The Rise of LLMs and AGI in a Dynamic Tech Landscape
In recent years, technology hype cycles, notably Blockchains/Crypto and the Metaverse, have captured attention, spurred by a macro environment amplifying their visibility. A persistent question remains: What real-world problems do they solve, and what is their potential market reach? Despite ongoing relevance, significant behavioural barriers hinder mass adoption, such as trust issues in Crypto and social concerns in the Metaverse.
In this landscape, Large Language Models (LLMs) and the potential progress towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), particularly ChatGPT, have quietly emerged. They have swiftly gained user attention and recognition for their tangible value. Today, AGI is transitioning from novelty to utility, presenting two key perspectives:
Acceleration: Large Language Models (LLMs), akin to computing and the internet, serve as a transformative utility, laying the foundation for generalised applications. This empowers teams to not only access knowledge faster but also generate new solutions from existing information. The World Wide Web gave users access to the world’s knowledge, but LLMs take this a step further, by acting as the “intelligent” gateway to the knowledge and importantly being able to create new solutions from existing knowledge.
Generation: LLMs facilitate the generation of diverse content, including text, images, and gradually video, and this will inevitably disrupt workflows and the creative processes, prompting a pendulum swing between control (regulation, intellectual property safeguards) and creativity. Content generation will open the floodgates to even more User-Generated Content (UGC), by lowering the barrier to entry, but it should also augment, not replace, the creative process.
Despite its remarkable potential, we are still in the early stages of this new utility, much like when Tim Berners-Lee published his paper on the WWW. Similar to the WWW’s foundation, it will create an evolving ecosystem of services and platforms built upon LLMs. Challenges lie ahead, but opportunities will emerge. Learning and leveraging this new utility will be crucial in navigating the dynamic tech landscape impacting the future of work, businesses, and our day-to-day services.
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Interested in LLMs and AGI? Reach out to the tech-savvy Magine Pro team for more insights. You can also explore our blog for more CEO insights with Matthew Wilkinson.
Learn about our flexible OTT platform and download our free white papers and ebooks on our website.
Navigating the Future of Streaming: 5 Key Takeaways from IBC 2023
Matthew Wilkinson, CEO of Magine Pro, shares his insights on IBC 2023, highlighting five crucial lessons for navigating the future of streaming.
A month has passed since our participation at IBC 2023 in Amsterdam. This year, the event saw a remarkable surge in attendance and was a real reflection of an industry in constant flux. Beyond the customary customer value demonstrations, IBC remains an event of strategic importance, offering a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights, driving the acceleration of our understanding of market dynamics and customer needs.
With that being said, here our five key takeaways from IBC 2023:
1. Pacing with Technology Trends
The industry’s innovation pace is relentless. Attending IBC to discover new solutions and technological advancements might already place you behind the curve. At Magine Pro, we’ve embraced Large Language Models like ChatGPT to augment our metadata and streamline workflows. The initial allure of this technology might wane, but its implementation promises significant and rapid business impact.
2. Navigating Market Shifts
The past 18 months have seen a profound shift in the macroeconomic landscape, with diminished capital availability and elevated performance expectations from streaming industry investors. This transformation is driving us to innovate swiftly, to prioritise return on investment and realise cost reductions & service. The reins of decision-making have shifted from CTOs to CFOs, who demand improved ROI, especially in content investments.
3. Content, Content, Content
Success in this evolving landscape centres around content strategies and strategic partnerships to reach audiences. Service providers can no longer afford to deploy capital to build and integrate both the technology and invest in content; businesses must be focused on validating the go to market hypothesis, and the “product” consumers demand is content, not the technology behind the scenes. Capital needs to be deployed smartly to drive customer acquisition, engagement and retention – and building a customer technology stack, will not significantly optimise for this much better than outsourced platforms.
4. Embracing Broader Horizons
It is imperative to consider the broader context beyond traditional streaming. Evolving technology consumption behaviours, notably influenced by platforms like TikTok, are reshaping how consumers engage with media and allocate their time. The traditional streaming media market must evolve to align with changing consumer expectations, and proactive innovation can capitalise on shifting preferences.
5. Readiness for Transformation
The industry is poised at a crossroads. As we look to the future, our success hinges on our adaptability and innovative spirit. Prioritising content, leveraging technology, and anticipating evolving consumer behaviour will position us to thrive in this dynamic landscape.
