DVB has added watermarking as an option for signalling where targeted ads or other content should be inserted within linear broadcast streams. This is an update to its DVB Targeted Advertising specification originally unveiled in November 2019. The addition is aimed particularly at linear broadcasts delivered to internet connected TVs via operator-controlled set top boxes (STBs).
On October 27, 2020 The Federal Communications Commission issued an order to expand its captioning mandate for broadcasters to include audio description requirements for 40 designated market areas (DMAs) over the next four years. The move came after the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) directed stations in the top 60 DMAs to provide what it calls “described programming.”
The programmatic advertising field is heating up as Luxembourg based broadcaster RTL Group sells its platform SpotX to US online ad group Magnite for $1.17 billion.
The effect of OTT-based delivery is wide-reaching, stretching all the way back to the original content production domain and creating new technical requirements and opportunities.
The Streaming Video Alliance has emerged as a primary umbrella body driving technical innovation and standardization across the field, reinforcing its status with new members and projects during the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The growth in customer numbers for Android TV has slowed over the last 18 months as Google aims to consolidate by scaling the middleware platform up and promoting revenue generation among its existing operator base.
Recent survey data charting loss of viewers and revenues to OTT service providers and digital platforms makes grim reading for traditional commercial broadcasters and pay TV operators, as the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic accelerates these trends that were already taking place.
Barring the unexpected, the broad themes of 2021 in broadcasting and media entertainment have already been sculpted by the unprecedented events of 2020.