BOULDER, Colo.—Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) has launched TechBundle, its comprehensive, modernized, low-cost shared technology bundle packaged specifically for local public media station operations.

As public media organizations face increasing financial pressure and complex technology decisions, TechBundle provides stations with a bundle of best-in-class services to manage essential operational services at a low cost, without sacrificing reliability, control or long-term flexibility.

“In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, stations need tools that reduce cost and complexity while supporting growth,” said Marc Hand, founder and CEO of PMVG. “TechBundle was designed to help local stations stabilize their operations and position themselves for what comes next.”

TechBundle consolidates four essential services into one offering. By combining shared infrastructure, expert support and revenue and audience-focused digital tools, stations can modernize operations without rebuilding from scratch. Services may be purchased individually or with an additional introductory discount when purchased as a complete bundle. PMVG negotiated substantially reduced pricing on behalf of the public media system, creating access to enterprise-level infrastructure at a fraction of the traditional cost.

TechBundle is supported by PMVG’s Solution Advisor model. PMVG will help participating station leaders evaluate options, select the right services and configurations for their needs and plan technology investments strategically.

“Our role is not simply to deliver services,” said Hand. “It’s to help stations make smart, informed decisions that support long-term sustainability and reduce operating costs.”

The TechBundle combines master control, transmission monitoring & maintenance, traffic, and streaming into a unified solution delivered on modern infrastructure and supported by one dedicated PMVG contact.

TechBundle offers includes PMM Cloud, TSG managed encoding and transmission site services, TRAC traffic services and Local Public Light.

PMM Cloud is a centralized, fully managed, cloud-based master control solution built for public media. It features national content delivery, quality control, live local operations and 365/24/7 expert monitoring — with no capital equipment costs for stations.

TSG managed encoding and transmission site services offers comprehensive, proactive monitoring across RF, MVPD, and streaming distribution, including 24/7 technical oversight, on-site maintenance, site evaluations, and signal integrity monitoring.

TRAC offers reliable PBS-focused traffic services delivering clean, compliant logs, automation compatibility, continuity protection and 24/7 response for urgent changes and live events. Service can also include station programming.

Local Public’s Light tier offers local public and dual-licensee stations the full capabilities of its apps, which are designed to mint Passport members and replace lost broadcast-driven audiences and revenue across select platforms, including Roku and the web with optional mobile support, for a greatly reduced price.

More information is available on the PMVG, Local Public, PMM, TRAC and TSG websites.

ATLANTA—As the Gray Innovation Lab celebrates its first anniversary this week, Gray Media’s push to accelerate innovation at the company has already produced some notable advances in the adoption of AI solutions by newsrooms, ad sales and engineering staff.

“The goal [for the Gray Innovation Lab] was really to take a wholesale, fresh look at everything we are doing in a multidisciplinary way,” explained Claire Ferguson, vice president, assistant general counsel and senior technology counsel at Gray Media. “The idea was to take a look at what we are doing, ask why we are doing things the way we do them and think about what we can do to make things better.”

One major focus since the launch of the Lab a week before Christmas in 2024 has been AI solutions. Ferguson estimates that they spent about 80% of their time in the first 10 months developing what they call the “ask grAI” platform. It went live in October.

“It is the biggest thing to come out of our work so far,” Ferguson said. “We have about 10,000 employees and all of them now have a login because we felt it needed to be a very democratic product.”

The "ask grAI" solution leverages LLMs or large language models, but was developed and customized to both protect Gray’s data and take advantage of Gray’s internal data to train the platform.

“It is a product that uses standard LLMs as sort of the meat of the hamburger,” Ferguson said. “But below it, we have our own company data, our own company training materials and any number of proprietary and specialized data that we want it to leverage as well. There's robust data security and protection so that there's no data leakage, as there would be if you were simply using ChatGPT. You can use the GPT LLM within ask grAI, but it will add a filter [to reflect] the Gray way that protects your data and gives you a response that we have spent 10 months really carefully training and honing to help our teams.”

`A LOVING EDITOR'

The launch makes Gray a notable example of how station groups are trying to use AI to both create new business opportunities and strengthen their traditional operations.

Gray’s approach to applying AI tools is particularly evident in the newsroom, which is where the tool has been the most heavily adopted.

Here, one major goal has been to automate menial tasks so that journalists have more time to report stories and interact with the local community. “It can do things like give SEO guidance, things that journalists didn’t claw their way into journalism school to spend their time doing,” Ferguson said. “If we can push some of that work to AI, it will let our journalists get back out into our communities.”

“By allowing our journalists to get back to doing what they want to be doing, we think there is a real opportunity in terms of improving the volume and quality of stories,” she added.

Other notable examples of its use are in reversioning stories for different platforms and in editing.

Its editing capabilities include tools for fixing grammar and adhering to AP Style guidelines, as well as providing feedback for stories.

“It does not rewrite stories,” she stressed. “It might simply say, 'have you considered asking the mayor for a comment on this?’ Or it might say, `the story seems one-sided, have you considered alternative views?’ It acts as a loving editor.”

“It can also assist our news teams with versioning,” she added. “So if you've got an on air script and you're looking to turn it to a digital story, it will assist in changing all the capital letters into standard use.”

