Media consumption has been subject to a transformation as a result of the conflict between traditional broadcasting and new streaming. Broadcasting, which has its origins in the 20th century, is characterised by the distribution of linear material through airwaves or cables. It is particularly effective in live events like as sports and news. Streaming, on the other hand, came into existence in the 2000s and provides content that can be accessed on demand using internet-enabled devices. It also contains adaptive quality and personalised features.
The quick expansion of streaming is appealing to younger audiences and users who are tech-savvy, and it is expected to surpass sixty percent of global adoption by the year 2023. Broadcasting, on the other hand, is dominant in places with restricted internet connection. Streaming is anticipated to be more popular in the future as internet infrastructure continues to progress; yet, broadcasting will continue to be essential due to its dependability in live coverage and its extensive reach. The future of media will be shaped by hybrid models that include both of these technologies.
We interacted with Tony Jones, Principal Technologist- MediaKind, a global leader in shaping the future of media and entertainment through innovative technology and expertise.
Recognized and trusted by leading service providers, operators, content owners, and broadcasters, MediaKind has been at the forefront of live television, delivering major sporting events, breaking news, and other significant moments to audiences worldwide. Now, in the streaming era, the company continues to push boundaries, envisioning a future where live content is delivered without limits—at broadcast quality and scale—to any screen or device.
With a focus on software-centric, cloud-native solutions, MediaKind ensures high-quality media experiences across linear, on-demand, and OTT platforms. Backed by over 30 years of Emmy award-winning technology, its expertise spans contribution and direct-to-consumer video service distribution, content personalization, advanced cloud DVR solutions, and TV platforms.
MediaKind fosters a culture of excellence, where diversity and inclusion are integral to ensuring the best talent is empowered to thrive.
How do you see the evolution of live broadcasting technology in the face of growing demand for streaming, especially for live events like sports and news?
For broadcasters, streaming should be seen as a complementary part of an overall media service. Traditional broadcasting remains a powerful means to reach large audiences, offering unparalleled scalability, reliability, and extensive reach. However, streaming enhances this by adding flexibility and expanded functionality. For broadcasters, the top tier of premium live events is typically going to remain on linear broadcast channels but is also available via streaming. Streaming services can offer expanded coverage—such as tournaments with multiple concurrent matches—along with additional language options, audience-specific variants, enhanced interactivity and data, and, of course, catch-up and VoD. Broadcasters who hesitate to fully embrace streaming will soon find themselves lagging modern media system without robust streaming integration simply can’t compete in today’s on-demand world.
With streaming services rapidly gaining market share, particularly among younger demographics, how can traditional broadcasters innovate to remain relevant in this shifting media landscape?
Broadcasters cannot afford to ignore what makes viewers want to choose their service. While content is crucial, having well-formed streaming options for a wide range of devices is essential in making sure viewers are equipped with the discoverability that keeps them engaged. The viewing experience is all-important, so the reliability is critical. Consumers want to be entertained. Whether that’s on-demand, catchup, AVOD, SVOD, or gaming – which within younger demographics has overtaken TV – consumers no longer care about the how, but more about the what, where and cost. Broadcasters also need to leverage social media platforms to connect with the audience (e.g. through short-form content), to drive interest in the main service.
What challenges do broadcasters face in transitioning to or competing with streaming services, particularly regarding infrastructure, latency, and content creation?
Where broadcasters have streaming services, it is often the case that these are built and operated by various teams in different infrastructures from the broadcast workflows. Over time, the commonalities will drive this to be a single operational flow, that supports both delivery paths. Since streaming is inherently a function that maps best to cloud environments, the long-term outlook is that broadcast will eventually also end up in cloud.
One of the key barriers to this transition is a skills gap where the broadcast engineering teams and cloud streaming teams often have very different skillsets, meaning neither is well positioned to drive the convergence. This transition demands that broadcasters and engineers are dedicated towards ongoing learning to keep up with new technologies like IP-based infrastructure, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Educational institutions and professional organisations can offer online courses, workshops, and seminars that deliver essential knowledge and skills
Do you think hybrid models, where traditional broadcasters offer streaming options, represent the future of media consumption, or will one technology eventually dominate the market?
In the medium term, hybrid seems to be the strongest candidate. Complete switch-off for linear broadcasts is very hard in many markets, but it is likely that the range of services offered as traditional broadcast will reduce over time, with new services being offered on streaming instead. Eventually (and the timeframe may be several decades), the end point will almost certainly be a streaming-only world. Even in that context, the role of broadcasters remains largely the same: a focus on delivering reliable, curated content that is easy to access and contains a variety of content types.
As more platforms enter the streaming market, leading to “subscription fatigue,” how do you foresee both broadcasting and streaming adapting to viewer demands for flexibility and affordability?
Subscription fatigue, or even “app-switching fatigue” are very real and one of the reasons why the number of streaming services subscribed to has trended downwards over the last few years. Pay TV operators have long provided a useful service: aggregating content from multiple sources, to enable consumers to enjoy the full range without complexity. That aggregation function remains useful in the new era, and the ability to find content in one place and consume it without having to switch apps is a fundamentally useful feature. Broadcasters can achieve a lot of the same end results by collaborating on delivery technology within their market, even though they may be competing for the same audience. Ultimately, it will be to all their benefit to solve pointless fragmentation (as perceived by the end user) for getting to equivalent content.
