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Every business will face fresh challenges in the years ahead thanks to evolving markets, advances in technology and fast-changing consumer expectations. Yet, for telecommunications, media and entertainment companies the pace of change is especially swift and the challenges that they face are acutely complex.

Meeting the needs of a data-hungry tomorrow

Companies operating in these three converging industries share a common challenge: they need to be able to collect, store, process and analyse vast and ever-increasing amounts of unstructured data in order to meet the expectations and demands of their savvy consumers. So, where is this data coming from?

Hailed by thought leaders as the catalyst for the fourth industrial revolution, 5G will pave the way for the next stage of technical evolution in the twenty-first century. This faster, more reliable and higher-capacity mobile network will provide the infrastructure capable of powering billions of smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices—such as your self-driving car, intelligent oven, health and fitness tracker, voice-activated virtual assistant and much more besides.

IoT devices are already incredibly popular, but as they become household items, telecommunications providers will need to be able to store, manage, safeguard and process significantly larger volumes of network traffic and data.

Telecommunications companies don’t face this challenge alone; growing demand for ultra-high definition video and audio, together with the proliferation of user-generated content, is also placing added pressure on media and entertainment companies. To address the challenge, many leading companies are already drawing up plans on how to meet their future data needs.

Exceeding consumer expectations

Telecommunications, media and entertainment companies don’t just need to be able to store and process more data, they also need to be able to use it to answer important questions.

What can production houses do to generate high-quality, full-fidelity audio and video content faster and more cost effectively? How can scriptwriters, cinematographers, casting managers, directors, visual artists and musicians use artificial intelligence to better understand their audience’s preferences and tailor the creation process accordingly? And, how can traditional broadcasters monetise their massive archives whilst making relevant recommendations to subscribers?

Sports & Entertainment companies also face sophisticated challenges, such as how to use technology to provide a richer fan experience both at event locations, in stadia and online? What steps can leading sports and entertainment associations take to maximise media revenues? And, how can elite sports teams and athletes use the power embedded in their training and matchday data to uncover the marginal gains that could be the difference between winning gold or silver?

Enter the experts

Complex problems require expert support and robust solutions. IBM has both the knowledge and technology that can help telecommunications, media and entertainment companies transform the challenges of today into the opportunities of tomorrow.

Already, IBM Cloud Object Storage is helping businesses to develop the scalability and flexibility they need to meet growing volumes of data in the years ahead.

As well as providing the capacity that companies require to be able to store vast amounts of unstructured data, IBM Cloud Object Storage also delivers the efficiency, durability,  manageability and governance controls that can enable organisations to safeguard, manage and process their data at speed.

IBM’s offering helps media, entertainment and telecommunications providers to achieve near-limitless scalability at low cost, while robust governance features enable organisations to establish strong data controls that can help avoid data violations.

Smart tools

Many companies today are also using IBM Aspera to transfer vast quantities of huge files quickly over wide area networks; and tomorrow over 5G mobile networks. This file transfer solution is making it easier for companies to integrate their on-premises and cloud environments into their storage infrastructure—delivering even greater potential to scale out to meet their data needs.

What’s more, to keep their IT infrastructure lean, flexible and cost effective, leading telecommunications, media and entertainment companies are embracing container-based solutions. With containers, IT departments can establish microservice architectures that make it easier for teams to build open, new, innovative applications and distribute their workloads quickly through the development lifecycle into production.

Leading the way

Many companies have already started to develop cutting-edge solutions using IBM technologies and with the support of IBM experts. These solutions streamline media production processes, pioneer new entertainment experiences, and work to enhance the sports viewing experience.

Film production houses are already leveraging AI capabilities to accelerate and augment the production of new content. For instance, IBM recently worked with the creators of the sci-fi thriller Morgan to train IBM Watson to create an enticing movie trailer by analysing the final cut of the film. Without the assistance of AI, it can take production companies weeks to create, edit and approve a trailer. However, with Watson supporting the workflow, the production company was able to complete the entire process in just 24 hours.

The potential to accelerate and streamline the media production process with AI is huge: companies could apply Watson AI to media archives to help categorise and monetise vast amounts of video—making it easier for editors or consumers to explore video archives for unique footage. Getting started doesn’t have to be a labyrinth of complex technical configurations either, with many of the Watson microservices ready to go out-of-the-box.

Sports teams, venues and broadcasters are also exploring the potential of AI. For example, architects at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta worked with IBM consultants to design an intelligent stadium that captures live action and delivers rich datasets that can be used to enhance and augment the fan experience. Similar smart sensor technology, data analysis and artificial intelligence solutions are also being used at other major sporting events such as the Wimbledon Championship and the Masters Tournament to help improve the fan experience and enable teams to collect data that will inform tactics on the pitch, court or course.

We have only begun to scratch the surface of the transformative potential of AI and automation when applied to the telecommunications, media and entertainment industries. As more companies invest in innovation and the supporting infrastructure to deliver next-generation products and services, we can rest assured that the films, shows, concerts, streaming services and sports events of tomorrow will thrill all of us like never before.

What can you do next?

If you are interested in discussing any of the topics covered in this blog, or if you’d like to learn more about how IBM can help your business to harness the power of technology please do get in touch via e-mail or LinkedIn.