Ferguson stressed that they’ve put safeguards in place to ensure that journalists oversee the whole process: “Our journalists are trained to understand that even with light editing touches, the finished product has to be the responsibility of the journalist who is using the tool. It has to be carefully reviewed by the journalist to ensure that there were no changes made to that digital story that they haven’t approved.”

HYPER-PERSONALIZED STREAMING

Looking forward, the use of AI to reversion stories for different platforms is likely to become even more important, as Gray ramps up its digital and streaming efforts.

In early 2026, Gray’s plans to launch a hyper-personalized video streaming platform, for example. The platform is the result of an wide-ranging streaming deal that Gray inked for a full end-to-end streaming solution on Google Cloud powered by Quickplay.

The new platform aims to redefine the streaming experience by combining the power of Google Cloud's AI infrastructure with Quickplay’s flexible, cloud-native platform to deliver deeply personalized viewing experiences, the companies reported in an August 2025 announcemen.

“That partnership goes far beyond the nuts and bolts of distribution and OTT delivery,” Ferguson said. “It will offer some really interesting, consumer friendly and facing capabilities, like using AI in a limited capacity to create YouTube shorts, or, convert video to vertical. Those are important efforts for our distribution strategy going forward to reach larger audiences on more platforms.”

The ability of AI to search through large document dumps and collect data has also been adopted by Gray’s investigative journalists and units. In one case, it is being used to collect data on local arrests, which in the future could help identify trends in the criminal justice system. In other cases, it opens up opportunities to develop stories around large document releases or data sets that might otherwise be too time-consuming to analyze and report.

“I do think it can reignite a spark in folks who feel as though they’re spending too much time on things like SEO,” she said. “We train our people not to rely on it exclusively and write stories based on AI summaries. But it can certainly help them dig into a trend that might not have been covered in the past.”

AI TRAFFICKING

Another major area of focus for AI solutions has been in advertising sales and trafficking. “We think of our platforms as a way to reduce friction,” Ferguson.

In terms of ads sales, many station groups like Gray have already been using AI to create ads and creative for smaller advertisers who couldn’t create their own 30 second or 60 second spots. “We think there is a massive upside for that,” she said.

But can also have an important impact on ad operations. Ferguson noted that “we’re still working through this application but, preemption trackers and tracking which sports ads are approved in different leagues can free up a lot of time.”

Engineering, “is another area where we have a lot of really excited folks,” she added. “We think there is a big opportunity here in terms of uploading manuals and leveraging the information we have at each of our 114 different television stations. We want to see how we can utilize AI to better know that information and leverage it.”

And, while AI and automation is often discussed as a way to reduce staffing levels, Ferguson stresses it can also be a way to avoid burnout by journalists and other employees who are tasked with feeding content to multiple platforms.

“Burnout in newsrooms is an incredibly real thing and something we’re hyper focused on,” she said. “Our ask grAI is very much intended to be a response to that. People don’t burn out from being in their communities and telling stories that are meaningful to them.”

DENVER—At the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9, in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications is introducing OSI-X, the latest iteration of the company's widely deployed OSI Traffic and Billing system. Built on a modern technology stack with a fully browser-based UI and cloud-native architecture, OSI-X delivers a streamlined, intuitive user experience designed to meet the needs of North American broadcasters navigating Total TV convergence.

The advancements provided in the OSI-X platform have led Sinclair Broadcast Group to adopt OSI-X as their consolidated platform for traffic and billing across their entire over-the-air footprint.

"We are excited to announce Sinclair's decision to migrate all OTA television stations onto the OSI-X Traffic and Billing system," said Rob Weisbord, COO and president of Local Media at Sinclair. "This transition is driven by enhancements to security with single sign-on, browser-based access to OSI Traffic and Imagine Communications' full support of the TV Interface Practices standards set forth by the broadcaster consortium. These advancements will streamline our operations and further secure our broadcasting infrastructure."

OSI Traffic and Billing is one of the core platforms in Imagine's portfolio, and the company has made continual investment to address evolving business models — enabling the many media organizations that rely on the industry-proven platform to adapt to the changing way people watch TV and maximize profit across all inventory types. With increasingly complex ad operations and mounting pressure for broadcasters to do more with less, OSI-X provides a path forward. Whether deployed in a private data center or in the cloud, the platform offers a highly secure environment and supports a wide range of linear, streaming, and CTV workflows.

JW Linkenauger, SVP of AdTech at Sinclair Broadcast Group, commented, "Imagine Communications is a proven partner that continually invests in enhancement of their OSI-X television platform. Their strong support of TIP and ongoing technological advancements show their deep understanding of the complex ad delivery ecosystem."

The new OSI-X release builds on its proven predecessor with a redesigned user interface, SAML-compliant single sign-on, and support for cloud or on-prem deployment, giving broadcasters the flexibility to modernize in their own way and at their own pace. With OSI-X, users get the robust functionality they have come to rely on in a secure, scalable, and more accessible environment.

Integrating readily with third-party tools and standards-based platforms, OSI-X provides the core inventory management, traffic, reconciliation, and posting functions required to operate with TVB- and TIP-compliant order management systems, as well as numerous third-party CRM, ERP, and general ledger applications.

"OSI-X reflects Imagine's commitment to simplifying broadcasters' ad sales and management operations across linear and digital workflows," said Imagine Communications CEO Steve Reynolds. "As the industry continues to evolve, we're giving broadcasters the tools to operate more efficiently, reduce cost and complexity, and prepare for whatever comes next."

