SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW: GERT SKOV PETERSEN

Posted on May 16, 2022 in ATSC News

Gert Skov Petersen is CEO & Executive Chairman of mediathand, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He says he’s proud to be backed by his co-founders Allan Hammershøj (COO), Emil Heinze (CPO) and Gil Pedersen (CTO).

Petersen says it’s always been about IP in mediathand, from the very early days in the 00s being lead developer on a live broadcasting service with Nokia handsets (DVB-H), to OTT and to signing their first ATSC 3.0 project NDA in 2017.

“The ATSC 3.0 All-IP technology stack has been a huge inspiration for mediathand. Together with a local partner we launched a very comprehensive testbed comprising ATSC 3.0 and other IP technologies in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2019 with support from many European technology partners. The testbed has been broadcasting ATSC 3.0 live 24×7 across downtown Copenhagen to our lab for more than two years, and the public permission has just been renewed for 3 more years this year.”

Petersen says mediathand is most active in the following ATSC 3.0 groups:

• TG3/S34, Specialist Group on Applications and Presentation
• TG3/S38, Specialist Group on Interactive Environment
• TG3/S43 Specialist Group on ATSC 3.0 Core Network
• TG3-11, AHG on ATSC 3.0 – 5G Harmonization
• PT4, Future Broadcast Ecosystem Technologies

Petersen says he’s proud of mediathand’s versatile deployment of ATSC 3.0, allowing them to not only broadcast pure IP TV channels but also datacast any digital content in both real time and non-real time.

“Our trials with the use of IETF standard QUIC as a replacement for both RTP and TCP in the ATSC3.0 broadcast/broadband technology stack have been a huge success,” Petersen says. “The versatility of OTT services is combined with a managed, scalable broadcast infrastructure. At NAB our demos were powered by our “ATSC 3.0 TV Station In-a-Box” – a scaled down version of our professional Copenhagen Testbed that shows the power of ATSC 3.0 technology.

Petersen also says that ATSC 3.0 as an addition to existing OTT services provides mediathand with unprecedented opportunities of consumer engagement and monetization.

“The architecture and flexibility of the standard allows us to bind together many different IP-based network infrastructures, including telecom (e.g., 5G) and broadband internet. This has the potential to greatly increase the efficiency of digital content distribution. We see ATSC 3.0 as far more than just a last mile technology.”

When it comes to some of the most impressive features of ATSC 3.0, Petersen says “leaving the Transport Stream (TS) paradigm in favor of an All-IP technology stack with a ROUTE server as a central component is very powerful and flexible. This makes all the difference, a powerful toolbox enabling new ways to manage consumers’ increasing appetite for media and data applications.”

Petersen says he is the only non-technical person in the company. He has a master’s degree in business and Finance from Copenhagen Business School. He loves to play with and use technology, and as a co-founder of the first Nordic Early-Stage VC fund, he also has invested in and “buried” many tech companies in the dot.com days. But, Petersen says he’s lucky to be backed and powered by some very smart and skilled people in mediathand. He says these include people with substantial technological insight, know-how, and experience. People that also know what they don’t know and are not afraid to search for help outside the company, something that is often neglected in the daily business when dealing with technology innovation.

Petersen has been married to Christina 18 years, but he says they have been living together for more than 23 years. Christina previously worked as a Senior Consultant for the US ICT company, SAS Institute, for 19 years, and is now a Senior Datawarehouse Architect for a leading Nordic insurance company. Petersen and Christina live with their two teenagers, Caroline and Nicolai and their family dog Eddie, in their house which is just a 20-minute bike or car ride from central Copenhagen. Their daughter Caroline is just about to start her first year in High School in August and their son Nicolai is finishing his first year in the same High School next month. Eddie is a 7.5-year-old Boxer breed that thinks and acts like his still a “toddler”!

Petersen says mediathand has some exciting times ahead, and work consumes (too) much of his waking hours 24/7. When not working, Petersen says he likes to travel, cook, and enjoy nice well-prepared (international) food, IPA (West-Coast style!), and good wine with family and friends.

Posted in ATSC News