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"been invested here 10 years plus" and "didn’t probe further. "
strange that you wouldn't probe further and yet you seem to think they are definitely working together
did you even ask the guy whether he has used the BIRD platform ?
all sounds like a rather worthless piece of information , all in all
I dont see it as a ramp.. there isnt enough depth to it really for that
Not a clue and having got that response didn’t probe further. Reported just as it happened.
The other board thinks it’s a ramp but hi ho. The conversation happened and having been invested here 10 years plus and sitting on a loss - take it anyway you like.
Good to hear Twiglett. Wonder what they are working on with Prime
I was chatting to an IT guy who works for Amazon Prime. He does tech stuff in streaming. I just dropped in Blackbird to the conversation and he not only knew about them but lit up beaming about their technology. Definitely working together.
For balance a few days later spoke to somebody who works in sales for AWS and he’d never heard of them !!
Healthy and prosperous 2023.
:)
Recommended post Pokerchips.
ATB.
MikeyB55
I am no insider but I do follow the sector and what is going on I guess..... so to those who DO NOT follow in any great detail , that must make me seem an insider
As I said, this sector is powered by partnerships - period , and so it isnt about "sales heads" or "lead generation" at all ...it isnt that kind of growth mechanism at all , unless you want to deal with a lot of Tiddly companies and spend a lot of time and effort looking at them ...which is not the aim at all
Getting BIRD bedded into EVS is a BIG DEAL .... do you realise who they are exactly and what achieving a long term contract relationship with them means ?
Working with EVS and FIFA and FOX SPORTS * at the biggest sporting event in 2022 is a BIG DEAL - do you realise what that means ?
* contender to be the mystery "GOLD STANDARD" US Broadcaster PBB Customer
I am not so sure you know how this sector works and how "deals" materialise in the sector , especially amongst Tier 1 and Tier 2 customers looking for 3-5-10 year business relationships ?
BIRD only has 36 employees and recently employed 4 highly talented software engineers ...who jumped at the chance to take a position..
You have to take things the way you see things , but it is important you understand that as a partner they cannot always name the customer that belongs to their client ... but you can keep an eye on the unrecognised revenues for say 2023,2024 etc ....the way it is ..take it or leave it ....just as a supplier to Apple may not divulge anything until Apple decides it and allows it , for commercial and competitor reasons ... same applies here
Poker,
Adobe are a product company primarily and acquire to close out product gaps. They already have the market leading editor, so this won't be on their radar and its unlikely the will acquire Bird to take them out as a threat(2.5m does not register).
My concerns as I noted before is that there is a lot of effort to influence the share price through sentiment, rather than put more effort, cash, sales heads etc into lead generation and deals. There is only so many times you can state that big deals are on the horizon and this has been going on for 3 years. Are the exec LTIPS based on the share price rather than revenue? As an insider, possibly you can share?
What I like about the stock is the volatility, so long may that last . As a long term investment I'm not sure this is a great punt. Look at the past 3 years as its underwhelming. And the positioning of unknown deals that can't be announced as well not being reflected in revenue - you have to question the credibility of the hype.
Just my view on this.
What's needed is for Ian to focus the team on driving new revenue, not positioning its all in the future.
MikeyB55
What do you think they are doing ?
2022 has been a very difficult year all around the economy, but that does not mean that behind the scenes commercial relationships are not being formed and developed and partnerships evolved and further opportunities carved ....
This is a business sector that evolves around partnerships and contracts that are geared up for 3-5 years plus
It is entirely up to anyone how they see the next 12-18 months developing but it is necessary to be aware of some of things developing that are below the surface at the moment ....whilst such development remain behind the scenes then comment is largely directed to the current positioning with concern .... people like to tip-toe with regards to seeing what may or may not happen
The aim here is not to compete or take on the likes of Adobe or Avid , but there is space to exist within the sector ..although Adobe do have a record lately of taking out other small companies for huge amounts of money which they think can assist them in furthering and strengthening their position in the market
These things are as always for any individual to make whatever they wish to.....