At the 2025 NAB Show, OSI-X will be demonstrated in the Imagine Communications suite at the Encore hotel (April 6-8, Schubert Room). Show attendees can also learn more about OSI-X at Imagine's West Hall location, Booth W2067.

BRIDGEND, Wales—Broadcast Traffic Systems (BTS) has launched a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model for its channel management application, ESSENTIALS. The move means that the cloud-based scheduling application is accessible from any browser and is available now on a per-channel, per-month basis.

BTS provides systems for single and multichannel broadcasts, supporting broadcasters with long term planning and advertising sales, without restrictions. ESSENTIALS is an entry level channel management application, designed for broadcasters who require a comprehensive traffic system at an affordable price. Built using a modular structure, it is possible to select only those modules that are relevant to the broadcaster, the company explained. 

The SaaS version of ESSENTIALS simplifies both traditional linear scheduling for broadcast platforms, and FAST scheduling for streaming. Built on Microsoft Azure, the platform integrates with existing authentication schemes and third party advertising sales systems. ESSENTIALS also includes two-way integration with playout providers. The application features multiple EPG interfaces and users are provided with remote onboarding and training.

“In the rapidly evolving broadcasting landscape, SaaS-based channel management is a critical tool for companies looking to stay competitive and drive revenue growth,” explained Craig Buckland, technical director, Broadcast Traffic Systems. “BTS is continually enhancing its solutions. This latest offering will allow users to experience the same essential elements needed to run a traffic scheduling operation, with the bonus of accessing the service effortlessly via the internet.”

“Channel management is a complex and dynamic process that requires ongoing attention and optimization,” added Natalie Hayward, application specialist. “Enhancing ESSENTIALS with a SaaS model provides companies with a scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solution. This offering streamlines sales processes, enhances collaboration, and delivers real-time insights into channel performance.” 

BTS will be exhibiting at CABSAT in Dubai from 16th - 18th May 2023. 

SAN FRANCISCO—vCreative, a provider of media workflow solutions, has connected the vCreative production workflow management platform to WideOrbit, a provider of broadcast radio and TV inventory and revenue management technology. The WideOrbit certified integration between vCreative's vPPO platform and the Electronic Material Instructions module for WO Traffic, WideOrbit's flagship ad sales and commercial operations platform, will enable the end-to-end exchange of copy instructions, eliminating errors and saving time for broadcasters, the company said.

Created in close consultation with customers, WideOrbit's Electronic Material Instructions is the first automated solution the company says addresses “the long-standing need to simplify and streamline the material instructions process.” WideOrbit’s Electronic Material Instructions module automates the receipt of new and revised material instructions from vCreative’s production workflow management system for electronic import into WO Traffic.

Prior to this integration, data associated with copy and commercial instructions would be entered into WideOrbit, and the same information would be re-entered into vCreative, as part of the workflow necessary to produce or collect the creative assets. With the Electronic Material Instructions integration, vCreative electronically shares the necessary data to instruct all spots in WO Traffic, significantly reducing the time required to manage this process.

In addition to the Electronic Material Instructions integration, WideOrbit and vCreative have also built a feature that automatically populates production orders into vCreative's vPPO and vPRO platforms from the WideOrbit contract in WO Traffic, creating a link between the material ID in both systems. This bi-directional exchange of contract data, copy, and material instructions eliminates costly mistakes and saves each user hours of entry time, WideOrbit said.

Susie Hedrick, CEO of vCreative, comments that, “Connecting to WideOrbit’s Electronic Material Instructions module puts the finishing touches on a series of projects that we have developed with WideOrbit to benefit our mutual clients. Its completion comes at a critical time and is a must-have feature for broadcasters looking to expand team efficiency and boost productivity. The impact is hundreds of hours per year returned to every user, and it introduces the first ever collaboration integrating commercial copy from the initial creative request all the way through to on-air execution.”

Will Offeman, WideOrbit Chief Product Officer, says "WideOrbit's Electronic Material Instructions module is designed to help our broadcast radio and TV customers improve efficiency and reduce costly errors. It is a significant step forward in automation for what was previously a highly manual process. We're excited to add this new integration with vCreative."

HAILEY, Idaho—Marketron has introduced its ROI Calculator targeting broadcasters who want to measure the success of their ad campaigns against competing media companies.

“Anyone in charge of sales data—sales managers, GSMs, senior vice presidents of sales, digital sales managers—could use this calculator to understand their company’s potential by benchmarking against others in the industry based on current revenue,” the company said. “This calculator is simple to use and impactful to broadcast and media companies because it allows them to benchmark their results with industry averages. In just minutes, they will gain valuable insights to help inform budgets for years to come.”

For broadcasters two aspects make up revenue projections: over-the-air (OTA) revenue and third-party (audience extension) digital revenue. Marketron says it  created the calculator to help broadcasters look into the future of their revenue and understand the impact of third-party digital, especially if the station isn’t currently selling it.

The tool makes it possible to create realistic projections for OTA and third-party digital revenue based on the broadcaster’s 2021 actuals. Using information from BIA Advisory Services, eMarketer, and other industry sources, the calculator takes the data entered and projects revenue for both inventory types through 2024.

