Our first new year press event

• During the conference, Serge Van Herck highlighted EVS’ strong growth over the last couple of years, announcing an increase in revenue figures (referring to the 2022 revenue guidance)  as well as an increase in its workforce to reach more than 600 colleagues by the end of the year 2022.
• This growth is attributed to a number of factors: the extensive use of EVS’ technology for the live production of the major sporting events of 2022; some major deals (including the Big Tech contract 22, spread over ten years, and valued at $50 million - the biggest contract ever signed by EVS) and the success of the Media Infrastructure offering (a result of the Axon acquisition in 2020). 
• Customers have also been receptive to EVS’ Balanced Computing approach to balancing the use of cloud and existing on-prem infrastructure to better meet the needs of customers in terms of flexibility and budget. 
• EVS also made significant progress with its internal projects in 2022, including the implementation of a new ERP system in October to support the company’s growth. 
• Other investments were made to secure future growth. Investments in support and operations resources to ensure a high level of quality support for EVS’ customers on a day-to-day basis. 
• EVS has been focusing heavily on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), integrating these aspects in every step of the business. The company’s first Sustainability report was published in 2021. 
• Nicolas Bourdon explained how EVS’ offering has helped broadcast & media companies increase their content value, expand content distribution, and optimize infrastructure. Key products and solutions that have gained traction over the past year include: The LSM-VIA IP-based replay and highlights system used extensively throughout the year at major sporting events; XtraMotion AI-based super slow-motion creation service now adopted by a growing number of customers; MediaHub hybrid cloud solution enabling easier distribution and exchange of content to rightsholders; Neuron media processing platform for handling different types of content formats, framerates, resolutions, and protocols within the same workflow while also reducing energy consumption; MediaInfra Strada routing solution able to adapt to any production requirement and combining SDI and IP capabilities.

• The trend around IP now is about the pace of the transition that is accelerating. EVS will continue to focus on integration points, providing clear APIs to customers and partners, and working within standards to meet customer needs. The shift to IP will enable more efficient workflows, remote access, and integration with cloud and edge processing and is also aligned with environmental, social, and governance objectives.
• The continued shift to the cloud and the importance of using an approach that balances the use of cloud and existing infrastructure (Balanced Computing). Often those transitions to cloud are not just about technology, but business models. Looking at SaaS and more OPEX based business models, even as a hardware manufacturer, would solve multiple problems and meet the expectations of CFOs looking to switch to a more predictable spending model.
• Increase in demand predicted for UHD productions. With big tech bidding on sports rights, UHD native delivery to devices (e.g., OTT, Web delivery) becomes possible. As most smartphones and tablets support UHD, the transition to UHD is expected to continue in 2023 and beyond.
• The growing trend towards the Flexible Control Room, where the “traditional large control room linked to a big studio” is being replaced by smaller, more agile production areas that can easily and efficiently scale from 1-5 users. A concept that is being implemented with RTBF on the CR42 project, responding to the broadcaster’s need for flexibility by decoupling the front-end user experience from the back-end equipment.
• Cybersecurity is becoming an important factor in the decision-making process of customers. As such, we expect to see an uptake of security tools that integrate zero-trust policies and can be added on top of existing infrastructures, enabling broadcasters to safeguard their operation at the micro-segment level.

• Accelerating the development of creative tools, providing operators, producers, and directors with everything they need to create compelling stories.
• Streamlining the production process and facilitating the access of content to all stakeholders through centralized asset management.
• Providing more flexibility in terms of business models and ways to access EVS’ products and solutions.
• Further developing the central pool of infrastructure to ingest and make content available for multiple applications.
• Continuing to accelerate its Balanced Computing strategy.

• Veerle De Wit gave insight into how EVS continues to invest time and effort in building a resilient organization. On the one hand, EVS has documented the key processes and for the most critical processes (the ones directly impacting the delivery and support of our customers) a recovery plan has been designed. On the other hand, EVS will ensure that the IT environment is adapted to ensure fast recovery of the operations, in case of a cyberattack. 
• Having recently conducted a carbon footprint analysis, and has defined a roadmap for improvement, taking into account both internal and indirect carbon footprint (created for instance by customers using EVS solutions).
• The R&D team increasingly considers ESG in software development, utilizing modern, efficient languages, and optimized deployment and usage of resources as per the Balanced Computing approach. It's about making the most utilization and enabling customers to better control their own power consumption, hardware efficiency and responsibly sourcing components will also be a focus. 
• On the social front, EVS has recently received the Top Employer certificate in Belgium for 2023, and will continue to prioritize the engagement and well-being of its team members.
• The company is also focusing on governance, including risk management and digital transformation to support growth and ensure customer success. 

Serge Van Herck concluded by stating that EVS will continue to advance its innovative live creative tools, powerful content management, and flexible infrastructure solutions to help live storytellers across the globe create emotions for billions of viewers. The focus this year will mainly be on three key areas: maintaining ESG at the forefront of its operations and integrating it in everything we do, increasing growth, and improving bottom-line profitability.