IBC Conference: Transforming media and entertainment with the Microsoft Cloud

By Francesco Venturini, Corporate Vice President, Media and Communications

September 9, 2022

Content type
Thought leadership

The media and entertainment industry is trending to a cloud-first future with immersive user engagements all underpinned by data. Prior to COVID-19, the industry was experiencing a surge in demand for online content and streaming media. The continuing acceleration of those trends, and the media industry’s embrace of remote work and remote production, have generated unprecedented interest in cloud-first broadcasting.

Microsoft works closely with broadcasters and partners, empowering them to achieve more, with live video production powered by the Microsoft Cloud.

Very few live broadcasts run exclusively in the cloud—and no single technology company can make that happen on its own. It takes an ecosystem of partners at the forefront of broadcasting to bring this vision to life. Microsoft and our partners are empowering broadcasters to reach and engage their viewers in new ways, including helping customers to:

Move content directly from the camera to the cloud, and then to the customer.
Distribute immediately in multiple languages.
Use data to drive user engagement around that content.

Microsoft is excited to return to IBC 2022, from September 9 to 12 in Amsterdam. IBC is the premier global event, created by the industry for the industry that highlights the latest innovations in both media and technology. We have stepped up our commitment to IBC with a fully immersive booth experience, sharing both industry and technical expertise in multiple sessions, and sponsoring the Accelerator Programme.

Cloud-first live sports broadcasting in action

Stop by our booth and you will not just hear about how the Microsoft Cloud is transforming live broadcasts—you will see it in action as Microsoft, and our partners team up to produce live sports commentary on the convention floor. Throughout the live broadcast, guests can walk through demos in the booth and drill down into the technical elements of the broadcast.

Our booth is at 1.D25, in Hall 1. Representatives from Microsoft and our partners will be available throughout the day to answer your questions and help pursue your vision for a cloud-first future.

Microsoft and industry experience in the sessions

Joe Newcombe, Media Technology Strategist, Microsoft:
- Technical papers: Energy-efficiency for a more sustainable future, September 9, 11:00 AM CET to 11:45 AM CET in E102.
Simon Crownshaw, Worldwide Strategy Director for Media and Entertainment, Microsoft:
- The John Logie Baird lecture – The state of the TV business and the next five years, September 10, 11:00 AM CET to 11:45 AM CET in E102.
- MovieLabs 2030 vision update: Implementing the vision, September 11, 11:30 AM CET to 12:15 PM CET in the Forum.

Industry innovation at the Accelerator Programme

The Accelerator Media Innovation Programme is back, and Microsoft is proud to be the sponsor of this platform that fosters innovation in the media and entertainment industry. All the accelerator sessions will be fascinating, and I personally recommend, “Cloud Based Live Events, Analytics, and Low Latency Protocols,” on September 11 at 10:00 AM CET on the Innovation Stage in Hall 2. This session will provide a lot of insight into the future of multi-camera live event broadcasts in the cloud.

Powerful live demos from our partners

Microsoft leverages its unique partnership with media partners and system integrators to build and operate the end-to-end production workflow experience. Check out the powerful demos throughout the stages of the lens to the screen.

Acquisition and production

Microsoft and our partners are enabling camera-to-the-cloud. Our partners will demonstrate features like highlighting, clipping, timeline management, conversion, monitoring, and other production needs. We are proud to feature Evertz, Cinnafilm, swXtch.io, and Support Partners in our Acquisition and Production pod.

Editorial and postproduction

Creating production elements such as social media segments, highlight packages, tailored reviews, newsroom features, and clipped elements are critical to delivering to the multiple endpoints that use the content that an event creates. Learn more from Avid and Blackbird in our Editorial and Postproduction pod.

Compression and packaging

Encoding, transcoding, and packaging are the true engines for delivering content to customers at scale. This vital stage touches all of the other areas we are putting on display in which MediaKind, Harmonic, and Deltatre will be part of the pod.

Distribution

Microsoft and our partners help deliver content to consumers. With the advent of more control messages, security requirements, and identity management, partners are a critical part of the broadcast ecosystem. Check out the demo from our partner Akamai to learn more.

Data

Microsoft has engaged in a long history of implementing AI and machine learning applications to the media workspace, and our partners have been with us the entire time. You can get to know AI and machine learning better with demos from Aptitude Software and Azure Video Indexer.

Telemetry and observability

Our distribution and data insights demo will highlight dashboards and application wireframes for streaming and video-on-demand services (VOD) asset workflows. We have got great demos from Telestream, Datazoom, and PwC in our Telemetry and Observability pod.

User engagement

Data makes it possible for media companies to engage their viewers like never before, including retention, monetization, gamification, and even augmented reality experiences. Our partners Ease Live, an Evertz Company, and Alice & Smith will show how they have used Azure PlayFab and Azure Communication Services to drive engagement and Tech Mahindra shows off creating truly global live experiences in real-time with Tellyo. We have basketball experiences to show off augmented reality using Microsoft HoloLens.

Our commitment to the industry

As media organizations pursue the transition to a cloud-first future, Microsoft will continue to help our customers navigate the blurring lines between broadcasting, commerce, engagement, and gaming.

Very few live broadcasts run exclusively in the cloud—and no single technology company can make that happen on their own. It takes an ecosystem of partners at the forefront of broadcasting to bring this vision to life. Microsoft and our partners are empowering broadcasters to reach and engage their viewers in new ways.

Our commitment to innovation in media extends beyond IBC 2022 and around the world; get the latest updates and thought leadership on our dedicated media Twitter channel.