Industry expo Avant Première Music + Media Market Berlin, taking place next February, works at the forefront of the arts. The event brings together those merging real-time arts performance with broadcasting. It’s the place to network to see the stars of the big and small screen, as well as new technologies entering the market. IAM speaks to IMZ director Katharina Jeschke about what to expect from the broadcasting, film, streaming and TV gathering of 2016.
The quality of the films on offer now is breathtaking. The range of skills and services must also be phenomenal as different sectors begin to work together much more collaboratively. Can you predict trends? Where do you think the market is going?
As we observe the dynamics of the market we realise that conventional slots on traditional broadcasting channels decrease, while at the same time new media channels emerge. On the one hand there are new broadcasting channels being created like here in Austria, for example, we have ORF 3, which is dedicated exclusively to cultural programming. On the other hand, we’ve observed an increase and shift towards the online market: platforms like Arte Concert or Medici.tv are increasing in popularity.
Streaming of concerts, operas or dance is, of course, another big topic, since cultural institutions seek new audiences. Online streaming programmes like Berlin Philharmonic’s digital concert hall and Vienna State Opera’s digital platform have been groundbreaking. Also the audience for VOD (video on demand) and SOD (streaming on demand) is growing fast, alongside live to digital and event cinema formats as promoted by the Event Cinema Association.
Geographically we see a clear trend towards these platforms emerging in the Asian markets. These were conclusions made and discussed in the panel event ‘Broadcasting in a changing market’, which took place at last year’s Avant Première.
How does Avant Première seek to lead the conversation? Have you decided what will head up the agenda in 2016?
As an organisational body, IMZ [the lead organisation] is a large international network with IMZ members active in the production, staging, filming, distributing, broadcasting and marketing of the performing arts. Thus we are constantly in touch with both industry and audiences and able to filter current dynamics, trends, demands, changes and challenges, as we are approached by the market players who communicate their needs.
For the next edition we looked at the specific needs of our market, for which we realised the significance of bordering disciplines. By that I mean the rising technologies available to either promote performing arts better or get them closer to respective audiences via interactive applications for opera on an iPad or TimeLab, which was installed in cooperation with Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut at Avant Première in 2015. The TimeLab presented participants with technical approaches and applications for an advanced interactive live performance impression beyond 3D.
This is an extract from an article in Vol. 11 Issue 17. To read the full feature subscribe to IAM here.