Marketron says its ROI Calculator is easy to use and more effective than the alternative: internal projections that don’t have built-in industry data to help benchmark against similar-size companies. Broadcasters simply plug in their total OTA revenue from 2021 and third-party digital revenue from 2021 (Marketron supplies a base if the station didn’t do third-party digital in 2021), and the calculator will quickly provide the data. It includes a comparison of large-, medium-, or small-company projections so sales managers can see how their company stacks up.

“Marketron exists to support the broadcast and media industry’s transformation and to help drive broadcast and digital revenue. The ROI Calculator is another Marketron tool to help further that goal,” said Todd Kalman, senior vice president of sales at Marketron. “It’s something any executive or sales leader should want to use to compare to the industry and to gain insight into strategies that will help them thrive now and in years to come.”

Sales executives may use Marketron’s ROI Calculator immediately by going to https://www.marketron.com/calculator/form.html.

Leading this year’s recurring themes and category catch-phrases were the inevitable and overworked IP and Cloud, followed closely by Workflow Orchestration, Virtualization and relative newcomer Artificial Intelligence, all well-intentioned to automate the routine, liberate creativity, and enable deeper-than-ever dives into metadata, both for content and—shades of George Orwell—its consumers.

MASTER CONTROL AUTOMATION & CHANNEL PLAYOUT

AVECO debuted Ad Juggler, an ad revenue optimization tool for live sports coverage. A single key-press instantaneously executes an “alternate list” video/graphic sponsorship when a peak audience-interest play occurs; events post to the as-run for traffic and billing reconciliation.

BITCENTRAL showcased Central Control with multiple redundancy modes and Join-in-Progress updates, plus enhanced user-interface efficiency with multichannel control and customizable maps to aggregate and view remotely managed channels.

BROADSTREAM introduced Media Exchange for transcoder-free PitchBlue and Pathfire file acquisition and native playout. Also, CompuSat integration for off-satellite recording, and closed-caption display within its OASYS Browser.

CINEGY brought v12 of Air, Desktop, and Capture, plus Multiviewer v14. Desktop added real-time access to live feeds and its Archive MAM content. Included tools support logging, editing, post-production, news, and import/export to non-linear editing and automation.

CRISPIN unveiled a Sonybased Disaster Recovery solution via its RapidPlayX Web GUI. The Cloud-native playlist software offers on-premises and virtual deployment flexibility for stations to stay on-air when their ground facility’s off-line. Also, user feedback-based Join-in-Progress enhancements.

DNF CONTROLS unveiled its Live Cloud Playout collaboration with AWS. Thirdparty automation “sees” its GTP-32 controller as a local server channel, although content is remote on Amazon S3, and updates status as clips are added or removed. Also GTP-V1, a new software-only virtual IP controller for video/KVM routers, switchers, multiviewers, servers, tally systems, and more regardless of physical location.

ENCO announced NewTek Network Device Interface (NDI) support for IP video, plus a new ClipBoard interface for its Media Operations Manager (MOM) playout automation. Also, live input cut-ins without external switcher and support for SCTE-35 triggers and CEA-608/708 Closed Caption pass-through.

EVERTZ featured OvertureRT-LIVE workflow integration with iPowow, a social media aggregator and moderator, to enhance the viewer experience through real-time interaction with favorite shows.

FLORICAL partnered with Harmonic to debut FéniX, a scalable automation/playout package for simple channel to highyield enterprise configurations. Acuitas, its COTS hardware channel-in-a-box platform, added SAN environment capabilities for greater channel scalability.

GRASS VALLEY unveiled its SAM-merged automation range: iTX Flex, a Cloudbased SaaS solution for rapid channel spin-up; iTX Integrated Platform, software-based SD, HD or UHD playout with HDR support; and iTX On-Demand for VOD workflows. Complementing them: Multi-channel/screen Morpheus for on-premises, virtualized or multifacility operations, and ICE (Integrated Channel Playout), now supporting graphic templates with dynamic realtime data.

HARMONIC expanded its media processing family with VOS SW Cluster software and VOS 360 SaaS. Both support Cloud and bare metal environments to speed OTT deployment and channel migrations with greater flexibility and lower cost-per-channel.

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS added “Vizrt Inside” graphics to Versio, its Cloud-native, microservices-based playout platform, plus version redundancy, geo-zone back-up synchronization, and Adobe Acrobat integration.

NVERZION debuted Aramyst to automate syndicated content acquisition, prep and playout from PitchBlue and Pathfire; also announced, a Utah Scientific partnership combining their master control offerings under the brand “Uinta.”

PEBBLE BEACH added low-latency NDI confidence monitoring for live, reactive channels, plus 3D graphics integration with Pixel Power and Ross for Orca, its virtualized IP solution for scalable playout using private or public Cloud infrastructure.

PIXEL POWER showcased the addition of NewTek’s NDI technology to its Stream-Master integrated playout platform to generate and monitor low latency proxies. The company also demonstrated Gallium Workflow Orchestration to automate adding/removing graphics, branding, content packaging and regionalization; and GalliumVOD for OTT, catch-up and multiplatform services.

PRIMESTREAM debuted IP stream ingest and transcoding, a SaaS-based Review and Approval system, 4K/UHD end-to-end workflows, a centralized configuration module, and public APIs for Xchange.

RUSHWORKS unveiled A-List Streamster, IP-based desktop scheduling and playback automation for Internet channels, with URL and NDI input/output support for YouTube and similar outlets.

