The UK’s media industry is in many ways the envy of the world. Brands like the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky are unparalleled in their ability to consistently produce high-quality homegrown programming – everything from current affairs to sport, comedy to drama. This industry is backed up by a world-leading tech sector, providing all the technical and production expertise behind the camera to bring this content to life, and crucially into viewers’ homes.
NTT DATA is a firm believer in this vitality offered by the UK economy. As a Japanese headquartered company, the UK is a key part of our ambitious global vision, and we regularly invest here to accelerate technology innovation across the UK.
NTT DATA is also a proud patron of the Royal Television Society (RTS), an educational charity promoting the art and science of television. This September, NTT DATA is delighted to be sponsoring the RTS Cambridge Convention 2021. The event – titled ‘Broadcast Britain: Reshaping Britishness on the Global Stage’ – takes place from 15th to 16th September at King’s College, Cambridge, featuring high profile speakers such as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dame Mary Beard.
This event is happening against the backdrop of an ongoing seismic shift within the media and telecoms industry as new patterns of consumption challenge traditional models of entertainment. In this context, innovation is key, and embracing new models of production and distribution is crucial. With our wealth of expertise drawn from across the globe, NTT DATA is committed to helping the industry meet the challenges of changing demand, and the company sees significant growth potential for the industry in the UK market.
The industry’s state of play
Younger generations have been a key driver of new behaviours within the media industry. The traditional media ecosystem has seen the rise of new platforms, including gaming, that are disrupting traditional patterns of consumption.
Yet, as consumer behaviour is changing, the industry is also seeing significant consolidation through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), such as the Warner/Discovery merger and Amazon’s acquisition of MGM. Growing on a global scale offers additional routes to market and provides corporations with new sources of revenue beyond saturated developed markets.
Vertical integration has been another ongoing trend, with media companies looking to take ownership of processes from production through to distribution. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy is becoming a focus for media players who want to own their routes to market. In October 2020, The Walt Disney Company announced a reorganisation to accelerate its D2C strategy, centralising its distribution and commercialisation activities under one global Media and Entertainment Distribution organisation. Vertical integration meant that Disney+, the company’s recently launched streaming service, could bring together content from a wide range of studios that all now form part of Walter Disney Company. Viewers have flocked to the service: Disney announced in August it has 116 million paid subscribers.
New business models and new technology
As media enterprises restructure, legacy processes need updating to increase operational efficiency and reflect the modern media landscape. For digital-native companies such as Netflix and Amazon, legacy infrastructure is not a constraint, allowing these businesses to scale rapidly compared to traditional counterparts.
As patterns of consumption have shifted, so too have monetisation strategies. Organisations are leveraging video intellectual property (IP) to achieve more sales, aggregating content, and making use of licensing and merchandising.
In recent years, media services have achieved a maturity level whereby stronger ‘pure’ media companies dominate the market. Telcos have been pushing to resume their leading role, with some pursuing content as a way to generate revenue. Telcos are also playing a vital role through investment in next generation networks such as 5G and optical fibre which underpin over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting, allowing content to reach viewers over the internet rather than via cable or satellite. Such investment will be critical to ensure the successful broadcast of future global sporting events like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, which increasingly rely on OTT broadcasting to reach the viewer.
How NTT DATA can help drive change
The media and telecoms industry clearly faces ever-rising customer expectations within a rapidly evolving technology and business environment. To keep up with these trends, organisations must rapidly develop and scale the full spectrum of their digital capabilities. To do so, they need the right digital partners. Drawing on our in-depth industry experience and deep technological capabilities and resources, NTT DATA is an IT services partner to multiple global media and telco organisations, supporting our clients to innovate and meet challenges before and as they emerge.
Our capabilities range from customer experience and enterprise agility through to data and intelligence and media technology. Drawing on our Japanese roots, we pride ourselves on our professional focus and commitment to long-term relationships with clients and partners. With our global telco and media heritage, we’re well placed to guide organisations within the industry through their technology and business challenges.
As well as our technical expertise, our commitment to diverse and inclusive practice and support for corporate social responsibility activities puts us in a position to support organisations striving for greater inclusivity and diversity within the industry. This is increasingly a priority for organisations in the space. Netflix has set up a £1.2 million scheme, Grow Creative UK, to train 1,000 people in the industry, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. This year’s RTS event also includes a session on disability, highlighting that disabled people remain one of the least represented groups in television.
The future of media and telecoms
NTT DATA sees significant growth potential in the UK telecoms and media market. Evolving business models and emerging technologies can be harnessed by those in the space to innovate and scale. To make the best use of the opportunities available, companies can benefit from the wide-ranging expertise and resources of NTT DATA. With the right investment in innovation and an open mind to new and changing business models, the future of media and telecoms in the UK is bright.
To find out more about how we can help your business capitalise on this new era for media and telecoms, please get in touch with myself and my team.