Scotland's STV Upgrades With Avid

Scotland's STV has selected a next-generation graphics solution from the Avid Studio Suite, enhancing its production processes by utilising additional tools on the integrated Avid MediaCentral Platform.

STV delivers live, online and on-demand content for Scottish audiences, operating out of multiple broadcast hubs across the country. The broadcaster needed to upgrade an outdated graphics system at the end of its lifecycle to automate creative workflows across its sites, and to quickly react to market demands.

Running a myriad of Avid Media Composer editing systems and Avid Interplay | Production asset management systems across its broadcast hubs in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, STV is integrating multiple Avid Maestro solutions into its existing Avid infrastructure. Maestro, part of the Avid Studio Suite, is an end-to-end real time high-resolution 3D graphics production tool.

STV will benefit from integration of Avid Maestro with the existing newsroom systems across the hubs, including Avid iNEWS. Maestro also provides social media integration via Social Media Hub, allowing the retrieval, filtering and on-screen display of content posted across a variety of social channels, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The investment also includes a support contract with Avid Global Services, providing users and operators across the regional hubs with access to training packages to increase the lifetime value of the new assets.

The broadcaster is reducing the overall footprint of its backend servers to run its multi-site system, eliminating any pre-existing interoperability issues, with the end vision of removing departmental silos entirely. By deploying Avid Maestro across its sites, STV now has the ability to design and produce in-house graphic elements and single or multi-use templates, improving collaboration and reducing the amount of duplicated efforts by its work force.

Sam Dornan, Channels Operations Manager at STV, said: "We operate in a very competitive environment so there is always demand for compelling programming and our upgrades will help STV to stand out. Avid's tools will give our graphics teams across the channels the freedom of more fluid and dynamic elements which, in turn, will help us to distinguish our brand and build viewer loyalty via consistent and distinct themes across all our shows."

"By expanding its existing Avid platform, STV is providing eye-catching graphics to expand the scope of their stories to millions of viewers, whilst creating a unique workflow ecosystem across its regional broadcast hubs," added Tom Cordiner, Senior vice president, Global Sales, Avid. "The implementation of Avid's next-generation products also allows for further expansion, including the adoption of future broadcast requirements, such as moving toward cloud-based workflows."

www.avid.com

(JP/LM)