With the broadcast and communications industries slowly returning to something like normality following lockdowns and working from home during the pandemic , have viewing patterns followed suit ? With Test & Monitor and network analytics essential to consumer QoE , what challenges persist ? Euromedia sought the views of a range of sector players .

To what extent have lockdown-enforced working practices continued as the broadcast and comms industries return to a sense of normality ? 7fivefive : During the lockdowns , many broadcast and media organisations started to integrate various elements of cloud-based working into their infrastructures and have continued with these changes . Now that blended working models are more prevalent , there is a need to ensure that all systems integrate seamlessly to maximise operational efficiency . As well as virtualising infrastructure to make it accessible to team members whether they are at home or in the office . Accedo : Virtual meetings have continued to be important practices past the lockdownenforced restrictions . Although the industry as

10 EUROMEDIA a whole has returned to some level of physical meetings , events and tradeshows , almost all have had some element of digital interaction . The hybrid model isn ’ t going anywhere and is playing an important role in helping to reduce travel and create a more inclusive and connected industry . Broadband Forum : During the pandemic , we saw a significant surge in Internet traffic with streaming services and video calls eating up bandwidth . Therefore , operators continue to focus on increasing network capacity . Concurrently , the number of smart devices in the home has grown significantly and operators are tasked with playing an even more pivotal role in order to effectively manage this . Broadcast Traffic Systems : Many of the agile workflows that came about for broadcasters as a result of the lockdowns will likely continue for the foreseeable . A large portion of the broadcast industry was already beginning to adopt cloud-based operations and the lockdown gave many the push they needed to augment linear transmission with cloud elements seen with FAST and AV0D . Cinedeck : During Covid lockdowns , many broadcast teams were forced to shift elements of their production to remote , cloud-based workflows . This change was already underway for many production teams before the pandemic and thanks to the cost benefits of the cloud it has grown , and many remote production workflows are likely here to stay . Codemill : The journey towards decentralised and distributed post-production teams is still underway as many teams continue to operate , to at least some degree , remotely . Initiatives like Just in Time transcoding , which enables the migration of high bandwidth media workflows to the public cloud , for real-time playback of full-res media on a standard web browser , will optimise remote workflows further . InCoax : Online experiences continue to enable people ’ s everyday lives , and there remains a global dependence on ubiquitous connectivity in every part of a home . Hybrid working has meant that any accommodation that do not have access or have very limited access to next generation fibre and mobile services should not be neglected . Mediaproxy : This is something that varies across the broadcast sector depending on the individual approaches of different broadcasters and facilities . Technical personnel were able to work at home just as efficiently thanks to software versions of studio and control room equipment running in conjunction with efficient connectivity . Object Matrix : As far as content storage goes , lockdown restrictions accelerated many changes that were already underway . Cloudbased workflows were an inevitable evolution of the industry . Hybrid-cloud archive storage and media asset management can help