Nicolas Auffret, chief strategy and product officer, Bedrock talks to TVBEurope about how the company is focused on rethinking strategies, embracing hybridity, and leveraging technologies like AI to deliver personalised and state-of-the-art streaming experiences.
What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company’s approach to R&D and product development?
Our R&D and product approach has transformed, shaping our present operations with profound changes. Innovation, customer flexibility, and seizing advertising market opportunities remain our top priorities. Despite pandemic challenges, we launched Salto, expanded our team with 100+ new hires, and continuously improved our clients’ platform. We adopted cutting-edge development languages, introduced innovative services, and showcased resilience in intense competition. Thriving in the evolving landscape, these ongoing changes drive our success. We consistently exceed boundaries, delivering exceptional performance and quality. Our organization is now stronger, more flexible, and stable, empowering us to thrive in the dynamic advertising industry.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape?
In the fast-moving media landscape, our biggest challenges include competition between local actors and global giants, the need to diversify revenue sources through hybrid models, delivering segmented and hyper-personalised experiences with AI, and providing maximum availability across multiple devices. With the streaming market becoming increasingly competitive and consumers overwhelmed by content choices, we are focused on rethinking strategies, embracing hybridity, and leveraging technologies like AI to increase development velocity. Our goal is to provide a personalized and state-of-the-art streaming experience while exploring new revenue opportunities and driving growth in this dynamic landscape.
Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development?
In the streaming market, we identify two promising areas for innovation. Firstly, enhancing the streaming experience by tailoring it to specific devices and leveraging new usage from social media platforms. This involves adapting content formats, such as short videos or audio, to captivate users and boost engagement. Gamification and AI play a crucial role here, fostering user activity through quizzes, games, and AI-generated additional content. For B2B products, we aim to revolutionise broadcasters’ roles by adopting AI as a personal assistant, automating editorial tasks and empowering them to focus on creating high-quality local content. This shift will bring new opportunities, allowing broadcasters to better connect with users in their respective markets.
What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC 2023?
As a product team, we see very exciting opportunities we look forward to sharing during IBC. One area of focus is hybrid content, where we’re exploring the integration of audio formats and vertical videos) to our platform to create captivating user experiences. We’re also dedicated to enhancing the linear video experience by leveraging advanced technologies and incorporating AI-driven solutions. Furthermore, our work on “Bedrock for developers” empowers our clients to build on top of the Bedrock core platform, unlocking game-changing opportunities. It offers a set of enablers that allow clients to import non-Bedrock content, export personalized data, explore e-commerce opportunities, engage in commercial bundling, and have greater control over the user journey. These exciting developments push boundaries, drive commercial and end-user value, and fuel our passion for innovation.
