3 key takeaways from Sky’s Tech Summit 2017
This week, Axonista was one of the tech companies in attendance at Sky’s annual Tech Summit, at their amazing Osterley campus.
While last year’s event focused on streaming at scale, this year’s covered a wide range of topics from all areas of the video ecosystem.
Chaired by Sky News anchor Anna Jones, the day-long event covered video, audio, AI, VR, AR, esports, and big data.
Here are our top 3 key takeaways from the event.
1. ‘Barriers to entry are tumbling in the broadcast industry’
Thanks to the speed of evolution of OTT and mobile it’s quick today to stand up a niche channel that can reach a wide audience across markets. TV networks need to listen to viewers, and keep innovating, to give them more of what they want, and the high quality viewing experience they expect. Delivering value to customers is the mantra at Sky.
2. ‘Linear is leading the way for digital first broadcasters’
The inclusion of TV newcomers Facebook and YouTube on a panel called ‘Giving viewers what they want’, reflects the ever changing landscape. Ben McOwen Wilson, of YouTube, said that the fastest growing platform for YouTube is TV. Daniel Danker, of Facebook, said video consumption on the platform used to be driven by community. But now people come to Facebook to watch video.
It’s worth noting that both of these execs have a background in linear TV at ITV and the BBC respectively. This confirms our belief at Axonista that Silicon Valley is turning to traditional TV to figure out its video growth strategy. Curating a programme slate that people actually want to watch is a fine art, and one that these newcomers still need to learn. According to Mai Fyfield, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer at Sky, linear viewing is still big, and it’s harder to deliver than a pure VOD play. Consumers are savvy. They expect broadcasters to deliver a consistent, great viewing experience across all platforms.
3. ‘Good, reliable technology is key to delivering at scale’
Many of the speakers represented startups tackling emerging content, like esports and VR . They noted that solid technology infrastructure is key to delivering great experiences at scale. It’s important to partner with companies that have the depth of experience and domain knowledge to support a scaling video business.
John Cassy, CEO of VR experience company Factory 42 put it best. ‘To get someone to strap a thing that looks like a scuba mask to their face, you have to give them something amazing and new in return.’
We couldn’t agree more.
Talk to us about how Axonista has already helped global brands increase engagement and revenue by making their existing video content interactive on OTT devices.
