To help navigate this landscape, we developed a paper that will serve as a content licensing and security guide for video service providers planning multi-network, multi-screen services. We teamed with Bill Rosenblatt, founder of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies, who has been steeped in digital rights and content management technologies for many years and has served as technical expert in litigation and public policy initiatives related to digital copyright.

The great debate surrounding the viability of premium Video on Demand (VoD) content continues. At this point, it seems we should move beyond the enabling regulations and technical obstacles surrounding premium VoD and instead concern ourselves with market dynamics – who might be the big winners and losers. Despite some changing dynamics in content licensing and security, technology is not the long pole in the tent any more, but rather licensing terms and subscriber adoption – at least for early adopters. And we are clearly still in the experimental phase of verifying if a home theater movie experience in a similar release window as theatrical release provides a viable business upside.

Our CEO and Chief Visionary, Tom Munro, was shortlisted for a Euro50 Award in the Technology Leader category for his contributions to the pay-TV industry as a whole. Although Tom didn’t walk away with the trophy, he was recognized alongside other industry visionaries at the Awards gala in London, where we were delighted to host a great mix of partners and customers at our table. As part of its Awards coverage, Digital TV Europe asked Tom to reflect on his accomplishments in 2011, and provide his vision for 2012.