On a last note, I’ll leave you with a quote from a meeting with an industry peer “There’s opportunity for everyone to succeed in the market – we just need to figure out how!”
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If you weren’t able to attend the IBC this year and missed the panel discussion ‘Building an OTT Video Service – Custom Build or Managed Service’, where Matthew shared insights alongside other industry experts, don’t worry! You can catch up on the panel right here.
Want to find out more about navigating the future of streaming and how Magine Pro can help? Get in touch or book a meeting with a member of the team to find out more. We also have some useful insights and resources available on our blog and free to download white papers, ebooks and more.
Panel Discussion: Building an OTT video service
It’s no secret that the way we consume video content has drastically changed over the years. The popularity of online streaming services has increased significantly across the world. However, building an OTT video service is no easy feat, which is why it’s essential for operators and those considering launching a service to catch up on the free panel discussion ‘Building an OTT Video Service – Custom Build or Managed Service’ that took place at IBC 2023 in Amsterdam this September.
During the panel discussion, Magine Pro’s CEO Matthew Wilkinson joined other industry experts to discuss the best approaches to launching an online video streaming service and tackling important questions such as, should you build a custom service, or opt for a managed service platform? Is it better to go with in-house development or outsource? The panelists offer valuable insights on each option and more. They also explore the relevance of a hybrid approach for incumbent players, and the role of the CDN.
WATCH THE PANEL HERE
Moderated by Ian Nock, Vice Chair of IET Media, and features the following industry experts:
- Matthew Wilkinson, CEO at Magine Pro
- Manish Sinha, VP, and Business Head of OTT Solutions & Services at TO THE NEW
- François Collobert, CDN Product Manager at Orange International Carriers
Want to learn more about how Magine Pro can help you build and launch a successful OTT business? Book a meeting with us and experience our OTT platform firsthand and gain valuable insights into how our robust and scalable streaming solutions can benefit you.
About Matthew Wilkinson, CEO at Magine Pro:
Matthew has over 18 years of experience in Telecom & IT, working with clients in the IT & Cloud, and Media Domains, with deep experience in software development & delivery, SaaS, and enterprise solutions, and previously held various leadership roles in strategy & delivery.
Email: matthew.wilkinson@magine.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpwilkinson/
If you are keen to find out more about the panel session and/or our streaming solutions, get in touch with us today. We also have some useful insights and resources available on our blog and free to download white papers, ebooks and more.
PANEL: Key considerations when launching an OTT service
Catch up on the IBC panel discussion, ‘Key considerations when launching an OTT service’ with Magine Pro CEO Matthew Wilkinson.
During IBC 2023 in Amsterdam last month, our CEO Matthew Wilkinson joined a panel discussion focused on the opportunities still available to brands looking to launch streaming services that serve relevant content to clearly defined audiences. The session explored each of the speakers’ years of experience and industry research alongside:
• The opportunities and challenges partnerships bring to OTT entrants.
• What services and brands should look for in a partnership.
• What connected TV can offer to brands and the most common barriers to entry.
• How technology can help win and keep the audience’s attention.
Meet the panel speakers:
- Matthew Wilkinson, CEO of Magine Pro. Matthew shares insights from our recently published white paper with Omdia that explores how strategic partnerships can provide avenues for growth in OTT.
- Matthew Duhig, Co-Founder & Managing Director of FX Digital. Matt Duhig has a deep passion for Connected Technologies and has strong experience delivering global products across Connected TV for some of the worlds largest content producers.
- Gary Hamer, SVP Sales & Business Development at Smartlabs. Gary Hamer leads Smartlabs international expansion plans and has years of experience in the Pay TV technologies field.
MODERATOR: Hayley Bull, Director, 3vision. Hayley is Director of leading global content and TV consultancy 3Vision. She has an in-depth understanding of industry developments and trends and has helped global companies like Intel, Airbus, and Vodafone with building their content businesses.
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Watch the panel session: Key considerations when launching an OTT content service.
Run time: 50 minutes
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You can also download our latest white paper now, Advancing OTT audience capture: how strategic partnerships provide avenues for growth, which features original research by Omdia, highlighting why partnerships are key to delivering sufficient online video growth and, specifically, the impact of bundling and aggregation partnerships with the likes of telcos and Pay-TV operators. The white paper also includes insights from Magine Pro partners who share their experiences on how partnerships have improved their service discoverability, acquisition and growth.
