A new positioning paper authored by the EBU and its Members, arguing for the creation of dedicated dataspaces for the European media and creative industry, has now published by the Gaia-X consortium.
The document was developed based on feedback gathered in 2022 from EBU Members and relevant actors across the industry. It lists use cases for a ‘Media Data Space’ and defines key building blocks required to support them. It also describes existing data sharing initiatives in Europe that could be made interoperable in order to achieve a ‘federation’ of data sharing solutions, and their integration into a larger European Media Data Space.
Since joining the Gaia-X project one year ago, the EBU has been actively promoting the creation of trusted media data spaces to enable the exchange of content and data in a controlled way. Relying on key building blocks that are currently being developed by various organizations in Europe, including Gaia-X and the Data Space Business Alliance (DSBA), such a data space would allow the media industry to improve data flows in the production chain, enable privacy-protecting data flows on user needs and preferences, innovate around new data-driven technologies, and create new business opportunities while guaranteeing data sovereignty of the user.
A further objective is to rely on portable and interoperable cloud and data management solutions in order to avoid vendor lock-in. As data spaces are based on distributed architecture that permits the federation of discrete systems to interoperate, the potential to create new opportunities with other industries such as automotive, mobility, tourism, and others, is significant.
The EBU is now driving the creation of a consortium to answer the Digital Europe Call for the deployment of a Media Data Space. Interested parties are encouraged to contact us.