My latest column on the state of the media industry is up at IBC 365. I discuss how we're the media industry is at an inflection point, one in which we have no clear view as to where we’ll end up, or who the winners will be. https://www.ibc.org/delivery/blog-crossing-the-inflection-point/2915.article

Here's my latest opinion piece at IBC365 on the way "good enough" is changing in the broadcast industry: https://www.ibc.org/production/blog-building-a-worse-mousetrap/2652.article

I'm really excited to be giving one of the keynotes for this year's conference of the International Associates of Broadcast Manufacturers on the 4th of December in London. I'm talking about how traditional broadcasters can adapt to a radically changing world. http://www.theiabm.org/events/iabm-2015-annual-conference/schedule.html

Netflix is now responsible for 30% of all internet traffic in the UK during peak viewing hours. Netflix reaches 1.5m UK subscribers for its internet video service | Media | The Guardian. Update: Either I misread the article originally, or it's been changed, but the 30% figure refers to US Internet traffic, and not the UK.

Pretty compelling evidence that most media piracy is driven by a search for convenience rather than a desire to get something for nothing. What we have is two giants battling over crumbs while ignoring the fact that they are standing on the deck of a ship that is both sinking and on fire. CBS/Time Warner dispute causes sharp rise in TV piracy | Company News content from Broadcast Engineering.

In my previous post, I discussed the recent announcement by Thom Yorke of Radiohead that he was pulling his music from Spotify. This announcement has caused quite a stir, with lots of people taking pro and anti Spotify positions.  It's important to have this sort of debate, but the focus on Spotify is causing people to miss the real point. Although his target was Spotify, ProducerNigel Godrich defined the real problem when he posted, “Making new recorded music needs funding

If the user interface is good, this could be the step Connected TV needs - at $35, it's a great price and by being so simple, it's far more flexible than an Apple TV. Google’s Solution to Bringing Online Video to TV | MIT Technology Review. Related articles* Why Google Chromecast isn't quite Apple TV... yet (macworld.com) * The World Isn't Ready For The Chromecast Yet (buzzfeed.com) * Apple TV vs. Google TV (cabletv.com) * Google's TV (buzzmachine.com) * How Chromecast Fits

Reflecting on the link I posted about Thom Yorke quitting Spotify, I kept thinking about the statement in the article that, "The industry average offers slightly less than 0.4p a stream – meaning that 1m streams of a song would generate about £3,800. Most songs receive far fewer streams." The problem with this statement is that it equates streaming with sales, instead of viewing it as the modern equivalent of spins on radio, which is far more apt an analogy. People stream th

It's not about the delivery mechanism, it's about the shows! TV Foresees Its Future. Netflix Is There. - NYTimes.com.

The House of Lords have proposed that Britain should move all TV services to the internet and free the airwaves for mobile services. On the surface, this looks like a bold statement, and in many ways it is, but it's also a safe bet. The writing has been on the wall for a while now. Take a look at my entries on "Cutting the Cords," and "Beyond HD" for a bit of context on the delivery of media over the internet. A couple of key statement from the article: "The committee says

Good article in Broadcast Engineering: Cloud PVR spreads over Europe. The "Cloud PVR" (Or DVR, if you're in the US) is a bizarre sort of thing, designed to solve a legal problem, not a technological one. It boils down to this - if a distribution company such as a cable of satellite operator, as opposed to a channel, allows you to replay a programme on demand that has been carried over their service, they then have to pay additional fees to the license owner(s) of that mater

There are so many posts out now about the potential trend of "cutting the cord." In other words, dropping cable and satellite service and relying on free to air television and internet streaming. Well, I've gone even further that that - I've even cut the cord to the rooftop aerial and am getting all my media via the internet - radio and TV. I've already covered the radio bit. That was about convienence and functionality. The TV part is a bit different. It was driven by interi