Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
07/11/2018

Invisible Infrastructure: The Future Of Live Production

News Image
There is a certain thrill to watching something on screen that's unfolding live, in real-time in a completely different part of the world. This is one of the reasons why global sporting and entertainment events regularly draw in billions of viewers. Take the most recent major global football tournament, for example. An estimated 3.4 billion people watched some or all of the matches live in front of their TVs, laptops or even off their smartphones according to research company GlobalWebIndex. That’s nearly half of the world's total population.

But as consumers' appetite for high-quality live content continues to grow, so do the challenges media companies face when capturing, distributing and broadcasting these events en masse.

Historically, live production set ups have always been reliant on physical infrastructure. Wired connections, a convoy of expensive OB trucks, mobile galleries and power generators, not to mention armies of talented creatives and technicians. Regardless of the size or scale of event, high-quality live production has always been kit-hungry, required major upfront investment and has been largely the domain of big broadcasters.

Cloudy with a chance of widespread adoption
Yet with cloud technologies systematically changing how content is produced, distributed, played out and stored, broadcasters and content creators are fast being released from the shackles of costly physical infrastructure. The catalyst for this transformation is the rise of high-quality, reliable and affordable cloud-based broadcasting solutions.

These solutions provide media companies with the opportunity to reduce expenditure and resources for live production set ups, while offering virtually unlimited scalability for meeting peak demands in processing the growing size and complexity of digital content. In short, they help take the friction out of production workflows to get content to audiences faster and in more exciting ways.

Many international organisations have already successfully migrated all or part of their operations to the cloud, adapting their offering to the needs of modern audiences. From Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, which is using a cloud-based news production platform across all its broadcasting centres in Switzerland, to Disney/ABC Television Group, which has moved all of their broadcast operations to an IP based ‘virtual master control’ as early as 2015, to Netflix, which completed the migration of its streaming system to AWS in January 2016. This is a reminder than while cloud production is sometimes seen to be a new and untested system, there is clear precedent of industry leaders already successfully adopting these methods.

The next generation of cloud-based solutions
As adoption of cloud-based solutions is growing, the capabilities of these solutions are evolving too. Thanks to a new breed of cloud production tools, we’re rapidly seeing the principles of remote working we enjoy in our everyday working lives being translated to the production world. It is now possible for content creators to create and stream broadcast quality content from virtually anywhere in the world. All they really need is a single laptop, some camcorders and a virtual switcher in the cloud.

The ability to create, collaborate on and share content in real-time with production teams anywhere in the world is a level of agility that simply cannot be achieved by traditional production methods. But importantly, cloud-based workflows are more efficient and cost-effective too. Organisations like the Locarno Film Festival have shifted to a cloud-based production solution and seen a cost saving of 30% when compared to traditional production workflows. Equally, Red Bull has recently deployed such a solution to capture and broadcast its Alpenbrevet motorcycle race, which takes place across multiple remote locations in the Swiss Alps, live to its website and social media feeds.

A cloud-enabled future
By no means are we saying the traditional Live Production is dead, not yet. There are still high end productions, like big sporting events, where cloud based solutions wouldn’t be able to deliver the same results. But this won’t be the case forever – media companies and broadcasters have reached a crossroads. There is a choice to be made: adapt to a changing media landscape and adopt these innovative technologies now or stick with the physical infrastructure, workflows and processes that have served them well thus far but will become obsolete before long. While traditional physical workflows continue to be an unquestionable staple of our industry, the old adage of 'if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards' certainly applies.

With viewing habits changing, globalisation of media increasing exponentially and user expectations shifting, media organisations need to embrace new technologies and services that increase content value and engage audiences in new and exciting ways if they want to stay relevant. While it may seem like a leap into the unknown, cloud technologies are an established part of the future production value-chain. Media organisations should start embracing these technologies today if they want to stay relevant and remain competitive tomorrow.
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

14/03/2024
LOGIC Media Solutions Assists RTL Deutschland
LOGIC media solutions is assisting RTL Deutschland in transitioning its broadcasting operations to a modern IP-based infrastructure. This shift to IP-
22/03/2024
Tolka To Unveil Range Of Broadcast Media Products
Tolka Telecommunications is to promote its extensive range of broadcast media products and services at the April 14-17 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Hig
22/03/2024
Azam Media To Unveil Cutting-Edge OB Truck
Azam Media is set to revolutionise its broadcast capabilities with the unveiling of a cutting-edge outside broadcast (OB) truck, crafted in collaborat
13/03/2024
Agile Content Announces Agreement With Ålcom
Agile Content has announced agreement with Ålcom, a mobile and network operator based in the Åland Islands which provides converged mobile, broadband
02/07/2019
Live Media Group Announces 3 Acquisitions
Live Media Group Holdings has announced that TNDV: Television, Harb Production Services and Coastal Media Group will join its live production business
27/01/2016
Production News : ITV To Air First-Ever Live TV Production Of GREASE: LIVE
Paramount Television's star-studded production of GREASE: LIVE is to be broadcast in the UK by ITV2. ITV will air the first-ever live television produ
04/09/2019
Sony Unveils Latest Line-Up Of IP Live Production Solutions
Sony has unveiled its latest line-up of IP Live production solutions, including two new IP extension adapters - one for cameras and another for camera
25/09/2023
CP Communications Wraps Series Of Live Production Projects With HRP-Live
CP Communications recently wrapped a series of live production projects with HRP-Live culminating with the recent 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games at Allian
05/03/2013
SIS LIVE And RRsat Provide Global Broadcasting Of Live Sports Events
SIS LIVE has announced that it has entered into an agreement with RRsat to provide international sports distribution solutions for the Asian market. T
26/11/2019
German Streaming Specialist's Adopt Telestream Wirecast
"Without Wirecast, we can't do our job. We took a long time in selecting our live streaming platform – we evaluated multiple options – but Wirecast's
13/07/2023
Version 1.4 Of Chyron LIVE Cloud-Native Live Production Platform Updated
Chyron has announced that version 1.4 of the Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production platform features key updates including a new AI-based instant r
14/09/2010
SGO Launches Mistika Live At IBC
SGO has launched Mistika Live, its powerful new stereoscopic 3D production tool at IBC 2010. Mistika Live was recently used in the impressive live ste
02/09/2019
Gravity Media Acquires Chief Entertainment
Gravity Media has acquired Chief Entertainment Pty Limited, a leading Sydney, Australia-based provider of live studio and production services, from Te
21/09/2018
Production Guild Of Great Britain Awards To Take Place This Weekend
The Production Guild of Great Britain Awards are to be held this weekend, celebrating achievements made by Guild members working in film or TV drama.
08/03/2011
On Sight Takes SGO's New Stereoscopic 3D On-Set System Mistika Live To Start of Production Workflow
On Sight, a production services company specialising in stereo 3D equipment, rental and post production services, has invested in Mistika Live, SGO's