All roads lead to IBC! In our latest blog series, we spent 5 minutes with some of the Bitmovin team to get their thoughts on why IBC is important and tips for enjoying the show.
Say hello to Ian Baglow, our Chief Revenue Officer, who oversees our revenue function, primarily focusing on customer retention, customer growth and new customer acquisition. He has significant experience in leading growth at software-as-a-service companies.
Discover why he thinks trust is the currency of the media and entertainment industry and the trends he expects to see on the show floor.
Why are shows like IBC important for the media and entertainment industry?
A defining characteristic of the media and entertainment industry is that it’s primarily based on relationships and trust. While the industry remained resilient during the pandemic and the absence of face-to-face, it’s clear it’s the right time to get back to in-person events. IBC is unique because it’s one of those rare occasions when most of your customers and partners are in one place, so conversations that start on the stand can continue over coffee or dinner.
Shows like IBC also provide a great snapshot of the industry and its trajectory. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen numerous streaming services launch but also a significant number of mergers and acquisitions as media and entertainment businesses diversity their products. An event like IBC provides an excellent opportunity for technology vendors to showcase how they can help these companies.
What big trends do you expect to see at IBC this year?
There will be a host of product launches, of course. However, I believe key trends will centre around user experience as we enter a new phase of the streaming wars. The “battle for eyeballs” is intensifying, and streaming services have a renewed focus on quality of experience alongside the potential total cost of ownership cost savings due to challenging results announced by many M&E customers.
IBC coincides with your first anniversary at Bitmovin. What have been your biggest highlights and learnings over the past year?
The biggest highlight for me was the industry’s reaction to our Next-Generation VOD Encoder at NAB. We received incredible feedback from users and key industry influencers, which helped validate all the hard work that had gone into it.
My biggest learning has been the importance of industry partnerships. Video workflows can be complex, so it’s important to be open to working with partners to help solve a customer’s problem. Sharing knowledge and expertise is how we’ll deliver the great viewing experiences our customers’ audiences expect and deserve.
What are you most looking forward to about IBC?
IBC will be a great place to source feedback on our new products and how well our products are integrating with partner solutions. I am particularly interested in speaking to industry influences about market trends so we can stay ahead of the curve, particularly with live streaming, which requires you to keep your finger on the pulse and constantly innovate.
