Next week, I'll be covering the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas with my colleagues, FierceCable Editor Steve Donohue and Editor in Chief Sue Marek. NAB is of course one of the biggest trade shows of the year, but what's more telling is the amount of attention that will be paid to over-the-top services and technologies.
Media companies and pay-TV providers are making it a priority to build their presence in the multiscreen sector this year, but they're still wrestling with doing it in a way that won't impact their traditional subscription and advertising models. That's something we'll be talking about at a FierceCable breakfast on Tuesday, April 8. "Profiting from IP Video" will feature panelists from Clearleap, Comcast Wholesale, Fox Networks, Turner Broadcasting and This Technology.
With that shameless plug out of the way, it's interesting to take a look at the sheer number of OTT topics on the NAB Show schedule. Two major conferences over a three-day span will tackle the "problem" of disruptive media (hint: online video services) and the technical challenges of OTT media delivery, such as managing workflows and dealing with network bottlenecks, security and other issues.
Those discussions take place as vendors on the exhibit floor showcase the latest in 4K standards and transcoding technologies, streaming management solutions, and even the latest 4K televisions. Josh Wein takes a closer look at the 4K market in this feature from our NAB Preview Issue, which published today.
As the battle between Aereo and broadcasters approaches its Supreme Court endgame, Steve Donohue takes a look at vendors that will be pitching solutions to local broadcasters that they say compete with Aereo's antenna-to-streaming-device service.
Our preview issue also features an overview of CDN (content delivery network) software and the importance of the CDN in online video delivery. And Monica Alleven takes a look at the conference's concern with regulatory issues affecting broadcasters.
If you plan to attend the NAB show, email me or ping me on Twitter @FierceOnlineVideo or @FierceSamantha. Hope to see you there.--Sam