DTG Summit Overview
Published on Thursday, 9 May 2019 13:56
OBS attended the DTG Summit in London yesterday. As always it was an excellent opportunity to get an insight into the latest trends in the UK digital TV market. It was great to learn more about the issues that are affecting it today, and catch up with industry colleagues and customers.
Effects of Brexit on UK Digital TV Market
Brexit was a topic that many in the industry were concerned about and the impact it could have on production companies and broadcasters alike, with freedom of movement for production staff and cross country broadcast rights being potential issues. On the upside though, Brexit could be an opportunity to attract more TV and film production to the UK via additional incentives to the existing tax credit scheme.
Public Service Broadcasters Role in Todays Media Market
The role of Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) in today’s media market was an important issue. In the world of increasing sources of online content, social media, and ‘fake news’, PSBs are seen as a trusted source for news content. Similarly they are are the preferred goto outlet for children’s content. How the PSBs compete in a world with Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Disney etc, was a topic for debate and there were no conclusions, but it seems that PSBs are still best placed for delivering locally developed content tailored to the local markets. Also, PSBs are co-producing more content with the likes of Netflix and others, and ultimately maybe acceptance that streaming services are here to stay and co-operation rather than outright competition is the best strategy for the PSBs in the long term. Only time will only tell on this.
The Rise of E-Sports
Other hot topics at the DTG Summit included the rise of E-Sports and its transition into mainstream TV, with Linear TV channels, backed by the likes of ITV and Sky, now becoming available, bringing Esports to a broader audience. An interesting fact is that the total prize fund available globally for E-sports tournaments exceeds that for the ATP tennis tour and Esports now has a global audience of over 400 million people, which will only continue to rise.
Advertising and Personalisation
As always advertising and personalisation were key themes. Targeted advertising, live advert substitution and how AI and blockchains can be used to deliver effective advertising to the consumer, were all topics of discussion.
50th Anniversary of the Moon Landings
The highlight of the day though, with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the moon landings, was a look back at the live broadcast event and the technology involved at the time with James Burke, who actually commentated on the broadcast back in 1969, together with Jon Culshaw, and chaired by BBC Sky at Night’s Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
All in all a great day, and we’re already looking forward to next year.
Click here to look at more of our news articles.