Back
LCTV
base was approached by sports broadcast distribution company LCTV to provide an easy-to-use, web-based file storage and distribution service at a low cost that required minimal technical expertise and maintenance support. LCTV had been working with a number of different traditional media facilities in the UK and USA. In each case, a variety of content delivery methods were used, including digital tape and file-based masters. However, work was primarily manual, utilizing minimal automation, which was costly and time consuming. Furthermore, as a result of engaging traditional facilities for the work, the LCTV team had no direct access to, or ownership of their own data, which proved frustrating and impacted their efficiency.
LCTV wanted a self-service cloud solution that was fully managed by base so that the LCTV team could be freed up to concentrate on the core business of selling and distributing sports broadcast content more efficiently and at a lower cost. Key technical requirements included data security, resiliency and redundancy with instant access backup, archive and file sharing capabilities. Additional functionality that included simple file checking, automated transcoding and automated notifications services needed to be integrated into one bespoke solution for LCTV.
base cloud solutions
base chose an.On Cloud file transfer service upon which to build the back-bone of LCTV’s global media distribution portal. By using the underlying Cloud Object Storage, with built-in erasure coding of data across 3 separate UK data centres, the team was able to provide LCTV with increased data security, resiliency and geographic redundancy, out of the box.
The base solutions engineers and customer support teams are able to focus on the specialised tasks of developing cutting edge media workflow solutions, managing the deployment, as well as training and on-boarding LCTV users.
The solution that is now in place enables over 80 global production partners to upload HD broadcast master files from around the world into one centralised storage hub with base, and have this content automatically checked and prepared for downstream distribution. Once master files are approved and ready for delivery, the LCTV sales team can easily login to a branded media portal and simply ‘click to send’ the assets to its broadcast customers at maximum speed, anywhere in the world, via standard internet connections.
Results
The base solution has redefined the way LCTV delivers broadcast media to hundreds of global buyers, saving the client time and money, while speeding up the process of selling and delivering broadcast content. By storing the data with base, LCTV have access to all their own material and have better control of archive materials for future monetisation while enjoying inherent cost-savings by having the data spread across multiple data centres with no added capital expense.
Furthermore, moving to an online file transfer service has enabled LCTV to eliminate the need for tape and hard drive shipments around the world by expensive couriers, further augmenting cost-savings.
From an operational point of view, slow and time-consuming manual tasks have been minimized. Since switching to a cloud-native service managed by base, LCTV has been able to turn around uploaded master files in a matter of minutes rather than days and deliver them simultaneously to broadcasters all over the world via one LCTV branded portal.
The seamless integration of file transfer with cloud object storage has also resulted in increased speed, agility and security. Content can quickly be sent to hundreds of broadcasters simultaneously, while services for new clients can be implemented in minutes with the assurance that all data is being handled in the most secure way, with encryption in-flight and at-rest.
“LCTV is proud to be working with base and has worked with the team to create a single file type for all our programming, delivering hundreds of hours of content each year to something like 100 TV networks around the world,” said Laura Cotterill, Founder and Managing Director of LCTV. “Our system is designed with both us and the end user in mind, enabling our delivery team to very precisely provide programming to our networks when it is required and in an easy, secure and manageable system.”
Furthermore, moving to an online file transfer service has enabled LCTV to eliminate the need for tape and hard drive shipments around the world by expensive couriers, further augmenting cost-savings.
From an operational point of view, slow and time-consuming manual tasks have been minimized. Since switching to a cloud-native service managed by base, LCTV has been able to turn around uploaded master files in a matter of minutes rather than days and deliver them simultaneously to broadcasters all over the world via one LCTV branded portal.
Content can quickly be sent to hundreds of broadcasters simultaneously, while services for new clients can be implemented in minutes with the assurance that all data is being handled in the most secure way, with encryption in-flight and at-rest.
