Streaming Media West 2005 Wrap-Up Part 2
Digital Delivery of Movies and Programming
Moderator: Kris Alexander, senior service manager, media and entertainment services, Akamai Technologies; Panelists: Jeremy Allaire, CEO, Brightcove; Tejpaul Bhatia, senior manager, product strategy, ESPN New Media; Bob McIntyre, CTO, Scientific Atlanta; Chris Lucas, vice president and executive producer, Showtime New Media
Digital delivery of content has always pushed the technology envelope. At its most basic level, bandwidth and content control have been the top two challenges. Control is not as much a technology issue as it is a legal one. No provider wants to send their hard work out into a space where it will be pirated, yet closed systems have met the end of their lives in the eyes of the consumer. Consumers want more access and portability of data, not less. Adam Mayer of Scientific Atlanta mentioned that closed systems can benefit the consumer because content providers can control the end-to-end distribution and provide a better experience. I would think that closed systems and open systems will both have their place in the media soup, but ultimately the consumer will vote with their dollars and eyeballs.
As more bandwidth becomes available, content providers quickly max out the pipe. We have not yet arrived at that point where bandwidth is no longer a gating factor to innovation and delivery. Cable operators, telcos, and satellite operators are hitting the wall year after year, trying to provide the consumer with more content and options. VOD and other narrowcasted content are pushing the envelope even further. It is encouraging to see operators working very hard to shape their offerings to offer the most over what they have and what they're building as next generation technology. I think we can all agree that in the not-so-distant future, bandwidth will be a non-issue.
It was refreshing to hear that content owners understand that the consumer wants variety and the ability to search for content while getting relevant results, then instantly download the content to their devices and consume it where and how they want. Sadly, the entire panel all vigorously agreed on a simple gating issue to getting consumers what they want: lawyers. And in the end, many great technologies and strategies become entangled in legal dog-piles to no one’s benefit but the law firms. Perhaps the quickest way to quickly enable new technology, retain and grow the customer base, and generate diversified revenue streams is to do what Kris Alexander of Akamai jokingly suggested and kill all the lawyers. That way we can go back to blaming the engineers.—Lionel Felix