NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral, a provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters as well as streaming platforms, said it has sold off its traditional production and playout business to investment group Banyan Software.

Bitcentral will focus on broadcast news production, playout and workflow technology that broadcasters depend on every day, while the other company, now known as "ViewNexa," will focus on helping media companies grow, distribute and monetize digital audiences across streaming and connected platforms, the companies said.

Sam Kamel, who became CEO of Bicentral in 2024, called the move “a bold and exciting step in the company's evolution." Kamel was hired after Bitcentral announced funding from a new unidentified private investor at the time.

“By creating two dedicated companies, each gains increased clarity, leadership focus and investment capacity to accelerate innovation and better serve customers,” Kamel said. “Bitcentral continues as a trusted technology partner to some of the most important broadcast news organizations in North America. Banyan’s ownership provides a strong foundation for continued investment and innovation. For ViewNexa, this means the independence and resources to pursue high-growth market opportunities in streaming, monetization and audience engagement."

Bitcentral Founder and Chairman Fred Fourcher, who returned to Bitcentral as board chairman at the same time Kamel assumed leadership, also hailed the transaction.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we've built at Bitcentral over the past 25 years,” Fourcher said. “From the beginning, our vision was to help media organizations adapt to the changing ways content is created, managed, distributed and consumed. Over time, we built two exceptional businesses, each with its own customers, capabilities and future. This transaction allows both to move forward with renewed focus while staying true to the spirit of innovation, reliability and customer commitment that have defined Bitcentral from the start.”

Former Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson, has become CEO of Bitcentral, leading the newly independent business. Sam Kamel continues as ViewNexa’s CEO, working with the leadership team led by General Manager Scott Alexander.

“With Banyan Software as a long-term partner, we are well positioned to invest in next-generation broadcast workflow capabilities, including cloud-based operations and emerging AI-driven tools that will shape the future of news production,” Peterson said. “Our customers will continue working with the same people, the same trusted products and the same commitment to service they expect from Bitcentral. We play a central role in the daily operations of more than 40 leading news organizations across more than 1,600 newsrooms, and we are just getting started.”

Reed Fawell, operating partner at Banyan Software, said: “Bitcentral has built a highly trusted and mission-critical technology platform that supports the daily operations of leading broadcasters. We are excited to support Sam Peterson and the Bitcentral team with a long-term investment approach focused on product strength, customer success and continued innovation. This is a business with deep customer relationships, a strong product foundation and an important role to play in the future of broadcast news operations.”

The transaction has closed and both companies are operating independently under their new structures.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral will showcase its latest innovations demonstrating how media organizations can strengthen content operations through flexible workflows, hybrid cloud strategies and intelligent automation during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The company will highlight its Core News, Fusion and Central Control solutions, each designed to address critical areas of the content lifecycle from production and infrastructure to playout. The products enable organizations to evolve operations based on their specific needs and priorities.

“As AI and cloud strategies continue to shape the industry, broadcasters are looking for practical ways to apply these technologies without disrupting what already works,” said Sam Peterson, COO at Bitcentral. “At NAB 2026, we’re demonstrating how our solutions support greater flexibility across production, infrastructure and playout, giving organizations the ability to scale and adapt with confidence.”

Bitcentral’s Fusion Gateway, which reflects its continued focus on interoperability and collaboration with third-party technology providers, helps media organizations incorporate new technologies while preserving existing infrastructure.

The cloud-based integration framework enables broadcasters to connect content, metadata and workflows across platforms through scalable APIs, making it easier to develop new integrations without disrupting production environments.

Bitcentral will also showcase:

• Core News, which streamlines planning, scripting, editing and multi-platform publishing to support efficient newsroom operations.
• Fusion Hybrid Storage, enabling flexible infrastructure strategies that balance performance, cost, and accessibility across environments.
• Fusion Insights, which transforms metadata into actionable intelligence to improve content discovery and accelerate production decisions.
• Central Control, combining master control and intelligent workflow automation to integrate traffic, assets, scheduling and monitoring for reliable, scalable linear channel operations.

See Bitcentral at 2026 NAB Show booth W2823.

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2026 NAB Show?

Sam Peterson: AI will dominate the conversation again, but the real story isn’t AI itself. It’s whether it’s actually being operationalized. Over the past year, the gap between experimentation and real deployment has started to close, and that’s where the industry is finally seeing measurable impact.

What matters now is how AI is being applied behind the scenes, improving content discovery, accelerating production workflows and making growing media libraries usable at scale. That’s where the value is.

At the same time, hybrid cloud is no longer a strategy, it’s the baseline. Broadcasters have moved past the “cloud vs. on-prem” debate. The focus now is on how to integrate both in a way that delivers flexibility without compromising reliability.

We’re also seeing remote and distributed production fully mature. What started as a necessity is now a competitive advantage, allowing organizations to scale coverage, centralize resources, and respond faster to live events.

Ultimately, all of this is being driven by a simple reality: teams are being asked to produce more content with fewer resources. The companies that succeed will be the ones that turn automation and workflow efficiency into a core operating capability.

TVT: What will be your most important product news?

SP: The industry has reached a point where large-scale, disruptive migrations are no longer practical. Broadcasters can’t afford to pause operations or take on unnecessary risk just to modernize, so the focus has shifted to how you evolve without breaking what already works.

That’s exactly where we’re focused at NAB Show.

With Fusion Gateway, we’re introducing a cloud-based integration framework that connects systems, metadata, and workflows across both cloud and on-prem environments. It enables broadcasters to bring in new capabilities, integrate third-party technologies, and expand their infrastructure incrementally, without forcing a reset.

A good example of how that comes to life is our Core News Browse & Ingest Module. It allows news teams to browse approved third-party content sources and selectively ingest assets directly into their existing workflows. That content is immediately available inside Core News and Create, so editorial teams can use it without changing how they work.

What’s important here is that discovery and acquisition are being expanded without adding friction. And when paired with Fusion Gateway, broadcasters can securely connect to cloud-based content sources and exchange metadata seamlessly.

Alongside this, we’re continuing to advance Core News, Fusion Hybrid Storage, Fusion Insights and Central Control, all focused on improving efficiency, accelerating content discovery, and simplifying playout within a more unified, flexible workflow.

TVT: How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?

SP: For years, the industry has been told that transformation requires disruption, that adopting new technology means replacing what came before. We fundamentally disagree.

Most solutions in the market still approach content aggregation and ingest as a bulk process, pulling in large volumes of material and expecting teams to adapt their workflows around it. In practice, that often creates more noise than value.

Our approach is more deliberate. With the Core News Browse & Ingest Module, we’re putting control back in the hands of editorial teams. Users can browse approved third-party sources and selectively ingest only what’s relevant, bringing that content directly into Core News and Create without changing how the newsroom operates.

What makes this scalable is how it connects. When working with third-party cloud content sources, Fusion Gateway provides the secure connectivity and metadata exchange that makes that workflow possible across environments. That integration ensures content moves seamlessly while maintaining the integrity of existing systems.

More broadly, our focus is on integration over replacement. Broadcasters can evolve their workflows, expand their content ecosystem, and introduce new capabilities without being forced into a complete reset.

TVT: What is it about the NAB Show that brings you back every year?

SP: NAB Show remains one of the few places where you can cut through the noise and see what’s actually real in this industry.

There’s no shortage of new ideas or technologies, but what matters is what’s being deployed, what’s scaling and what’s delivering value. NAB creates a space where those distinctions become clear very quickly.

It’s also where the industry pressure points come into focus. You hear directly from broadcasters about what’s working, where they’re struggling and what they need next, and those conversations are often more valuable than anything happening on a stage.

But beyond that, it’s about relationships. This industry runs on collaboration and NAB brings together the people who are shaping what comes next. The most meaningful insights don’t come from presentations; they come from conversations that challenge assumptions and open the door to new ways of thinking.

OKLAHOMA CITY and TULSA, Okla.—Griffin Media has deployed Bitcentral’s Core News across KWTV and its KOTV, its flagship stations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla, respectively.

“Bitcentral’s Core News puts Griffin Media in a strong position as we transform our newsroom operations,” said Jack Conway, vice president of technology at Griffin Media.

“The system is intuitive for our teams, and we expect it to streamline how content moves between stations and improve how our producers work day-to-day. These upgrades ensure Griffin Media continues delivering the most trusted and best local reporting that our viewers across Oklahoma have counted on for 117 years.”

The rollout, a major investment in modernizing Griffin’s news operations, equips the station’s news teams with faster, more flexible and better connected production workflows.

The deployment includes Bitcentral’s Precis, Oasis, Create, Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS) and additional playout and technical automation products for multi-station control room operations. Together, these technologies form a unified system that strengthens how KWTV and KOTV create, manage and distribute news. The adoption of Core News also extends a growing relationship between the companies, following Griffin’s 2024 implementation of ViewNexa Channels as a key component of its digital content distribution initiative.

KWTV’s Core News-powered newsroom officially launched on Nov. 2, 2025. KOTV launched later that month.

The Core News deployment brings better end-go-end production to Griffin by integrating editing, asset management and playout through Precis, Oasis and Create. It enables real-tome collaboration with Oasis sharing and hybrid storage that allows the stations to exchange content instantly and operate more cohesively.

It also offers the station group greater operational flexibility by making control room resources scalable and providing smarter content storage systems to support future expansion, Bitcentral said.

“Core News was built to give newsrooms practical tools that drive real efficiency in daily production,” said Bitcentral CEO Sam Kamel. “Griffin Media’s implementation is a powerful example of that impact—stronger collaboration across stations, smoother content movement and highly efficient production from story creation all the way through to playout. We’re excited that Griffin chose Bitcentral for this strategic upgrade, and we’ll be there to support their growth for years to come.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral, a provider of production, asset management, playout and streaming workflow solutions, has named technology veteran Rick Arnold to its board of directors.

Arnold, a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley companies, is general counsel and chief compliance officer at Altos Ventures, a venture capital firm that works with early- and growth-stage companies in the consumer and enterprise technology sector. His role involves governance, legal strategy and operational guidance for leadership teams navigating complex decisions, Bitcentral said.

“For years, Bitcentral has earned the trust of media organizations by delivering reliable, thoughtfully designed solutions that support the day-to-day realities of modern broadcasting and digital video,” Arnold said. “The company has a strong reputation for understanding what its customers need and building technology that works. I look forward to supporting the board as Bitcentral continues its long-standing commitment to operational excellence and dependable service.”

Prior to Altos, Arnold was general counsel and secretary of Silver Spring Networks until its merger with Itron. He also worked for Hewlett-Packard. Earlier in his career, he practiced law at the Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he advised a broad range of high-growth technology companies across corporate strategy, transactions and compliance.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Arnold earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering there and started his career as a U.S. Army officer. He holds a JD and an MBA from Duke University.

Bitcentral said it expects Arnold’s expertise to play a key role in advancing its strategic vision.

“Rick brings a rare combination of legal expertise, operational experience, and a deep understanding of how strong organizations are built,” Bitcentral CEO Sam Kamel said. “He also brings great integrity and character—qualities that have defined his leadership throughout his career. His perspective working alongside technology companies at every stage, from early stage to established, adds valuable clarity to the decisions that matter most. Rick’s steady, disciplined, principle-based approach aligns well with Bitcentral’s way of operating, and we are pleased to welcome him to the board.”

The media industry is consolidating fast. Station groups, content owners, and streaming platforms are chasing scale and efficiency in a fragmented ecosystem. But success today isn’t just about great content or advanced technology, it’s about how effectively systems, vendors, and teams work together to deliver that content everywhere audiences are.

The End of the “One-Stack-Fits-All” Era
For decades, broadcasters relied on tightly integrated, single-vendor systems that promised simplicity but often led to rigidity. Today, content is created, managed, and distributed across an ever-expanding array of platforms such as linear, OTT, FAST, and social, all requiring agility and integration.

The rise of modular, cloud-based architectures has redefined success in media technology. Interoperability is no longer a backend concern, it’s the new competitive currency, as customers demand open APIs, shared data models, and systems that integrate effortlessly across the ecosystem.

As media operations evolve toward hybrid and cloud-based environments, the ability to connect diverse technologies has become critical. Yet, the pace of innovation, combined with ongoing M&A and the blending of linear and digital workflows, has left many companies managing a patchwork of legacy systems, proprietary tools, and cloud services.

Competitors Becoming Collaborators
“Coopetition” is no longer just a buzzword. It has become a crucial component of a business strategy for achieving long-term success. By working together, vendors can deliver more complete solutions that solve real-world workflow challenges.

For example, despite Netflix and Amazon Prime Video being competitors, the former leverages AWS to power its global streaming infrastructure, enabling rapid scaling and high availability to deliver seamless streaming experiences to its subscribers worldwide.

Vendors are actively building partner networks to address customer needs more holistically. The industry’s most forward-thinking players now see partnership not as a threat, but as a driver of innovation.

The Business Value of Interoperability
This mindset of coopetition extends beyond partnerships; it’s driving interoperability itself. Competing vendors are realizing that open interfaces and shared standards grow the market for everyone, creating mutual benefit even as they vie for business.

By embracing coopetition, media companies gain a foundation to innovate faster and operate more efficiently. Interoperability bridges legacy and modern systems, while open collaboration among competitors accelerates time to market and reduces duplication of effort. When vendors view one another as ecosystem partners rather than rivals, customers benefit from faster integration, better compatibility, and more freedom of choice.

Interoperability gives broadcasters the freedom to choose the tools that best fit their needs, avoiding vendor lock-in, while connected systems unlock new monetization opportunities through richer audience insights and smarter ad placement. These benefits reflect what many broadcasters and technology leaders are currently observing.

In addition, standards like SMPTE’s Interoperable Master Format (IMF) and the adoption of open APIs further strengthen the ecosystem, ensuring that hybrid and cloud-based workflows remain flexible, scalable, and future-proof.

