BOTHELL, WASH.—Sharpening the focus of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions on the actual needs of broadcasters appears to be the driving force behind this week’s announcement that AIMS and the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) have inked a formal liaison agreement.
"It's important to have discussions so that AIMS members know what NABA constituents need, and now that we've formalized a partnership, those discussions will be easier to have,” said Michael McEwen, NABA general director in a press release announcing the agreement.
NABA has been addressing media over IP for a couple of years to define the needs of broadcasters and to understand what a transition from baseband to IP means to them, he said. More than a year ago, the association shared an NABA IP taskforce report with AIMS and has been talking with the alliance ever since, he said.
“NABA will also encourage broadcasters to participate in the IP interoperability demos put on by AIMS, SMPTE and others to learn about and understand the technology,” said McEwen.
The association represents many broadcasters in North America who make decisions about what to purchase, said Michael Cronk, AIMS board chair. “AIMS' mission is to foster the adoption of a common set of protocols for interoperability over IP in the media and entertainment industry,” he said.
While collaboration among the members of AIMS is important, the alliance cannot foster adoption of IP by broadcasters “on its own,” he said. “There's far more leverage when we collaborate with other organizations who share a common goal," said Cronk.
The agreement to collaborate on IP interoperability follows an October workshop on media over IP in New York hosted by AIMS, NABA, SMPTE and the Video Services Forum.
