This year, NAB Show celebrated its 100th anniversary April 15 – 19 in Las Vegas. Although I couldn’t make it, apparently what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. I’ve been hearing about all the great things at NAB Show from my fellow Atemians — from SaaS and cloud services to AI and fan engagement. So, with their help, I’ve narrowed it down to Ateme’s top five takes at NAB.
Rémi Beaudouin, Chief Strategy Officer
I was without a doubt looking forward to the NAB Show centennial this year and expected it to have a large turnout. And it did! It was a blast getting together face-to-face with customers and partners again on U.S. soil.
All those we met with seemed to be excited and better understand that Ateme can not only support them with their current classic video business needs but also help them evolve and prepare for the future.
I’ve been going to NAB for at least 15 years. It’s incredible to watch how it has transformed throughout this time. Starting as a show concentrating on technology, it then focused on content. And now it’s about experiences. Just as our media and entertainment industry changes and grows, so does NAB Show. It’s exciting to watch the evolution.
Everyone’s talking about AI. It’s in the news. It’s at our fingertips. I was pleasantly surprised to feel such a positive vibe about AI at NAB Show. Not too much, just right. It’s a growing concept and can sometimes be a little controversial. But this is why it’s critical that we get together, especially at shows like NAB, and talk about it, see where it’s heading. Next year at NAB Show, I would love to see even more innovation. Our industry should embrace AI and use it for great, ground-breaking solutions. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing at Ateme.
Jean-Louis Lods, VP of Media and Monetization
I expected NAB Show 2023 to be similar to IBC: very busy on the cloud and SaaS discussion front. And my expectations were true. It’s clear that industry players are looking to change both their operations and engineering and at the financial level. They’re searching for ways to better manage their cash flow. SaaS appeals to this because for every dollar spent there is an immediate return; it delivers on the promise of a rapid time to market.
A top take at NAB for me was about captivating our customers with Ateme+. NAB was the first real North American outing for our SaaS service. I was thankfully reassured that everyone who saw it understood exactly what it does and how easy it is to use. And that it’s a proper SaaS service that the customer controls. It was so encouraging that customers kept coming up with new use cases that we hadn’t yet thought about for Ateme+. This creates a great, and positive, challenge: how to prioritize the roadmap to add all these new features to the service.
What surprised me most were our partnership discussions. The media and entertainment industry has been slow at embracing the partnership model like the traditional IT world. However, this is changing quickly. No one vendor has all the products and features to deliver an amazing service, but partnering enables this. No harm in having frenemies!
Next Year at NAB, there will be no more steak dinners; that will not happen! In all seriousness, it will be looking back after having launched Ateme+ 18 months earlier and seeing how the service has really evolved, captivating customers and the industry to enable them to deliver amazing services to the public around the world.
Yohann Guilloux, VP of Global Partnerships
As this was my first year at NAB Show as the VP of Global Partnerships with Ateme, I was excited about attending and really wondered what it would be like.
First, I was immediately captivated by the sheer number of people from all continents and the size of the show. What a great team NAB Show has to have put together such a remarkable event! It definitely surpassed any expectations I could have had.
Secondly, I was incredibly impressed with the visibility of our booth including its perfect location and stunning design (we received a lot of positive feedback!) as well as the interactions between Ateme and our technological partners. We had a lot of great meetings — many at partners’ booths and even more at ours. Our sales presence was strong, which was very exciting. Numerous major stakeholders, from cloud providers in particular, were curious, showed a lot of interest, and came to find out what Ateme was all about. We look forward to reconnecting with them and finding out how we can accelerate our relationships.
I definitely hope to return to NAB Show next year and would love for Ateme to participate in more panels. Because of the great turnout and interest, I also look forward to growing Ateme’s presence and building new innovative partnerships.
Jim Marino, VP and General Manager of Sales in North America
Attending a prominent industry show like NAB can be unpredictable. But this year’s event exceeded expectations with over a 20% increase in attendance compared to last year. While the crowds are still growing slowly compared to pre-Covid days, the quality of meetings with decision makers was exceptional.
The show offered an abundance of exciting developments to explore, such as the prevalence of AI throughout the industry — from content creation to highly personalized experiences. It will be fascinating to see where AI takes us in the next few years.
Secondly, bringing ultra-low latency for sports, gaming, betting, and other applications on par with broadcast is quickly becoming essential. It’s what viewers demand. Ateme has been listening and is excited to build on our current solutions.
Another top take of the show was the hot topic of OTT streaming. It has surpassed traditional pay TV subscribers and continues to grow. Providers are looking at new ways to engage their current viewers and attract new ones while adapting to the evolving industry.
Finally, cloud technology was a major theme, as many companies are seeking cost-effective and simplified solutions. This reinforces the importance of the cloud partnerships we are forming at Ateme to ensure our continued growth.
Silvia Candido, VP of Marketing and Communications
At NAB Show 2023, I had no clear expectations, yet I was curious to see how the show would evolve after last year’s timid post-pandemic revival. There was a lot going on, but a few positive notes definitely stood out for me. This year turned out to be much better, with 24% more attendees compared to last year. At our booth, we outperformed this with 26% more attendees. Our numbers look even better over a four-year period, as we saw 8% more visitors compared to 2019, while overall show attendance was down 28% since pre-pandemic times. Plus, the sheer size and visibility of Ateme’s booth were outstanding! We also witnessed a strong interest in our fan engagement solutions, underlining the importance of sports streaming.
The shift from “technological breakthrough” to “collaborative innovation” was another top take at NAB Show. Technology still has a role to add merit to this industry. But increasingly, added value comes from imagining new use cases that put together different technological capabilities from different companies. For example, our “Fan Engagement” offering, which provides a new way of engaging and monetizing fans who are short on time yet don’t want to miss the main highlights of a game. This is accessible thanks to a partnership with Six Floor Solutions and Pushologies.
NAB Show also made it clear that sustainability is finally becoming significant in our industry with many companies focusing on the topic and the show holding its first “Excellence in Sustainability” awards. In a city known more for excess than moderation, this came as a welcome surprise. It would be great for the city that hosts our annual event to follow suit – for example, no more straws when we ask for a glass of water.
That’s a Wrap!
If you went to NAB Show 2023, what was your take? And if you met us there and/or have questions, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.