IBC’s Muki Kulhan on how 5G is Transforming Media
Muki Kulhan is an executive XR / R&D innovation Producer and Creative Technologist, with many years’ experience working with exciting brands across broadcasting, sports and entertainment, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with emerging technologies.
“I live and breathe innovation, no-wrong-answers tech experimentation and cross-industry collaboration,” she says. “Today, I work with a range of industry innovators and global brands, leading exciting projects that leverage XR, 5G and immersive, interactive technologies.”
Right now, all eyes are on IBC2024 and the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, where broadcasters, tech pioneers, content creators, arts institutions and academia are united to tackle real-world industry challenges through collaborative innovation projects.
“We’re just a few days away from seeing these projects culminate in first-time proof-of-concept demos at the event — we couldn’t be more excited!”
5G and connectivity are everything
IBC is an event which intersects broadcasting with new and evolving technologies as the media industry moves toward more immersive, 3D digital experiences, where connectivity is everything. 5G plays a hugely exciting role and is powering a seismic shift in how content is created, distributed and consumed.
5G and advances in connectivity will be front and centre across a range of projects and initiatives that demonstrate new possibilities for remote production, live, edge powered broadcasting, AI-powered fan experiences, ultra-low latency sports streaming and fresh approaches to live entertainment.
“This year, connectivity is playing a key role across several projects within the Accelerator Programme, where brands like Vodafone, Verizon and Neutral Wireless are presenting new, groundbreaking edge and 5G-powered solutions as part of our Accelerators R&D,” Muki shares. “Whether it’s the seamless production of live sports events, how AI LLMs can enhance live sports and fan personalisation, or how 5G is making live performances across entertainment venues more accessible, 5G is integral to the conversations that will happen at IBC2024.”
The IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme is attracting wider, more diverse and more innovative players from across multiple industries.
It’s designed to help media, entertainment and tech organisations fast-track innovation by collaborating on proof-of-concept projects that solve specific industry challenges.
“We bring together teams of ‘Champions’ — broadcasters, studios and other industry leaders — and ‘Participants’ — solution vendors, start-ups and technology pioneers — to work on shared problems and explore new solutions.”
This year, one continued focus is the special incubator project Connect and Produce Anywhere - Phase II. Building on last year’s success, this project, led by Muki's former employer, the BBC, as well as Channel 4, BT Media & Broadcast, Sky, Vodafone and others, is pushing the boundaries of remote production.
“The team is developing an all-IP, edge-first, multi-cloud environment, designed to support live production in a variety of locations, even those with bandwidth constraints,” adds Muki. “It’s an ambitious project that promises to demonstrate how edge computing can create flexible, dynamic workflows for live broadcasts, particularly in sports and live events.”
Another standout project is Connecting Live Performances of the Future with ULL-AVLM (Ultra-Low Latency Audio, Video, Light, and Media data), led by institutions like the Music Venue Trust, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of Kent, Kings College and A/V tech companies like d&b, Spectral Compute and Neutral Wireless. This initiative is focused on synchronising live performances across multiple venues using 5G to transmit real-time audio, video, lighting and motion capture media data.
“The potential here is really huge – imagine attending a live concert in London while the same performance is happening in another city across the globe, with both performances perfectly synced,” she continues. “The possibility to create distributed, yet immersive, experiences is groundbreaking. 5G plays a crucial role here, providing the necessary bandwidth and low-latency capabilities to ensure everything happens in real-time.”
The result is an entirely new way to think about live performances — one that is not constrained by geography and can unlock huge accessibility and sustainability benefits.
The future of 5G in media and broadcasting
Muki knows that the future of 5G, edge computing, AI, XR and cloud is limitless and will help democratise content creation and distribution, while powering new levels of creativity in production and audience engagement.
“We’re already seeing the impact of remote production, where small teams can create high-quality content from anywhere in the world using cloud infrastructure and 5G connectivity,” she states.
Meanwhile, mixed reality is unlocking immersive media experiences that connect people, performers/athletes and brands in new ways.
“Emerging tech is really about unlocking new creative possibilities while making production more efficient, sustainable, and accessible — many of the boldest action-takers and forward-thinkers are coming to Amsterdam this week to be a part of that change.”
Make sure you check out the latest edition of Mobile Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Tech & AI LIVE 2024
******
Mobile Magazine is a BizClik brand
