NAB 2019: On Pivoting, Commitment, Media, And Elephants

“Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality.” – Abraham Lincoln

As we finalize our presence at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas, it occurred to me it’s our first NAB since we made some major and definitely noticeable changes to our strategy / intentions relating to Media and Entertainment.

I’d like to take this perfect moment to give you the backstory and the going-forward strategy, which is a substantially re-upped commitment to the media and entertainment community.

First, a distinction: The difference between “media” and “television.” When viewed through the lens of a company that was born to pursue and advance everything related to Internet Protocol/IP, it’s a really important distinction.

“Media,” in the context of this tale, and today’s video marketplace, means all the screens we’re using to consume entertainment. Television screens, yes, but everything else, too: Our phones, tablets, laptops.

Consider: Our latest Visual Networking Index indicates that video will make up 82% of all online traffic by 2022. A Netflix film, “Roma” — which was never once screened in a traditional movie theater – won three Academy awards. Clearly, consumers want more viewing options. Satisfying them means helping our customers to build an Internet streaming plan that’s responsive and what we used to call “broadcast quality,” as the measuring stick of penultimate quality: High definition, no jitter, modern, adaptable.

Which brings us simultaneously to the pivot and elephant mentioned in the title. Let’s start with the elephant-in-the-room: Our decision, last October, to divest the television-focused portions of our video product line to Synamedia. Ultimately, a good decision for both of us — and the result of a deliberate (if initially painful) pivot toward the pursuit and advancement of everything related to IP and cloud. Including media, as defined above.

By divesting our portfolio of TV-centric hardware and software, with a company who instantly became a business partner, we’re able to put our full attention and resources on the technology challenges along the line of work that is IP-delivered video. It’s what any leadership-oriented company does, from time to time: Regroup and reallocate based on core strengths and desired outcomes.

The core strengths: Collaboration, IP Fabric, Cloud Orchestration, and IP Data Centers, all of which you’ll be hearing about in the run-up of NAB, the show itself, and moving forward.

Here’s where I’d like to direct your attention to this link, which illustrates the breadth and depth of our commitment to media and entertainment – which, in case I haven’t made this crystal-clear, is authentic and resourced. Thanks for indulging me this moment of context, and I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks!