Revolutionizing Content Consumption: Tata on Changing Habits, Sustainability, and the Ongoing Rise of Cloud in Sports Media

The content consumption landscape has undergone a seismic transformation, journeying from the confines of television sets to now including laptops, smartphones, tablets, and even smartwatches. This evolution has reshaped how people engage with media, transitioning from passive spectators to active participants in a dynamic exchange of information across social platforms.

Social media integration has empowered consumers to access content on their own terms, fostering an environment of immediacy and flexibility. Cloud-based production tools have played a pivotal role in this evolution, rapidly accelerating the process of producing and delivering clips onto social media, streaming and VoD platforms with unprecedented speed and ease. The shift towards a cloud-first approach has empowered broadcasters, streaming services, and content creators to elevate the viewing experience in today’s diverse media landscape.

A discernible shift in consumer behaviour, notably among the younger demographic, sees many viewers embracing far more diversified content in a much broader way. While still appreciating long-form, television-based live sports, a large proportion of consumers today have an almost insatiable appetite for complementary programming in the form of playback and highlights, player and team news, betting and gaming add-ons, and social media interaction with friends and fellow fans. All of this indicates continued growth and adoption of cloud-based tools as a vital means of meeting viewer demands well into 2024 and beyond.

Focus on sustainability

Sustainability has taken centre stage within the media industry and will continue to do so in 2024, prompting discussions and initiatives to minimize the environmental footprint of TV and film production. We’ve already seen signs of this commitment in 2023 at events such as NAB Show and IBC, where the content underscored industry aims to establish eco-friendly practices. Notably, awards and speaker tracks were introduced, and initiatives like Tata Communications and The Switch’s cycling journey from London to Amsterdam not only reduced carbon footprints by approximately 1,000 kilogrammes but also showcased the potential of live video capture of such events via the cloud.

The post-pandemic era has witnessed the prowess of remote production, with major broadcasters utilising interactive studios for live sports events. This approach not only slashes expenses but also empowers teams to manage multiple live events efficiently, leveraging top-tier talent across various productions. The remote approach not only reduces travel and shipping expenses but also provides cost savings of 30% or more. Moreover, it empowers a single team to manage numerous live events in a day, allowing producers to leverage the skills of top operators, editors, and on-screen talent across a broader range of productions.

While we have seen some content producers backtracking and rolling out trucks once more, other organisations are looking to up the remote ante in 2024. For instance, the PGA, which was already using REMI techniques in 2023, is aiming to go fully remote for its golf tournaments in 2024.

Crème-de-la-crème of content

Live sports content remains a pinnacle in media, made evident by the soaring global value of sports rights. In all, the global value of sports media rights has increased to a record high of almost $56bn (€51.1bn/£44.7bn), according to SportBusiness’ Global Media Report 2023.

And it is not just broadcasters anymore. All the major streaming platforms now have live content offers or investments as a way to get customers to stay – a trend that promises to grow in the coming year. The streaming giants – Apple, Amazon and Netflix – are tracking and buying live sports rights, exerting pressure on broadcasters and other rightsholders to pay more and make the most of their rights – which will spur further production innovations.

Looking ahead to 2024, the uptake of cloud-based production will continue to soar, enabling scalable and cost-effective solutions for content creation. The demand for diverse, high-quality content by the full scope of rightsholders will continue to drive technologies such as cloud-based production, playout and transmission for organisations of all sizes and types. While on-site and remote production will persist for top-tier broadcasts due to complexity, the cloud will increasingly democratise production for online and lower-tier events.

In short, the coming year heralds a seismic shift in content creation and consumption, propelled by technological innovation and sustainability initiatives – which, in turn, will shape a dynamic media landscape.