New England Sports Network (NESN) has chosen Harmonic, working with Astound Business Solutions, as its enterprise technology partner to transform primary distribution of live sports.
NESN is leveraging Harmonic’s technology, including its XOS Advanced Media Processor and DMS X Distribution Management System, to deliver video to 4 million homes and unlock new monetization opportunities.
“Harmonic’s XOS media processor provides us with a rock-solid, reliable foundation for distributing sports content to our affiliates,” said Kenny Elcock, vice president of technology at NESN.
“The software-based primary distribution solution has set us up for immediate success, while providing the flexibility to add new, advanced features in the future. Even better, the XOS solution features game-changing ad insertion capabilities at the edge, paving the way for exciting new revenue opportunities.”
Relying on Harmonic technology for primary distribution, NESN securely distributes live sports content to its affiliates, including cable, telco and video streaming providers, over managed IP and open internet delivery networks, the company said.
Harmonic’s XOS media processor ensures high-quality video for NESN while delivering up to 50% bitrate savings through AI-powered EyeQ content-aware encoding for cost-effective video quality optimization. The processor extends support for video formats up to 4K HDR, it said.
The company’s ProStream X stream processor distributes live sports to all affiliates using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT), it said.
Harmonic’s DMS X solution for the XOS media processor provides efficient centralized management for ad insertion, program localization and remote playout. It also enables HTML graphics, clips and playlist insertion as well as supports edge device monitoring, elevating primary distribution for NESN, the company said.
Astound Business Solutions ensured deployment went smoothly, which allowed NESN to launch its new primary distribution platform in two months. Astound also provides NESN with its distribution network, end-to-end management of video services and continuous network monitoring to ensure operational success, Harmonic said.
Harmonic will showcase its primary distribution solution during 2025 NAB Show New York, Oct. 22-23, at the Javits Center in New York City.
See Harmonic at 2025 NAB Show New York booth 533.
More information is available on the company’s website.