For instance, major studios such as Warner Bros. have adopted IMF to streamline the delivery of multiple content versions across various platforms. These implementations demonstrate how adherence to such standards is enabling media organizations to build more connected, adaptable, and collaborative workflows.

From Closed Systems to Connected Experiences
The industry’s evolution from closed, monolithic systems toward open, interoperable frameworks has become a philosophy. The next generation of media companies will thrive not by protecting silos, but by embracing a culture of coopetition, one where openness fuels shared innovation and mutual growth.

By prioritizing interoperability and coopetition, broadcasters and vendors alike can accelerate innovation, unlock new revenue opportunities, and deliver richer experiences to audiences. The path from closed to connected is not just a technological shift; it’s a strategic imperative that will define the next generation of media success.

Whether enabling shared data architectures that improve personalization, establishing interoperability standards that simplify distribution, or implementing hybrid workflows that span cloud and on-premises environments, coopetition and collaboration accelerate the industry’s ability to innovate at scale.

The future of media workflows will belong to those who embrace openness and coopetition. By prioritizing interoperability, broadcasters and vendors alike can accelerate innovation, unlock new revenue opportunities, and ultimately deliver richer experiences to audiences. The path from closed to connected is not just a technological shift, but it’s a strategic imperative that will define the next generation of media success.

PADUCAH, Ky.—It’s no secret the world of TV news is changing faster than a June storm. Folks don’t just wait for the 6 o’clock news anymore—they want content on every screen, anytime. At WPSD-TV, a leading television station in Kentucky owned by Paxton Media Group (PMG), that put us at a crossroads: We had to modernize how we work or risk falling behind the very people we serve.

WPSD-TV has always prioritized delivering community-focused news and information. To maintain this standard, we’re always looking for ways to continuously improve our operations by modernizing workflows, positioning ourselves as a next-generation regional media hub equipped with cutting-edge technology. This led us recently to turn to our longstanding partner Bitcentral to enhance efficiency while minimizing costs.

Multiplatform Challenges
Whether it’s travel and lifestyle stories, high school sports, breaking news or weather coverage, WPSD-TV keeps our community informed and safe. But with viewer habits rapidly evolving, we found ourselves at a crossroads. We needed to rethink how we operated to keep up with the demands of today’s multiplatform media environment. We knew that modernizing our workflows was no longer optional; it was essential.

For that, we needed tools that were not only reliable and cost-effective; they also needed to streamline operations across departments, help us archive and access years of valuable media assets more efficiently, support our digital transformation and create a technology foundation that will remain strong well into the future.

To meet our goals, we chose several Bitcentral solutions, including ViewNexa Channels to launch and manage FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels, efficiently distributing both live and on-demand content. We also deployed Core News Suite, which completely reimagined how we produce news by allowing our team to adopt a “produce once, publish many” workflow. This lets us get more mileage out of every story over every platform.

We also adopted Bitcentral’s Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS) for our media library. This smart, scalable storage solution enables us to support our high-res video, metadata and proxies without overwhelming our infrastructure. And because we wanted to overhaul and future-proof our master control operations ahead of our move to a new facility, we installed Bitcentral’s Central Control system, which offers automated feed recording, traffic system integration, and real-time monitoring.

Something Invaluable
Partnering with Bitcentral has ushered in a new era for us at WPSD-TV. We’ve been able to bring innovation and efficiency to the forefront of everything we do. Today, we’re better-equipped to meet the demands of a fast-moving multiplatform
media world—and we’re in a strong position to explore new ways to grow and monetize our content.

Bitcentral’s technology has helped us streamline operations across the board. From simplifying maintenance to reducing day-to-day costs, their solutions have freed our team to focus on what matters most: delivering outstanding local news and storytelling to our community.

Most importantly, working with Bitcentral has given us something invaluable: peace of mind. We know we can rely on their systems and support, not just today, but for many years to come. With that kind of confidence, we’re able to stay ahead of the curve, innovate with purpose, and unlock new opportunities as our industry continues to evolve.

More information is available at bitcentral.com.

As mobile-first consumption reshapes the media landscape, broadcasters must transform their workflows to meet the demands of a digital-native audience. Those who innovate today will define the future of news tomorrow.

The news industry is experiencing a profound transformation as mobile-first content consumption takes center stage. Audiences increasingly rely on their smartphones for real-time updates, pushing broadcasters to rethink traditional workflows that were once designed exclusively for linear television. This shift is not merely a change in platform; it's a redefinition of how news is created, distributed, and experienced.

The Rise of Mobile-First News Consumption
Mobile-first consumption has been accelerating for years, and recent data underscores its dominance. In the last quarter of 2024, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 62.5% of global website traffic. In the United States, mobile accounted for 65.8% of all digital ad spending in 2024, highlighting the clear shift toward mobile platforms. For news organizations, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Major networks are making significant investments to stay competitive. For example, CNN invested $70 million into its digital transformation, prioritizing mobile-friendly, on-demand content. This trend is driven by a younger, mobile-first generation of news consumers who expect instant access to personalized, bite-sized content.

Meeting these expectations requires more than just repurposing linear TV content; it demands rethinking the entire content lifecycle—an overhaul that prioritizes speed, platform optimization, and audience engagement.

Overcoming Challenges with Legacy Workflows
Adapting to mobile-first news consumption is not a simple task. Traditional broadcast workflows are heavily optimized for large-screen, scheduled programming. In contrast, mobile consumption demands content that is easily reformatted, quickly distributed, and personalized for individual viewing habits.

The challenge lies in transforming legacy workflows that are often siloed and rigid. In the past, content was produced for a single format and distributed to a single platform. Today, audiences expect content to be available across multiple platforms in a variety of formats, including vertical video optimized for smartphones. For broadcasters to remain relevant in this rapidly changing, mobile-first era, they must adapt to efficiently reformatting and delivering content in real-time.

One significant barrier to this adaptation is the segmentation of content across different departments and platforms that exist within news production organizations. Traditional newsrooms often maintain very separate teams and process for linear broadcasting from digital production, resulting in duplicated efforts and slower distribution speeds.

To truly embrace mobile-first strategies, news organizations must break down these silos, enabling seamless content flow from creation to distribution. This approach not only accelerates time-to-market but also enhances audience reach by ensuring the efficient optimization of content for every screen. Broadcasters which fail to transform risk losing their competitive edge, especially as younger audiences continue to embrace mobile-first habits.​

The Role of AI in Modernizing News Workflows
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a critical tool in modernizing news workflows. Through automation, AI enables broadcasters to optimize content for various platforms without the need for manual intervention. This capability is crucial for keeping up with the pace of mobile consumption.

One key area where AI is driving innovation is in content personalization. Machine learning algorithms can analyze audience behavior and preferences to deliver targeted news updates, ensuring that stories are relevant and engaging. Furthermore, AI-driven automation can reformat content dynamically—whether it's vertical video for mobile or curated feeds for personalized viewing experiences.

For example, AI can identify trending topics and automatically curate video snippets from existing longer-form video, optimized for mobile consumption. This reduces the time required for manual editing and accelerates the speed at which breaking news reaches audiences anytime on any device. In an era where immediacy is critical, this capability is redefining what it means to be first with the story.

AI is also instrumental in multilingual distribution, automatically translating and reformatting content for different regions and demographics. This enables global reach with localized precision, ensuring that audiences receive news in their preferred language and format almost instantaneously.

The Shift Toward Vertical Video
One of the most significant transformations in mobile-first news consumption is the rise of vertical video. Traditionally, news content was produced in landscape format, optimized for television screens. However, as mobile devices have become the primary medium for news consumption, vertical video is rapidly emerging as the preferred format.

Vertical video is not just a change in aspect ratio; it represents a shift in audience behavior. Mobile users expect to engage with news content seamlessly as they scroll through social media feeds and news apps. This expectation is pushing broadcasters to rethink content strategies, ensuring stories are not only mobile-optimized but also immersive and interactive.

Leading news organizations are experimenting with mobile-first video formats, creating live streams, interactive news updates, and social-first clips designed for vertical consumption. This evolution marks a departure from traditional broadcast storytelling, moving toward dynamic, real-time engagement with audiences.

The demand for instant, mobile-optimized news is only expected to grow, and vertical video stands at the forefront of that shift. For newsrooms willing to adapt, this format offers unprecedented opportunities to engage viewers directly where they are - on their mobile screens.

Embracing the Mobile-First Era
The mobile-first era is not merely a trend; it is a redefinition of how news is consumed, shared, and trusted. Broadcasters that can seamlessly adapt to these new demands— producing vertical video, personalizing content, and optimizing distribution – will not just remain competitive; they will lead the next wave of media evolution. The path forward requires more than adaptation; it demands innovation, foresight, and a willingness to break from traditional molds.

In this mobile-centric landscape, those who prioritize mobile platform-native storytelling and agile content strategies will set the standard for the future of news. The question is no longer whether mobile-first consumption will dominate, it's about who will lead the revolution. For forward-thinking newsrooms, the opportunity to define the next era of media is here, and the time to act is now.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral’s Central Control playout system to upgrade the station’s master control operations. The station is relocating its operations to The Paducah Sun newspaper facility; both are owned by Paxton Media Group.

WSPD is a longstanding Bitcentral customer, leveraging multiple solutions including the Core News suite, ViewNexa Channels, Fusion Hybrid Storage, and now adding Central Control for its playout/master control system.

This move marks a major step forward in WPSD’s digital evolution, equipping the station with the tools to engage audiences across all platforms and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced media landscape, the station said.

Central Control includes a full suite of advanced features, such as automated feed recording, traffic integration, and system monitoring, all designed to maximize efficiency and deliver seamless playout across multiple channels.

“With Bitcentral’s Central Control, we are ready to transform how we deliver high volumes of broadcast content to our communities,” said Bill Evans, President of the West Kentucky Media Division at Paxton Media Group. “This technology allows us to deliver full linear channels to people faster and more reliably, fulfilling our goal of becoming a regional media hub that’s closer to our audience than ever before.”

"Central Control is the ideal solution for media companies which are looking to modernize their business,” Bitcentral Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson said. “Central Control navigates this complexity through a set of tools that are organized around the logical best practices for handling high volumes of content, traffic coordination, and playout. We have long been committed to WPSD’s success through our extensive product portfolio, and this is the latest step on that journey.”

TV Technology: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?

Sam Kamel: AI … obviously, but no longer as a distant promise, but rather as a practical solution that is now here, reshaping media workflows in real time. At NAB Show, the conversation will shift from AI’s potential to its practical, revenue-driving impact. Broadcasters and streamers aren’t just experimenting anymore; they’re deploying AI to solve real challenges—accelerating metadata management, automating content localization, and testing how to practically add generative AI into production workflows.

Monetization strategies are also evolving fast. With audience behaviors shifting and ad models adapting, the one-size-fits-all revenue approach is no longer viable. Future success will require broad, flexible distribution strategies that help media companies maximize every content opportunity — whether that’s AVOD, SVOD, FAST, or direct transactions. Success hinges on efficiently reaching audiences wherever they consume content, without being locked into a single platform or business model.

Another major trend? The race to deliver content in formats audiences actually want, giving publishers the widest reach. Today’s viewers expect seamless access across platforms—whether that’s short-form, vertical video, or traditional long-form content. The challenge for media companies is scaling these efforts without disrupting existing workflows. The answer lies in smarter, more adaptive technology.

TVT: What will be your most important product news?

SK: This year at NAB, we’re showcasing ViewNexa which keeps making tremendous progress, along with our latest Fusion cloud and AI solutions, all designed to help media companies thrive in today’s evolving technology infrastructure.

Content owners—especially midtier and independent players—face growing challenges in distribution complexity, rising costs, and revenue diversification. ViewNexa levels the playing field by enabling seamless monetization across multiple models (AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, HVOD, FAST) while ensuring media companies retain control over their content, audience relationships, and data.

Beyond monetization, ViewNexa’s automated workflows simplify content distribution, optimize delivery, and provide data-backed insights that enhance audience engagement and revenue opportunities. It’s the smarter, more adaptable solution for an industry that can’t afford to stand still.

At the same time, we’re delivering cutting-edge hybrid cloud and AI solutions with our Fusion products, designed to streamline workflows, enhance content management, and maximize operational efficiency:

• Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS): A next-gen storage solution that merges on-premise reliability with the scalability of the cloud, reducing costs and improving content security.
• Fusion Gateway: The bridge between media asset management (MAM) and content workflows, enhancing metadata, automating processes, and improving searchability.
• Fusion Insights: An AI-powered discovery tool using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to surface content connections that traditional search methods miss.

Together, ViewNexa and Fusion solutions reinforce Bitcentral’s commitment to empowering media companies with cutting-edge solutions for streaming, monetization, storage, automation and AI-driven content management.

TVT: How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?

SK: ViewNexa isn’t just another streaming platform—it’s a comprehensive solution built for the evolving streaming landscape, giving media companies the flexibility and tools they need to scale their business. Unlike other solutions that specialize in either live and linear FAST channels or applications for OTT video platforms, ViewNexa provides both, offering an end-to-end platform that simplifies content management, expands audience reach, and maximizes revenue potential.

Here are some factors that make ViewNexa stand out:

• Automated workflows—reducing manual effort in content distribution, metadata tagging, and audience insights.
• Multi-model monetization—flexibility to optimize revenue across AVOD, SVOD, HVOD, TVOD, FAST.
• Scalability without overhauls—a platform that grows with the media business.

In the Fusion suite, we’re taking media workflows to the next level, offering cloud and AI solutions:

• Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS) optimizes cost and accessibility by blending on-prem security with cloud agility.
• Fusion Gateway makes MAM integrations with AI tools seamless, streamlining metadata and content discovery.
• Fusion Insights is the latest AI-powered tool that leverages cutting-edge Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, to surface hidden relationships within content libraries, improving discovery opportunities.

