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval

A big change to Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition.

www.theverge.com/2023/8/22/23828302/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-ubisoft-cloud-gaming-rights-uk-cma

Customers & Partners

How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Video Streaming Industry

Explore how artificial intelligence is changing the video streaming landscape and increasing video workflow efficiencies.

www.harmonicinc.com/insights/blog/ai-video-streaming/?utm_campaign=Azure%20Cloud&utm_source=email&utm_content=nl-mksf

The Walt Disney Company and Charter Communications Announce Transformative Agreement for Distribution of Disney's Linear Networks and Direct-To-Consumer Services - The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) and Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) today announced a transformative, multiyear distribution agreement that maximizes value for consumers and …Read More

thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-charter-spectrum-agreement

The cloud can work for everyone, says Brent Yates

Migrating to a cloud computing platform such as Microsoft Azure offers organisations of all sizes and industries a myriad of significant benefits, ranging from reduced IT costs to greater scalability, enhanced security features, simplified management, and more. An increasing number of organisations are therefore considering the prospect of moving their operations to the cloud as they seek to unlock a competitive advantage. However, a cloud migration can sometimes pose a formidable...

www.technologyrecord.com/article/the-cloud-can-work-for-everyone-says-brent-yates

Netflix Will Mark End of DVD Biz by Sending Up to 10 Randomly Selected Discs to Customers

Netflix is offering hardcore fans of its DVD-by-mail service one last disc-bingeing session before it folds the iconic red envelopes for good. In April, the company announced the shutdown of its dw…

variety.com/2023/digital/news/netflix-dvd-shutdown-10-random-discs-finale-1235698869

ByteDance’s China Business Is Slowing, Putting Spotlight on TikTok

ByteDance might be best known globally as the parent company of TikTok, but the bulk of its money comes from its home base of China, thanks to its Chinese video app Douyin. But previously unreported internal data shows that the tech giant’s red-hot pace of growth in China has slowed markedly, ...

www.theinformation.com/articles/bytedances-china-business-is-slowing-putting-spotlight-on-tiktok?rc=jtsdxo

How the Rise of D2C is Impacting Advertising in Live Sports - Edgio

Discover how the rise of D2C is impacting advertising in live sports as sports rights holders face mounting pressures to maximize ROI on costly sports properties in a competitive landscape.

meet.edg.io/blog/how-the-rise-of-d2c-is-impacting-advertising-in-live-sports

Who to See at IBC 2023

As I mentioned above, Microsoft’s booth is 7.A43 in Hall 7 but please make sure to visit our partners and learn more about how they work with us!

Avid

Evertz

MediaKind

Harmonic

Qvest

Qibb

Vubiquity

Prime Focus Technologies

EZDRM

Bitmovin

Ateme

Amagi

Dalet

Imagine Communications

EVS

Grass Valley

Evergent

VizRT

Deltatre

Haivision

Industry News

Hulu Stake Sale Kickoff Moved Up To September, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Reveals; Valuation For “Scarce, Kingmaker Asset” Likely To Far Exceed Initial $27.5B Benchmark

Comcast and Disney have modified their Hulu agreement to enable the expected buyout of Comcast’s one-third stake in the streamer to begin on September 30 instead of next January. The news was…

deadline.com/2023/09/hulu-disney-comcast-stake-sale-timeline-moved-up-streaming-billion-1235537919

Media Conglomerates & Strategic Inflection Points

The Medium identifies a few key trends each fiscal quarter that reveal the most important tensions and seismic shifts in the rapidly and dramatically changing media marketplace. The key trends help you answer a simple question: "What's next for media, and where's it all going? How ...

subscriptions.theinformation.com/newsletters/the-medium/archive/monday-am-briefing-media-conglomerates-strategic-inflection-points?utm_source=sg&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_email&utm_content=article-11138

No, streaming is not more expensive than cable TV

Netflix, Disney+ and Max are getting more expensive, but your typical cable pay TV bundle is still a lot pricier.

www.lowpass.cc/p/streaming-cable-cost-comparison

Broadcasters Rethink Cloud with Hybrid Approach

Leaders from NBCUniversal Local, Fox Television Stations, Sinclair, Imagine and Bitcentral told a TVNewsCheck webinar last week the industry conversation has shifted from “moving” to the cloud to leveraging its technology.

tvnewscheck.com/tech/article/broadcasters-rethink-cloud-with-hybrid-approach

Resources

Build an OpenAI Powered Home Assistant

Welcome to the OpenAI Home Assistant project. The goal of the home assistant project is to explore the power of OpenAI Whisper and OpenAI…

medium.com/microsoftazure/build-an-openai-powered-home-assistant-a210c5ec5cde

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Get started with artificial intelligence - Training

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Get started with artificial intelligence

learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/get-started-with-artificial-intelligence-on-azure

Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn Learning

Discover the skills needed to apply generative AI in your career. Learn the core concepts of artificial intelligence and generative AI functionality.

www.linkedin.com/learning/paths/career-essentials-in-generative-ai-by-microsoft-and-linkedin?u=0