Media companies need to adopt next-generation technologies that offer more flexible operations and a faster return on investment, says James Trevelyan of Speedcast.
James Trevelyan is SVP of Global Sales for Enterprise at Speedcast.
Today, the broadcast industry is in the midst of a technological and workflow shift. The volume of live feeds is growing and managing those feeds is a complex endeavour. Rather than contributing live feeds in the traditional formats from satellite or microwave distribution trucks, broadcasters are becoming increasingly reliant on LTE mobile networks.
At the same time, they are evolving from using an internal fleet of trucks to third-party remote news crews, where each video contributor uses a different reception and transmission technology. Investing in all these fragmented technologies is expensive, complex and inefficient.
Recognising the need to deliver content to as many screens as possible, media companies are looking for solutions that enable continuous network connectivity. With highly scalable coverage needed to deliver broadcast-quality content, agile and efficient video solutions are crucial for businesses to grow and control costs.
The solution: hybrid networks and unified LTE mobility
With multi-platform video content delivery a given for media companies today, extensive access to many broadcast methods has become a necessity. Reliability and security are critical components for delivering video, particularly for premium content such as live sports, high-profile events and breaking news. Hybrid networks offer a backbone that enables the transport of media and data content from any origination source to destination, regardless of the format or platform.
Bonding together the bandwidth of multiple cellular services, including 4G and 5G mobile networks, provides broadcasters with a low-latency and cost-effective uplink solution. Through a single, unified interface, broadcasters can receive feeds from third-party contributors without continuous investment in different technologies or paying for proprietary licenses for transmission and reception equipment.
By adopting a 5G-compatible service, companies can take advantage of expanded capacity, while leveraging a hybrid infrastructure of satellite, fiber, cellular and IP connectivity. Acting as a global ‘network of networks,’ it utilises transmission technologies for the distribution or contribution of live, on-demand linear or digital video for high-bandwidth, broadcast-quality content – including live-streamed sporting events – at a lower price.
Utilising the cloud management of live video feeds, broadcasters can achieve unparalleled levels of scalability for real-time video processing and professional-grade video quality with low-latency at the lowest possible bitrates.
Changing the game of broadcast contribution
By deploying this technology, broadcaster’s field crews are able to use the same technology for reception and transmission of video feeds. Having a unified interface and uplink service reduces the complexity of managing hundreds of live news feeds, which enables a wider coverage of news – making it the primary link for minor live events and a backup link for premium events due to its reliability, cost-effectiveness and easy setup.
With consumer demand for live news and events coverage accelerating, the volume of contribution feeds managed by broadcasters has also grown. With this in mind, broadcasters need to consider solutions for an economical, and unified way to outfit third-party news crews with uplink equipment. Furthermore, they must manage those feeds to leverage the flexibility of the cloud and the massive capacity of 4G and 5G mobile networks.
Preparing for the future
With the shift to delivering bandwidth-heavy 4K services, companies need to adopt technologies for flexible operations and a faster return on investment.
Recent advancements have driven customers to expect high-quality video content on any device anywhere. To address this, companies will be required to upgrade their networks and utilise a range of possible network connectivity platforms.
Broadcasters should look to adopt solutions catering to a multi-platform infrastructure. In doing so, they can save time and overall cost and improve operational efficiencies, enabling them to focus their resources on content creation, audience development and monetisation.
James Trevelyan is SVP of Global Sales for Enterprise at Speedcast.
