18
Médiamétrie chooses
Witbe to enhance
watermarking monitoring
Media research firm Médiamétrie has
selected Witbe’s measurement technologies
to monitor its watermaking technologies.
Médiamétrie deploys a watermarking
technique to measure the audience of
any linear and non-linear TV programme.
Based on the insertion of tags on the
audio channels, this watermark enables
Médiamétrie to identify which channels are
being watched and which TV programmes
are being played. Jérôme Méric, director
of R&D for measurement systems at
Médiamétrie, explained: “Thanks to Witbe
Robots connected to consumers’ real settop boxes, we are able to efficiently monitor
the availability and the integrity of the
watermarks added by our customers in their
live and time-shifted TV programmes.”
Simplifying metadata
management
StreamGuys, a content delivery network
and streaming media provider, has
introduced SGmetadata, a new SaaS-based
metadata delivery system that reduces
the informational workload associated
with connecting and updating listeners to
streaming media. Unlike the older ‘short
polling’ version of metadata transfers
between streaming providers and users,
StreamGuys’ push-based metadata system
sends the full layer of the provider’s HTTP
protocol — including headers and extras —
to the user just once when the streaming
session starts.
Next Month @ Management
Audience Measurement
PANELLISTS
Fintan Mc Kiernan
CEO
Ideal Systems
South-east Asia
Patrick So
Regional Manager
Asia Pacific
Magna Systems &
Engineering
November 2016
Stay relevant to
garner audience
retention
Evolving from an initial role of
station identification to today’s need
to communicate with audiences,
the concept of channel branding
continues to change to adapt to
consumption habits across multiple
devices. Josephine Tan reports ...
T
he TV landscape is evolving as viewers
today not only have access to a wide
variety of channels, but the majority
of them are also moving on to second
screen devices to watch their preferred
programmes. However, what has not
changed is the display of the logo bug on
their screens, regardless of what content
they are watching and which platform
they are viewing their content on.
The role of channel branding remains crucial in today’s broadcast
environment, especially when there are
so many choices available to viewers,
suggests Daliah Naor, senior marketing
solutions manager at Avid.
She tells APB: “Channel branding
reinforces the channel’s identity, and
the primary role of channel branding
is to keep the viewers from changing
channels. A broadcaster with multiple
channels can use a different look and
feel to unify each channel’s identity.”
On the other hand, Mariano
Monteverde, sales director, Asia-Pacific,
VSN, highlights that proper channel
branding is the key to generating a posi-
tive impact on viewers. Essentially, it is
about making the channel compelling
for viewers, and for them to readily
recall which channel is providing them
with the content they want.
“Branding plays a main role triggering the initial interest that can
accelerate awareness. Furthermore,
it helps broadcasters to communicate
with viewers the synergies between the
different content and programming
strategies of a channel,” he explains.
Channel branding is no longer
restricted to a simple insertion of
the channel bug for identification.
Although the role remains the same,
the style of presentation has been
improvised to enhance the viewing
experience. Today, broadcasters are
adding necessary information that is
relevant to the content airing on the
screens, alongside the display of the
channel bug.
Andy Warman, director of Product
Line Management, Servers and Storage
at Harmonic, elaborates: “Channel
branding is a great mechanism for dis-
To reinforce the channel’s identity, Avid’s
3DPlay channel branding solution provides
data-driven and real-time graphics that can
be triggered multiple times with different
data, clips and images to deliver updated
content.
semination of information, audience
retention, and providing additional
information, content, news and ideas
to viewers. The type and style of channel branding can vary during different
parts of the day or segments to suit the
audience and type of programme that
is being broadcast.
“Viewers looking for news and
sports, for example, will value additional information that is delivered as
channel branding to support the primary video content. Likewise, viewers
of episodic content may enjoy trailers
and snipes that advertise upcoming,
related programming.”
One aspect that has been affecting
broadcasters’ channel branding strategies is the shift of viewers’ consumption
habits towards second screen devices.
Although branding strategies do not
❝The platforms being used to view content do cause a change
in branding strategy. Mobile, OTT and broadcast channels each
need their own branding approach, identity and considerations
for resolution, screen size, aspect ratio and many more.❞
— Andy Warman,
Director, Product Line Management, Servers & Storage,
Harmonic
Graham Stephens
CTO
Media City Development
Malaysia
Designed for production and playout applications, Harmonic’s Spectrum X advanced media server system provides ingest and playout for
baseband and IP workflows.