The bottom line? We give media companies control over their ecosystem, revenue streams, and audience connections—while ensuring they stay ahead of the industry’s rapid shifts.

TVT: What is it about the NAB Show that brings you back every year?

SK: NAB Show is where the media industry’s future takes shape. It’s where broadcasters, streamers, and content owners come to tackle the biggest challenges head-on—and where we get to showcase the solutions that make a real impact.

For us, NAB Show is about more than just product demos—it’s about connections and real conversations. We get to meet with our partners, swap ideas, and push the industry forward together. Every year, media leaders ask the same critical question: How do we retain control over our content while maximizing revenue in a constantly shifting market?

Every year, we bring new answers. This year, with ViewNexa and Fusion, we’re delivering the next evolution of monetization, automation, and content management with our cloud, streaming and AI solutions.

NAB Show is where innovation meets execution. We’re excited to show how we’re helping media companies as storytellers, stay competitive, profitable, and ahead of the curve.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—At the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9 in Las Vegas, Bitcentral will launch Fusion Insights, an AI-powered solution designed to enable broadcasters, media production teams, and digital content curators to maximize the value of their media assets and deliver more impactful decision-making and enhanced workflow efficiency.

Managing vast media libraries has never been more challenging. As content archives grow exponentially, media professionals face increasing challenges in efficiently locating, repurposing, and monetizing their assets. Fusion Insights is designed to solve this problem by applying next-generation AI to streamline discovery, automate metadata generation, and uncover meaningful connections within media repositories.

“The industry is drowning in unstructured content,” said Sam Kamel, CEO at Bitcentral. “Fusion Insights applies advanced AI to solve this challenge, making media retrieval smarter, faster, and more intuitive than ever before.”

Key benefits of Fusion Insights:

• AI-Powered Content Discovery: Automatically surfaces hidden relationships between assets, enabling content teams to quickly find, repurpose, and monetize their media.
• Intelligent Search Beyond Metadata: Unlike traditional search tools, Fusion Insights goes beyond file names and tags, analyzing visual, contextual, and narrative connections to deliver highly relevant results.
• Seamless Integration & Workflow Optimization: Designed to work within existing media production ecosystems, Fusion Insights eliminates time-consuming asset searches, allowing teams to focus on content creation.

Fusion Insights is the latest innovation extending the capabilities of the Bitcentral Fusion suite, which also includes Fusion Gateway and Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS). Fusion empowers organizations with a hybrid-cloud solution that offers a more balanced and efficient storage environment, enhanced search functionality, and seamless integration with AI technologies. Combined, they provide the tools that enable media organizations to optimize workflows and take a more intelligent approach to content management.

“Fusion Insights is a game-changing toolkit for forward-thinking media organizations looking to streamline their operations,” added Sam Peterson, COO of Bitcentral. “Media companies can quickly surface the right content, at the right time, without the headache that comes with manual processes. Whether they’re managing live broadcasts, producing news, or creating digital content, Fusion Insights is a smarter way to work all while saving time, reducing costs, and maximizing the value of their media assets.”

Bitcentral will be in Booth W2213 in the West Hall.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has named veteran marketer John Kennedy to its board of directors.

With more than 30 years of experience in several senior leadership roles at several Fortune 100 companies, Kennedy joins the board as an adviser focused on helping technology companies grow. During his career, he was a successful chief marketing officer at Fortune 500 companies, such as Conduent, Xerox and IBM, Bitcentral said.

In his most recent role as chairman of Waymark, a platform for customizable video content, Kennedy played a critical part in that company’s pivot to an AI-based offering instrumental to driving scale and securing key enterprise partnerships, Bitcentral said.

“John’s strategic insights, principled leadership and extensive experience in the video and media sectors make him an invaluable addition to our board of directors,” Bitcentral CEO Sam Kamel said. “His contributions will be invaluable in ensuring that Bitcentral remains at the forefront of the industry, leveraging new AI possibilities and empowering customers to thrive in a dynamic and evolving market.”

Kennedy has experience in strategic marketing, business growth and organizational leadership. He will help to guide the company as it continues to advance its media workflow solutions and expand market reach, the company said.

“It is an exciting time to be part of Bitcentral during this transformative period for the media and broadcast industry,” said Kennedy. “Bitcentral’s innovative solutions and strong leadership have established it as a trusted partner for broadcasters and media companies. I look forward to leveraging my experience in strategy, marketing, and scaling businesses to help guide Bitcentral in unlocking new opportunities and fostering continued growth.”

Throughout his career, Kennedy has helped firms identify and execute strategic pivots to unlock new growth, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—New England Sports Network (NESN) has partnered with Bitcentral to add state-of-the-art media management and production tools to its operations to deliver a richer viewing experience to Boston-area sports fans.

NESN, the regional sports network home of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and MLB’s Boston Red Sox, turned to Bitcentral for its ability to elevate content creation. It will leverage Bitcentral’s Core News suite, a comprehensive set of tools designed to enhance content management efficiency, reduce content-generation complexity and maximize the value of the NESN product to fans on multiple platforms, Bitcentral said.

“The sports media landscape is evolving rapidly, and our audience demands seamless, high-quality content delivered to linear, digital and social platforms,” NESN Vice President of Technology Kenny Elcock said.

“Our partnership with Bitcentral ensures that we not only keep pace with the evolving industry but continue to stand as leaders and drive innovation,” Elcock said. “Bitcentral’s Core News suite offers the scalability and cutting-edge technology we need to stay ahead in this competitive environment and deliver exceptional content to our audience.”

The partnership includes the integration of two new NESN partners, Adobe Creative Cloud with Adobe Premiere editing platform and Dixon Sports Computing. Dixon Sports Computing’s metadata logging capabilities are vital to sports content creation, allowing NESN the ability to search for the best content instantly for delivery to fans, it said.

The collaboration promises an enriched viewing experience for sports fans with more dynamic and engaging content delivered more quickly and efficiently. For the industry, it signals a shift toward more integrated and advanced media workflows that could set a new standard for sports viewing engagement, Bitcentral said.   

Bitcentral’s commitment to advancing the capabilities of its media solutions reflects its mission to drive the future of sports and new media production, the company said.

“Teaming up with NESN allows us to demonstrate the full potential of our Core News Suite in the high-stakes world of sports broadcasting,” Bitcentral Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson said. “By integrating our technology with NESN’s operations, we’re not just enhancing their media capabilities—we’re redefining what’s possible in the industry.”

More information is available on the company’s website.  

PARIS and NEW YORK—AI and video search company Moments Lab has announced its integration with Bitcentral. The integration enables Bitcentral Oasis MAM users to enrich their media assets with powerful, AI-generated metadata while retaining their on-prem or fusion hybrid storage architecture, the two companies reported.

“We’re excited to offer Moments Lab’s cutting-edge AI indexing technology to our Oasis MAM customers and provide further efficiency to news production workflows,” Bitcentral chief operating officer Sam Peterson said.

Moments Lab’s public API can be used to integrate its MXT-1.5 multimodal AI with Oasis. MXT-1.5 combines what it sees and hears in videos to generate rich metadata, including human-like descriptions of what’s happening in every shot and sequence.

Bitcentral’s collaborative Oasis MAM software is a popular media workflow solution for news production, with field-centric tools that seamlessly connect remote teams with TV studios to push stories quicker.

“Integrating our multimodal AI indexing technology with Bitcentral’s Oasis MAM puts enhanced content search and discovery at news teams’ fingertips,” said Frederic Petitpont, Moments Lab co-founder and chief technology officer. “It means they’ll be able to instantly find the media assets they need to build and publish stories faster than ever.”

Moments Lab’s API works by analyzing media files (proxy or original) from on-prem or cloud storage. Media assets are processed and enriched by MXT-1.5, which detects faces, text, logos, landmarks, objects, actions, context, shot types, and speech to generate a semantic, human-like description of the content for increased searchability. The output can be reviewed and validated in either Moments Lab or directly in the Oasis MAM.

More information about Moments Lab and Bitcentral’s solutions can be found on their respective websites: momentslab.com/features/mxt-1-5 and bitcentral.com/core-news/oasis.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bill Bradford, a industry veteran of nearly 30 years with expertise in digital media and technology, has joined the board of directors of media software solutions provider Bitcentral.

During his career, Bradford has held leadership roles with America Online, Yahoo!, Fox and Beachbody. At Fox, he led digital innovation efforts and was instrumental in evolving the traditional broadcast model to a multiplatform service encompassing streaming, digital engagement and innovative monetization strategies, Bitcentral said.

“I am honored to join Bitcentral’s Board at such a transformative period for the company,” Bradford said. “I look forward to bringing my passion for technology and extensive experience in digital transformation to support Bitcentral’s vision of leading the future of media storytelling.”

As senior vice president of digital media at Fox, Bradford oversaw Fox.com, the Fox Now streaming service and interactive features like online voting during popular shows such as “American Idol” and “The X Factor.” Bradford was also chief product officer of the founding joint venture team that ultimately became Hulu, Bitcentral said.

After Fox, Bradford joined Beachbody where he was chief digital officer. He spearheaded the company’s shift from a DVD sales model to a multiplatform subscription service, Beachbody on Demand, Bitcentral said.

A West Point graduate and former captain in the U.S. Army, Bradford also holds a master’s degree in operations research from George Washington University. His career also includes roles at Yahoo!, AOL and Oracle.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bill Bradford,” Bitcentral CEO Sam Kamel said. “His extensive background and proven track record as a change agent will empower Bitcentral as we continue to innovate and serve our clients. His leadership, integrity and can-do spirit will be integral to our growth and customer-focused strategies.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

Missed any of our recent product news? Here is TV Tech's weekly wrap-up of new products, services and deployments we published in our newsletter between July 22 and July 26. The stories are listed from the newest on Friday July 26, day by day back to our stories from Monday July 22.

Telos Alliance Unveils StudioCore, StudioEdge

Telos Alliance has introduced StudioCore and StudioEdge—both members of the company’s Axia lineup of AoIP studio consoles and accessories.

Bitcentral Integrates Pixalate Analytics Into ViewNexa

Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate’s ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting into its ViewNexa streaming platform.

Anton/Bauer Unveils VCLX LI 1600 Power Supply for Cinematographers

Anton/Bauer has launched its VCLX LI 1600, the latest evolution in its VCLX range of block battery systems. The new battery delivers more power than ever from a lightweight and IP65-rated weatherproof unit, the company said.

Nielsen’s Gracenote Enters Contextual CTV Ad Business

Gracenote is now working with Peer39, Magnite, Cannella Media, Ocean Media, DirecTV Advertising, Tastemade, Xumo and others to improve contextual advertising.

What Role Does VVC Have in the Future of Over-the-Air TV?

Recent panel discussion explores ATSC's consideration of the VVC (Versatile Video Coding) candidate standard to include in 3.0. 

Dejero to Showcase its ‘Smart Blending Technology’ at 2024 IBC Show

The company will also mark the IBC debut of its new GateWay 3220 compact network aggregation device.

Alibaba Cloud, OBS Launch AI-Fueled OBS Cloud 3.0 for Paris Olympics

In a notable milestone in the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the launch of OBS Cloud 3.0 for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

FCC Launches New Mobile Speed Test App

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interface that makes challenging the accuracy of the provider-reported mobile coverage data even easier.

LiveU Reports Vital Role in Covering UK Election

Company says 180 broadcasters and news agencies from 40 countries deployed its IP video gear.

Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle Launches

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. 

Scripps' Incident Management Planning Minimizes CrowdStrike Disruptions

While some news operations were affected, tech support prep and Macs limited the problems.

Astera to Showcase LunaBulb LED Light at 2024 IBC Show

Astera, a German-based developer of light solutions for film, event and TV markets, will showcase its range of LED-based lighting gear, including its new LunaBulb, at the 2024 IBC Show, Sept. 13-16 at the RAI Amsterdam.

Brazil’s SBTVD Forum Recommends ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer For Nation’s TV 3.0 OTA Service

The SBTVD Forum, the non-profit organization that advises the Brazilian government on digital television and policy matters, is recommending the selection of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer as the over-the-air transmission system for the nation’s TV 3.0 next-generation terrestrial broadcast service, ATSC said.

RAI Taps Clear-Com for New Intercom Setup

Clear-Com has announced that it worked with Video Progetti to deliver an advanced intercom solution for Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Italy’s state broadcaster.

Sencore to Feature Latest Internet Distribution, Contribution Advancements at IBC Show

The company also will show its latest developments in encoding, decoding and monitoring.

NBC Sports Taps Comcast Technology Solutions for Olympics Coverage

NBC Sports has announced that it will be using Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to provide multiscreen video management and delivery for its production of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

QuickLink To Highlight StudioPro 4K Video Production Solution At IBC Show

QuickLink will show its QuickLink StudioPro 4K video production platform at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

IBC 2024 Sees European Debut of Proton Cam, World’s Smallest Camera

Miniaturized camera specialist Proton Camera Innovations will be bringing Proton Cam, which the company bills as the world’s smallest broadcast camera, to the IBC Show, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

Gray Television To Enhance Paris Olympics NextGen TV Signal With HDR, Immersive Audio

The broadcast group will offer NextGen TV viewers in eight of its NBC markets the Paris Olympics in HDR when they open Wednesday, July 24. Viewers in three of those markets also will be able to listen to immersive audio of the games.

Lawo To Launch Home mc² DSP App Audio Engine At IBC Show

Lawo will make the official launch of HOME mc² DSP app, first announced at the NAB Show in April, at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

DMC Productions Leverages GV AMPP-Based Workflow for Nordic Tennis Tournament

DMC Productions has deployed a remote production workflow that processes all signals on site as opposed to transporting them for off-site processing based on Grass Valley AMPP for the 2024 Nordea Open tennis tournament, July 8-21, the company said.

