December 2017 - Revolutionise the Media Landscape

TVBE Supplements

DECEMBER 2017

REVOLUTIONISE THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE

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THE FUTURE OF MAM &

ORCHESTRATION

By Esther Mesas, chief sales officer/chief marketing officer, Tedial

PICTURED ABOVE: Tedial’s Evolution software

A

dvances in technology have always defined our lifestyles, both personally and professionally.

Remember when trains revolutionised mass transportation, and the advent of automobiles and subsequently airplanes totally transformed travel? Or when telephones connected one place to another over actual copper wires? Well, probably not.

But perhaps this will be familiar to you: Today, the internet can transport digital packets anywhere at a fraction of the previous cost, and voice communication is nearly free to consumers.

The media and entertainment industry, built on radio frequency broadcasting and film for 100 years, now faces the information age, and a consistently changing landscape of content distribution and consumption.

Digital and IP technology is lowering the cost of entry for companies attempting media product innovation.

Social media platforms have adopted video as their core medium and have become news and entertainment outlets, displacing traditional broadcasters in our

millennials’ demographic. This is also cheapening the value of news and entertainment to the core audience, while only sport seems to command a growing audience and attracts ever-increasing revenues to our industry. Yet, in times of turmoil there is great opportunity.

The digital transition brought an explosion of digital media formats as each vendor and distributor defined their specifications in an attempt to “lock in” customers.

By 2005 there were over 3,700 video and camera formats in use globally. SMPTE attempted to standardise this plethora of formats and support interoperability with their Master Exchange Format, MXF – an industry adopted specification that ultimately permitted far too much variation in the media packages. Digital cinema was addressed by a team of forward-thinking leaders, who proposed and adopted the DPX specification. After years of battling interoperability difficulties, the DPP committee in Europe and a new SMPTE committee have further constrained the MXF specification and adapted to the requirements of DPX to provide our industry with

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SUPPLEMENT new, tighter and more interoperable specifications: DPP and IMF. MAXIMISING BENEFITS OF IMF IMF is the SMPTE Interoperable Master Format (IMF) methodology that has been adopted by Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment for their media distribution.

It’s now seriously being considered by Hollywood production facilities and content distribution companies around the globe because it ensures media will work in every location.

In October 2017, Tedial’s director of solutions delivered a groundbreaking SMPTE conference paper based on Tedial’s industry-leading technology that addresses the future of MAM’s in relation to IMF. It described an end-to-end IMF solution that not only ensures the interoperability of media, but maximises the benefits of IMF plants, including a reduction in storage and labour requirements. The proposed innovation in MAM technology would supply an IMF solution that ingests both IMF and non-IMF packages, support the creation of new IMF package combinations, build new IMF packages based on supplemental content and edited content, and seamlessly automate localisation and versioning distribution. Of course, to provide a truly effective and complete application, the system would need to include in-demand tools like an assembly editing device for 4K media, and support for HDR management. This design would supply a complete IMF solution with measurable benefits derived from the standard.

MULTI-SITE STORAGE Today, broadcasters and content owners require an archive system that provides vertical Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) tiers. HSM is tiered storage management for local, spinning disks, LTO tape drives and off-premises systems including cloud infrastructure, and horizontal, multi-node tiers. It enables multi-site storage solutions to transform into a hybrid solution, combining the benefits of the cloud storage with the efficiency of a local storage in those sites where highresolution content production is needed. HSM software – with enhanced security and business logic to support multi-site media operations – allows global management services across multiple sites for multi-arm LTO libraries, object storage tools and cloud storage.

Multi-site enterprise operations provide further insight into the innovations required to enable true enterprise MAM media logistics orchestration, as capture solutions must be adapted to standardise content reception across multiple locations. Drawing on reliable IP software systems, modern MAM systems must automatically

deploy/upgrade to seamlessly manage software updates for both the on-premises and cloud infrastructure, and implement tested, trusted disaster recovery toolsets to protect media and metadata against any contingency.

However, in some cases the current IP technology is not enough to support the true demands of today’s media executive operations. A perfect example of this is state-of-the-art Business Process Management workflow engines. Currently available IT solutions are dedicated single server applications that manage thousands of transactions per day, yet are limited in expansion and dedicate too many processing cycles to manage typical media chores. Business Process Manager aimed to efficiently manage specific media industry processes for unlimited flexibility and scalability is truly what today’s media distribution companies need. As the distribution and version creation demands increase, today’s content distributor must have a workflow engine maximised for media activity and built with an integral library of workflow building blocks for fast deployment and field adjustments. Such a system should stand on the shoulders of trusted IT standards like BPMN2.0 compliance, as implementing to international standards is the most reliable option to future-proof investment.

