Callum Elsdon,
Product Marketing Manager, M2A Media
The broadcast sector is more fragmented than ever before - on the consumer side with a growing number of streaming platforms, and on the B2B side with the convergence of traditional technologies such as satellite along with newer cloud-based delivery forms. Cloud is widely regarded as being the necessary infrastructure step change by which both B2B content is exchanged and D2C content is distributed. Many premium content providers and broadcasters are already leveraging it and optimising their workloads. Here’s how we are enabling broadcast and media organisations globally to automate processes, speed up time to market and deliver superior viewing experiences.
We build our technology on top of AWS Media Services’ products such as MediaConnect and MediaLive. We publicly nail our flag to the AWS mast because of the superior foundations offered by the company in delivering for broadcasters and rights owners. The capabilities of AWS products for organisations in the media sector are unrivalled but, to realise the true potential of the cloud, it still requires an automation layer which is where we enter the picture. Achieving scalability in the cloud needs an intelligent automation layer which can be driven easily by operators and without the need for manual intervention by engineers.
Our products are built solely for the AWS Cloud delivering the best experience for the best cloud services for our industry. Dedicating our teams to develop exclusively on AWS ensures new releases of our products interoperate with their products effectively - and without the hassle of delivering fixes across multiple cloud platforms. Others within the industry may also opt for a multi-cloud solution for claims of greater reliability, but our tried and tested approach with AWS delivers stability. Multi-cloud in and of itself does not ensure reliability but automating AWS services across regions and availability zones (AZs) with effective topology deployed in M2A Media products does. We are confident in this approach which is why we are dedicated to the AWS cloud.
M2A Media develop two core products, these being M2A CONNECT, for global content distribution and acquisition, and M2A LIVE, our ultra-reliable, broadcast-grade live streaming platform. Our products are driven from the intuitive M2A console which features a recognisable EPG-like schedule for ‘booking’ new events which automate AWS. With easy configuration of sources and outputs within the UI, our customers can make the most of the cloud to deliver efficiencies and grow their offering. During IBC 2022, we have introduced our new concept called Add-ons in both products to enable customers to tailor services to their needs and budget, without compromising user experience.
Cloud computing concept.Abstract cloud connection technology background.
Add-ons within M2A CONNECT include:
An integrated Live Capture feature to record live video feeds to AWS S3 storage for VOD, archive or compliance uses
Award-winning, motion-compensated Cloud Frame Rate Converter
Event-based routing for dynamic distribution of content to takers on an event-basis
24/7 Operations for monitoring and the various levels of support for live services tailored to operational and budgetary needs.
While M2A LIVE features the above in addition to:
Dynamic Content Insertion for effective localisation of ads and content.
Linear-like services with VOD to Live allowing customers to create pop-up and FAST channels to further monetise existing content.
The ability for customers to tailor the product offering to their operational needs ensures that they attain the greatest value from their M2A Media products in AWS.
By utilising M2A CONNECT, rights owners can take control of distributing their live event content across a vast global network at broadcast quality without the prohibitive costs associated with traditional delivery methods. For broadcasters acquiring that content, the automation of AWS can enable them to scale their capacity dependent on incoming events easily without need to invest in permanent bandwidth increases. For both parties in the distribution and acquisition chain, it enables faster time to market and easier integration with existing processes because no new physical infrastructure needs to be deployed. Meanwhile, the ability to use Add-ons allow organisations to further streamline processes into the cloud, such as Frame Rate Conversion or Live Capture, removing the need to host equipment on premise.
Meanwhile with M2A LIVE, broadcasters and streamers enter into a rock-solid reliable platform to deliver their live event broadcasts globally. It’s a product that caters to 3 million+ concurrent views consistently week-in, week-out. Integrated with the ability to tailor feeds thanks to Server-Side Dynamic Content Insertion (SS-DCI), M2A LIVE will provide the viewing experience your subscribers expect.
Our products are only the start of getting into the cloud. Since I joined this industry in 2016, it feels as though concepts such as cloud production have been discussed at great length but only now, on the cusp of 2023, does it feel like these are gaining real traction. With transport and delivery automation technology in the form of M2A CONNECT, rights owners and broadcasters can ingest feeds into the cloud more easily for production and transformation. M2A CONNECT acts as the gateway for getting your live event content into AWS to do more than previously was possible outside of the cloud realm.
In a world where viewers are demanding more from broadcasters, rights owners and their live events, the cloud offers the opportunity to simultaneously manage more content, do more with it and increase efficiency of operations. Using the power of M2A Media’s products, we ensure the industry can manage the transition to the AWS Cloud effectively in products that are tailored to the needs of our industry. Our products help build modern, agile broadcast media organisations from the ground up, rather than replicate legacy processes that don’t work in the modern age.