Amazon Prime Video Acquires Bray Film Studios in the U.K.

The studio has been the production home for the second season of the Prime Video series `The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ since 2022.

Paramount Advertising Brings AI-Generated Ads to Pluto TV, Paramount+

Powered by generative AI partner Waymark, Paramount's new Paramount Ads Manager creates CTV ads based on images, text, and videos derived from a business’s website.

Perifery Introduces AI+ 2.0 Suite of Tools

Perifery has launched AI+ 2.0, an AI-powered suite for media professionals to revitalize their existing content libraries with AI-generated metadata.

FOR-A to Spotlight Software-Defined IP Solutions At IBC Show

FOR-A will show spotlight software-defined IP solutions and hybrid production at the IBC Show, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate’s ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting into its ViewNexa streaming platform. 

The integration enables users to eliminate wasted ad spend and rectify problems in complex and fragmented supply paths, Bitcentral said.

Almost 20% of Supply Chain Objects (SCO) have failed verification and had a likely 32% higher invalid traffic (IVT) rate, according to Pixalate.

Pixalate’s Post-Bid Analytics detects, tracks and identifies the sources and causes of IVT, unauthorized sellers, redundant supply paths and app/domain spoofing at scale across every supply path. The tool enables ViewNexa users to perform audits based on chain length and various reason codes, including IVT and viewability percentage metrics, which are broken down by CTV (connected TV), mobile and web, Bitcentral said. 

Pixalate is Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited for the detection and filtration of IVT across CTV, mobile app, mobile web and desktop. Integrating the Pixalate solution into ViewNexa is intended to maximize the monetization potential of users by optimizing paths with high IVT and viewabiity percentages, thereby enhancing safety and trust, it said.

Users can block specific ad traffic containing specific nodes instead of blocking entire apps, publishers, users or even sellers. This actionable insight gives media companies the ability to eliminate irrelevant and duplicated SCOs, preventing wasted ad spend and eliminating problems that persist in today’s supply path., the company said.

The integration of Pixalate is the latest instalment of ViewNexa’s growing customer offering. This offering aims to maximize customers' monetization potential by optimizing paths with high IVT and viewability percentages, enhancing brand safety and trust.  

“ViewNexa has great relationships with the publishers that are powered by our technology,” said Bitcentral vice president of partner strategy Scott Alexander. “This partnership with Pixalate allows us to ensure that our ViewNexa advertising partners have access to safe and transparent inventory that verifies their ad spend is reaching the right audience and generating the right traffic.”

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral is now making its ViewNexa streaming platform available on Samsung Electronics’ Samsung TV Plus, the company said.

Samsung TV Plus has experienced a 60% year-over-year growth in viewership around the world. With availability on Samsung TV Plus, ViewNexa gives its users a new way to deliver live and ad-supported video-on-demand VOD content to millions of Samsung TV viewers without requiring a subscription or external device, it said.

“Integrating with a Tier-1 platform like Samsung TV Plus brings tremendous business value to our customers,” said Sam Kamel, CEO of Bitcentral. “As audience demand for streaming video continues to rapidly grow, by integrating our platform into the Samsung TV Plus ecosystem, we help our customers reach an important and growing base of viewers. As the streaming landscape evolves, ViewNexa’s availability on Samsung TV Plus underscores Bitcentral’s ambitious vision for providing customers the best platform for streaming media distribution and monetization.”

As part of the Samsung TV Plus ecosystem, ViewNexa customers can now have their content reach millions more viewers around the world. ViewNexa customers are on Samsung TV Plus in North America and Europe, Bitcentral said.

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has launched Fusion Gateway, a best-in-class cloud offering that the company says “bridges the gap between media asset management (MAM) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools,” enabling Bitcentral customers “to harness new opportunities for content discovery, automation, and increased efficiency and sets the table for more creativity.”

As media libraries grow larger, managing them has become more complex, expensive and time-consuming. Media companies require solutions that can streamline MAM by automating repetitive tasks. Bitcentral says Fusion Gateway’s cloud-based solution seamlessly integrates third-party AI tools with Bitcentral’s ecosystem, unlocking new possibilities for customers to improve speed and productivity, allowing them to rapidly create, distribute, and monetize high-quality video.

Key Features and Benefits of Fusion Gateway:

• AI-Driven Content Enrichment: Fusion Gateway leverages cutting-edge AI algorithms to enhance metadata, automate tagging, and improve content discoverability. Whether quickly identifying key moments in live streams or suggesting relevant assets, AI-driven enrichment delivers smarter, more efficient workflows.
• Customizable Workflows: Users can easily create tailored workflows that incorporate AI services such as speech-to-text transcription, facial recognition, sentiment analysis, and object detection. Fusion Gateway adapts to a variety of specific use cases, from news production to sports highlights.
• Seamless Integration: Fusion Gateway natively connects with Bitcentral’s Core News system, enabling users to efficiently access AI-powered content enrichment directly from within their existing collaboration environments.
• Scalability and Flexibility: As a cloud-native solution, Fusion Gateway scales effortlessly to accommodate growing media libraries and changing demands. Users can choose from a range of AI providers and APIs, ensuring flexibility and adaptability in a rapidly changing field.

“Fusion Gateway represents a leap forward in media management, a next step in our bigger vision for enhancing the entire content production process through AI-powered tools, said Sam Kamel, Bitcentral CEO. “Our customers can now efficiently harness practical applications of AI to discover hidden gems in their content libraries, reveal new insights, automate repetitive tasks, and raise their content creation processes to entirely new levels.”

Fusion Gateway is available immediately. For more information, visit https://bitcentral.com/

In the face of a highly competitive industry and ongoing competitive nature of the industry, media companies today are strongly incentivized to make use of their archive content. However, many have been stalled in their attempts to leverage archive content by their libraries' sheer volume and complexity. 

Broadcasters may have several decades of unorganized material to sort through and furthermore, said companies’ content may still reside on physical media (e.g., tapes), thus needing to be digitized.

Metadata—simply put, a set of data providing information about other data—can enhance content, providing useful descriptive information, such as the individuals featured, the location of filming, the narrative context, and more advanced information, such as copyrights, expiration dates, and audio descriptions. It can also aid this organizational process. 

Thus, we can understand that the money and time-consuming task of digitizing and organizing archive content can be much more purposeful if metadata is added during and after the digitizing process. This ensures the organization process is streamlined, and that media and entertainment companies’ content is in its most advantageous form, with enhanced discoverability, allowing them to stay ahead in the competitive landscape of digital streaming and production services.

Clearing the Way
Metadata is becoming increasingly important for all media companies due to its improved consistency, data quality and cost efficiency. Its value needs to be utilized across the value chain, where different systems have different metadata requirements due to applications, such as a Content Management System (CMS) and within a production environment via a Product Asset Management system (PAM). 

Without establishing or implementing metadata management within a coherent business strategy, media companies could find themselves at risk of making costly mistakes and missing out on new monetization opportunities. 

One way they have been doing this is through metadata enhancement. Enhancing or enriching metadata is a method used to boost the value and discoverability of digitized content. This involves expanding the existing metadata associated with the content. Moreover, AI-assisted processes can fully automate the addition of extra metadata. 

For instance, in sports content, enhanced metadata might involve tagging individual players, specific types of plays, and real-time score updates, among other details. The primary aim is to facilitate efficient and swift content searches later on, thereby encouraging greater utilization of the available content.

Status Quo Opportunity Costs
Opportunity costs are difficult to quantify, but it’s worth assessing the ROI of metadata capabilities in the context of a highly competitive and fast-moving industry. Media companies that fail to maximize their resources with metadata enhancement put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. 

The media and entertainment industry’s business models are increasingly geared towards diversified monetization strategies, and archive content provides the raw materials to expand your offering. Many sports broadcasters have already caught on to the value of archive material, such as highlights from past matches, to reward dedicated fans and maintain engagement between seasons. The same principle applies universally: having more content ready at your disposal reduces the likelihood of churn and puts you ahead of the competition. 

Setting the Stage for Seamless Collaboration
With a metadata-rich library at their disposal, production teams will have a highly accessible bank of content to work with. This is one of the key differentiators among media companies in 2024: how well are their systems optimized for collaboration? Content that has been indexed through metadata is easily shared and accessed across remote or asynchronous teams. 

The speed and complexity of modern production and distribution may have increased, but metadata will enable teams to zero in on whatever files they need to find at a moment’s notice. Whatever challenges production teams face, ‘needle in a haystack’ situations can be a thing of the past with the assistance of metadata. 

Carpe Datum
Now is the time to embrace metadata. It offers immediate benefits and a long-term ROI that includes business agility, revenue opportunities, and highly-specialized use cases to suit individual content strategies. Production teams gain access to an indexed library that positions everything they need within arm’s reach, empowering them to make full use of their resources. 

With that said, the technology is still new, and we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg for what metadata has to offer. With the support of a trusted tech provider, metadata can be one of the essential tools that empowers broadcasters to stay ahead of the curve.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral, a provider of media software solutions, has appointed Sam Kamel as its CEO, replacing Steve Petilli. The company also announced a new private investor that it says has “recapitalized” its business, replacing the previous private equity fund which held a significant stake in the company. The unnamed investor will join the board of Bitcentral, headed up by Founder Fred Fourcher. 

“This marks a return for Bitcentral founder Fourcher, whose foresight in digital media's transformative impact has been pivotal, evolving Bitcentral from an essential software platform for nightly news preparation to a leading powerhouse in streaming media” the company said in a statement. “Under Fourcher's guidance, Bitcentral will continue to redefine audience engagement, offering scalable solutions from traditional broadcast newsrooms to dynamic streaming online talk shows.”

Bitcentral has provided software solutions to over 300 television stations and 1,000 media operations, including Fox, CNN, and Hearst. 

"Joining Bitcentral represents a thrilling new chapter. I'm committed to leveraging our broadcast and streaming prowess, to driving innovation and excellence, and to building the best team in the industry," said Kamel.

Kamel has served on Bitcentral’s board since March 2023. He has worked at Netscape, Microsoft, Fox and Ingram Micro, and spearheaded rapid growth at data analytics company iinside / CrowdVision. His background also includes consulting experience at McKinsey & Co. and service as a US Naval Officer. He has a BS in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

With their ability to provide video storage cheaper and more flexibly than on-premises systems, cloud-based video archiving services have established themselves in the broadcast TV and streaming video markets. Their competitive edge is now being sharpened by the integration of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to cloud-based archiving systems—making these systems more accessible to users than ever before.

The AI/ML Advantage
The simplest way to understand AI/ML’s positive impact on cloud-based video archiving is this: AI/ML helps these platforms do everything they do better.

“Machine learning in the cloud has been a huge step forward in expanding its range of capabilities,” said Sam Peterson, COO of Bitcentral. “Speech-to-text and language translation have been two of the big advances lately, but these are only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Metadata AI and Generative AI are all the rage since ChatGPT opened eyes to what can be achieved,” agreed Jonathan Morgan; senior vice president of product and technology at Perifery, a division of DataCore Software. “Like a glove fits a hand, AI is built on data, and when it comes to media archives there is both a wealth of information and monetizable assets.”

Newsbridge’s cloud-based platform manages both archived and live video content in highly sophisticated ways, according to James Fraser, vice president of U.S. Sales for the company. Newsbridge’s MXT-1 is “our own in-house AI that we’ve built over a number of years,” he said. “The idea behind MXT-1 is to produce a human-like description of what AI is seeing in your content, to make it highly searchable. So rather than search for a recorded conference using a file name, you can ask MXT-1 to find a specific moment.”

Meanwhile, customers moving to AWS are exploring the company’s full portfolio of AI/ML products, said Josh Mello, AWS’ Senior Worldwide Storage Specialist. “One helpful offering is the Amazon Media2Cloud solution, which provides a framework for enhancing metadata collection media archives via AI/ML services, as these assets are placed in Amazon S3 Glacier,” he explained. 

“Additionally, many customers are pulling out insights on their consumers, as well as data on their content, using Amazon Rekognition. Amazon Transcribe is another AI service our customers are turning to in order to easily transcribe information pulled out of their media archive.”

Pros and Cons
There is no doubt that cloud-based archiving has caught on with TV broadcasters and streamers alike in recent years, even without the advantages being offered by AI/ML.

Cost is a major reason why: It is far cheaper to store content on third-party web-connected servers on a fee-for-service basis — which is what the cloud actually is — rather than invest in on-premise server farms and the IT staff to maintain them.

Then there’s data security: “In addition to offering 99.999999999% (11 nines) of data durability in every AWS Region, Amazon S3 Glacier storage classes simplify archive management,” said Mello. “Once a customer migrates to AWS, that’s it. They no longer need to worry about end-of-life support on existing infrastructure or get bogged down in the endless cycle of generational updates.”

Better yet, cloud storage providers like Newsbridge offer tiered levels of service for their customers, with instant retrieval cloud storage offering faster and more expensive access to customer content than “cold” or “deep archive.” This choice of options is made available for “cost optimization,” according to Fraser, and is proving popular with Newsbridge’s broadcast and streaming clients. 

“Another significant feature is the capability to store content off-site, providing a safeguard against on-site hardware failures or unexpected incidents,” Bitcentral’s Peterson said. “In the cloud, users can leverage multiple layers of storage and implement replication across different physical regions for added resilience.”

Best yet for M&E customers, AWS’ cloud-based archiving opens up the art of the possible for more interactive viewer engagement, new revenue streams through opportunities like FAST channels, plus “additional monetization efforts that leverage the vast amount of content available in customer archives,” said Mello.

Hybrid Approach
Still, the cloud isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution, Peterson readily admitted. “This is why some of our customers are fully cloud-native. But for other customers, it makes more business sense to employ a hybrid approach that simply adds to the capabilities of their existing physical storage.”

