An amazing 98,000 visitors attended The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, with the 4 day event bringing together some of the biggest names in electronic media and entertainment, exploring this constantly changing industry and providing the latest ideas from content creation, management, commerce, delivery and distribution and finally consumption.

Gordon Smith, the NAB President and CEO opened the eagerly anticipated event, with the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond including Ray Romano and the show’s creator Phil Rosenthal taking to the stage as part of the Television Luncheon to discuss the challenges faced in its early years as well as the huge success of the show, as they accepted induction to the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Insight was also provided into the extensive work and challenges involved in the production of the recent Sochi Winter Olympics, with discussions involving representatives from CBC Television, NBC Sports Group, the Olympic Broadcasting Services, TV 2 Norway and Sports Video Group on their undertakings to enable global coverage of the event.

Further awards took place on Day 2 with Steve Harvey, radio and TV personality and bestselling author also inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame.  A key focus of the day was the Future of Broadcasting, with Cloud and Net Neutrality also covered.  Amazon Web Services’ Mark Ramberg presented on the use of Cloud technology for meeting the demands of anytime anywhere content delivery across all devices, as well as uses of the technology in film and broadcast production.  With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed new rulings on net neutrality, World Without Rules – Is this the End of the Open Internet? proved an interesting discussion, with the pros and cons of the changes proposed and implications to the industry covered.

A wealth of stars attended NAB 2014, Norm MacDonald of Saturday Night Live fame and known for his writing, producing and acting roles, together with comedian, producer and director Tom Green, and Criss Angel renowned magician and illusionist, accompanied Cali Lewis of GeekBeat TV in a lively discussion entitled NewTek Presents: Broadcast Minds, exploring the innovative ways in which loyal online audiences can be built along with commercial success, including the production of quality shows specifically created for online consumption.

Additional super sessions included a chance to learn more about the massive internet hit Camp Takota, with a feature in Filmmaking in the Age of YouTube, with its stars Grace Helbig and Mamri Hart and producer Michael Goldfine reflecting on the methods used to create, market and distribute this online comedy success which took third place in the iTunes Independent Movie Chart.

The Arc@des, ATSC Technology Pavilion, Connected Media World, Studio Experience and Futures Park provided the ideal opportunity to showcase the latest industry developments, with the Startup Loft and Sprockit areas focussing on newly created and market-ready businesses.

Image Credit:

http://bit.ly/1ii9IYr