Futuristic holographic phone, the Premier League rights battle, voice control to enhance UX and personalisation were the hottest topics covered in the most popular Consumption articles.  

1) What we know about Red’s Hydrogen phone
Described as an expensive, high-end, limited-market phone capable of shooting and displaying autostereoscopic material, Red’s Hydrogen smartphone began to pique interest ahead of the first quarter of 2018 with speculation on its strategic intent and the unique features that had punters questioning the $1,000 price tag. 

2) ”The TV industry isn’t dead – yet!”

Maria Garrido E102 SR (5)

Maria Garrido: Speaking during IBC2018

Speaking during the IBC2018 Conference, Maria Garrido, Chief Insights and Analytics Officer at global agency Havas warned more innovation is required by the TV industry to grab the attention of Millennials, Generation Z and Tweens. Garrido looked at how traditional media can compete in the digital space and announced the good news for TV is that its big brands are still meaningful.

3) Virtual reality and augmented reality in broadcasting
BBC, Sky, MTG, BT Sport, NBC and ABC are among those broadcasters around the world who have explored the opportunities of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). IBC365 looked at the uses ranging from live, immersive broadcasts, to behind the scenes tours, to stand-alone storytelling experiences. 

4) Analysis: Sky and BT secure Premier League rights

sport studio bts

BT sport studio bts

Source: BT Sport

Gary Lineker in the BT Sport studio covering Champions League

The 2018 English Premier League auction for TV rights in February saw traditional broadcasters and new entrants battle in the bids for the seven packages. Sky’s negotiators were very happy to have bought 128 matches across four different packages for a total of £3.579bn, while BT has shelled out £885m for 32 matches. 

5) Video: “Following the eyeballs”: Positive and purpose-driven storytelling
MTGx Chief Executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen talked about the importance of “following the eyeballs” and the future with esports, VR and voice recognition to engage with audiences. The changes in audience consumption were explored leading the discussion on business models of the future and ways to enhance storytelling. 

6) Voice control set to transform UX
The TV industry must innovate if it is going to survive in the face of growing competition from OTT giants warned leading media executives from Havas, Channel 4, Amazon and Liberty Global with the united prediction that voice control will be the main innovation to enhance the TV viewer user experience in the future.  

7) The TV sets triumphs at the World Cup

French football fans celebrate FIFA World Cup 2018 win

FIFA World Cup 2018 French football fans celebrate 

The FIFA World Cup broke many television and online viewing records around the world, despite US audiences being down this year. But the big winner, in the age of the mobile was the traditional TV with 163 million people watching the final between France and Croatia from 20 major markets according to statistics from Eurodata TV. 

8) Smart and connected: The future of home technology
The evolution of technology is rapidly advancing to meet audiences demand for personalisation, voice integration and connected experiences. IBC365 looked at the capabilities of smart technology that are paving the way for futuristic homes, experts explored the challenges and rise in the demand for connected and integrated devices. 

9) Advertising is “massively disrupted” 
The once distinct worlds of advertising and television content are increasingly converging, with the subject one of the hot topics during IBC2018 with the promise of partnerships, new business models and advertising technology innovations top of the agenda. 

10) Live VR showcased in 10K 360-degree video at NAB
Showcasing a new era of VR content, Fraunhofer HHI, Ericsson, Harmonic and Nokia demonstrated state of the art virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video at the NAB Show in Las Vegas in April. In a claimed world first, the standard-compliant end to end chain for live VR360 video streaming moving beyond 4K resolution was been achieved by Fraunhofer.