In the latest installment of TVBEurope’s trends of 2023 series, Bob Boster, president, Clear-Com, discusses how the migration of some elements of broadcast operations into the cloud will continue to gain momentum over the next 12 months.
What industry trends have particularly stood out for you in 2023, and why?
An interesting trend we are seeing is more people are getting creative about incremental upgrades or ‘system evolution’ as we have started to call it. Technical aspirations are proceeding unchecked for expanded intercom functionality but due to budget considerations, it’s not possible to launch complete system replacements. Luckily, we are well-positioned to help people expand their functionality incrementally by tightly integrating with their existing intercom resources. We see this most often in areas of remote production capability and wireless, both of which are areas where we can offer a variety of options.
What impact are you seeing those trends having on the media and entertainment industry?
I’m not sure how this trend translates to the viewer’s experience. Ideally, if we do our job right it isn’t noticeable. A robust and flexible comms infrastructure means the programming doesn’t stop.
How do you see those trends developing further in 2024?
I expect that both these trends, as well as the general increase in attention on comms flexibility stemming from our collective Covid experience, will mean that people continue to think a bit more about what they want their systems to be able to do. A clear vision of what’s needed allows a chance to really shine.
Do you expect to see any new trends within the industry in 2024, and what will they be?
Certainly, we expect the attention on migrating some elements of broadcast operations into the cloud to continue to gain momentum. As the originators of the first virtual production intercoms (Clear-Com’s Concert) and the first decentralised production intercom (Trilogy’s Commander and Gemini), we are well-prepared to help people solve these puzzles, whether they are looking for completely virtual, hybrid, or on-prem solutions.