As well, some of the apparent advantages of cloud-based archiving can turn out to be disadvantages in certain circumstances. For example, when a broadcaster/streamer decides to use a large number of AI/ML apps to manage their cloud-stored media, there can be “large associated compute and access costs related to running those apps.” said Morgan. “Alternatively, the AI/ML apps required might be available on-premises and are likely to be significantly less expensive and quicker to run there.”

In the same vein, on-premises storage can prove to be a more economical option than cloud-based storage in some cases. “For instance, if a media archive can be stored in a ‘cold’ public tier and is rarely accessed, then public cloud might be a cost-effective way to go,” Morgan said. “But if the media archive is actively accessed, then public cloud costs can quickly mount.”

This being said, the many advantages offered by cloud-based archiving is ensuring its viability in the marketplace. This is why “the broadcasting and streaming industries are now far beyond the point where the cloud is treated merely as a byword for storage,” concluded Peterson. 

The last few years have seen huge transformations across the broadcast industry. The industry will continue to evolve in 2024, but industry players will now focus on making wiser and more pragmatic decisions in response to new opportunities and challenges. 

With the increased dynamism of today’s video production and new opportunities to monetize content, there is substantial cause for optimism despite widespread market uncertainty. Here are my thoughts on the key trends shaping the media industry in 2024 and beyond.

Data security best practices become key
With remote and distributed production workflows here to stay, the issue of data security requires close attention. Operators are aware of the risks of ransomware and cyberattacks; these can cause lasting economic and reputational damage that even the biggest players in the industry cannot afford. 

Moving increasingly to cloud-based solutions, the industry requires a security-conscious approach. No one has a quick fix to allay these concerns. Instead, we should think in terms of an ongoing process of educating key stakeholders on the ever-changing nature of vulnerabilities, evolving security measures, and adopting best practices. 

Valuable data needs to be handled with care, which, in practical terms, means a combination of vigilance for security threats, implementing key learnings from across industries, and a regular cadence of updates that guard against them. 

Overcoming operational inefficiencies
Besides mitigating security risks, media companies must also contend with maximizing operational efficiency to succeed in today’s highly competitive market. Inefficiencies at any stage, from the initial technology implementation to day-to-day operational management, are a competitive disadvantage. 

Time and costs are two key factors to consider when assessing efficiency. Cloud technology has excelled in saving resources of both time and money with its potential for scalability and the fact that it doesn’t require the same ongoing maintenance liability as physical facilities. 

Cloud technology will continue to grow in its essential role for the broadcasting industry of the future. However, the continuing importance of the cloud does not mean that on-premise production will fall by the wayside. Hybrid models have proven to be very effective in extending the range of capabilities for on-premise production - and whether media companies go fully cloud-native or stay with a hybrid model will depend on their circumstances; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. 

The rise of D2C
One consequence of the increase in cloud-based content distribution is the role of direct-to-consumer models (D2C). Thanks to the cloud’s scalability and low up-front investment required for market entry, smaller media companies and niche content owners can enter the streaming market, reach new audiences with D2C, and close the gaps in their production, distribution, and monetization capabilities.

This is part of a wider industry trend of leveling the playing field with new technologies. Media companies today strive to cover as many distribution outlets as possible to get maximum monetization from their content.

Following the FAST phenomenon, we will see more innovation to achieve that end in the years to come. There are now so many ways for viewers to engage with content that the opportunity cost of limiting delivery to a single endpoint is difficult to justify. 

Taking safe steps toward the future of media
Although innovation and the opportunities for further content monetization will continue to shape the media industry in the coming year, there will also be a degree of prudence and greater scrutiny around Return on Investment (ROI) as market conditions force a tighter rein on adopting new technology. 

Navigating the complexity of a highly competitive market, economic headwinds, and the cost/benefit analysis of new technologies will encourage many broadcasters to seek a consultative approach to meet their individual requirements rather than adopting pre-packaged solutions. 

Media companies are well aware of both the challenges and opportunities in the coming year and will look to make pragmatic decisions that allow them to withstand the uncertainty of the current market and to get the most value out of the latest innovations. 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—With the hurt cord-cutters have put on MVPDs over the past few years, many may be surprised by the findings of a new survey released from Bitcentral ViewNexa: about half of streamers question the value they receive from the services they use and a fifth believe they could do better.

The findings are detailed in the newly released “How to follow the audience: the challenge and opportunities in today’s streaming market” from the company. They are based on a poll of 1,000 adult consumers who subscribe to major streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+, conducted in August by Sapio Research.

The poll found overall that 46% say they are not receiving a good value from streaming services, and 19% believe there are greener pastures available.

The research shows Baby Boomers offer an untapped opportunity for streamers to generate additional revenue. Those 59 to 77 years old told the researcher they are more likely to watch three ad breaks per hour. Far fewer millennials, however, are willing to watch commercials, the researcher found.

Free is a powerful draw if viewers find streaming content to be relevant. A total of 75% of respondents said they are interested in trying services like Pluto, Tubi and Amazon Freevee—all free, ad-supported streaming services. Similarly, 76% said they cited relevant content as the top reason to try a new service, the survey found.

Respondents gave a big thumbs down to Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing. A total of 65% of Netflix subscribers said the move has driven them to look for alternatives. Millennials, ages 27 to 42, are most likely to abandon Netflix due to the policy with 33% percent saying they are very likely to consider other services, it found.

“Despite what may seem a crowded marketplace, there is ample opportunity for companies with high-quality content to succeed in the direct-to-consumer streaming market,” said Greg Morrow, general manager of the streaming media group at Bitcentral. “A lot of the industry conversation is dominated by big streaming services that cater to a mass market, but there are whole swathes of viewers who are more than open to change if the content and price point are right. There is a fantastic opportunity to increase ARPU if providers cater better to the nuances among their audience.”

More information is available online. 

At the beginning of this year, I shared insight into why broadcasters continue moving storage to the cloud. Since my last article, the rate of adoption has only increased, which has emphasized how vital the cloud has become to broadcasters – and the media industry as a whole. This trend is supported by research from Gartner, which forecasts that spending on public cloud services worldwide will grow by 20.7% to $591.8 billion by the end of 2023, up from $490.3 billion in 2022. 

This evolution of the cloud comes at a critical time for the industry. With the growth of audiences and multiple platforms at their disposal, broadcasters face an almost-constant challenge of delivering high-quality and engaging content 24/7. However, delivering this much content is expensive and it is time-consuming to create. But, with every problem, there is a solution, and in this case, it comes in the form of cloud archiving.

What is Cloud Archiving?
Cloud archiving is not necessarily a new concept, but its capabilities and benefits are still not fully recognized. To put it simply, a cloud archive is a storage solution that keeps data secure and accessible at any time and from any location. A cloud archive makes it easier to manage large amounts of information, and it also allows vast content libraries while also being more cost-effective to maintain.  

Cloud-based archiving is revolutionizing broadcasters’ approach to content creation because it allows them to leverage their content libraries in much more effective ways. By taking such an approach, broadcasters are in a better position to increase audience loyalty and reduce content spending simultaneously. Such flexibility is key in today’s marketplace, as the cloud has become the hub for using all that content to keep viewers watching long after the credits have rolled on the program they tuned in to watch.

Benefits of Utilizing the Cloud
I have already touched upon the benefits of the cloud to create more content, but that is not all. The cloud is helping organizations streamline their operations and grow their bottom line. Here are some examples:

As we are all too aware, budgets are tighter than ever, partly due to increased content production costs, so broadcasters need to find ways to make the most of their content libraries, all while ensuring they meet the evolving needs of their audiences. The cloud holds the key. It is cost-efficient and easy to use, so businesses can save money by reducing expenditure and operating costs. 

The cost-efficiency benefits may seem obvious, but little understanding remains of cloud archiving having a positive impact on content strategies. With access to greater cloud storage, broadcasters can re-use library content that is a good fit for today’s market and share it quickly, empowering content owners to stay ahead of their competitors and nurture audience loyalty.

A further benefit of cloud storage is its flexibility - and reliability - for disaster recovery (DR). DR has been a major talking point for years, and with the vast amount of content and data at stake, the consequences of not having the right tools in place can be severe. Ensuring you have a robust DR strategy should be an integral part of any business plan. The cloud gives that scalable safety net broadcasters need, reassuring them their content will be protected.

Metadata's Crucial Role
As broadcasters look to leverage their content libraries, the management of metadata has also become a critical part of their content archiving strategy. Metadata allows organizations to understand their customers’ viewing habits better. Armed with this information, broadcasters are available to implement strategies that can retain and attract new viewers, in turn generating new revenue streams.

The uses of metadata range from simple but valuable additions, such as text transcripts created from audio content, to advanced applications. The cloud's metadata capabilities deliver a long-term ROI to keep content up-to-date and future-proof video libraries.

In addition, since the cloud makes content more accessible than on-prem storage, content owners can use metadata to keep archive videos optimized to align with their changing strategies. These advantages are no longer the exclusive domain of the major players. Smaller broadcasters can also unleash their potential and become more competitive in the industry due to the lower costs and availability of cloud-based workflows.

Conclusion
These cloud capabilities support the continual growth of audiences and platforms, and the content necessary to maintain them. The challenge of delivering high-quality and engaging content is seemingly unrelenting, but with innovation continuing I believe the industry is in good shape to prosper.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has integrated Google DAI into its ViewNexa linear streaming service in a move that will offer users more ways to monetize linear and live streaming content.

The integration brings ViewNexa users greater access to Google’s ad features, which are specific to the search engine’s IMA DAI software development kit (SDK), Bitcentral said.

The integration opens new ways to generate revenue for ViewNexa users exploring hybrid subscription/ad or free ad-based viewing business models, it said.

Google DAI is a server-side dynamic ad insertion technology that enables seamless personalized ad experiences at scale. It manages ad pod building, creative conditioning and manifest manipulation.

It also stitches video content and ads into a single stream, removing the ad request and response process from the client-side SDK.

Producing a TV-like experience without latency or buffering between content and ads, Google DAI is built directly into Google Ad Manager, which helps ViewNexa users take advantage of advanced monetization software and machine learning to maximize revenue across devices for live and linear, the company said.

“Monetization is such an important factor for our customers, and ViewNexa is built with these needs in mind. Every streaming service and every audience has its own nuances, so flexibility is essential,” said Greg Morrow, general manager of the streaming at Bitcentral.

“Whether that’s subscriptions, advertising, in-app purchases, rewards-based viewing, with ViewNexa customers can deliver the best monetization strategy that works for them. And now we offer access to the most prominent advertising marketplace available via Google DAI. ViewNexa is removing the headaches of advertising, giving customers the tools to maximize revenue opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their reach.” 

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—The Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB) has selected Bitcental’s Core News suite to enhance the value of its content.

The government-run station began working with Bitcentral four years ago at one of its locations in Freeport. Following a tour of the facility by the nation’s prime minister, the station was directed to enhance and streamline BCB operations in other locations, including its Nassau station, the company said.

In October 2022, Bitcentral integrated its Core News suite, including the Precis, Create and Oasis modules, into the station’s workflow. The Core News suite offers redundant playback for play-to-air channels, a separate server and separate playlists for each channel. BCB also uses the suite to playback audio for its radio broadcasts from Zephyr Nassau Sunshine (ZNS), it said.

Precis provides BCB with a reliable news production system that enables a flexible, reliable and efficient workflow. Precis is compatible with third-party news automation systems, Bitcentral said.

Create enables collaboration by distributing channels in a way that allows anyone at the organization to log, edit, collaborate and publish videos, it said.

The Oasis MAM stores content. It can be searched, making it possible to retrieve news content from wherever it is. 

The centralized Bitcentral system allows remote teams to work together and produce stories more quickly. For BCB, it provides tools for production and versioning that can help the broadcaster stay ahead of the curve, it said.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Bitcentral by integrating its highly regarded Core News suite,” said BCB acting general manager Andrew Burrows. “As an organization, we pride ourselves on ensuring that the people of the Bahamas receive the best possible content, no matter their location on the islands. 

“Upgrading our system with Bitcentral’s Core News was a no-brainer as it delivers an exceptional viewing experience, is fast and straightforward to use," he continued.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

There have never been more options for broadcasters to optimize their business with cloud-based technology. A current and growing trend is the accelerated adoption of cloud storage. Cloud storage provides a new level of flexibility for broadcasters, creating new efficiencies and cost-savings, while meeting security and disaster recovery (DR) demands. The cloud also opens a door for the latest innovations, such as machine-learning (ML) for enhanced metadata.

Some broadcasters have serviceable methods for storing their data locally and will be inclined to take the view, “if it ain’t broke, etc.” There is, however, an opportunity cost to continued reliance on on-prem storage. Cloud storage offers far more than simply a safety net for DR. 

There are the obvious benefits that are inherent to the cloud: unlimited scale and cost-efficiencies that come from not having to build and maintain physical facilities for archiving locally, as well as real opportunities for how content in the cloud can be handled, both for proxy and high-resolution files.

Most broadcasters today are not just transmitting channels through a broadcast antenna, cable, or satellite, but are also connecting content with multiple endpoints simultaneously, whether that's direct to consumer (D2C) or to other partners with licensing agreements. There are additional operations that can be done to that content while it's in the cloud. One example of that is metadata enhancement.

Using machine learning (ML) and/or artificial intelligence (AI) means additional metadata can be created, whether it's something simple like creating a text transcript from the audio, or something much more sophisticated, such as documenting what is in the video itself, from a certain personality to a weather event.

There is a great deal of capabilities like these that are much more accessible to broadcasters in a cloud environment than on prem. Cloud storage also provides the ability to future-proof content. If new metadata technologies emerge, they can be applied to whatever content is in the cloud, whether its new or old.

