MIPCOM | It’s Time for Stingray’s 4K Revolution
The 4K Revolution Starts Now
MIPCOM 2017 started off with a bang for the Stingray team!
Eric Boyko, our President, Co-founder, and CEO, launched Stingray Now 4K, a brand-new 4K UHD music video TV channel, while Rob Overman, Artistic Director and Head of Sales & Strategy EMEA, presented Stingray’s 4K strategy to an audience of industry professionals.
The Best Music, in UHD
The frontrunners of the 4K revolution, Stingray included, took to the stage during “The Best Music, in UHD” panel at MIPCOM 2017.
2015 and 2016 were the years of the pioneers.
2017 is the year of the transition.
2018 will be the year of the 4K television breakthrough.
The growth in availability of 4K content is expected to explode over the next few years in response to worldwide consumer demand. In his panel presentation, Rob offered an enthusiastic insider’s view on 4K UHD development and related challenges such as production and distribution.
See more. Hear more. Feel More.
For a long time filming in HD was the industry standard.
But standards are made to be broken.
People will always seek a better viewing experience. Film and video producers will always seek better production quality. Over the past few decades, we have seen a drastic improvement in television picture quality. The home viewing experience has come a long way from 20 inch screens with poor sound to 65 inch 4K HDR TV sets connected to ear and mind blowing audio equipment. Home cinema in ultima forma.
With our 4K UHD channels, we want to take viewers on a breathtaking television journey beyond their imagination. We want them to see more, hear more and feel more!
Stingray Now 4K: Music Videos Never Looked So Good
Stingray wouldn’t be Stingray if it didn’t spearhead the new golden age of music TV.
The next music video revolution starts now with the official launch at MIPCOM of Stingray Now 4K, an all-4K specialty music video channel. Stingray Now 4K is a channel with mainstream appeal but curated specially with sophisticated young adults in mind.
30 years after Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking “Thriller”, music videos are entering an exciting new era. The costumes, make-up, sets, and stories truly come to life in dazzling 4K. Music videos are made for 4K.
Music fans and technophiles will be blown away by Stingray Now 4K’s unique programming of today’s biggest hits, indie gems, and stunning videos by up-and-coming artists from around the world. Stingray Now 4K offers the most wide-ranging and diverse 4K music video programming on television.
As opposed to concerts and live shows, music videos are owned by labels. While artists dreamed of showcasing their creativity in stunning 4K, and TV operators craved cutting-edge content to respond to market demand, the adequate distribution channel did not exist.
That’s were Stingray came in.
With Stingray Now 4K, labels finally have a way to distribute their 4K music videos, and a reason to produce mind-blowing content in the first place.
Stingray Festival 4K: From nothing to something spectacular
Stingray Festival 4K (originally introduced as Festival 4K), a native 4K channel dedicated to celebrating music and culture in all its forms, was launched to respond to consumer demand without knowing what 4K meant or where to find content.
Today, the channel’s programming includes hundreds of hours of shows, live performances, and events in all music genres.
To deliver a truly original viewing experience, Festival 4K was dependent on available 4K content. Upscaling was not option. While not all producers where ready to shoot in 4K, they had to or their content would look dated in the long run.
According to Rob: “When we launched the channel, we were happy to have 25 titles to fill the 24-hour programming. In two years, our catalogue has grown eightfold, from 25 titles to over 200 titles! And this is only the beginning. 2018 will be the breakthrough year for music content in 4K.”
In the early days of 4K, producing content put a financial strain on most producers, especially smaller ones. For example, they had to be very efficient during shoots when using 4K cameras. The costs of a production could vary from $17,500 (15.000 €) to $700,000 (600.000 €), depending on the quality and number of cameras, the type of lenses, lighting and sound equipment, and of course post-production costs.
With the rise of 4K technology, affordable 4K video equipment is now available at any budget. The Stingray Festival 4K catalog only offers productions of the highest technical and creative quality. Today, the channel presents festival productions filmed with 16 cameras.
Stingray Ambiance 4K: World of Beauty in 4K
Stingray Ambiance 4K, a slow-TV channel, was first launched in HD. The channel combines beautiful scenery and soothing soundtracks tailor-made to accompany every moment of the day.
The channel was created specially to respond to market demand. Since its launch in 4K Stingray Ambiance has invited viewers to see the world in a whole new level of color, contrast, and brightness.
Are you ready for the 4K era? Are you ready to see more, hear more and feel more? We sure are!
Find out more about Stingray’s 4K UHD channels: stingray.com/4k
Interested in distribution one of our specialty channels: salesteam@stingray.com.
