Jim Riley

IBC Content Everywhere Exhibitor Profile: LTN Rick Young, senior vice president and head of global products for LTN, discusses what they will highlight at the show In advance of the 2024 IBC Show, Sept. 13-16 at the RAI Amsterdam, TV Tech spoke with Rick Young, senior vice president and head of global products for LTN, who will be exhibiting in Stand 5.A76 in the show's "Content Everywhere" Zone. TV Tech: Why did you choose to exhibit in the Content Everywhere Zone this year? Rick Young: LTN sees the Content Everywhere Zone as the heartbeat of the show. The Content Everywhere Zone aligns with our vision to give media companies more control over their content distribution. LTN is empowering media companies to transition to an IP-based distribution model. The zone spotlights the very latest emerging technologies for multi-platform delivery, OTT, and the monetization of content. We are looking forward to showcasing how LTN technology is powering high-quality live events and customized streaming experiences at scale. #Trending #News

PlayStation ceases Concord sales, offers refunds after anemic launch https://ift.tt/EneRg7A GamesBeat Next is connecting the next generation of video game leaders. And you can join us, coming up October 28th and 29th in San Francisco! Take advantage of our buy one, get one free pass offer. Sale ends this Friday, August 16th. Join us by registering here.  PlayStation and Firewalk Studios announced today that they are taking their recently released multiplayer game Concord offline. The game launched on August 23, and it’ll go offline a mere two weeks later, on September 6. According to Firewalk, they’ll use the time after the game goes offline to “explore options” for it. PlayStation ceases all sales of the game at that time and players will receive refunds. Firewalk Studios announced the decision in a blog post on the PlayStation website, with game director Ryan Ellis saying that, while some aspects of the game resonated with players, “our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended… We’ll keep you updated and thank you again to all the Freegunners who have joined us in the Concord galaxy.” Ellis doesn’t say what the options Firewalk will explore are, but says they hope to “better reach our players.” Concord launched simultaneously on PC and PlayStation, and according to SteamDB, its highest concurrent player count was 697 on that platform. In a report from IGN, GameDiscover.co’s Simon Carless estimated that the game had sold only about 25,000 copies — 10,000 on PC and 15,000 on PlayStation. Whether these figures are due to the game’s $40 price point, the saturation of live service market or the competition from Black Myth: Wukong is a matter of speculation. The rest of the article details how users can get refunds for their game on different platforms. Players on all platforms will receive their refunds automatically if they purchased the game digitally, while physical refunds will go through the retailer. Players no longer have access to the game once they receive a refund. GB Daily Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily By subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service. Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured. Business News via VentureBeat https://ift.tt/y3eHVx7 September 3, 2024 at 09:51AM

How David Zaslav can save Warner Bros. Discovery as the cable bundle collapses, according to a top media analyst https://ift.tt/xM6cEmP Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is in a tough spot, but success is possible. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Wall Street is souring on David Zaslav after Warner Bros. Discovery's discouraging earnings report. The media conglomerate is suffering as cord-cutting occurs at a faster pace. Media analyst Tim Nollen suggests a path for Zaslav to turn his troubled firm around. David Zaslav was already on Hollywood's bad side, and now he's losing Wall Street's support. Some analysts now say the embattled media executive should break up Warner Bros. Discovery, but there may be ways to engineer a turnaround without selling off assets or doing mass layoffs. Patience is running thin for Zaslav, as WBD shares hit an all-time low on Monday and are now down more than 70% since the merger that created the company in April 2022. The latest wave of panic stems from WBD's ugly Q2 earnings report, as its revenue fell 6.2% from 2023 and adjusted profits tumbled 16.5%. To make matters worse, Zaslav & Co. revealed last week that they took a $9.1 billion writedown on their TV networks, essentially admitting that they drastically overvalued those assets. WBD wasn't alone: Paramount soon followed suit by slashing the value of its TV assets by $6 billion. Those moves show just how rapidly the cable TV business is unraveling. Over 8 million households have cut the cord in the last two years, according to Macquarie Research, and quit rates are accelerating. The firm found that pay TV subscriptions plunged about 8.5% in each of the first two quarters of 2024, which helps explain the 5% drop in TV advertising revenue last quarter. Even more worrying for media companies is that streaming isn't replacing pay TV's profits. WBD's direct-to-consumer segment still loses money, and its streaming revenue actually declined 6% from last year — even though Max added 3.7 million subscribers. And while Disney and Paramount reached streaming profitability in Q2, investors didn't reward them for it. "Warner Bros. and Paramount are in the most trouble because they still have the highest exposure to the bundle — aside from Fox — and the biggest alternative bets in streaming, which are not really working out for them that well yet," Tim Nollen, Macquarie's top media analyst, recently told Business Insider. While Nollen isn't bullish on WBD, he thinks there are ways Zaslav can preserve his brainchild. He outlined four such paths, though success is far from guaranteed. A 4-part game plan for Zaslav Make Max an international hit WBD's flagship streaming service will determine its future, for better or worse. Max has underwhelmed since its rebrand last May, due to an elevated cancellation rate compared to its peers and modest subscriber growth. WBD's streaming business, which includes Discovery+, has added 11 million customers in the last tw...