NEWSROOM SYSTEMS & WORKFLOWS

AVID brought multiple Cloud-centric journalist apps to its MediaCentral platform, including: “Publish,” to repurpose on-air content for Web and social media; “Rundown,” for live news production; “Research,” news feed and social media consolidation; and “Maestro News,” to facilitate graphic workflows.

BITCENTRAL launched FUEL, designed to dynamically stream and monetize viewer-personalized news content, while boosting engagement and ad impressions. Fuel incorporates the necessary tools to version, upload, and publish to digital audiences anywhere. The company also highlighted functionality updates throughout its newsroom workflow, including multiple third-party integrations, enhanced Oasis collaboration, and heightened security.

DALET showcased smart journalist modules powered by Media Cortex, part of its Galaxy AI framework. Content Discovery creates contextual recommendations with auto-content tagging, topic extraction, and key phrase searches; Social Media Framework lets editorial teams harvest, analyze, produce and deliver fast-paced news with popularity tracking and an aggregator tool to identify and follow threads.

GRASS VALLEY augmented its newsroom workflows with social media tools for STRATUS 6.0; enhanced video, IT and cloud-based asset management in Momentum; and v11 of its Ignite newscast production automation with upgraded Event Builder, third-party switcher support, and editing via SAM’s Go!, Rio or Grass’s EDIUS.

ENCO showed advanced ENPS, Avid and Octopus plug-ins and a new MOS interface for its Media Operations Manager (MOM) playout platform. Journalists can search asset libraries within their NRCS interface to add graphics, audio or video to scripts; rundowns auto-synchronize and are controllable via MOS for play-to-air.

OCTOPUS featured v8.2 of its eponymous NRCS. Among enhancements: collaborative scripting, faster rundown editing with clip replacement and in/out point modification, plus direct posting to social media and new story slug shortcuts.

TRAFFIC, BUSINESS & RIGHTS MANAGEMENT

BROADVIEW SOFTWARE rolled-out Version 8, with tools for linking series, seasons and episodes; expanded live event metadata management; upgraded auto-promo placement; enhanced secondary event and ad break functionality; and streamlined workflows to create and publish bulk program content.

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS debuted xG Scorecard. Blending input from sales and traffic, operational databases, social media, ratings and more across the enterprise, it empowers media executives to organize, navigate, interpret and draw real-time insights from their data.

MYERS introduced Console, a Cloud-enabled single point-of-entry to the ProTrack suite with enhanced security and multi-factor authentication. Also, ProTrack’s transition to browser front-end with advanced sales capabilities and interactive scheduling grid, and a significant update to ProWeb scheduling.

OPERATIVE (formerly SintecMedia) released an open API and ContentDNA, a machine learning algorithm within OnTarget forecasting to its Cloud-based AOS sales, traffic, and content management ecosystem. Also, new alliances with MediaOcean and Freewheel, among others.

WIDEORBIT launched Cloud Analytics, a streamlined SaaS edition of its flagship business intelligence solution that lowers implementation costs, yet retains its powerful dashboards, integrated traffic data, and mobile access for improved sales and financial decision-making.

ARCHIVE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

AVID demonstrated On Demand, a Cloud-based SaaS platform to securely manage and deliver content to any device, anywhere, while automating transformation and QC tasks. Also, new AI Suite creates searchable rich metadata libraries, applying machine learning and cognitive services to content indexing, closed caption verification, scene and facial recognition, and speech-to-text conversion.

DALET introduced Galaxy five, the latest edition of its asset management and workflow orchestration platform. The new version adds AI across the workflow, hybrid infrastructures with on-premises and cloud deployments, and a core emphasis on social media.

EVERTZ showcased third-party integrations with Mediator-X, its Cloud-enabled asset management platform, including a file-based QC solution from Interra Systems; automated closed caption and video description verification, alignment and language identification with Avid|Illuminate; and scalable object storage with Cloudian HyperStore.

MASSTECH introduced its “Metadata Mining” concept: a framework to relay archive or production content to third-party AI services to create metadata such as voice-to-text, facial, object or location recognition, even sentiment recognition that can be converted into searchable metadata linked to specific stored assets, thereby expanding potential content discovery and monetization.

PRIME FOCUS TECHNOLOGIES added work order automation modules to its CLEAR Media ERP, including a Content Acquisition Portal to manage, evaluate, cata-logue and schedule; OTT Distribution for multi-platform VOD publishing; and Ingest for Satellite & Terrestrial Distribution for centralized capture, prep, QC and automated delivery to station master controls.

SONY announced full integration between Media Backbone NavigatorX and its Ci Media Cloud Platform, plus Avid and Adobe edit integration; HTML5 apps to ingest, organize, manage, and search across multiple departments and locations; and an Optical Disc Archive collaboration with Qualstar to develop an enterprise-class library system.

TEDIAL debuted AI-based SMARTLIVE, a metadata engine and production support tool for sports and live events. It automatically builds logs, player grids and schedules, captures actual multi-camera or multi-venue content, and creates highlight clips based on actions, keywords or logged occurrences for live production enhancement, archive, or publication to social media.

TMD showed Media-flex-UMS Orchestrator with third-party device controls and business system integrations for simple-to-complex software-defined workflows that adapt automatically based on metadata values. Companion Composer’s workflow designs may be cloned and edited in-house without programmers or costly professional services.

