Falcon Media House : 5 minutes with Gert Rieder, CEO, Falcon Media House

21 July 2017

1. What is exciting you most about the OTT industry currently?

The speed of change in consumer behaviour, in-market activity and technology developments. All of this combined gives you an industry that is moving faster than any I've worked in, including mobile and broadband which I was involved in previously.

1. And what do you see as the sector's greatest challenges?

There are lots of small players that are all trying to carve out a role and a unique offer, which makes it an overcrowded sector. This makes it difficult for consumers to understand the differences between services. The successful telcos are the ones who have clearly defined their (OTT) services, what the consumer gets and what they pay for.

1. What is the idea and ethos behind Falcon Media House?

We're creating a global OTT media company. One which is based on a disruptive technology. We've set ourselves out to bring software that will enable consumers to enjoy OTT video solutions in a better way. We were born as a global company with operations in Shenzhen, China (software development) a CTO in Canada, with offices in New York (Media), HQ in Guernsey and a team in London. Currently we have 60 people spread all around the world. Many of us have worked in global businesses and lived in multiple regions, so we understand the market we are part of.

1. What are your personal highlights from your career to date? How has this prepared you for your role within the Group?

I've feel blessed that I got a chance to work in the telecommunications industry since the very beginning, and I've been involved one way or another ever since. That gives you experience. I'm lucky to have worked in Europe, Middle East & US which has all helped me prepare for Falcon's global proposition.

I've run big companies and also been involved in four different start-ups which I helped scale quickly. I can bring this experience to help scale Falcon and achieve our big ambitions.

1. Who do you see as your main competitors?

I don't think anyone has the same combined proposition that we have meaning we don't have one key competitor. From a tech perspective we're in the same area as CDN companies, and also video streaming organisations but our solution is very different. From a media perspective we see synergies with companies like Red-Bull Media House, but again our the solution is very different, the same can be said of the Perform Group.

1. How are you different from those competitors?

We're different in that we're smaller and more agile, we have the combination of unique tech with the content too. Our exec team is also highly experienced.

1. What three points should people know about Falcon Media House?

We're all about change and disruptive technology.

We're focussed on giving consumers better OTT experiences.

We have the tech that will enable continents, such as Africa and Asia, to consume live OTT video content which haven't been able to previously.

1. What geographies offer the greatest opportunity for disrupting how content is broadcast?

Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Far East markets such as China. All represent growth markets for our technology.

1. What has been the impact on technology in the OTT space over the last 5 years?

Its predicted that online video consumption will grow from 68% in 2015 to over 80% of all internet usage in 2010, according to research from Cisco. Tech has enabled OTT to happen. Businesses like Netflix are growing year on year. Broadcasters need to evolve. Look at what we have seen with the music industry. I expect the change in the OTT market will happen even faster, with the combination of faster networks and more handsets with 4K screens.

1. Lastly,how do you relax away from Falcon Media House?

I'm happily married and love being with my family. I like to keep fit and healthy, by running, skiing and enjoying other outdoor activities.