Live entertainment in on-demand channels is in demand
Moving images have continued to gain in importance. Without videos, spots and small snippets, not much goes on in communication anymore. Time-shifted TV consumption and DOOH have taken the place of classic TV broadcasting. How the live event industry benefits from this trend will be the topic at the 360° Entertainment congress at the end of March. A conversation with broadcaster Reto Osterwalder, CEO of NEP Group.
Werbewoche.ch: Reto Osterwalder, why is broadcasting becoming more important in live entertainment?
Reto Osterwalder: In recent years, the major broadcasters have recognized that festivals are a good platform for their marketing activities as well. One example of this is the Blue channel, which is entering the festival broadcasting business with Swisscom. Sunrise UPC is also heavily involved in festivals. A good example of how to use the whole keyboard of marketing and social media is the Energy Star Night. Backstage, an entire editorial team is working to ensure that all videos are edited live and published immediately. That's where our service as a broadcaster comes into its own. We work à la minute. You've set a benchmark for how you can exploit an event in multimedia.
We are experiencing a change in viewing habits. How hard is it to keep up with this?
An incredible amount has changed here. The videos have become much shorter, are narrated faster and edited shorter. Today, portrait format is the order of the day. For us as broadcasters, this means that we have to make the images available live to the editorial teams for editing. And we can do that: While the event is being recorded, editors access the content live and edit it. Videos in portrait format for TikTok or Reels are automatically let out.
The pandemic was a fire accelerator for streaming & co. How do you think consumer behavior will change for live events?
The live experience is still unique. But people are now used to the fact that you no longer have to be there in person to experience something. It's becoming more and more important to be able to consume the experience again. In other words, that you can benefit from it even more sustainably.
Are there differences here between sports and entertainment?
Compared to a sporting event, entertainment does not have to be consumed live. In sports, when the result is decided, it's over. A concert can be watched for a long time afterwards. That's the big advantage of entertainment - it can be consumed virtually timelessly. The reuse of the recordings is the greater added value than the live broadcast. You get much closer to the artists with the recordings.
One big topic is sustainability. What approaches are you taking in this regard?
Our concept is centralized remote production. We no longer drive large semitrailers on site, but send the images directly to the headquarters in Volketswil. We then edit there. The creatives or directors naturally want to be on location - they operate the panel. But all the technology is with us remotely in Volketswil. It also allows us to save costs.
What is the order situation for entertainment productions in the summer of 2022?
The glass is half full and I'm positive about the future. I just hope that the entertainment industry doesn't make the mistake of having to catch up on everything that's been missed. A healthy middle ground is desirable so that customers are also adequately picked up.
The Video Production Service NEP based in Volketswil, realizes around 1,000 productions a year in the fields of "entertainment", "sports" and "corporate events".
360° Entertainment takes place for the sixth time and is organized by Ticketcorner and ESB Marketing Netzwerk as a two-day congress on March 29 and 30 at the Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen in Andermatt.