TVU NETWORKS unveiled its cloud-based MediaMind, consisting of Contribution Automation, AI Engine, Producer Pro, plus Real-Time Search and Workflow Engines. It precisely indexes video from the start of production based on AI-generated metadata, enabling production workgroups to efficiently locate and interact with content.

VERIZON DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES featured Path Monitoring for OTT, part of Volicon Media Intelligence, with end-to-end delivery chain visibility, including a “what aired” video affidavit. It simultaneously monitors, logs and records baseband or transport stream feeds to confirm content integrity across geo-separated locations.

VSN showed Explorer MAM with new auto-metadata detection using IBM, Google or Microsoft Azure integration to obtain real-time insights from content via facial and brand recognition, keywords, speakers, objects, and more. Explorer now includes Wedit (web-based editor) enabling users to edit videos and export EDLs from any location.

XYECH revealed new features for its MediaPulse facility management, including Azure PaaS support, Change Control for Approval Workflows, Personnel Entitlements and Payroll Penalties in Schedule Book, and Auto-Assign Resource.

SWITCHERS/VISION MIXING

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN launched ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K, an all-in-one live UHD switcher with integrated hardware control panel featuring eight independent 12G-SDI inputs, built-in Fair-light audio mixer, ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyer, multi-view, flash-based media players, creative transitions, DVE, and more.

BROADCAST PIX released a dual-channel BPfusion CG software option for its BPswitch production series. It streamlines data-intensive graphics creation via built-in NewBlueNTX multilayer 3D motion CG and auto-updates with IP-based scoreboard, Twitter, RSS, spreadsheet, and similar sports, election, and news data.

EVS debuted X-ONE, an all-in-one live production system with software-defined technology for small to mid-sized events. An intuitive touchscreen interface enables solo operators to create replays, control audio, mix video sources, and add graphics over live content with high quality broadcast-standard output.

FOR-A unwrapped a new 4K 3 M/E model for its HVS-6000 switcher platform with a maximum 64 inputs/48 outputs in 12G-SDI and 12RU, Designed for users upgrading from HD to full 4K, it’s future-scalable to 8K.

GRASS VALLEY introduced K-Frame X, which uses existing K-FRM boards plus a new 192x96 I/O video production engine. It supports TICO compression or uncompressed SMPTE ST-2110 4K, along with HDR, and operates from any GV Kayenne, Karrera or Korona switcher panel.

JLCOOPER ELECTRONICS upped its Proton and Ion switcher control surfaces with front panel input mapping, Hall-effect T-Bar, GPI-input, and QuickSwitch to support multiple Blackmagic ATEMs.

NEWTEK unveiled NDI 3.5–its widely accepted interface protocol–with performance, network connectivity, and device discovery enhancements. Flagship TriCaster gained LiveGraphics with real-time motion and dynamic, data-driven text and imagery via Adobe Photoshop or After Effects, and without needing proprietary hardware.

ROSS VIDEO launched Carbonite Black Solo13, a compact 13-in/6-out switcher and hardware panel combo. Acuity gained Floating 3D DVE; 2020 WCG HDR Conversion on Input and Output Processing Boards with HLG, PQ and Slog3 support; audio on the Global Store; and enhanced Custom Controls. Carbonite v13 added DashBoard Virtual-Panel; input/output Color Corrector and proc amp controls; color temperature presets; Any Bus Follow, and more.

RUSHWORKS updated its VDESK Radio/TV Production System with 3n1 multi-function PTZ camera and TALK-TAKE voice-activated, hands-off switching between host and guests.

SONY unveiled the XVS-9000, an advanced live switcher for 4K, HD and HDR content productions with up to 80-inputs/40-outputs in 4K or 160-inputs/80-outputs in HD, plus IP, 12G-SDI in 4K, and hybrids of both for large sporting and entertainment programming.

ROUTING

EVERTZ debuted the XRF4, a modular RF router with hot-swappable rear panels, 64x128 matrix, direct fiber-optic inputs, and control/monitoring touch-screen.

FOR-A launched the MFR-6000 SD/HD/3G/6G/12G, a router with 12G-SDI compatibility across a matrix of up to 144-in/outputs plus 4K and 8K support. A built-in Web server simplifies setup and it can be integrated within an SNMP system to monitor operational states, I/O signals, and cross-point status.

GRASS VALLEY introduced v1.5 of Convergent, its SDI/IP router with familiar interface to visualize IP network bandwidth; it supports SDN and IGMP, as well as audio breakaway, shuffling and AES profile conversion. Also new, the Sirius 840 Enterprise, a router with integrated MV 850 multi-viewer with support for SDI, AES, MADI, 4K UHD, IP and 12G, 840 with integral audio/video processing.

ROSS VIDEO debuted the Ultrix-FR5, a 5RU, 144x144 routing/AV processing platform featuring SD to 12G, clean/quiet switching, audio embedding/de-embedding, and up to 24 MultiViewers with 100 PIPs per head.

UTAH SCIENTIFIC unveiled a pass-through card for its 400 Series 2/3 routers or standalone operation. It converts SDI to IP while keeping the original SDI for use elsewhere. Twelve 3G/HD/SD signals can be switched in SDI with simultaneous IP copies (2022 or 2110) fed to IP fabric, easing the migration to IP-based workflows.