Learn more about Magine Pro’s flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here. And head to our experience page to check out our partners and case studies.
You can also subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, and products, and to find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
WEBINAR | Why partnerships are key to delivering online video growth
In a fiercely competitive market, no online video service can succeed on its own; partnerships have become essential. The online video space in the past years has seen a rise in partnerships of various forms, including those that mimic the pay-TV platform as a content aggregator but with a higher degree of flexibility and openness.
In our latest webinar, Magine Pro and Omdia are joined by experienced OTT operator, CEO and founder of Paus, Rishi Kapoor, to discuss how partnerships can drive discoverability, customer acquisition and growth for online video services.
The session features:
- A first look at Omdia’s research, on behalf of Magine Pro, that reviews the online video market and the rise in partnerships, including how Virtual pay-TV services selectively aggregate to differentiate.
- How Telcos are currently leading in the aggregation of SVOD services.
- The advantages of strategic brand partnerships for improved online video service discoverability, acquisition and growth.
- Expert OTT operator shares insights and experiences of partnerships.
Duration: 1 hour
WATCH THE WEBINAR ON-DEMAND NOW
Webinar speakers include:
Matthew Wilkinson is CEO of Magine Pro, which enables partners operating globally to build thriving OTT businesses with live TV and Video-On-Demand platforms. Matthew is responsible for the sales, innovation, delivery, and development of the Magine Pro product globally.
Matthew has over 18 years of experience in Telecom & IT, working with clients in the IT & Cloud, and Media Domains, with deep experience in software development & delivery, SaaS and enterprise solutions, and previously held various leadership roles in strategy & delivery.
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Rishi is an experienced professional in film distribution both UK and Internationally. A former executive at Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Disney. After many years working on distribution deals with Netflix, Amazon and Apple, he turned his attention to the Independent film space, supporting independent filmmakers at paus.tv.
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As part of Omdia’s media and entertainment team, Tony Gunnarsson covers the global online video sector, with a specific interest in direct-to-consumer video services, across both subscription and transactional video, as well as online video aggregation.
His main research interests are in the premium, paid-for subscription online video (SVOD). Tony provides analysis of the key developments in the global online video market, consumer insights, and business intelligence.
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Watch On-Demand: Why partnerships are key to delivering online video growth
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To learn more about Magine Pro’s partners, including Paus, head to our experience page. You can find out more about our flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here.
Subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.
WEBINAR | Ways to Build, Engage and Retain Online Audiences
Join Magine Pro CEO Matthew Wilkinson in the recent IBC hosted webinar, ‘Ways to build, engage and retain online audiences’.
Building and retaining an audience is essential to the success of all broadcasters, video service providers and content creators. In this IBC hosted webinar session, Magine Pro’s CEO Matthew Wilkinson and fellow speakers discuss the different approaches needed to attract and grow an audience successfully.
Meet the speakers and find out more about what’s discussed during the session:
- Matthew Wilkinson, CEO of Magine Pro. Matthew shares insights from our recently published white paper with Omdia that explores consumer behaviour around discoverability during the session.
- Ed Abis, Managing Director at Never.no. Ed talks about the tools and strategies employed by content producers, rights holders and sporting institutions to engage with their fans, audiences and viewers.
- Joe Foster, co-founder of Easel TV. Joe shares a pandemic case study in which his company’s SaaS OTT platform was deployed to enable one London theatre to host and sell live and recorded productions and was then expanded and extended as a shared service for multiple theatres to offer an ongoing programme to an aggregated audience of theatre lovers.
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Run time: 45 minutes
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You can also download our latest white paper now, OTT Discovery: How to stand out amongst the crowd, which features Omdia’s full report, as well as an overview of product features and marketing essentials for new online streaming services to drive awareness, cultivate brand credibility and trust and increase conversion rates.
Find out more about Magine Pro’s flexible OTT solutions and how we can help you build and launch a successful OTT business here. And head to our experience page to check out our partners and case studies.
Subscribe to the Magine Pro e-newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, partners, products, and find out which industry events we’ll be attending next.