Sports network ESPN has been a pioneer in bringing its content to fans that are increasingly consuming media beyond the traditional television screen. The strategy, based on its WatchESPN application that provides 24/7 live programming from any and all of ESPN’s networks on your computer, smart phone, tablet, Xbox 360 and Apple TV, is being mimicked by many in the industry as a way to generate new revenue from existing content.
The subject is critical for operators looking to claim a stake in this new video consumption era, as the potential is huge. A recent study by Cisco Video Networking predicts that by 2017 two-thirds of all Internet traffic will be video and there will be as many as 1.9 billion connected devices in the marketplace.
At the upcoming Content and Communications World (CCW) conference, November 13-14, in New York City, Damon Phillips, vice president at WatchESPN and ESPN 3 will join a panel discussion entitled “Multi-Platform Television: Navigating the Path to the Connected Consumer” to discuss his company’s methods for success. WatchESPN is available free as app on your phone or on the ESPN3 channel for fans that subscribe to some type of high-speed internet service provider (that has an existing deal with ESPN).
Today’s Connected Consumers increasingly demand the television programming they want to watch, whenever and however they want to watch it. Conventional content owners, aggregators, and distributers have had to move very quickly to meet consumer demand for television over streaming platforms to a host of mobile devices, smart phones, tablet, and computers as well as smart TVs, game consoles, and digital media players.
This transition is happening so rapidly and seamlessly for the consumer that it belies an underlying fundamental shift in the television distribution model. Consumers now expect content to be available whenever and wherever they want it. For the network operator, that means deploying a robust and scalable technology platform that can handle varying demands and the numerous formats that must be supported in today’s fractured mobile device environment.
This session, moderated by Roger Charlesworth, president of Charlesworth Media, will focus on real world issues and concerns surrounding how and when to deliver content most efficiently. For example, How are networks and distributors moving to adapt? With the shift in consumer preferences accelerating, will they be able to continue to keep up? What will be the end result? How will disruptive alternative distribution models and the widespread transition to multi-platform streaming permanently change the television landscape? Which established and emerging players will survive and prosper from these changes, and who will be the casualties along the way?
See what all of this IP-based multiplatform distribution fuss is about (and why you need to find out more) on Wednesday, November 13, from 9:00 -10:00 AM.