ESPN's and Warner Bros. Discovery's joint live sports streaming service finally has a price https://ift.tt/bwpnQTk Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up again, this time to launch a streaming service catering to sports fans. Venu Sports is an upcoming sports-only streaming platform stemming from a joint venture between ESPN — a subsidiary of Disney — Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The new service announced today is expected to launch this fall with a price of $42.99 a month. Venu subscribers will have access to dozens of sports channels including ESPN, SECN, ACCN, ABC, FOX, FS1, BTN, TNT, and TBS all without the need of a cable subscription. Additionally, the service will provide access to extensive live game coverage from all the major sports leagues and on-demand sports content like documentaries from ESPN. “With an impressive portfolio of sports programming, Venu will provide sports fans in the U.S. with a single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events,” said Venu CEO Pete Distad in a press release. “We’re building Venu from the ground up for fans who want seamless access to watch the sports they love, and we will launch at a compelling price point that will appeal to the cord cutter and cord never fans currently not served by existing pay TV packages.” The news comes as streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video have started to experiment with live programming. A key selling point of streaming has always been its ability to offer thousands of hours of content on demand, but in recent years streamers have noticed that live programming can drive subscriptions. Both Netflix and Prime Video have announced that they plan to stream NFL games this upcoming season. The news also marks an additional partnership between Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. Last week, the media giants launched a new bundle that combines all of their streaming platforms under one monthly subscription plan. Business News via Quartz https://qz.com August 1, 2024 at 10:35AM

Warner Bros. Discovery faces setback in Q2 earnings https://ift.tt/43gBqcL Warner Bros. Discovery saw a notable drop of over 11% in premarket trading due to underperforming second-quarter earnings. The primary cause was a surprising $9.1 billion impairment charge associated with its TV networks unit, affecting the company’s profitability substantially and lowering the earnings outlook for the upcoming year. This development led investors to revalue their shares, resulting in a rapid sell-off and widespread concern among the investment community. An additional $2.1 billion costs related to the company’s merger brought the total write-downs and charges for the past quarter to $11.2 billion, exacerbating the company’s financial burden and increasing its reported quarterly losses. The company now faces a difficult task of reducing these expenses, holding its market position, and maintaining shareholder confidence, despite the initial optimism about the merger driving positive growth. Despite these setbacks, CEO David Zaslav and CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels remain confident in the company’s potential for recovery and growth. They assure shareholders of their commitment to overcoming the current challenges through strategic planning and transparent operation. Their optimism is supported by a recent upswing in the company’s streaming sector, with around 4 million new subscribers this quarter, indicating a shift towards more flexible, on-demand viewing. Contrarily, the traditional television arm of Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Q2 earnings stumble Discovery has struggled to keep up, suggesting an ongoing shift in consumer preferences – a reality the company plans to address by enhancing its digital presence. The second-quarter earnings report showed a revenue of $9.7 billion, falling short of the projected $10.12 billion, due largely to the massive impairment charge. However, the company’s European sales grew by 12% and its online sales increased by 8%. Facing these obstacles, the company is committed to improving efficiency, refining their forecasting and budgeting, and leveraging its substantial financial resources for growth. The direct-to-consumer segment added 3.6 million Max users over the quarter, almost doubling streaming advertisement profits. But, a 10% drop in network advertising revenue in Q2 followed NBA’s shift to Amazon and Comcast’s NBCUniversal. Despite this setback, market experts are cautious but hopeful as they project Warner Bros. Discovery’s second quarter EBITDA. The post Warner Bros. Discovery faces setback in Q2 earnings appeared first on KillerStartups. Business News via KillerStartups https://ift.tt/monyTM5 August 9, 2024 at 03:32PM

### Boost Your Streaming Experience with Restream IPTV In today's digital age, the way we consume media is rapidly evolving. IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is at the forefront of this revolution, offering a more flexible, diverse, and high-quality viewing experience compared to traditional TV. One of the most efficient ways to enhance your IPTV service is through restreaming. This article will delve into what restream IPTV is, its benefits, and how it can elevate your streaming experience. #### What is Restream IPTV? Restream IPTV refers to the process of taking IPTV content and redistributing it across multiple platforms or devices simultaneously. This technology allows content providers and users to broadcast live TV channels or on-demand content to various audiences without the need for multiple original sources. Essentially, restreaming amplifies the reach and accessibility of your IPTV service. #### Benefits of Restream IPTV 1. **Wider Reach and Accessibility**   Restreaming allows you to broadcast your IPTV content across multiple platforms such as YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, and more, all at the same time. This significantly increases your audience reach and ensures that your content is accessible to viewers on their preferred platform. 2. **Cost-Effective Solution**   By using a single stream to restream across multiple platforms, you save on bandwidth and reduce the costs associated with maintaining multiple streaming servers. This makes restream IPTV a highly cost-effective solution for content providers. 3. **Improved User Experience**   Restreaming ensures that your content is available on various devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and computers. This flexibility allows users to enjoy their favorite shows and channels on their preferred device, enhancing their overall viewing experience. 4. **Increased Engagement**   Broadcasting your content on multiple platforms simultaneously can lead to higher viewer engagement. Viewers can watch and interact with your content in real-time, leaving comments and reactions, which can help build a more engaged and loyal audience. 5. **Scalability**   Restream IPTV allows you to scale your streaming service effortlessly. Whether you're a small content provider looking to grow or a large broadcaster aiming to reach global audiences, restreaming provides the scalability needed to expand your viewership without compromising on quality. #### How to Get Started with Restream IPTV 1. **Choose a Restream Service Provider**   Select a reputable restream service provider that supports multiple platforms and offers reliable streaming capabilities. Some popular options include iptvtree, https://iptvtree.com 2. **Set Up Your Stream**   Configure your IPTV stream with your chosen restream service. This typically involves connecting your source stream to the restream platform and setting up the desired output platforms where your content will be broadcasted.

Nielsen noted that while broadcast and cable saw a decline in viewership year over year, it was not to the same extent as the 2022-23 intervals. In May 2023, traditional linear TV viewing fell 7 share points year over year. In comparison, it was about half of that with a loss of 3.4 points this year.