DR is another area where cloud-based storage can pay off. Hosting content in a cloud data center, built specifically to minimize risk, and available in multiple geographies, gives broadcasters peace of mind knowing their content is always available.

The financial consequences of an outage, though considerable, are not the only reasons to be prepared. There is a reputational cost to outages and a potential loss of customers who could rapidly lose trust in your service. Since the risk factors for outages, which range from extreme weather events to, increasingly, ransomware attacks, are never going away, it is reasonable to assume that there could be a major disruption of one form or another. The cloud provides broadcasters with the confidence that they can continue through any eventuality without lasting harm to their business.

Another benefit is the synergy between cloud storage and cloud-based editing tools. This is a new trend that I believe the industry is facing today. Ubiquitous access to a piece of content across an enterprise, not just for a singular station, but for any endpoint, makes it easy for a user to edit the content and prepare it for broadcast. The cloud provides even greater access to more content, faster, and from anywhere.

A potential obstacle to adoption of cloud storage is cost. Placing all your content in hi-res with a cloud provider comes with an OPEX commitment. But broadcasters can navigate their way through this by working with a third party that benefits from lower costs as economies of scale kick in: the third party pays for more storage, pooling storage costs across several broadcasters, while ensuring that each one has its own, dedicated, and secure directory. By leveraging the buying power of its customer base, the third-party provider enables individual broadcasters to receive the full benefits of the cloud while saving the expense of going to a cloud provider directly. 

The cloud is fast becoming the standard approach for new media service storage. The scalability aspect of cloud storage has always been a strong incentive in its own right. Today, the additional gains in efficiency and agility make cloud storage a powerful behind-the-scenes tool for optimization as well as access. From a business standpoint, the cloud creates significant cost efficiencies while creating new opportunities to enhance content and expand a broadcaster’s offering to the end user.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral this week announced it has deepened its partnership with OCTOPUS Newsroom by making the company’s Octopus 11 newsroom computer system available to Bitcentral customers.

Octopus 11 enables users to be more productive thanks to a revamped user interface, native device support for PC, Mac OS, iOS and Android and advanced newsgathering, planning and collaboration tools, Bitcentral said.

Launched earlier this year, Octopus 11 facilitates editorial collaboration among team members at every stage of the production process, it said.

This includes publishing content beyond traditional audiences to the web and social media, giving users a platform to contribute to stories as they develop. By being fully compatible with Bitcentral’s Core News products, Octopus 11 offers modern news technology solutions that will enable Bitcentral’s customers to manage the entire lifecycle of live and pre-recorded content, it said.

The latest Octopus release works as an on-premise NRCS or in the cloud for remote production. It enables station newsrooms with the flexibility to collaborate, produce rundowns, create scripts, share videos and post to social media in one system.

The seamless process of Octopus 11 enables Bitcentral customers to adapt to new workflows, empowering them to produce, direct and host entire shows and newscasts remotely, the company said.

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral Inc. has appointed Grenville Gooder as senior vice president of sales, leading a team focused on the broadcast and streaming verticals.

The company said his appointment comes “during a period of unprecedented growth for Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group (SMG), with a 157% increase in customers so far in 2022.”

Steve Petilli, CEO for Bitcentral, said: “Grenville Gooder has a proven track record in building outstanding relationships and delivering business success for companies across streaming media. His expert knowledge and experience will further strengthen Bitcentral as we accelerate our growth in delivering the next generation of digital video.”

With more than 25 years of experience, Gooder has been at the forefront of media transformation with companies such as Verbit.ai, Vilynx, Kaltura and Brightcove, and facing many of the challenges broadcasters, publishers and streaming providers are up against today, including video management and distribution, aggregation and accessibility.

Gooder has orchestrated the launch of many enterprise and consumer video deployments from media properties such as The New York Times, AMCtv, Discovery, Hearst and Gannett, to enterprise customers including General Motors and General Electric, to government organizations, including the U.S. Department of State and the Pentagon, to academic institutions such as Harvard and Stanford. 

Gooder said: “[Bitcentral’s] results over the last year are a testament to its value as a trusted partner that empowers broadcasters and publishers to focus on the stories that make them great. I’m delighted to be joining the company at such an exciting time and I can’t wait to be part of the next chapter of its growth.”

Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group provides a unified workflow that simplifies video management, streaming and distribution. The company said the combined FUEL+Powr solution features turnkey premium OTT application deployment, dynamic playlisting for VOD, live and linear content, and support for advertising (AVOD), subscription (SVOD) and transactional (TVOD) business models. Additional features include AI-based content and metadata ingestion, distribution and syndication capabilities and dynamic rules-based automation.

The American Internet TV market is a booming landscape and is expected to grow by 60% within the next five years. In turn, OTT TV episode and movie revenues will reach $94 billion in 2026—almost double the $49 billion generated in 2020. Media companies are currently in the midst of an incredibly competitive, and fragmented, market. 

There is a risk that media companies can be left behind if they are not quick enough to react to the changing landscape. However, this is also one of the most exciting periods for the industry, and its potential shows no signs of slowing, which makes this a great time to explore new avenues for growth and broaden horizons in this space.

Owned-and-operated (O&O) services alone are no longer enough for media companies to be successful in today’s streaming environment. To achieve growth, media companies must ensure that they integrate an effective business strategy that puts diversification at the heart of it. If executed correctly, these strategies will unlock greater audience reach and monetization that will empower them to thrive now and in the future. 

In this article, I will outline how to execute a hybrid approach and the key areas of consideration for media companies looking to get a piece of the growing Internet TV market.  

The Opportunities Available
Free ad-supported TV (FAST) linear services have increased in popularity in recent years. We are now seeing FAST integrated within television interfaces, and being made widely available on Connected TV (CTV) app stores.

FAST linear channels are a vital hub for distribution and monetization diversification. They retain the lean-back benefits of traditional linear TV, while enabling valuable new digital advertising opportunities. Through FAST, content providers can unleash the potential to program channels algorithmically, using AI to suit viewers’ tastes and leverage programmatic ad platforms to maximize the value of ad spots. Channels can also be launched quickly and the content fine-tuned in real-time to optimize viewership. When customer demand fluctuates, FAST channels can be scaled up and down. This is a crucial benefit to help keep content providers in control. 

In addition, SVOD services should consider offering different payment options – perhaps lowering the fee in return for some form of advertising – to help cater to audiences across a range of needs. This is a hot topic in the industry, of course, enabling companies to generate new ad revenue that was previously not part of the business model. The price decrease helps cost-conscious customers have more choice, potentially attracting more subscribers over the long-term.

To support this, advertisement-based video on demand (AVOD) is also an enticing avenue. Like FAST, AVOD has also enjoyed significant growth. AVOD viewers in the U.S. are expected to reach 165 million in 2025 and the format can be a great distribution tool for a media company’s content library. AVOD enables substantial ad revenue business, helps companies become more competitive in the market, and funnels O&O services. AVOD is helping fill the void between an ad-free experience provided by subscription services and linear TV giving it the best of both worlds. 

AVOD is now a dominant player in the Internet TV market and brands are pouring money into these services for their user-specific focus: lower number of advertisements versus higher value of commercial awareness among viewers. AVOD’s ability to track user interactions can help make ads more trackable and easier to determine their success. These advanced targeting abilities are precisely what the market is looking for today - both the advertiser and the consumer. 

If implemented successfully, ensuring that media companies focus on content and their technology stack, AVOD will certainly allow content to thrive in the streaming era. 

Ensuring the Right Toolset
To help build and nurture thriving content communities in our industry, streaming providers should ensure they offer the flexibility to support multiple business models that reflect our market and its ever-fluctuating landscape. Solutions must boast capabilities including high-quality OTT application deployment and dynamic playlisting for VOD. There must also be consideration for including support for AVOD and SVOD, which are two services rapidly changing how video is consumed and monetized. However, SVOD requires one workflow, AVOD requires another, FAST channels require another, and the many potential syndication partners require more.

It is important to understand that, to stay ahead of the curve, media companies need the right cross-platform technology to support hybrid business models and multi-partner distribution to execute a successful distribution and monetization strategy. 

With this in mind, streaming providers must ensure they assemble a broad technology stack of solutions to reach their full audience engagement and monetization potential. But at the same time, they need an efficient way of working that avoids the complications of having to deal with many vendors at once, making the workflow harder to manage.

But, if they achieve this, then there is a fantastic opportunity to reach new audiences, grow greater revenue streams, and pave a pathway for long-term success.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–Saltbox TV, a content studio and online platform for older adults, has selected Bitcentral to help its audience enjoy a rich user experience using the company’s Powr.tv platform to deliver an intuitive user experience with important accessibility features, including the ability to increase font size and a brightly colored user interface.

Saltbox will use Bitcentral’s Powr.tv platform to distribute many types of services and reach a variety of platforms, including Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, and lifestyle services enjoyed by its niche audience, such as the the LG Independa health hub, iN2L and Sirona TV, Bitcentral said.

Launched in March 2020, Saltbox TV delivers entertainment to quarantined older communities in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Its content offering for older adults includes a large content library with curated TV picks, movies and Saltbox TV Originals on topics like art, education, fitness, health and wellness and music.

Bitcentral recently acquired the Powr.tv publishing platform first launched in 2016. Today, more than 10 million installs have been made worldwide. The platform offers a portfolio of more than 200 apps that enable organizations to crease audience reach across app stores, including Apple, Google, Roku and Amazon, Bitcentral said.

The platform offers flexible monetization models across all platforms, including programmatic advertising. VAST-compliant with Interactive Media Ads (IMA) built into each native application, the platform offers seamless rendering of VAST/VPAID/VMAP tags for a broadcast-level, feature-rich and trackable ad experience, it said.

Powr.tv also enable organizations to bring their own ad demand and plug-in third=arty ad networks or other ad partners, it said.

“Saltbox came out of a real need to help a niche, underserved audience access virtual programming in the most simple way, wherever they are and no matter what device they’re watching on. Our priority was to get the service up and running at scale with a reliable monetization model. Bitcentral provided all of this and more and has become an incredibly valuable partner in helping us achieve our goals,” said Saltbox TV CEO Jerry Goehring.

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Replay, a real-time video tracking and payments platform recently launched “Rewarded TV,” a new streaming service that allows viewers to earn “crypto tokens” for watching, sharing and engaging with content on its service. The service is using Bitcentral’s FUEL + Powr.tv streaming solution to create dynamic linear channels from Rewarded TV’s VOD library and syndicate them efficiently and effectively through one unified workflow to Rewarded TV’s third-party endpoints .

The service is available on Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku TV, and Smart TV. As well as enabling Rewarded TV to reach a wider audience, FUEL + Powr.tv increase viewer engagement through a live chat feature, Bitcentral said.

Bitcentral provides Replay with a best-in-class solution suite that is pre-integrated and tested, eliminating vendor and content duplication while lowering complexity and cost. Rewarded TV will introduce new means of instant video monetization based on real-time access and NFT-gated premium content, using Bitcentral’s solutions to manage content libraries, scale streaming applications, and enable social video features.

The project sees Powr.tv, which was acquired by Bitcentral earlier this year, integrated with Bitcentral’s online video platform, FUEL, to deliver a suite of capabilities that simplify video management and streaming monetization, consumer application experience, and distribution for broadcasters, publishers, and media companies. The combined platform provides users with the tools to eliminate integration challenges and vendor management fatigue, improving the time-to-market and increasing ROI on their valuable content.

Krish Arvapally, CEO of Replay, said: “We turned to Bitcentral to power Rewarded TV because its full suite of video streaming solutions enables us to scale rapidly across mobile, web, and OTT to concentrate on delivering real-time video payment and tracking. Enabling social engagement and community building with live chat and live event support, Bitcentral aligns with our vision of community-led video.”

Greg Morrow, General Manager, Streaming Media Group, said: “The industry is rapidly changing, and Rewarded TV is offering the market a refreshing new approach. It’s a great example of the enormous flexibility that FUEL + Powr.tv provides to support innovation in OTT. Our platform provides a powerful turnkey solution that offers a more cost-effective way for the Rewarded TV team to deploy their library wherever the viewer wants to watch. This toolset is combined with our 20-plus years of experience in broadcast to mean we can be a true partner to Rewarded TV rather than just a technology provider.”

Rewarded TV is available in North America now at www.rewarded.tv

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral will debut its new Live Guide To-Go and Fusion Hybrid Storage Solutions (HSS) at the NAB Show, April 23-27, in Las Vegas.

Live Guide To-Go is a channel management tool and application SDK for creating an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in third-party applications. Publishers can build linear TV experiences that augment their current VOD offering using a simple SDK across web, mobile, smart devices and connected TV.

The Live Guide To-Go solution makes it possible for them to scale up their distribution to reach new audiences, drive longer average viewing session times and create new revenue opportunities through advertising, the company said.

A turnkey channel management solution for digital linear feeds from Bitcentral’s FUEL platform or Free Ad-Support TV (FAST) channel vendors, Live Guide To-Go offers a software development kit (SDK) and CMS suite originally developed by Powr.tv, which recently was acquired by Bitcentral, it said.

Fusion modernizes the methodologies used to deliver the broadcast content services of Bitcentral’s on-premise Oasis solution, including archive, asset management and sharing. has been Built from the ground up in a microservices architecture to leverage the scaling and cost efficiencies of cloud-based resources, Fusion provides an availability capability not easily provided in a typical station environment, the company said.

Fusion HSS extends the capabilities of on-premise storage and gives increased scalability and federated access to content for distribution. It adds to the cost efficiencies of scale offered by Bitcentral’s suite of cloud-based services.

See Bitcentral in NAB Show booth W5100.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has partnered with premium video hub VideoElephant to enhance and expand its marketplace of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels for syndication to distributors worldwide, the company announced today.

