in a far shorter turnaround time, and content could be downloaded in three different resolutions, facilitating usage including linear, digital and social media.” A multicamera replay system provided 360°, frame-freeze slow- motion replays. “Footage was sent to the cloud, where Alibaba Cloud’s AI-driven computing capabilities enabled live spatial reconstruction and real-time 3D rendering,” notes Guo. A cloud-based, AI-powered media archiving solution also provided enhanced visual searches, auto categorisation of multimedia content and video highlights. complement the event-driven nature of sport. Only by using the cloud, and thus software-defined workflows, was Sky able to deliver this without increasing the subscription cost.” News providers – for whom speed and quality are of the essence – have embraced the cloud with a will. “It’s never been more difficult to make money through news, and there’s more pressure than ever on news organisations to monetise their programming and platforms,” says Koji Andachi, head of media solutions marketing at Sony. from terrestrial broadcasting to online streaming. “Among the big names aiming to do this are France Télévisions and the BBC,” says Otto. “Under its internet-only programme, the BBC intends for some of its channels – including children’s service CBBC and arts/culture network BBC Four – to become completely digital platforms during this year.” The cloud can even enable media companies to spin up entirely new channels without breaking the bank. “Sky Sports+ launched last year, increasing the quantity of live sport produced by Sky by 50%,” explains Scott Kewley, CEO of Techex. “The launch was rapid, and the scale-up in workload, Sky states, was only possible by leveraging the cloud, using its on-demand nature to
No task is too large for the cloud, it seems. At last year’s Olympic Games in Paris, cloud became the main method of remote distribution to broadcasters, displacing the satellite technology that had dominated for 60 years. “The system fully realised the benefits of cloud technologies, including operational scalability, cost efficiency, improved sustainability with enhanced remote working capabilities and effective real- time workflow collaboration,” says Dongliang Guo, VP of international business at Alibaba Cloud. “It also meant less equipment and OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS Erik Otto, CEO of Mediaproxy. “A leading example is Amazon Prime Video’s move into live sport, notably Premier League football. With more live programming, streaming services will become more capable of taking on linear broadcasters. Two major advantages of cloud-based playout are the ability to scale a facility’s equipment and infrastructure to fit the number of channels – particularly in terms of adding a new, temporary service for a special occasion – while also managing the content over different platforms.” Supporting the streamers The cloud is supporting a tectonic shift in the opposite direction too,
SEEING IS BELIEVING The Mediaproxy low-latency IP multiviewer delivers real-time confidence monitoring for cloud- based channels
» It’s never been more difficult to make money through news, and there’s more pressure than ever to monetise platforms «
resources, shorter set-up times and more flexibility for broadcasters.” During the Games, two-thirds of booked remote services, across 54 broadcasters, used the OBS Live Cloud, which transmitted 379 video and 100 audio feeds. “OBS’s Content+ content delivery platform – hosted on Alibaba Cloud – simplified remote production workflows and ensured seamless content delivery, including live sessions, athlete interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and social media content,” adds Guo. “Broadcasters could create their own highlights from any location
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