PICTURED ABOVE: Esther Mesas

SPORTS FAN ENGAGEMENT Sports and live event productions have become the last profitable bastion for broadcasters. MAM technology needs a unique innovation, harnessing 100 per cent compatibility with live production PAM tools, to enable live capture of multi-camera feeds with embedded PAM markers into the back-office archive. During live events, directors can browse to quickly find relevant historical media and re-ingest it into live PAM tools with the original markers. Such a design must display synchronised multiple camera feeds and support additional live metadata annotation at the studio, enhancing remote event production with trained internal staff.

Tedial products and innovations have never been more relevant than today. While our platform continues to garner industry accolades, the real proof of our growing relevancy is customer acceptance and worldwide deployments that leverage Tedial technologies for greater efficiencies and increased monetisation. Modern MAM technology and media logistics orchestration are key to the media and entertainment industry’s continued profitability, and Tedial is leading the industry with technological advances and customer deployments that exceed our product claims of real benefits and measurable results. Enterprises all around the globe are working smarter, more efficiently and finding a faster path to profitability with Tedial solutions. n

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SUPPLEMENT

TIMELINE TELEVISION LIVE SPORTS ENHANCED ARCHIVE FOR ITV SPORT

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n May 2017, ITV Sport awarded Timeline Television the five-year contract to manage their sport archive. We needed a MAM solution with close integration to EVS that could manage a large archive and give access to lots of people.

We selected Tedial as we think it’s a fantastic fit,” says Dan McDonnell, managing director, Timeline Television.

Faced with a massive archive and a need for consolidation in a centralised MAM, ITV Sport realised that its planned move from its current premises needn’t require the upheaval involved in migrating an archive and storage. Rapidly growing and seeking a modern, flexible solution, ITV Sport sought a partner and technology for an offsite solution with easy access for its users whether they’re at their offices, on OB vehicles, or abroad. The MAM solution also needed to feature world class search tools, proven methods to find media quickly, view it and then forward it to multiple locations or users.

Timeline and Tedial offered a perfect solution, with Tedial’s browser based Evolution MAM managing an archive housed in Timeline’s head office, and dedicated fibre connections to ITV Sport with secondary broadband internet connections to serve the media securely to a large number of remote ITV personnel.

The Tedial solution features the company’s new Sports and Live Event module, a deep integration with EVS production asset management systems. ITV Sport retained the EVS system as the PAM to maintain existing operations that log live media clips and provide fast programme assembly workflows, and linked the EVS tools to Tedial, to provide a historical archive. Timeline determined that the new Tedial integration supported 100

PICTURED BELOW: Dan McDonnell

per cent of the EVS media formats, markers and metadata. This novel implementation permits the IPDirector PAM to contain and manage current live media, for example, a football match is captured in the IPDirector live with EVS logging, and highlights are logged and quickly clipped with on-air tools, designed for immediate transmission on-air.

Once the match ends, all the media, clips and their logging markers are transferred from the EVS to Tedial where the Evolution MAM secures and archives everything on spinning disk and LTO drives, allowing the EVS system to delete the files and manage its capacity for new event production. As Dan McDonnell explains, “Months later, if the same person scores a goal you can search the Tedial archive.

It’s very quick, you can still search all the logs and other information but it’s designed to be a bigger scale and a more robust system.”

The ability of the Tedial product to capture all the EVS media and markers, including multi-camera feeds, and return historical media to the EVS IPDirector for use during a live event gives ITV Sport an exciting new capability in the competitive world of live sport event productions. n

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DEMANDING THE BEST TVBEurope hears from Jerome Wauthoz, vice president, products, Tedial, as he talks live event production and product visions

Live sporting events are hugely popular and are still the most profitable programming for global broadcasters. Why is that?

There are two fundamental drivers. First, there is a deep and continuing attraction of spectators to sports and live events. People are willing to pay large amounts of money for their favourite sport, which is not the case for other media segments like news, where the audience expects it for “free”, and entertainment, which they want as cheaply as possible. The second driver is technology. Our transition to digital systems now offers the possibility to directly reach fans, and add revenues on top of traditional linear TV ad revenues.

How has live event production changed over the past three years?

