The IFA is one of the world’s leading business events for consumer electronics and it is always the place to see the future through the eyes of the home entertainment industry.

This year’s IFA  was showcasing the newest internet connected TV sets.   The Phillips NetTV is already capable of streaming movies through the internet and it will not be long before every remote control has an INTERNET button.  The question is what will you see when you press it…?   Expect to see lots of widgets vying for your attention.  Some will be more prominent than others depending on how much the widget provider is willing to share revenue with the TV set manufacturer!

If your TV is not internet ready another way to connect is through a wireless connected Blu-ray player.  There is a race on to hardcode into the first version of firmware, widgets to direct you to other movie streaming services. Think Netflix, Blockbuster on Demand and CinemaNow.

Expect only SD movies for now though, as HD streaming is heavy on the internet connection and requires expensive decoder chips.  Don’t expect any common standards other than CE-HTML and most of the TVs still don’t provide persistent storage yet.  To fill this space Apple watchers are expecting Steve Jobs to come up with an Apple TV connected to iTunes … it is only a matter of time.

Once again this will revolutionise the way we consume media. Widgets give consumers more choice over where and when they buy and view their content, it also gives advertisers new ways to reach their audiences.

Posted by Symon October 2009

Broadband TV, Internet Protocol TV, Video On Demand, Electronic Sell Through, Download to Own, Mobile TV, Portable Devices, Social Media… There are plenty of buzzwords, new platforms and evolving business models that can keep even hardcore sufferers of ADD fixated.   But it is one simple proposition – the consumer in control of their content, experiencing it anytime, anywhere and on any device – that is the key driver in our industry.

For many rights owners however, there are key challenges posed by digital; perceived devaluation of content by offering it for free, undermining traditional TV & DVD revenues streams, and moving from an upfront fee (advance/minimum guarantee/license fee) to a back-end revenue share model. Commercial models are changing, and no one model will prove dominant. Free, subscription, freemium, one off purchases, micropayments, & personalized advertising – all will be tailored to the customer, content and platform profile.

With market changes being brought from diverse groups of players including CE manufacturers (i.e. Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo from the console angle, with Samsung, Phillips & Panasonic from the TV angle), Telcos (Telecom Italia, Vodafone, BT Vision) as well as internet plays (Blinkbox, iTunes, Hulu) the old guard of broadcasters are not going to have it all their own way.

In this landscape of continual change and uncertainty it pays to have a partner able to help you address these challenges. From digitising your content for delivery, through to helping complement, design or execute your digital distribution strategy, re:fine is ideally placed to help future-proof your business. With our active platform relationships we know their content requirements, commercial models and negotiation parameters. So whether you are a platform looking for new content supply lines and a reliable content processing partner, or a rights holder looking for cost effective, right first time, content processing work with the upside of additional digital deal making opportunities, re:fine has the contacts, experience and track record to help.

The law of life is change. In this Darwinian struggle for survival make re:fine your partner for success.

Posted by Patrick – October 2009