TV firms tune in new channels

Davis: we must be ready to cope with the new sources of data

New ways of accessing media content is set to radically change the role of IT in the UK’s television broadcasters.

Organisations including the BBC, ITV and Five are increasingly looking to mobile TV, digital channels and video-on-demand.

As a result, the growing volume and complexity of data generated from such innovations is forcing broadcasters to adopt new approaches to technology to meet consumer needs.

BBC chief information officer Keith Little says the race is on to ensure the right infrastructure is in place so broadcasters can understand new forms of data.

‘We saw the change in media content coming and made sure we had infrastructure in place ahead of time,’ said Little.

‘We improved our data storage, wide area network and available bandwidth because the effect on IT of multimedia platforms will be big.

‘But we also have to improve our customer relationship management (CRM) systems because interactive media such as the web and digital TV allows audience participation,’ he said.

The BBC has lagged behind its rivals in understanding its customers because until now it has simply pushed content out to consumers without any real-time feedback.

But it is not alone. Ken Davis, Five’s chief information officer, says deploying CRM will be one of the biggest priorities for broadcasters in coming years.

‘Digital channels allow two-way communication but we are not used to dealing with this kind of data so we need to somehow integrate this into existing management information systems,’ said Davis.

With data volumes growing at 30 to 40 per cent a year thanks to the addition of new channels as well as new platforms, Five has also introduced server and storage virtualisation technology from EqualLogic and VMWare to prepare for increasing amounts of information. This has allowed it to reduce the number of servers it has from 100 to 75.

‘IT has always been central to broadcasters because if the IT fails, we go off the air,’ said Davis.

‘But we must now be ready to cope with new sources of data, ensuring the infrastructure is flexible and agile while remaining cost-effective.’

Once the infrastructure is in place, it will be easier to integrate new data sources, says ITV’s director of broadcast strategy Steve Bottomley.

‘If the building blocks are in place, then it will not matter where the data is coming from,’ he said. ‘What is most important is integrating it to get a holistic view of how all our media content is performing.’

Another area likely to spark debate is how to merge data from new media platforms into traditional performance measures, such as overnight ratings.

‘The next big question is: do we measure everything that looks like TV, such as mobile TV or video-on-demand?’ said Bottomley.

Ovum analyst Chris Lewis says the broadcaster that best exploits the new channels open to them, to provide content in a form at chosen by the consumer, will be successful.

New media

... in 30 seconds

z The BBC announced earlier this year that it will make programmes available through a number of branded channels on the YouTube social networking site. Two BBC-branded channels will showcase clips and exclusive content.

z Sky News is using video over IP to deliver broadcast-quality news coverage over the internet and eliminate the need to transmit information by satellite.

z ITV1 last year became the first UK terrestrial channel to stream programming to mobile phones. The deal with mobile provider 3 allows customers in the UK to access ITV1 and quiz channel ITV Play, live on mobile devices.

z Channel 4 last year started streaming live versions of its home-grown programmes on the internet at the same time they are broadcast. It carries the same adverts as aired on television and plans to sell advertising space in the future.