There are some big challenges here. The creatures prefer Adobe tech and Blackbird are Tring to break into this, but I expect its a long hard road, hence the lack of real revenue traction.
Pokerchips over enthusiastic promotion of the business when they are struggling with posting new deals positions him as an insider at Bird.
What's needed is for Ian to focus the team on driving new revenue, not positioning its all in the future. If it is the deep pockets of Adobe, Microsoft, Avid will take it all away from the small niche players. This is a great stock, with good volatility and money to be made. But believing the 'all in the future' positioning, with no material revenue progress is naive.
sisteract
having others debate with you has nothing to do with being patronising ...or any such nonsense as sexism..
Well I've travelled to the other side of the world for Christmas to receive such a patronising response !
Aren't I entitled to a different view ?
It can't be because I'm a g**l could it....Surely not !! I'm better off outa here. !!. Merry Christmas.
" Mobile phones and cloud native editing are miles apart.. chalk and cheese. ! "
Oh for goodness sake...what we are refering to here is human behavour , not the products...dear oh dear..
Broadcasters are changing the way Sport is viewed....and their partners are creating the future ways in which viewers will become more engaged with it...
It is all a vision that some can see clearly ...and others cannot....and wont until it appears right in front of their eyes..
Amazon, Apple arent paying massive sport right fees for the fun of it
FOX Sport hasnt got deeply inbolved with EVS just because they have nothing better to do
EVS hasnt embedded Blackbird into their products for no reason...
Wait until the Paris Olympics 2024 ....
The future is created for the younger generations who are more interested in it....whilst the older, more "set in their ways " crowd have less and less of a future vision as their years pass by ...
How much research have Blackird done by chatting to the reporters gathering their clips. That is the only way to make progress; if they like it and start using it there will be a virtuous circle of user feedback and peer recommendation. Making another platform available without that personal touch will get nowhere in the communication business. The reporters on the ground do not attend media seminars in Germany and California nor are they interested in corporate deals. IM needs to change tack.
I think we'll beg to differ. Mobile phones and cloud native editing are miles apart.. chalk and cheese. !
I'm slightly amused by your last point. "you create a world and bring everyone to it" what with £11m". Bigger Boys with huge pockets not affected by economic conditions would have done something about it if that was the case. By SS's own admission they can't even get existing clients to get the most of codec 9. Some admission !!!. They haven't brought everyone to it so far.?
We are both shareholders I presume, on different sides of the same coin. You're obviously a bit more optimistic than I am but stripping away the noise, fluff, excellent PR and the mastery of corporate speak they are currently making a loss on a relatively tiny turnover in a potentially worldwide market. In spite of that they will create the future and bring everyone to it. I look forward to it. !! If they do it will be some watch !
" Having a product that the market isn't ready for regardless of the industry is a very hard slog."
haha Sisteract..you are funny ......they spent BILLIONs on the infrastructure and technology for mobile phones before anyone was ready to use mobile phones in the street....in fact people thought they would never do it
...then what happened ?
The market isnt ready for 8K TVs but they are ready .....just need marketing and a Paris Olympics etc ...and away they go ..
You CANNOT attempt to start an idea at the point the market thinks it might need it ....you create the future and then bring everyone along to it
A MUST READ to understand the new product with EVS ...
https://www.ibc.org/news/evs-licences-blackbird-web-editing-tool-for-live-sport-production/9348.article#.Y5xOWrI9G74.twitter
I do like your posts Pokerchips. You present a very good well thought out case as does IM and team. Sometimes I get swept up in it but then I look at the figures. !!!. Companies can't keep losing money and if it's taking 2 years plus to come to fruition on a slow burn and we have no detailed visibility as far as I am aware of profits and further research expenditure regardless of 11m in the bank they may need more money.
"The next CODEC is almost ready , but they say that it is so advanced that the market isnt ready for it yet ...SS said that a lot of their customers dont even get the most out of Codec 9...."