KVM SWITCHES

ADDER TECHNOLOGY introduced the ALIF100T, a dongle-sized USB power-capable KVM, part of its ADDER-Link INFINITY series. The diminutive unit consumes a quarter the power of conventional rack units yet delivers up to 1920x1200@60Hz via DVI or DisplayPort interface.

BLACK BOX debuted its Emerald Unified KVM Platform, a converged solution to distribute video, audio, and peripheral signals in hybrid environments, including IP and proprietary direct-connect networks, with mixed resolutions up to UHD/4K and beyond.

G&D NORTH AMERICA unwrapped a KVM-over-IP matrix with dynamic access, secure AES-128 encrypted operation, and control room functionality for monitoring, scripting and scenario-switching.

IHSE launched the Draco ultra-491 Series, HDMI extenders that pass video over long distances without quality loss in simple point-to-point applications or combined with enterprise or compact matrix switches. It can extend HDMI up to 10 kilometers over fiber or 140 meters usingCat-X cables. Digital audio options include AES/EBU and S/PDIF up to 96 kilohertz.

THINKLOGICAL introduced the TLX Client Integration module, a virtual machine processor and KVM extender offering secure, uncompressed signal management without adding latency, artifacts or dropped-frames. It’s deployable point-to-point or in-conjunction with a matrix switch for multi-source/destination connectivity in collaborative workflows.

SAN FRANCISCO—After a two-year discovery and implementation, A+E Networks has launched WideOrbit’s WO Network as the traffic and ad sales platform for its ten cable networks, including A&E, Lifetime, History, Lifetime Movies, FYI, and VICELAND. 

“WO Network provides the A+E Networks’ Ad Sales team with a robust platform to plan, build, deliver and steward optimal media schedules for our clients in an ultra-efficient manner that has the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the marketplace,” said Michael Peretz, Executive Vice President, Ad Sales Revenue Management & Operations. “WideOrbit’s Placer is best in breed and has extremely sophisticated functionality that maximizes the clearance of our advertisers’ schedules, driving better results for A+E and our media partners.”

[Read: WideOrbit’s Programmatic Ads On More Than 1,000 TV Channels]

With A+E’s switch to WO Network, WideOrbit now claims that it has more than 100 cable network properties that are live on its sales and traffic platform—the largest of any media business software company. WideOrbit customers include: NBCUniversal, Tribune Media, Entercom Communications, Raycom Media, TEGNA, and AMC Networks. By integrating capabilities, such as traffic management, centralized operations, and streamlined workflows, the company says its platform seeks to simplify media buying and selling and create value for both sides of media transactions.

“When it comes to delivering engaging content to a new generation of audiences in a variety of media formats, A+E is one of the media industry’s most forward-thinking companies,” said Eric R. Mathewson, founder and chief executive officer, WideOrbit. “By installing WO Network, A+E has a flexible, future-proof platform for maximizing the value of its content whether it is consumed on linear, VOD or digital channels.” 

SAN FRANCISCO—Welcome new platforms, enter new headaches. While the content community has aggressively blazed new paths when it comes to disseminating content across multiple formats, one struggle has gone on mostly behind the scenes.

Business management systems—those intricately connected backroom systems that couple scheduling with ad sales and the like—have had to compensate for these new platforms and opportunities, while simultaneously reducing costs and increasing profitability along the way.

No small feat, but one that today’s solutions have begun to address in a number of ways.

Boston flagship PBS station WGBH recently installed a ProTrack Hub & Spoke system to work within WGBH’s larger PMM cloud-based service designed to centralize the acquisition and dissemination of content.SHARED AUTOMATED WORKFLOWS
It’s a model that’s proved its mettle time and again. That was one reason Myers has pushed forward with its ProTrack Hub & Spoke solution. Boston flagship PBS station WGBH recently installed a ProTrack Hub & Spoke system to work within WGBH’s larger PMM cloud-based service designed to centralize the acquisition and dissemination of content.

Using Myers ProTrack Hub & Spoke, media facilities are able to view and pull content into their facilities when it is required for playout. “The design of our ProTrack Hub and Spoke Solution was established to help our clients maximize operational efficiency,” said Crist Myers, CEO of the Northhampton, Mass.-based provider of media and business management systems. In addition to the WGBH installation, the system is up and running at Centralcast LLC in Syracuse, N.Y., a consortium of public TV stations in the state; and the Digital Convergence Alliance, a similar group in Jacksonville, Fla.

The infrastructure of the solution allows an individual station to capitalize on shared automated workflows while still maintaining their autonomy, Myers said, and is designed to help customers reduce operational costs and increase profitability.

The company is also in the midst of a growth spurt, adding staff and introducing new features within the ProTrack Broadcast Management System, a solution that manages acquisition, scheduling, monetization and distribution of content for multimedia facilities, according to Myers.

The company is also rolling out a new technology platform for the ProTrack Broadcast that will include new capabilities and workflows including a new HTML5 front-end.

SIMPLIFYING THE PROCESS
Sometimes the biggest difficulty is changing entrenched ideas. That was the challenge facing Imagine Communications.

Working in partnership with the media service provider Entertainment Communications Network (ECN), the Dallas-based company introduced a new feature within the LandmarkOSI traffic and billing system that can electronically receive and ingest commercial instructions using the SMPTE Broadcast eXchange Format (BXF) 3.0.

That small addition is working to change 40 years of advertising workflows, the company said.

