IBC Conference examines the wide world of sport

While a lot of attention is understandably paid to the IBC Exhibition and the plethora of new products and geegaws from the 1300+ exhibitors that throng its halls, IBC’s Conference quietly works away in the background setting the agenda for the rest of the industry. It’s an incredibly influential part of the broadcasting world’s global calendar, and, on Sunday 11, it’s hosting its own sports day.

Here are the sessions and the synopses:

Sports I – Digital Olympics Games, 10:30 – 12:00, Forum

Next year’s London Olympic Games is being described by many in the industry as the first truly digital Olympics. More content than ever before will be accessible online via Connected TV’s, tablet devices and smart phones.

The event will be awash with social media in the build up to and during the Games as broadcasters as well as LOCOG, the London organising committee, seeks the maximum possible audience across the globe.

Online delivery permits greater coverage of more and more of the Games and the experience that surrounds it. It permits coverage during work hours, or when people are on the go, or in any part of the globe at any time of day – and on demand.

The Olympics is always a catalyst for innovation and digital will be the key area in 2012 with the launch of many new services planned just ahead of the games, to capitalise on the global reach of the world’s biggest sporting event.

Sports II – Live Sports Production: From Tape to Tablet, 13.30 – 14.00, ibid

The complexity and scale of producing live sport has changed dramatically from the 1980’s when only a handful of cameras and tape replays provided the coverage. With the huge growth in digital services and the numbers of people accessing content through a variety of platforms, the way that broadcasters need to produce content also needs to change.

In this session we look at the recent changes in live sports production workflows, the impact of the increase in the number of cameras that cover major sporting events and the move from tape based to server technology. The session will also explore how technology is enhancing a fan’s experience inside the stadium, delivering rich data and video streams to a variety of devices.

The cloud is also providing new ways of manipulating, editing and delivering content and this session will feature some of the tools and services designed to deliver content in this way. While broadcasters are under pressure to innovate their offerings, what criteria must they use to base their technology investment decisions on?

Sports III – Monetising Sporting Content, 15.00 – 16.30, ibid

For the last 20 years, satellite and cable television has dominated the sports rights and media market, providing viewers with multiple 24/7 sports channels and networks. With the emergence of Connected TV’s and mobile devices, and the possibility for the delivery of content over the top of traditionally expensive broadcast infrastructure, is the game changing?

The purpose of this session is to explore the changing business models in the sports media market with a panel of leading figures from the world of sport.

It will analyse the impact that broadband distribution and new consumer devices will have on the industry as a whole. Sports governing bodies from FIFA to the ICC, as well as leagues like the NBA and MLB in the US, major football clubs from Barcelona to Chelsea and sports broadcasters are facing the challenge of how to deliver content to new and ever more fragmented audiences. As the relationship between the rights holder, broadcaster and viewer begins to change, we examine where existing revenues can be sustained or new streams made.