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Radio World

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Visual Component Growing in Importance

Posted: 21 Feb 2022 07:00 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/visual-component-growing-in-importance

Steve Koenig speaking at the 2022 CES. “Consumers endorse options and abhor complexity,” he said.

A top Consumer Technology Association executive says the global technology market remains stout and that consumers are adopting new tech at an
accelerated pace — all of which has implications for radio and audio companies.

Steve Koenig, vice president of research, says the future of tech
innovation is healthy and fueled by demand from consumers for breakthroughs that add convenience and simplicity to their everyday lives.

He spoke after the conclusion of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
in January.

Among the announcements and debuts at the convention, the biggest headline
was probably the simple fact that the convention was held in person.

But key trends showcased at CES included artificial intelligence and 5G,
which Koenig believes will serve as the “connective tissue” for innovation and as the building blocks of the metaverse, this year’s buzzword.

Koenig said there’s plenty happening in audio.

“There was a lot of innovation [at CES] across the audio spectrum — featuring listening products, but also a variety of innovations that will impact the future opportunity of audio and, by extension, broadcast radio,” he said.

“A lot of innovation in personal audio, what we’re seeing in true wireless ear buds, for example, and in home theater and home audio. Smart speakers
have populated and in some ways democratized listening around the house,
since people tend to have several of them in dens, kitchens and bedrooms.”

‘Screenification’ in cars

Koenig also says the “visual element” is fast becoming a focus for audio products.

“In a lot of the vehicles shown at CES, there was a premium on monitors.
For instance, Togg [a Turkish automaker] had a dashboard that was one giant screen, similar to the Mercedes-Benz Hyperscreen we have seen before,” he said.

He calls this the “screenification” of the automobile, and those bigger and additional video screens for both the front and rear seats have crucial
import.

“Radio broadcasters need to utilize that space, because a lot of others
are. Streaming audio and other connected services coming into connected vehicles utilize that screen real estate for drivers and occupants.” He
said this development spotlights the importance of the metadata carried by
many broadcast and streaming signals.

He sees the role of radio evolving as it adds various dimensions. “It is similar to what has happened to Next-Gen TV. It could be shopping, maps or other services that accompany the traditional broadcast service. I see this happening for radio broadcasters, which will increase opportunities for sponsorship and advertising deals. In the end, it’s a deeper engagement
with the consumer.”

Broadcast radio’s familiarity to consumers is a strength, he said, but
radio faces does face challenges as entertainment becomes more immersive.

“Broadcast radio is a very accessible and familiar medium, of course. We don’t track engagement, but what I can say is that consumers enjoy a mosaic of audio sources. Obviously podcasts and streaming music collections are growing in popularity; but still I think a lot of people enjoy radio.”

He declined to say whether he thinks broadcasters are doing enough strategically to adapt to increased competition, specifically in the
dashboard. But he believes radio has a lot of options to amplify its
business model and enhance the media experience for consumers.

“They have to engage with a variety of different partners, whether it is automakers or other possibilities. But there is a chance to remake radio
and align it with a more visual element and add appeal to consumers.”

The mobility sector at CES had more than 200 companies in the new West Hall
of the Las Vegas Convention Center, including automakers with self-driving
cars and electric vehicles. Many vehicle exhibits exploited interior
technology touting audio and video with additional media displays, Koenig
said.

Broadcast radio was represented in the transportation section by Xperi’s exhibit of DTS AutoStage, its hybrid radio platform that merges IP
connectivity and broadcast reception, promising a richer user experience similar to the offerings of digital pure-play services and satellite radio.

DTS AutoStage “is one of these market plays that is trying to deliver what consumers are asking for,” Koenig said. “Consumers endorse options and abhor complexity. So a platform or system to allow them to partake in a
variety radio and audio streams across their interest areas will resonate.”

Consumer behavior

Supply chain issues and computer chip shortages were topics of conversation
at CES, Koenig said, but much of the focus was on artificial intelligence, including how it can learn the behaviors of consumers across the audio ecosystem. He said companies are leveraging AI in more applications and
every economic sector, from manufacturing to entertainment.

“AI is getting better so it can do more things. There are a lot of flavors
of AI for consumers across different devices, from smart speakers and your phone to your new car. AI will learn behavior and knows what a person likes
to listen to and it gets to a point where it is predictive. AI can learn patterns and help tech goods anticipate what the consumer expects.”

Autonomous automobiles open up a new world for media entertainment and productivity, Koenig said. The extension of that is the range of
opportunities via screens through internet connectivity in the car cabin.

“When you consider how these technologies will allow consumers access to entertainment and content via the cloud, things will really start to get interesting,” he said. “Cloud computing and online gaming [in the car] will also be possible.”

CTA believes consumers maintain their appetite for new technology thanks in part to the “season of the pandemic,” Koenig said.

“We have seen historically high demand for consumer technology the past two years. By spending more time at home and needing to bolster work
productivity, school and education and entertainment, consumers are
leveling up their tec — smart home devices and smart phones. Smart
doorbells. You can also include services like connected fitness and online ordering for groceries and even telemedicine. The level of adoption of new technology by households has been at an all-time high.”

Koenig projects that consumer spending on hardware, software and services
in the United States will reach $505 billion, a 2.8% growth over 2021.

“Once consumers get a taste for these things, they tend to spend more on them. Why? Because it is delivering value and convenience and making life better.”

And then there’s the metaverse.

“The metaverse isn’t something we build and then we have it,” Koenig said.
“To me it’s the next generation of the internet, with enhanced connectivity that will deliver increasingly immersive digital experiences through
virtual reality. And these next-generation experiences will over time
become inextricably linked to our physical reality.”

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Visual Component Growing in Importance appeared first on Radio
World.


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iHeart Will Use Voice Cloning to Amplify Podcasts

Posted: 20 Feb 2022 07:00 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/iheart-will-use-voice-cloning-to-amplify-podcasts


iHeartMedia plans to use cloned voices to translate and produce podcasts, hoping to reach new markets.

It announced this week that it will use technology from AI software company Veritone for this purpose.

“iHeartMedia will leverage Veritone’s AI platform to make more shows across the iHeartPodcast Network available in multiple languages, helping to
expand their podcast market,” they said in the announcement. “The first use case is to translate iHeart’s marquee podcasts for Spanish-speaking audiences.”

[Related: “Veritone Ramps Up Synthetic Voices”]

They quoted Veritone President Ryan Steelberg saying, “iHeartMedia will not only be able to scale to new markets with localized language translations
but retain the brand value of their top talent’s voice, which is
fundamental in podcasting. We are also partnering to develop synthetic
voices for advertising and engaging content while reducing time-to-market
and production costs for radio, podcasting and the metaverse.”

The companies said iHeart voice talent will be able to authorize Veritone’s synthetic voice solution to produce more podcasts, ads and additional audio
in multiple languages “with the same energy, cadence and uniqueness of top talent.”

[Related: “Create Synthetic VOs Just by Typing”]

The post iHeart Will Use Voice Cloning to Amplify Podcasts appeared first
on Radio World.

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