“The new automated copy feature can yield significant efficiency gains for our LandmarkOSI traffic and billing customers, improving productivity, and reducing copy input mistakes and discrepancies,” said Sarah Foss, vice president of product management and advertising management systems for Imagine Communications.

The goal was to eliminate the longstanding process of manually typing copy instructions from e-mail or fax originals into a traffic system, she said. Commercial schedules can be ingested using XML to help eliminate the labor-intensive process of manually rekeying information, which helps reduce copy input mistakes and discrepancies.

At its simplest, the integration between ECN’s service and the LandmarkOSI is designed to accelerate workflows between media placement and airtime. It will help to simplify commercial scheduling and reduce make-goods due to programming errors, the company said.

Other features within the newest version of Landmark OSI include programmatic API, which allows users to participate in proposals and sales with programmatic exchanges; an integrated Internet contract feature, which allows users to manage Internet advertising and linear TV advertising in a single system; and an analytics feature that integrates data from LandmarkOSI and other operational data to help improve forecasting, pricing and sales activities.

STREAMLINING SALES
SintecMedia, an Israeli-based provider of media business solutions, has an eye on the sales side of things and plans to introduce at the IBC Show, OnBoard, a TV sales-side platform designed to improve digital and programmatic advertising. OnBoard is an open API system that connects with both linear and digital platforms for either direct or programmatic buying and selling. The solution works to streamline the sales process by managing inventory offering, pricing and order confirmation, as well as providing post air analysis, according to Geoff Nagel, vice president of go-to-market strategy in North America.

From a single storefront, users can sell across any digital channel whether it’s programmatic or direct sales, Nagel said. “It’s evolutionary in that it doesn’t make you choose certain paths over any other,” he said. Stations can start simply and have a local sales team sell across linear and digital properties, or use OnBoard’s private marketplace functionality to sell premium inventory programmatically. “It’s that flexibility and evolutionary approach that’s working for customers,” he said. “We’re trying to help sellers reach more buyers.”

The company also is revealing advances in its core product OnAir, which coordinates departments and business teams using a common database; and IBMS, which has a new Promo Optimization feature that gives users more control over the promo process with a customizable promo placement engine. The company also recently introduced cloud versions of both systems.

Imagine Communications recently introduced a new feature within the LandmarkOSI traffic and billing system that can electronically receive and ingest commercial instructions using the SMPTE Broadcast eXchange Format (BXF) 3.0.THE PROMISE OF PROGRAMMATIC
One of the biggest trends in the market is the purchasing of advertising through programmatic means, which Google defines as “a technology-automated and data-driven method of buying and delivering ads against TV content.” Recent reports estimate that 4 percent of TV ads will be purchased through programmatic means in 2015, growing to 17 percent ($10 billion) by 2018.

That integration—with programmatic at the heart of it—is the future of business management, accoding to Brian Burdick, executive vice president of digital and programmatic for WideOrbit, a San Francisco-based provider of media automation and business systems technology. For stations that have not yet adopted a programmatic-type solution, there are risks to consider. “The risks are that they might lose out on revenue opportunities, and fall behind the knowledge curve of a practice that is [the industry’s] future,” he said. “For companies in broadcast, providing a converged solution for them to manage their programs—whether it’s broadcast or digital—is the way to move forward.”

That issue—one of integration—is a priority for WideOrbit. The company’s WO Programmatic TV system was developed to integrate with a user’s traffic system, whereby traffic, creative and credit information from WO Programmatic TV arrives with every offer. The system is integrated with the company’s WO Traffic, meaning that broadcasters can receive offers for spots directly within their traffic systems, and an order slides directly into existing approval and billing workflows.

The system follows a typical process of buyers placing orders for spots, followed by stations seeing a price, an advertiser and the creative spot. A so-called “heat map” can tell a buyer whether the price is higher than they usually get for the spot in question, and then a station can accept or reject the offer by analyzing the information that comes along with the sale—such as comparisons to current rates, community standards or potential conflict with other sales channels.

The system is also attractive to ad buyers, Burdick said, because the company’s installed base has access to a large footprint of local broadcasters. At its heart, the system makes it easier to buy spot and local TV by automating processes, as well as allowing advertisers and agencies to bring their own data and customer analytics to identify valuable audiences.

TAKING THE PULSE
Along with programmatic solutions, the demand for improved workflows is a market-wide priority. But with so much bantering around of this “w” word, what does workflow actually mean?

“The term means so many different things to each and every facility,” said Greg Dolan, COO of Xytech Systems, a Mission Hills, Calif.-based provider of facility management software tools. “From media manufacturing decisions, budget milestones, signal path creation, rostering, equipment rental, asset management, and on and on, the workflows just pile up. Each one is crucial and each one must be managed and tracked in a configurable, transparent manner.”

That’s a component of the company’s Media Pulse solution, which has the ability to tie all of these workflows across the entire spectrum into a cohesive system, he said.

The newest version of the platform-agnostic Media Pulse addresses production, broadcasting, media services and transmission. For broadcasters, the system addresses scheduling, resource management and content management, allowing elements within the video transmission chain to be managed. On the production side, the system can manage financial information, personnel, technical resources and media assets.

Likewise, managing and scheduling media assets is the primary goal of the Louise business management system from Pro-consultant Informatique, a French-based provider of media business management software. Working in conjunction with traffic, sales and billing solutions, Louise can manage assets across linear and nonlinear platforms.