VideoElephant will use Bitcentral’s FUEL platform to create dynamically programmed linear channels at scale from its catalog of premium content. FUEL along with Powr.tv, which Bitcentral recently acquired, will enable VideoElephant to reach new audiences and drive ad revenue while operating in a more time-efficient and cost-effective way, Bitcentral said.

VideoElephant has a library of more than 2,500 new videos added daily. It aggregates content from hundreds of top publishers and content providers, including brands like Sports Illustrated, Us Weekly, Reader’s Digest and Chicago Tribune.

“VideoElephant has been a pioneer in providing an easy-to-use platform to integrate on-demand video from hundreds of content partners,” said Greg Morrow, general manager of Bitcentral’s streaming media group. “They are the largest on-demand video content aggregator in the world and now the FUEL + Powr.tv combined solution is allowing them to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy that library in the FAST and CTV ecosystem.”

Bitcentral will enable VideoElephant to manage its libraries better and to distribute its FAST channel solution more widely. Its FUEL solution creates dynamic linear channels at scale, and its Powr.tv OTT solution increases the breadth of distribution options available to VideoElephant, it said.

“We are entering an exciting new era of linear channel publishing at scale. Bitcentral is the perfect partner to enhance and expand our linear FAST channel offering,” said VideoElephant chief revenue officer Brian Cullinane. “This move takes our go-to-market strategy to the next level with a partner that not only understands the needs of publishers today to create new delivery and distribution methods, but also their extensive experience in broadcast means their operational know-how is simply unmatched.”
See Bitcentral at NAB Show booth W5100.

More information is available on the VideoElephant and Bitcentral websites. 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has announced it has purchased Powr.tv, a direct-to-consumer video publishing platform provider.

Financial details were not disclosed. But Virgo Investment Group, which is an investor in Bitcentral,  provided additional funding for the deal, the company said.

Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group will integrate its FUEL platform with Powr.tv to offer a unified workflow that simplifies video management, streaming and distribution, the company said.

The combination of products enables deployment of a turnkey, premium OTT application, dynamic playlist support for VOD, live and linear content as well as support for ad-supported video on demand (AVOD), subscription video on demand (SVOD) and transactional video on demand (TVOD). 

The integrated product offering also will include AI-based content and metadata ingest, comprehensive distribution and syndication capabilities and dynamic, rules-based automation.

“Media and Entertainment companies need a streaming platform that is flexible enough to support any business model, … easy to deploy, manage and maintain, and at the same time enable unique functionality for building and nurturing thriving content communities,” said Bitcentral CEO Steve Petilli.

The Powr.tv OTT publishing platform has been installed more than 10 million times worldwide with white label apps for mobile and connected televisions. With a portfolio of more than 200 apps, the company has enabled its customers to reach audiences across app stores, such as those of Apple, Google, Roku and Amazon.

Among its customers are BlazeTV, BroadwayOnDemand, Nosey and Studio71, Bitcentral said.

Video publishers currently must assemble a stack of technology solutions ranging from a content management system to a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) vendor and a CTV application vendor, said Greg Morrow, general manager of Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group.

However, the combined FUEL-Powr.tv solution simplifies this hurdle. 

“FUEL has really focused in on the live stream management, linear management—the syndication of files and a linear feed out of the platform,” he said. “What Powr.tv has done is build a best-of-breed application suite that has rally differentiated monetization capabilities.”

“If we pair that with our technologies, we really provide a suite for the publisher at a really cost-effective price.”

Powr.tv will maintain its headquarters in Austin, Texas, as well as its technical team. Akshay Arvapally, president of Power.tv will remain with the combined company and report to Morrow. 

Integration of the products has begun, and Bitcentral intends to have the first phase of the project done in time to talk about during the NAB Show in April, said Petilli.

Despite having less than three months till the show, Arvapally is optimistic as well.

“Powr.tv kind of prides itself in going to market quick in terms of spinning up applications,” he said. “We’re going to continue this even through this phased integration approach.” 

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Canadian sports betting broadcast network Parleh TV has chosen Bitcentral’s FUEL video management and distribution platform to power its newly launched service.

Since June, sports fans who bet have turned to the free, ad-supported television channel for daily shows and segments offering must-watch content in an easy, lean-back way so viewers can curate content streams they find relevant.

Owned by The Parleh Media Group, Parleh TV is pursing the strategy of engaging viewers in longer viewing sessions and generating more opportunities for ad and sponsorship revenue. Parleh TV is a non-stop service that will cover the biggest sporting events for Canadians and offer content, such as “Parleh Today,” “Parleh Picks,” “Footy Talks,” “Five A Side,” “Fast Money EPL” and “Spreadzies.” “Puck Talks” debuted Oct. 12 to coincide with the start of the NHL regular season. The service will also cover pop culture and betting education.

“We started The Parleh to help make sports betting fun for fans. FUEL has helped us accelerate taking this to a whole new level with Parleh TV,” said Parleh Media Group President Kevin Kennedy. 

“FUEL provides our team with all the tools we need to turn our loyal fans into engaged viewers while creating new revenue opportunities. As we enter this new phase in digital video that brings us closer to broadcast levels of quality and viewer experience, Bitcentral’s depth of expertise is invaluable to power our quantum leap in engagement,” he said. 

Bitcentral’s FUEL video management and distribution platform enables broadcasters, digital publishers and media companies to unify different types of video content, including VOD, live and advertising into a single live broadcast-quality stream. It uses automated, dynamic playlists to manage, publish and monetize large volumes of content, Bitcentral said.

“Our FUEL solution will deliver a broadcast quality user experience to The Parleh viewers and provide a scalable platform for the syndication of The Parleh content across many channels,” said Greg Morrow, general manager of FUEL.

Parleh.tv is available in Canada now at http://parleh.tv.

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral today announced general availability of its newest version of Create, a browser-based timeline editor that supports collaborative editing and the ability to publish video to OTT, social media and MOS-integrated newsroom production systems.

Nexstar Media Group currently is using the solution. The broadcaster played a key role in its development, Bitcentral said.

“It was great to be able to work closely with Bitcentral on the development of Create’s latest release,” said Mark Turner, vice president of station operations at Nexstar. “We have historically used multiple NLEs to produce our newscasts, and we were looking to standardize our stations on a single editing platform. Create will provide our editors with all the features they need to edit and distribute stories quickly and effectively.”

Using a single NLE also increases productivity and reduces overall costs, he added.

This new version of Create helps get the right stories to the right audiences in the highest possible quality regardless of the viewing device, the company said. 

Editors can view, log out, cut, edit, collaborate and publish video content—both live and file-based—to a host of output formats and destinations. These include online video platforms, OTT, web, mobile and social media via Bitcentral’s Multipath system and the newsroom computer system (NRCS) via Precis, it said.

They can cut highlights or log video during recording, whether they are working remotely or on-site, it added.

Well-suited for short-form news-style editing, Create provides efficiencies and flexibility by supporting multiple, simultaneous users, thereby promoting collaboration regardless of location, the company said. 

New features include faster and smoother video performance; audible scrubbing with mouse and keyboard shortcuts; frame-accurate source scrubbing and conforming; four channels of audio with keyframe rubber banding; traditional non-linear editing (NLE) keyboard shortcuts with variable speeds; complex audio checkerboard timeline editing; and saved projects list view with column sorting and searching, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.— Bitcentral has inked a reseller agreement with Foccus Digital to distribute Bitcentral’s news production suite, Core News, and automated master control system, Central Control, in Brazil. 

The agreement involves technical support from Foccus’s highly trained team for pre-sales, and sales.

“Our reseller agreement with Foccus is great news because it allows us to invest in a region that is a core part of our growth strategy,” said Sam Peterson, general manager of the Core Products business unit, at Bitcentral. “The size of the market makes Brazil an obvious target for our expansion but we know that supporting broadcasters as they produce and manage content right through to launching and maintaining live channels is a complex business. We need strong local partnerships to provide the necessary support. Foccus comes with years of experience in broadcast technology in the region and a depth of expertise that matches our own.”

Bitcentral’s expansion strategy in Brazil, is led by Amaury Silva, sales director for South America. 

“Foccus has always been an innovator and works with the most cutting-edge solutions on the market. Core News and Central Control definitely fall into that bracket,” said Cesar Donato, owner and CEO of Foccus. “With more than 15 years in broadcast technology, we are committed to bringing quality and advanced technical commitment to our customers. We have a great relationship with Bitcentral and are really looking forward to being a true extension of the company in Brazil, not just on the technical side but also as a valuable business partner.”

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.— Bitcentral has completed centralizing operations for Entravision Communications Corporation with the installation of its Central Control master control and automation system.

The deployment consolidated 22 broadcast facilities with 56 uniquely programmed channels clearing 10 different national networks and it streamlined processes across multiple facilities into one location at Entravision’s main hub in McAllen, Texas.

“Bitcentral’s Central Control solution is just the right fit to help Entravision accomplish its objective to centralize its master control operation to leverage new workflows and improve operational efficiencies,” said Jeffery Liberman, president and chief operating officer at Entravision. “Central Control’s flexibility enables our team to easily manage remote processes from a single location, while still enabling local operations to remain in control of their branding, ad insertion and news content.”

Entravision’s shift to Central Control marks Bitcentral’s largest installation of this product in the United States. “The completion of this installation is a milestone moment for Bitcentral,” noted Fred Fourcher, CEO and founder of Bitcentral. 

With this centralized master control solution, Bitcentral provides Entravision with a flexible and highly automated tool set for its master control operations; baseband and file-based ingest tools; consolidated control and monitoring of all services from a single location; and integration with traffic systems, storage management, and media synchronization. 

To learn more about Central Control visit www.bitcentral.com/. 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has formed a strategic partnership with Veset to sell and support Veset Nimbus, a cloud-based broadcast playout solution, in the Americas.

Bitcentral will offer Veset Nimbus as well as its own on-premise Central Control playout system, thereby making it possible for broadcast customers to create new services quickly and efficiently. The new partnership ensures Bitcentral’s U.S. customers will receive the same expertise and support they’ve experienced with Central Control when it comes to Veset Nimbus, the company said.

“Veset’s advanced playout solution, Veset Nimbus, allows broadcasters to work with the flexibility and dynamism demanded of live television today. Whether that is for launching multiple 24/7 channels, pop-up channels for specific events or backup for disaster recovery, Veset Nimbus offers the most technically advanced solution I have seen in the cloud,” said Sam Peterson, general manager of the Core Products Business Unit at Bitcentral.

Veset Nimbus removes the investment risk of a CAPEX approach to launching long-term channels, offers those launching ad hoc channels fast deployment and a pay-per-use SaaS model and provides the security of a cloud-based backup for disaster recovery, the company said.

“We are really excited to be partnering with Bitcentral. The company has an amazing track record in providing broadcasters with the tools and support they need for live playout. When it comes to operational experience there is no-one better,” said Veset CEO Igor Krol.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral’s FUEL online video platform is being used by Cowles Broadcasting for Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) on the NewsOn service. This is meant to expand Cowles distribution of local news content and to create monetization opportunities for stations with necessary ad cue points.

FUEL offers automation, encoding and distribution solutions, and has recently added support for server-side ad trigger technology. With ad triggers, applications or distribution platforms can include advertising cue points (SCTE-35), allowing ads to be inserted downstream by a third-party DAI vendor.

Cowles uses FUEL’s Linear on Demand (LOD) and Non-Stop Live (NSL) streaming solutions to create dynamic linear channels from a combination of VOD assets and live newscasts. FUEL automatically replaces Cowles’ on-air ads with digital ones.

“We’re delighted to be adding Cowles Broadcasting to our growing roster of local news providers,” said Ron Stitt, VP and General Manager at NewsON. “The ability to open up advertising opportunities is a critical factor in online distribution agreements today, and FUEL is providing the basis for new ad revenues no matter what device the viewer is using.”

Cowles Broadcasting channels are now available on NewsOn, the free, ad-funded streaming service available on connected TV platforms.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral announced it has enhanced its Central Control integrated master control and automation software and its browser-based Create editor with new features that offer users greater efficiency and usability.

Central Control version 8 offers new workflows and a revised architecture to streamline the daily activities of master control operators. The updates make it possible to transmit more channels with fewer operators while easing management of video inventories, the company said.

“Central Control has an outstanding track record of providing our customers with all the essential tools they need in one powerful solution,” said Fred Fourcher, founder and CEO of Bitcentral. 

“We know through our customers and prospects that market conditions are continuing to change, and we wanted to update our system to reflect those requirements and raise the bar in terms of ease of use and reliability,” he said. “Facility operators will see we have concentrated updates to version 8 to address those areas, leading to a better overall experience no matter the size and scope of their operations.”

Among the new Central Control features are:

• Highly automated ingest routines
• Streamlined verification, validation and optional transcoding for all new assets 
• Simple visual tools for asset registration and trimming 
• Schedule validation and editing 
• Revised storage for more efficient operation 

The company also has added expansive reporting options to support systems operations management by flagging missing materials with whole system or channel-by-channel management and has simplified the playback operator interface. The latest version offers ingest and playout on solid state disk drives, Bitcentral said.

The latest version of Create, an integrated browser-based proxy editor, enables collaboration, logging, editing and publishing of video to OTT, social media and NRCS MOS-integrated systems. The version serves the needs of today’s short-form, fast-paced news creation environments, the company said. 

“Create has always been an intuitive tool, allowing teams to move swiftly and meet the demands of the always-on news environment of today,” said Sam Peterson, general manager of Bitcentral’s Core Business Unit. “Our latest updates were made with our customers’ needs in mind, allowing them to move even quicker no matter where they are while still encouraging the collaborative setting that has made news operations thrive.”

More information on Central Control and Create is available on the company’s website.

OTTAWA—When the world went into lockdown last March due to COVID-19, all manner of companies sent their staff home to work remotely via the web. For many sectors, this unexpected move away from the office was difficult to support using their existing software/ IT infrastructures. But for the firms who make multiplatform news production software, it wasn’t— because the pandemic simply accelerated a trend that was already underway.

