Cloud Transition Strategy, Business Cycle, and Ecosystem Architecture Use Cases for Studio Versus Broadcast Streaming Services

This IDC Perspective discusses cloud transition strategy, business cycle, and ecosystem architecture use cases for studio versus broadcast streaming services. The media and entertainment (M&E) industry in its transition to cloud services will continue to innovate, compete, and embrace a digital-first economy. The industry has been challenged by the threat of pure-play, over-the-top (OTT), and direct-to-consumer media providers that began with Netflix and then a final 2020 inflection point that culminated in the rapid adoption of cloud services and remote production. Driven by consumer demand for content immediacy, elevated levels of consumption, live latency-free streaming, and enhanced user experiences (UXs), the industry must embrace new business models and partnerships focused on total cost of ownership (TCO). The industry must adopt advanced native cloud business back- and mid-office systems that are highly integrated with media operations that address the unique requirements between motion picture studios and broadcast direct-to-consumer models and business cycles. The use of advanced technologies should be leveraged to develop more intelligent and highly automated cloud-based solutions using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), machine learning (ML), and data analytics to improve workflow automation with intelligent decisioning while delivering higher levels of efficiency, productivity, and superior user experiences, culminating in higher monetization."The media and entertainment industry is now well on its way to cloud adoption, having started off with a hybrid approach that over the next 5-10 years may turn toward 100% cloud-based media factories," said Alex Holtz, research director, Worldwide Media and Entertainment Digital Strategies at IDC. "As M&E organizations transition to cloud services, they have the unique opportunity to adopt advanced, highly integrated native cloud business systems and technologies including generative artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to improve workflow automation with intelligent decisioning while delivering higher levels of efficiency, productivity, and superior user experiences, culminating in higher monetization."