It is a mistake to paint the economic condition of the broadcast industry with too broad of a brush because individual segments, regions and products continue to remain strong.
That’s how Douglas Sheer, CEO and chief analyst of D.I.S. Consulting, sums up the findings of “Broadcasting, Audio and Video Global Trends Report,” a recently published joint effort with the NAB Show. The report is a compilation of 15 separate research reports across 15 market segments within the digital media space.
“Not all of the product categories are being affected in the same way in 2009,” Sheer said. Video servers and encoders remain strong, and camcorders are flat to showing modest growth, while transmitters, video switchers and studio camera sales are soft, he said. “I think it is really important to not paint with the same brush the entire market and say everything is off,” he said. “It’s a mixed bag.”
The new global report, which provides an overview of worldwide trends affecting digital media, examines a variety of topics including automation, servers, encoders, storage, new workflow, removable media, HD and switchers.
According to the author, much of the data present in the book draws on research conducted before the fall of 2008 when the big decline on Wall Street began. However, Sheer and his team of researchers collected data as the nation’s economic woes unfolded last year. The result is an accurate picture of what happened by product category last year.
The mixed bag of performance extends beyond products, according to Sheer. Various regions across the globe remain strong. The recession has not touched Brazil. China, too, remains strong as do France and Germany when compared to the United States, the U.K. and Iceland, he said.
The report is complimentary for exhibitors of the NAB Show and NAB members. It is available for purchase at www.nabstore.com and will be on sale at the NAB Show Store at a 15 percent discount.
