News & Opinion

In a groundbreaking achievement that's setting the tech world abuzz, Varnish Software, in collaboration with Intel and Supermicro, has shattered previous records in content delivery network (CDN) throughput. This Swedish caching specialist has not only pushed the boundaries of speed and efficiency but has done so with a keen eye on sustainability, boasting an almost hard-to-believe throughput of 1.17 Gbps per Watt from a single edge server. This achievement marks a significant leap forward in the quest for more sustainable and cost-effective live streaming and video delivery solutions.    For those intrigued by the intricacies of high-performance streaming technologies and the sustainability of digital infrastructures, this development is not to be missed. Varnish's breakthrough promises to reshape how we think about and manage large-scale content delivery, blending cutting-edge technology with environmental consciousness.    Catch the full story and dive deeper into this exciting breakthrough here. 

?Recently the Daily Ad Brief spoke with Bob Gold & Associates President Bob Gold as part of their weekly Marketing Champions series. Bob shared his thoughts on industry trends and challenges and what makes our PR agency unique. Watch the video here.

The internationally recognized, data-driven public relations and marketing agency, Bob Gold & Associates (BG&A) is thrilled to announce that we recently celebrated 25 years of helping launch and grow nearly 250 clients ranging from hi-tech startups and associations to Fortune 500 companies.   Since our founding in 1997, Bob and his team have established themselves as a premier communications agency for leading hardware and software tech companies alike, expanding far beyond our roots in cable TV to encompass industries including media and entertainment, streaming, IoT, AdTech, enterprise software, blockchain and communication service providers.   “Whether clients are on the upswing or are in trouble, we have stepped up and helped shape their message and meaning to their community,” said President and Founder, Bob Gold. “For a quarter century, we always put our clients’ interests first.  Honesty is so rare today.  We pride ourselves on pushing back, and not being ‘yes folks.’ It is the only way to ensure their company, brand and reputation meet the future head on.”   We stay relevant in order to propel clients’ businesses forward, providing creative solutions and highly tailored communications programs that deliver meaningful results. This not only includes offering a variety of timely and much-needed services, but also creative services to support rebranding efforts and introduce disruptive technologies.   Current and recent clients include next generation smart home services, NFTs for the metaverse, AI-powered energy management, lab-made cheese, social justice campaigns, streaming channels, and highly touted individual shows.   The company’s proprietary BG&A Insight™ is a unique, data-driven approach to PR and brand management that has helped the firm meet every client’s unique needs by implementing proactive and personalized PR campaigns tackling all five pillars offered in the program.   Bob Gold & Associates has received numerous accolades and awards. Most recently, the firm was recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021. Recently, we have been selected among the Top California Public Relations Firms by DesignRush. The agency was also recognized as a top place to work by Cablefax Magazine in 2019. That same year, Bob Gold was named Communications Professional of the Year by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Gold was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 2007.   Special Thanks to our friends and partners in the media who have supported and celebrated with us. CableFax Daily highlighted our anniversary! When (Bob) Gold Turns Silver - It’s been 25 years since Bob Gold founded his PR and marketing firm Bob Gold & Associates after getting his start in the industry at HBO and Prime Ticket. As a communications pro, he’s had a bird’s-eye view of cable’s transformation during that period. “This is the 1980s all over again—in terms of connected TVs being the new cable system, in terms of bundling that’s coming together. What’s really interesting is that cable was the brand that everyone loved to hate. It was expensive, you had no choice, and it was bad customer service. So direct-to-consumer streaming was like this cure. Nobody hates that cable operator anymore,” he told CFX. That might be a bit of PR wishful thinking, but cable certainly has come a long way from the days of the evil “cable guy.” The PRWeek Podcast featured our very own Bob Gold! Longtime agency owner talks about celebrating his film’s quarter-century in business, legendary moments in entertainment communications and sports TV rights. Palos Verde Magazine spotlights Bob in the feature story on page 16 -- Rolling Hills Resident and Owner Bob Gold & Associates, Celebrates 25 Years in Business and Discovers a New Chapter in his Book of Life BG&A Founder Bob Gold reminisces about 2+ decades in cable and telecom with Jeff Baumgartner in a recent Light Reading Podcast   Stroll Rolling Hills magazine celebrates Rolling Hills resident Bob Gold on the 25th anniversary of Bob Gold & Associates with a treasure trove of photos starting on page 12.