This is certainly the case at Avid, which is well-known for its MediaCentral media workflow platform. “We have accelerated this transition towards the cloud as an enabler for remote production,” said Raúl Alba, Avid’s director of product marketing for media and cloud. “Everything that we are doing is designed to help our clients move to the cloud, or be deployed on premises and accessed remotely.”

The same is true at Dalet. “Even before COVID, we had already planned to increase our capability to do more with mobility and have a web client that can be used from anywhere with no compromise in functionality,” said Raoul Cospen, Dalet’s director of product strategy, News. The just-announced Dalet Pyramid newsroom system trumpets this precise capability under the slogan, “Create, anywhere, together.”

At the same time, skeptics in the broadcast news business opened up their minds to working remotely after the lockdowns began.

“As long as the delivery of jobs is seen to be safeguarded, news teams are happy to be given tools that enable them to be quicker and more responsive on a widening range of platforms,” said Michael Pfitzner, vice president of CGI Media Solutions. CGI’s OpenMedia enterprise newsroom system (developed by SCISYS, which the company acquired in 2019), allows users to search agency wires, schedule broadcasts, integrate with other broadcast systems like MAM/playout systems, and write and distribute news stories.

“Journalist buy-in is rarely an issue anymore as it was in the early days of moving to nonlinear systems,” Pfitzner added

THE DRIVING FORCE

To distribute digital content to multiple platforms, newsroom software and the content it manages has to be remotely accessible and modifiable over IP networks.

Operating newsroom software over a secure, reliable corporate LAN is one thing; providing this same functionality to remote users via the insecure, unreliable web is quite another. Fortunately companies were addressing this challenge before anyone had heard of COVID-19.

“IP has been a driving force in our product development for many years,” said Gerhard Lang, CTO of the Vizrt Group, whose open standard-based Viz Pilot Edge web client allows newsrooms to create all aspects of newscast production in the cloud, no matter which newsroom computer system (NRCS) they use.

“Initially, the focus was on how IP and the cloud would replace broadcasters’ on-premises SDI infrastructure,” Lang said. “This focus changed during the lockdowns, when remote users took charge of keeping broadcasters’ news and other programming on air.”

The nature of cloud-based NRSC software means that everyone accessing this platform is a remote user by definition, whether they are doing so from a station newsroom, a home office or on the road.

Whatever the location, Bitcentral’s Oasis, a field-centric, browser-based cloud contribution platform is designed to serve all of them equally, according to company CEO Fred Fourcher.

“Remote contribution was already being used by our Oasis broadcast clients prior to COVID-19,” he said. “Now that COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in people working out of the office, our clients are simply using this Oasis capability more.”

MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS

The rapid increase in use of NRCS systems remotely hasn’t been without its hiccups.

“We had to help a number of our customers enable their users to work away from the office home,” said Dalet’s Cospen. “Not everyone was ready to do so, which is why we quickly created and llaunched our cloud-based Dalet Galaxy xCloud platform for them to use.”

Other vendors have been tweaking their current products to better support remote production, while developing new products that take this capability even further.

CGI pivoted during this period to ensure its products remain relevant in the work-from-home environment, according to Pfitzner.

“We recognize the importance of staying connected, especially when many organizations have no choice, all while remaining cost-efficient and within budget,” he said. “Among other things, this has meant establishing professional tools for delivering platform-agnostic content and establishing these within our current and future feature sets.”

In the same vein, Avid’s MediaCentral was enhanced with the introduction of mobile apps and support for third-party NRCS in November 2020. “The new remote workflow capabilities in MediaCentral give creative teams the capabilities and confidence to create more content in shorter timeframes regardless of location,” said Avid's Raúl Alba.

This kind of flexibility is what customers want. “What they’re asking us to do is to build much more sophisticated editing products that can run in a web browser, where you could make something that’s perfectly good to put on mainstream TV broadcast,” said Trevor Francis, Grass Valley’s business development manager.

Bitcentral has responded to current events by updating its browser-based tools. “Customers can already remotely schedule/edit incoming satellite and other feeds that are recorded at the station,” said Foucher. “In line with the trend to increased remote access, we are adding more features to our timeline tools to be even more powerful from anywhere.”

By sheer good fortune and forward-looking vision, Primestream had its Xchange Media Cloud For Remote Content Creation in development prior to the pandemic, and released it in April 2020. “With Xchange Media Cloud, we’re bringing the robust functionality of our enterprise-grade Xchange MAM right to their remote workstations,” said Claudio Lisman, president and CEO of Primestream. “Before the pandemic, a lot of remote news production was fed using satellite uplinks/flyaways or by microwave. Today, most of the contribution comes from either online video encoders or bonded cellular devices. Xchange Media Cloud can handle all the recording, editing and playout of these IP contribution sources in the cloud.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Once vaccinations become commonplace and restrictions are lifted, Grass Valley’s Francis doesn’t expect the remote production trend to be reversed. “People may never go back to working five days a week in the office,” he said. “They may work at home most of the time and go to the office some of the time.”

In fact, the logical outcome of this remote production trend is for some or all of today’s physical TV production/facilities to become virtual, with broadcasters simply leasing access to them as needed, working wherever they choose.

For instance, “we believe that technology like teleportation—the capability of placing two individuals from two different locations and greenscreens onto a single virtual set where they can interact as if they were in the same room, and which we pioneered years ago, has found its time,” said Vizrt’s Lang. “It will become a common way of conducting interviews or staging chat shows.”

Last spring, Vizrt demonstrated this “teleportation” type technology using its Vizrt Engine 4.1 platform to make it appear that Lang and Chris Black, Vizrt’s head of brand and content, carried on a live, one-on-one conversation as if they were in the same room—but were more than 1,000 miles apart.

The disruptive nature of the cloud has allowed more people to work remotely with more power and more efficiency than ever before and will continue to reshape newsroom delivery, CGI’s Pfitzner said. “We can see smaller production sites becoming much more central to many organizations as a result, and at some point, in the future, the physical nature of the newsroom as we know it of a contiguous space dedicated to a sole task might end up disappearing too.”

On a larger scale, Grass Valley’s new Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP), which offers cloud-based playout/master control functions on a subscription basis to broadcasters, can eliminate the need for a physical TV station/network altogether, according to Francis.

“AMPP is all about taking an entire production suite, including switchers and routers, and running it virtually in the cloud.” said Francis. “This will let customers build a TV studio on demand without having to buy tons of equipment and put it in a dedicated facility. They can access it all in the cloud.”

All told, COVID-19 has spurred news production software firms to move even more boldly into the cloud, and to extend the functionality previously reserved for the newsroom to the entire planet via the web.

TALLAHASSE, Fla.—As we established the foundational tools for Black News Channel (BNC), it was critical for our team to find a solution tailored to our workforce to effectively manage the workload and overall workflow of this new network. Over the years, I came to understand that many have not figured out how to properly monetize their websites and create a stable income through their content. As such, I aspired to do something different than our colleagues and competitors in the market to ensure profitability and operational success.

Since we are launching as a new network we have the advantage of exploring new products, rather than rely on legacy workflow management tools implemented years ago. We could set the pace to identify tools made to maximize our workflow and lead to a better end product with every broadcast we produced, whether on cable, online or OTT. We needed a simple, functional and executable process that met our ultimate goal as a business of driving revenue. Why complicate matters with a workflow that doesn’t make sense for the business model?

FINDING FUEL

We settled on Bitcentral’s FUEL, a digital streaming and monetization platform that would provide an incredible experience to our viewers while also generating revenue.

We already planned to use Bitcentral’s Core News for live news production and Central Control for master control. FUEL stood out as a newer product, having launched in August 2018, with options to streamline our digital operations. FUEL would give us access to a seamless interface and integration from creation to execution to implementation, with a continuous flow from Central Control to digital.

A BETTER EXPERIENCE

FUEL enhances content on digital platforms—for us this includes our website, social media channels and other OTT platforms. FUEL allows us to create something different, with a plan to direct people to our website for content, dictating how we would execute and pursue our commercial content structure.

FUEL advances exposure through OTT and other digital platforms from day one. The integration of FUEL with other traditional workflow management products gives the flexibility and opportunity to reach extra eyeballs on multiple platforms. Instead of a limited audience or a particular type of viewer, our reach extends to different technologies, apps and devices.

We access the same playing field as some of the more established networks out there and are competitive as a result.

FUEL has proven to be a big success. After implementing the platform, hours viewed, session length and ad impressions all increased significantly. Viewers access content in a seamless stream, with the ability to start watching whenever and wherever, controlling the content they’re watching with ease. Our producers and master control operators have complete control, and the ability to deploy content and ad inventory quickly and simply.

In my role at BNC, I consider myself a risk manager, minimizing our financial risks while maximizing operations and workflow. It’s critical to understand what functions well and what fits the business model. FUEL isn’t rocket science; it makes complete sense. FUEL is foundational to our success as we create an ecosystem and technical environment to maintain growth and flexibility, and prepare for the future.

Kenny Elcock is the director of engineering & operations for Black News Channel (BNC), the nation’s only African American news network dedicated to covering the unique perspective of African American communities. In his role, Elcock designs and integrates network systems to deliver quality programming and enhance viewer experience. Learn more atwww.blacknewschannel.com.

For more information, visitwww.bitcentral.com/fuel.

BURLINGAME, Calif.—Virgo Investment Group is hopping on board with Bitcentral, as it has announced it has made an investment of $10 million to the provider of broadcast news production and distribution technology. Specifically, the investment will reportedly support the development of Bitcentral’s Fuel streaming system.

Fuel is a production, streaming and monetization platform for creating engaging and personalized viewing experiences for digital audiences. The platform delivers curated content and advertising across digital platforms, including OTT, mobile and online.

“We believe the Fuel platform will create large new market opportunities and significant growth for Bitcentral customers,” said Rick Ray, co-founder of Raycom Inc. and operating partner at Virgo Investment Group. “Fuel provides broadcasters and other content owners with the right tools and the right analytics to better monetize their content across all platforms.”

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – Bitcentral will demonstrate the latest features and capabilities of its portfolio of newsroom workflow, automation and master control automation solutions at the 2017 NAB Show.

CORE:news, Bitcentral’s flagship news production suite, offers several new enhancements, including:
—Updates and enhancements to its Oasis user interface that enable easier searching for content across various stations through various device types such as mobile devices, which improve collaboration and maximize the usage and value of news assets and packages.
—Support for Apple Mac-based workflows. Apple Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC will be demonstrated running on Mac systems with Precis™
—Attach integration allowing seamless workflow by eliminating the need to switch between applications to edit in these NLE’s while leveraging CORE:news. —Integrated connected camera workflows across the three main broadcast news camera platforms that support wireless file upload – JVC, Panasonic and Sony – thanks to the enhanced Create ingest and editing utility in CORE:news.
—File naming and sharing is demonstrated to simplify, speed up and automate file ingest operations.
—NRCS integration between Precis and the Ross Inception system, which increases the CORE:news level of integration.

Bitcentral will also demonstrate the CORE:news integration with Adobe Premiere Pro on Windows and the Mac OS. Adobe Premiere Pro enables editing in the field, with exported files contributed back to the station through Bitcentral’s browser-based Contribution Portal.

The pre-configured H.264 export options in Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Adobe Media Encoder CC—both part of Adobe Creative Cloud—allow editors to choose quality level and file size based on codec parameters. This determination is made based on the available time before a story goes to air; more time allows higher quality levels to be utilized.
Bitcentral’s Contribution Portal and Precis Transcode features work in tandem to facilitate the seamless publishing of the story to the Precis playout’s newsroom computer system with no manual intervention needed inside the station.

Bitcentral’s Central Control master control solution has received several enhancements in the areas of syndication content processing and advanced join-in-progress operation. Notably for NAB 2017, Central Control is now available in application-specific versions that offer superior price-performance while preserving Central Control’s functionality combined with targeted, intuitive operation based on simplified UIs. Complementing the full version of Central Control are the following additions to the product lineup: light edition, ad insertion with graphics, channel branding, and studio, which is optimized for live production.

Demonstrations of the company’s OTT solution Continuum will showcase the mixing of live production and automation-driven playlists with support for ad insertion. Additionally, the partnership with Brightcove is highlighted by Continuum sending a 24/7 linear feed to the cloud for adaptive bitrate transcoding, packaging and content distribution to mobile devices, showcasing apps that can be quickly customized to expand broadcasters’ brands to mobile and OTT audiences.

Bitcentral is showing in booth SU2610.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—Bitcentral’s CORE:news production suite has joined the team at KTVX in Salt Lake City, offering a complete news production, media management and archiving system.

CORE:news is a modular news production platform that combines content discovery, capture, editing, playout, publishing, collaboration, asset management and archiving into a single unified workflow. The newly installed system helps KTVX produce its eight hours of weekday news coverage, plus three hours on weekends.

“It takes a team to put shows on the air and this system creates a great platform which supports that team effort,” said George B. Severson, director of news for KTVX.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—Bitcentral has announced that WETM in Elmira, N.Y., has installed the CORE:news production suite. The newly installed system provides WETM with a complete news production, media management, collaboration and archiving system.

The CORE:news system is designed for modular news production and combines content discovery, capture, editing, playout, publishing, collaboration, asset management and archiving into a single workflow.

WETM says that it is currently producing five hours a day of news.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—Bitcentral has announced that it recently launched its CORE:news production suite at WFFF in Burlington, Vt. The Nexstar-owned station now has a complete news production, media management, collaboration and archiving system.

CORE:news is a modular news production platform that combines content discovery, capture, editing, playout, publishing, collaboration, asset management and archiving into a single workflow.

Utilizing the system, WFFF says it produces an average of 6.5 hours of news per day.