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Study Shows Broadcasters at Risk of Being Overwhelmed by Multiplatform and HD Efforts

May 25, 2011  •  Post A Comment

Many TV stations are at risk of being overwhelmed by the challanges presented by the need to expand online and mobile operations, according to a new study of senior engineers at more than 350 stations, Broadcasting & Cable reported.

HD upgrades are also posing problems for broadcasters, according to the study, titled “U.S. TV Stations Infrastructure: The HD Transition Has Just Begun.” The study was run by Positive Flux.

“The study also found that although nearly 90% of all stations have adopted non-linear editing, most stations have yet to develop unified workflows that will enable them to eliminate costly process duplication in delivering to multiple platforms,” the story reported. “In addition, many station executives are viewing HDTV and new platform support as simply a cost of doing business and have not paid enough attention to how those efforts might provide an opportunity to rethink station operations to both cut costs and improve their online and mobile operations.”

Larry Thaler, president of Positive Flux, said in a statement: "Broadcasters are justified in their excitement for the opportunities made possible by delivering TV services to mobile and Internet-connected devices, but few have equipped themselves to handle the sheer volume and variety of formats this entails. Alongside completing their HD transition, stations should be carefully considering organizational improvements and workflow tools that will enable them to dynamically adapt their production and delivery chains without creating parallel organizations or new layers of technology."

5 Comments

  1. Let me guess. Positive Flux markets a solution to a problem that their survey identified. And they can rely on a press release to get them some free advertising.

  2. The dirty little secret of the broadcast business is that TV stations are already overwhelmed by the demands of HD broadcasting.
    Stations have slashed technical staff, with many relying on remote management centers that are responsible for monitoring signal delivery and presentation at multiple station properties.
    Local stations routinely drop the ball technically, particularly in the handling of Dolby audio streams, and when there is a problem with video, it is typically up to viewers to make the station aware of the problem before it gets fixed. There is little in the way of proactive management on the engineering side.
    The idea that local broadcast stations are going to expand to mobile or 3D is laughable. I’d estimate that more than half the stations in my own market are stretched to the breaking point already and have more on their plate than they can adequately handle.

  3. You hit the nail on the head, Savant. We’re already at the breaking point. I can hardly even adequately monitor our on air signal as it is. We have slashed staff big time, and the point about viewers having to notify us if there’s a problem is exactly correct and completely sad. We are now REactive…PROactive is a dead concept. Get used to it, heh.

  4. “overwhelmed by the challenges presented by the need to expand online and mobile operations”
    The real challenge is the business model, return on investment, and ability to make a profit. While the broadcast industry was battling and infighting over the HDTV standards, they lost the war in terms of losing broadcast spectrum. The concept that advertisers would pay for HDTV spots and the consumers would demand and embraced HDTV never happened. The picture quality is bastardised from acquisition to transmission for sake of cramming (delivering) more “bits” to the end user. And given the deregulation by the FCC, then endless video standards and formats, the vast methods of electronic distribution, the idiosyncrasy of the consumer, the vacuum of engineering talent at the local stations, Over-the-air broadcasting will be as extinct as the dinosaur

  5. The real challenge is the business model, return on investment, and ability to make a profit. While the broadcast industry was battling and infighting over the HDTV standards, they lost the war in terms of losing broadcast spectrum. The concept that advertisers would pay for HDTV spots and the consumers would demand and embraced HDTV never happened. The picture quality is bastardised from acquisition to transmission for sake of cramming (delivering) more “bits” to the end user. And given the deregulation by the FCC, then endless video standards and formats, the vast methods of electronic distribution, the idiosyncrasy of the consumer, the vacuum of engineering talent at the local stations, Over-the-air broadcasting will be as extinct as the dinosaur

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