Viamedia, the country’s leading independent provider of ad-sales representation to Cable TV Systems saw a record-setting 42% increase in ad spending for Q1 Midterm political advertising.  The triple-digit -- and higher-- growth was seen across all political categories -- including House, Senate, gubernatorial, local races and issues especially in Battle Ground states.   The data was culled from political advertising purchased on more than 60 multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) of various sizes in more than 70 markets.   David Solomon, President & CEO at Viamedia noted, "We have robust insights into the local ad trends around the country. What we’re seeing, so far this season, underscores the reliability of political advertising directed primarily at linear television platforms.”   The company also saw a significant spike in digital political advertising, driving the portion of spending on digital to 18% of the total in first-quarter 2022 – though the digital spending remains dwarfed by linear TV spending.   READ MORE: Viamedia Sees 42% Increase in 1Q Political Ad Spend, Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable Inside the Beltway: A haven for conservative news, Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times

Wi-Fi has become an essential component of the global digital infrastructure. As the backbone of the digital economy, Wi-Fi connectivity is embedded into the way we live and work. And the technology is just getting started.   With Wi-Fi 6 adoption now in full force, the industry expects the technology's improvements to fuel new innovation, especially in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality, and high-definition video streaming. As a result, the global economic value of Wi-Fi will increase from $3.3 trillion in 2021 to $4.9 trillion by 2025, the Wi-Fi Alliance estimates.   As consumers look to upgrade to the new generation of Wi-Fi, they'll expect CSPs to deliver not only on the higher throughput of Wi-Fi 6E but also on improved quality of experience (QoE).   In today’s extremely competitive market where connectivity speed is no longer a differentiator, customers want a lot more from their providers. As emerging technologies such as AR/VR and 8K video streaming take off, consumers will expect to benefit from the full potential of Wi-Fi 6E. Providers that plan smartly and get ahead of the curve will emerge as the market leaders.   Read the full technical paper prepared for the SCTE Technical Journal by Bill McFarland, Chief Technology Officer, Plume Design, Inc.,

Leading US-based designer and manufacturer of telecommunications, fiber optic, video and data delivery technologies Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. recently introduced the updated Aircaster AQT8 series of transmodulators – including the Aircaster AQT8-QAM/IP and Aircaster AQT8-IP – a comprehensive and flexible toolset to create custom IP and QAM channel lineups from any ATSC 1.0 off-air or QAM content source.   Featuring an internal active splitter, the Aircaster AQT8 enables users to create a full lineup of up to 64 channels and distribute them to thousands of different locations across a facility, eliminating the need for countless digital converters, external splitters, and legacy one-to-one solutions.   “The Aircaster AQT8 reimagines what off-air rebroadcasting equipment can do in a single compact unit, enabling custom lineups of up to 64 channels, accessible to thousands of residential homes in the case of service operators, or hundreds of rooms and TV sets for hospitality, institutional and SMB use cases. It effortlessly creates and multiplexes a complete digital media service, while eliminating unnecessary fees and equipment.” Said Ted Grauch, President and CEO of Blonder Tongue Laboratories.   This recent product release adds to Blonder Tongue’s growing portfolio of new solutions and innovations, including the NXG Platform and Clearview Transcoder Series, that are specifically designed to augment and streamline IPTV and OTT video distribution.   Read the TV Tech article here.   For more information, please visit: https://www.blondertongue.com/.

Future Today, the only full-stack streaming solution that packages branded channels and delivers the audiences to watch them, announced the launch of three free streaming services on Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream: FilmRise, Fawesome and iFood.tv. In addition, the companies have expanded their partnership whereby Rogers Sports & Media (RSM) will now provide ad sales representation for all of Future Today’s streaming channels across Canada.   “Rogers is a dominant force in shaping the TV viewing experience and leads the way in customer-focused offerings,” said Vikrant Mathur, Founder and CEO, Future Today.   In the last 12 months, Future Today has experienced extraordinary growth and has aggressively expanded its content library to offer more than 225,000 movies, TV shows and episodes with the addition of 15,000 hours of premium content that is currently available on every major streaming platform, including Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Xbox, iOS and Android.   Read more from Rapid TV News here.

