Copyright court decision to impact Australian IPTV models
The Playroom general manager Andrew Hogg told Encore that the decision marks the moment when broadcasters, content providers and creators will finally sit down with ISPs to find genuine solutions and models.
Head of digital Tom Kennedy added that companies are already looking at ISPs as delivery platforms through an IPTV service, but they have to find a balance between reasonable access, efficiency and a good price model, the way the music industry has done with iTunes and other legal download services.
According to Kennedy, the release windows that studios have been fighting so hard to protect to maximise their theatrical revenue are not just narrowing, but collapsing. He foresees much more aggressive and simultaneous platform releases.
The Omnilab Media-owned company unveiled its state-of-the-art digital media hub last year, providing broadcast and distribution services and strategies to clients such as The Movie Network. Their planned expansion into digital platforms and IPTV is gradual. To help with the company’s technological expansion into the future, The Playroom has appointed a new head of technology, Craig Armsworth, whose previous role with Magna Systems and Engineering saw him work in the development of the company’s digital hub.
Although the infrastructure is there, clients are still doing traditional and high definition content delivery, in addition to their incipient digital efforts. The hub’s technological capabilities are not being utilised at 100 percent capacity.
“Because the facility is digital in its workflow and it’s based on IP protocols, it gives you the flexibility to move from that digital broadcast into IPTV,” explained Kennedy. “We have been working on a range of platforms already, including iTunes, ninemsn, BigPond, Telstra Mobile.”
According to Hogg, clients are still “dipping their toes” into the market, which requires a considerable growth in broadband access and development of commercial models.
“Both are important,” said Kennedy. “It’s not necessarily about having new infrastructure; it’s constrained within an individual user’s home data caps. The ubiquity of broadband and more generous data caps will generate more commercialisation of content.
“We’re expecting to see a range of improvements, with ISPs’ expanding data plans and offering content services that are not part of their data cap [such as ABC’s iView].”
For broadcasters and studios, the main challenge is to monetise their online content. Hogg says The Playroom is operating not just as a supplier and playout facility, but also working with clients to develop strategies for content and delivery.
“Broadcasters are preparing to take risks with their content and platforms that are yet to be proven, and we’ve used that analysis and information to make our business case in terms of processes, what is the best platform to invest in, what is working, what isn’t, what is the consumer behaviour,” said Kennedy.
Is it any wonder this is the way the world of cable and free to air television is going.
For too long everyone has been held to ransom over what a programmer thinks will rate.
GO is a perfect example of good programming, so good that it outrates some free to air channels, so what if it is reruns. Reruns are comfy like old slippers.
Televised Rugby Union is a perfect example of a poorly serviced market in Australia. In NZ they have a Rugby channel. In Australia you have to subscribe to Foxtel, Sentanta and ESPN to get even a third of what they get on the Rugby Channel in NZ.
I am still waiting for the 7’s rugby final from the 2006 commonwealth games in Melbourne to be played on Free to Air or cable TV in Austalia.
Every year there are a number of international games involving England that are only on Setanta.
Similarly shows like Entourage, Project Runway just don’t get a decent showing in Australia and really shows like Entourage series 2 and 3 had the potential to be worldwide internet hits on IPTV
So many of my friends ask me why i pay for my IQ2HD service when the events they really want to watch just aren’t televised. Yet this winter NRL rugby league is going to be forced down our throat every game live and uninterupted, repeated disected and regurgitated. A league (kick and chase and hope) football is in the same basket.
Is it any wonder that often p2p bittorrent sites and tracker servers fail regularly after certain shows have aired overseas with the traffic they service from disgruntled viewers.
All cable TV providers are effectively one channel with 60 odd programs going on all at once. With iptv and maybe a settop box incrorporating a bit torrent client as a distributed transport everyone could be their own programmer.
On the other hand what is the point in building forty odd billion worth of infrastructure if it is only going to be used to watch TV whether it is legal or otherwise.
User ID not verified.
sorry, i judt didnt get it, whats the legal point of view about IPTV? if any company wants to bring TV to australia, what procedure they need to follow?
what if their programs conflicts with big providers like Foxtel and Austar?
regards
User ID not verified.