That is a statement that would worry me. Having a product that the market isn't ready for regardless of the industry is a very hard slog. !. If there isn't the instant demand for it you have to educate the industry and a tiny UK software company isn't going to do it. If their customers aren't getting the most out codec 9...Why aren't they not making sure they do.. rather than chasing codec 10 that no-one is ready for.. There's no point in being ahead of the game if it's going to take an age to get there.
I really would like to Join the bird fan club but it's hard when the premise is... "it's looking good for few years down the line folks.!
The world is changing hence the fundraise
Sisteract
The world is always changing ....the fund raise was to expand its business into new areas ..and now allows the company to sit on over 11m in cash at the end of H1, with no debt ..
They have taken on some excellent new people and recently 4 very experienced and knowledgable Software Engineers ...
The next CODEC is almost ready , but they say that it is so advanced that the market isnt ready for it yet ...SS said that a lot of their customers dont even get the most out of Codec 9....
Expanding offerings can be important but it will cost.
It always does and you cannot enetr into such expansion thinking otherwise ....that is what they raised £8m@28p for
I doubt there is a single FTSE 250 company at present which is an easy investment right now ...everyone is chasing new contracts and trying to keep costs down etc ...
This is a tiddly AIM growth company with a mere 36 employees , spending every Euro,Dollar,Pound it earns to invest further in its offering and grow its Brand Reputation , seeking global deals with Tier 1 and Tier 2 clients
It is trying to box above its weight and doing well considering its small size ....
It remains to be seen what 2023 brings but I would "hope" that much of the behind the scenes work on further developments comes through
2022 has been challenging and cautious for every sector .....deals are taking much longer in general as many focus on cost controls and current core business performance
For me I dont see losses as a problem...as it is as a result of investment ...not writedowns or pulling out of markets or bad decisions etc etc ..
Thanks for your reply and insight Pokerchips and your enthusiasm for the direction bird is heading in. With my investing head on Bird are still making a loss. The world is changing hence the fundraise and it may change again.Bird in my view have a window in which they have to make hay, I don't think anyone can know how long that window is. It's not always the case that that you that don't grow any business by expanding what you offer. You can do one thing very profitably and there are plenty of examples of that.
I take your point though. Expanding offerings can be important but it will cost.
The Bird product can't be cost prohibitive based on their turnover/customers so I struggle to understand why there hasn't been far greater take up generally if the product has been that good to date.
I'm really 50/50 on this. I have to put my faith in the in directors of the company to know what they are doing but ultimately it's about sales, profit, nett cash etc and shareholder returns and so far lots of positive spin doesn't really do it for me.
only time will tell.
Sisteract
There is a whole industry now focused on making the most of the cloud in order to create efficiencies and save costs ....to change all that to something new ....wouldn't happen over night ...would take another decade .... the likes of AWS and Micosoft AZUL they have invested hundreds of billions of Dollars in their infrastructure , which they aren't going to ditch on a whim ....
Native cloud hasnt been around very long at all....there are still a load of companies still using PREM CAPEX rather than OPEX CLOUD a move that still needs another 5 years I would imagine
Have to now be able to separate out the Enterprise side from the Creator side ..and they now publish the two sides separately making it easier to see how each is performing and separate the investment in Creator
Monty888
First step is to get the Enterprise side of business into profit, which is not too far away.with a commitment made to do so with the pre Dec 2021 fund raise cash ...the Creator side will take another 2 years due to the investment ...but you dont grow any business unless you expand what you can offer ...
Exactly Monty. Notwithstanding IM being a very skilled PR operative and on the face of it a very credible CEO. The underlying issue for me is the Tech. Cloud is around for a while... what comes next... something will Sky, Edge computing and god knows what else. How will that affect bird, keeping up and investment needed. I don't profess to be any form of expert and I'm sure the techies will have a view. But everything changes.
Just a few more months to wait for the next update, share price will never hold
With you sisteract, lots of flashy technical words enormous loss as a ratio of revenue and that doesn’t include the generous dilutive LTIP’s. “Nothing” here for regular PI’s. One to avoid until it generates net cash, if it can generate cash.