Joyn’s Platform Utilizes Real-time Data to Simplify and Streamline Underwriting for Small and Middle Market Risks     Commit USA, a global technology and custom software solutions company, and Joyn InsuranceSM, a New York City-based InsurTech startup, today announced a partnership to support the development of Joyn’s new platform, which is slated to launch this year.   Commit was tapped to help with both design and development of the new platform’s user experience. The company’s expert development team has been fully integrated alongside Joyn’s existing engineering team members and partners to ensure seamless collaboration and rapid development throughout the project.   Commit was selected for its comprehensive range of engineering and data capabilities, development expertise and customer-centric approach, which were critical to addressing the unique complexities and usability challenges of developing Joyn’s solution.   “Joyn is bringing big ideas to the insurance industry and is backed by brilliant executives and innovators who have already helped shape the world of InsurTech. It’s exciting to support their vision and be part of this transformation,” said Max Nirenberg, CRO & Managing Director, Commit USA. “Joyn’s platform is truly a best-in-class solution that addresses the biggest pain points experienced by underwriters and brokers in the commercial insurance industry. It’s the future of underwriting for Small and Middle markets.”   Joyn is an innovative, data-centric, technology-driven managing general agent (“MGA”) that provides commercial insurance to the highly fragmented U.S. Small and Middle Markets. Leveraging real-time data, automation and a robust technology stack, the platform can significantly improve the commercial insurance experience, by streamlining and bringing consistency to underwriting processes and decision making. Joyn’s platform can greatly expedite response times for quotes, increase transparency during the underwriting process, and provide a policy at bind.   “This segment of the commercial insurance market is fragmented and rife with inefficiencies, redundancies and lost opportunities for brokers and their clients. Data and technology are the keys to solving these issues,” said Ed McGough, CTO and Co-Founder, Joyn Insurance. “Partnering with an organization like Commit, who have both scale and a startup mindset was an easy decision. We have access to top engineering talent in multiple geographies, without the complexity of managing a global team and operation. Max and his team work seamlessly with Joyn and our existing partners.”   Joyn Insurance was founded by a unique team of insurance executives that are both industry veterans, and technology advocates, including CEO Seraina Macia and CTO Ed McGough. The team at Joyn will work with retail brokers to provide insurance services across a range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, services, retail, wholesale and contracting.   Integral to Commit operations is its proprietary Flexible R&D methodology, which offers the firm’s multidisciplinary development services via a unique on-demand model. Commit’s approach often reduces development costs by over 40% for its startup clients and has helped 90% release their projects ahead of schedule.   For more information, please visit: https://www.commit.us or https://www.joyninsurance.com/  

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the female members of the Bob Gold & Associates team. For the week 3 Q&A, we’re featuring Amy Prenner. Consumer and Entertainment Strategist Amy Prenner shares the secret to her success amid the last 12 months and how to keep clients relevant during Covid-19.   The pandemic literally turned every industry upside down. As a PR professional, how did you pivot your efforts? I remember everyone literally in shock and wasn’t sure how to be effective without being together. We were all more concerned about toilet paper and water than the pandemic that would spread throughout the world.   As businesses and clients shifted from their offices to their homes and cell phones, we all began to quickly adapt in a way that has made our business streamlined and even more effective.   Thankfully there are many tools from FaceTime to Zoom to WebEx to Skype that ensure facetime with clients and staff and have helped to keep communications fluid and consistent. Because we aren’t in our cars driving to and from work and events, there have been other benefits, no traffic, no money on gas and no commuting. We have all become much more efficient and effective working from home while tending to our clients that need our expertise.   How do the clients feel as a result of these changes? They love that when we secure TV interviews they can just Zoom or Skype in and don’t have to leave their living room. Securing media relations for Covid-19 related clients has been something that benefits our clients but also helps the media with their coverage. We also notice that we have been able to spend even more one-on-one time with our clients because we are in a more relaxed environment where we can offer media strategies and suggestions that they can absorb and practice so that they are successful in their respective campaigns.   What advice would you give to someone who is looking at a career in PR? Many years ago I used to tell people to go to a newsstand and see where you gravitate. You can do the same thing with a news aggregator like Apple News. If you see what you like whether its fashion, celebrity, home and design, food, politics, etc, you will be able to see where your interests lie. Be open to everything and anything. Read as much as you can. Learn the basics of social media and make sure its something you actually enjoy. If you love what you do in any career you will be a success and its easier to work in an industry you have passion for.   Be sure to read our Women’s History Month Q&A with VP, Beth Braen, from Week 1, Director of Marketing, Roxanne Leone from Week 2 and Associate Account Executive Anabela Savulescu from Week 3.