To be honest, top tier professional sport production hasn’t changed much. There are still production trucks at venues producing a main feed, and this will not change soon because there can’t be any compromise

on production quality related to the amount of money invested in rights. What has really changed is how the audience is consuming content and how rights holders have adapted their offering accordingly, via digital platforms or social networks, and through the delivery of live streaming and VoD content. Today, production teams still produce for linear TV and put even more effort into digital platforms, increasing the need for more personalised content.

A powerful influence on the market has been the increased cost of sport rights, which has put pressure on rights holders to reduce costs, particularly in production. These market forces require management solutions and delivery platforms with state-of-the-art BPM engines. To bring more efficiency into content production methods, effective broadcasters have moved towards more workflow orchestration and automation to bring greater efficiency into their operations so they can reduce staff. There’s no doubt that today, these teams are producing more compelling content with less people.

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SUPPLEMENT Where do you see sports and live event production in the next three years?

I see the biggest revolution coming from new digital technology. I believe big new players like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon will buy sports rights putting the pressure on traditional broadcasters. Live sport through OTT platforms and social networks will steadily increase, and could become the norm. It has started already with NFL on Twitter and Amazon Prime. ESPN has announced plans to launch a branded multi-sport video platform in 2018, and CBS plans an increase in its digital offering. Additionally, the NHL, MLB, and others are providing an OTT offering through the BamTech platform, etcetera. This will definitely change the landscape as it shifts the value chain to a “direct-to-consumer” approach.

The result will be more content personalisation to increase fan engagement, and this will help the rights holders better monetise their digital offerings, shifting their traditional linear revenues from ads into revenues from digital platforms. We’ll see more productions emerging from tier two sports, regional and local events, because the technology enables such productions at a fraction of the previous cost thanks to technological improvements and remote productions.

I also see more business coming from eSports. A recent YouGov report highlighted that four million people in the UK have watched eSports and this figure is likely to continue to rise, not just in the UK but worldwide. Like traditional broadcasters, these new players will have to manage content over multiple-sites and manage their archive. Tedial can provide solutions to workflow challenges with its AST and Version Factory modules.

What is the key innovation that will change the landscape of live production?

AI is the biggest revolution as it can be used in many different ways to benefit different stakeholders in the value chain. It helps improve the efficiency of production teams, create and distribute personalised content to fans and fosters accurate insights on content consumption to better target audiences and optimise revenues. Metadata management will also be key in sports: sport production is all about live content and metadata, which is the key to richer fan engagement and essential to support new revenues for rights holders.

How will Tedial address this coming change?

Tedial Evolution can and is already deployed in the cloud, has the most powerful workflow engine and the best solution to address multi-delivery processes

with Version Factory. While these elements are key to address the challenges described, we intend to complement them with tools that bring more creativity, additional automation to address content personalisation, and deeply connect our solution to social platforms. This provides user insight inside the production workflow to better inform decisions on which content triggers the highest interest for viewers.

What is your product vision for this MAMWorkflow software development company?

World-class MAM tools have now become common sense in the industry as they orchestrate different entities and teams, but we must extend our solution so it comes closer to the live production operations and closer to digital distribution. If we want to keep our reputation as a leader in the industry, we must go further than just a “best of breed” MAM. How important are partners for your product strategy success?

Partners are definitely the key to success. Customers all have different needs and specificities in their workflows – their business requirements are always expressed differently. A MAM can only be considered if it is totally open to third-party tools and can quickly integrate new modules. We can really be proud that Tedial is very strong in that respect. The company offers powerful APIs, and the team is impressively reactive to integrate new modules.

The industry still demands the best, and to provide a best-of-breed solution, you can’t develop every function yourself, otherwise your resources can only supply basic features across every tool. It’s better to focus on key modules and activities, build these focused modules well and complement your offering with key strategic partners who are specialised in other areas of the solution.

You recently joined Tedial as vice president of products — what drew you to the company?

After 22 years at EVS, I wanted a new challenge.

Having been in contact with Tedial’s team on different projects over the years, I appreciated their professionalism, the quality of their products and solutions, and enjoyed collaborating with a dynamic, constantly innovating team who placed customer satisfaction as a high priority. I was impressed by the fact Tedial received the IABM innovation awards three years in a row.

This combination of commitment and product leadership made Tedial a perfect fit for me. n

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w w w. t e d i a l . c o m

WHAT'S BEHIND THE PLAY MEDIA AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTION WHICH MAXIMIZE BUSINESS EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY. The most successful Media companies BELIEVE in Tedial

E U R O P E 路 U S A 路 M E A 路 L ATA M 路 A PA C

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