22 DISTRIBUTION
July 2018
Taking news from its linear roots to a new digital age
Somul Patil is Vice President , Sales Asia , Grass Valley .
by somu patil
News is now delivered in real time to consumers at every minute of the day . There is more content than ever before that broadcasters are required to process in more formats and for more outputs . News production includes live and ondemand development and delivery for mobiles and tablets , among other devices , and on social media platforms .
Market penetration of mobile devices particularly is on the rise with 1.81 billion users expected in Asia- Pacific by 2021 . Content owners and distributors now must think about creating , controlling and connecting content beyond a pre-determined linear slot . A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works when it comes to multi-platform and multiformat content delivery .
It is not a stretch to see that the impact on broadcasters will be significant . While all of these dramatic changes to the media landscape continue to unfold , the budgets that enable broadcasters to meet this insatiable consumer demand are shrinking . The challenge , as always , is to try to do more with less ; it is essential that broadcasters make the best use of their resources .
From social media management to IP and remote production , there are advanced systems and tools to help news broadcasters juggle and balance all of these critical elements .
Making social simple
News broadcasters must handle breaking news as it happens , adapting as events continue to unfold and delivering more in-depth angles to engage and retain viewers . Newsroom systems therefore must be flexible and robust enough to deal with last-minute changes and handle unscripted live inserts smoothly .
One of the biggest challenges broadcasters are facing today is that many newsroom systems are still not properly equipped to handle content generation , management and delivery for digital environments . Meeting consumer demand for news delivery to social and online platforms often results in adding numerous applications to what is already a very complex workflow . This means content often has to be individually uploaded to different Facebook , Twitter and YouTube accounts , which costs time , drains resources and impacts newsroom efficiency .
To feed the 24 / 7 news cycle , broadcasters need more staff in the field to report on stories as they happen . Having more intuitive systems in newsrooms and outside broadcast ( OB ) facilities means more people , such as reporters , producers , camera operators and other in-thefield personnel , can gather breaking news and seamlessly produce more content in multiple formats such as social media .
Broadcasters need to be able to seamlessly integrate social media management into their daily media management cycle , taking the number of applications needed to achieve this down to just one . By simplifying their workflows , each network can seamlessly publish and promote content that has been optimised for the wide variety of content platforms , among them the many social media platforms such as Facebook , Twitter , Periscope and YouTube . Not only does this enable broadcasters to better respond to what consumers actually want , but they can achieve this without the need for a lot of extra resource .
IP : Meeting new challenges with agility and scalability
The adoption of IP technology for broadcast applications is key to agility and scalability . It is no longer a question of why to transition to IP-based platforms , but rather when and specifically how , to transition from SDI .
IP-based infrastructure , and the use of standard commercial offthe-shelf ( COTS ) hardware , offer the scalability and flexibility that broadcasters need so they can meet consumer demand for new content services in an agile way . However , the full extent and real benefits of this agility have still yet to be realised . If broadcast is to survive in an environment where multi-format and micro-channel content is becoming a significant market presence , infrastructure must reach a level where it is simple to experiment with content types , as well as production and distribution methods .
The introduction of industry standards , led by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS ), has been instrumental to this .
The standardisation of SMPTE ST 2110 has been critical to providing broadcasters with confidence to adopt IP-based solutions , and has created interoperability between manufacturers , eliminating the need for separate SDI and IP switching / routing infrastructures . 2110 has also helped facilitate greater bandwidth efficiency , reliable , fast SDI-level performance , and separate video and audio processing , among other critical workflow components .
All of this makes IP a much more compelling solution , giving broadcasters the ability to easily and cost-effectively scale-up to support new services . There is a real competitive advantage for broadcasters of any size to capitalize on the agility offered by IP-enabled applications . These include remote production , distributed production and real-time publishing to Web , social media and over-the-top ( OTT ) platforms .
Getting closer to the action
Delivering immersive content to a variety of platforms comes at a cost , requiring large production teams and sometimes multiple outside broadcast ( OB ) vehicles . When you add in the logistical and pre-event set-up requirements , this becomes a very expensive undertaking . With budgets getting tighter , broadcasters are under pressure to maximise the value of their content .
Remote production is typically seen as a way to drive cost reductions , requiring fewer people to travel to a remote site . IP greatly supports such workflow innovations . Remote access to central servers and the ability to edit packages means broadcasters
Remote production is typically seen as a way to drive cost reductions , requiring fewer people to travel to a remote site — IP greatly supports such workflow innovations .
Whatever technology broadcasters choose to deploy , one thing remains unchanged : news is all about getting the stories that matter most to relevant audiences in a way that meets their needs .
can use their equipment and resources more effectively . The same production team and equipment can be deployed to support multiple coverage locations within a given period , saving valuable time and helping with faster story churn .
Browser-based editing solutions can be used anywhere with an Internet connection on laptops , phones and tablets to create and edit stories with simple effects and voiceovers and other key features on-thego . All of this means less time-to-air , allowing audiences to get up-to-theminute news as it unfolds .
Keeping content compelling and relevant
As newsroom and other news production facilities adapt to how audiences consume content , they are looking for scalable , customisable solutions that help them meet demand . From the move to more virtualised production and growing penetration of social media channels as a news output , the ability to deliver breaking news demands a fast , efficient workflow and reliable automation to handle updates and last-minute changes .
Whatever technology broadcasters choose to deploy , one thing remains unchanged : news is all about getting the stories that matter most to relevant audiences in a way that meets their needs . Thinking bigger and beyond the traditional linear approach to respond to evolving consumptions trends is necessary . This means creating , producing and delivering content at appropriate times , on appropriate platforms and in appropriate formats . ❑