The IP technology shift is here — is your media business ready?

It is becoming widely understood that satellite and fiber video distribution no longer address the challenges Tier 1 media companies face today in delivering live sports, events, and on-demand video to audiences everywhere. The one-size-fits-all approach of satellite and fiber systems restricts personalization and proves difficult for anything outside of mass delivery to receiver endpoints, limiting the ability to offer targeted content and value-added services.

The good news is there are viable alternatives that make sense from a cost perspective while supporting all of the complex needs of modern media workflow management, uniting siloed, multi-vendor systems and driving greater efficiency. To expand global reach and meet surging content demands, market innovators are moving beyond satellite and fiber to the more flexible, scalable, and efficient option: IP video distribution.

Our partnership with TelevisaUnivision, the world’s largest Spanish-language media company, illustrates how migrating to IP-based video distribution can empower a range of advanced content versioning capabilities, fueling new revenue opportunities and greater business agility. Or take our work with MSG Networks, for example, powering a rapid IP transition in under ninety days to unlock greater operational efficiency and enhance its live sports distribution model, without the heavy CapEx and OpEx requirements associated with satellite distribution systems.

Although satellite may still play a part in some business strategies, embracing IP now is essential to future-proofing technology roadmaps while driving cost efficiencies and lower total cost of ownership. Let’s explore what making the transition from fiber or satellite video distribution to IP technology looks like — and the advantages it offers business and engineering leaders.

Taking the first step with IP technology

For media executives looking to explore IP video distribution, there may be initial questions about cost, capacity, and interoperability. It’s time to debunk those concerns.

Content consumption has evolved. As an increasing number of consumers access content through online platforms, the demand for near-ubiquitous connectivity has grown. Simultaneously, engineering advancements in managed IP networks — specifically those that were inherently built to deliver premium live video at scale, something the internet was never designed to do — have revolutionized the nature of video transport. Today, IP video distribution workflows have matured to enable greater scale and flexibility in delivery than traditional methodologies, empowering media organizations to bring more versions of content to global audiences in a highly reliable and cost effective way.

The unavoidable truth is that creating and delivering multiple tailored versions of content to global audiences via satellite systems requires a new feed every time and fiber is even more restrictive. IP technology allows you to simultaneously produce and deliver limitless versions of content at a fraction of the cost, and with a much faster time to market.

Taking this theory into practice is now easier than ever. Economies of scale and years’ of technical innovation mean it is now more affordable and simple for media companies to embrace IP at a pace that suits their business objectives and technology requirements. Through deeper interoperability and wider support across hybrid distribution environments, media companies can harness modern IP-based approaches to reach more audiences and tap into new revenue streams — without disrupting existing third-party protocols or hardware investments at either edge of the transmission network.

Gaining a business advantage with IP video distribution

Risk aversion often hampers innovation. The truth is that sticking with a fragmented, multi-vendor workflow to enable overly complex and inefficient satellite or fiber distribution models is a far greater risk than moving to IP.

IP video distribution is transforming media workflow management, supporting deeper levels of efficiency, scale, and customization potential. By opting for an interconnected, managed IP ecosystem that unifies fragmented video transport, production, and global distribution workflows, media companies can reduce both capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational costs (OpEx) associated with running and maintaining heavy hardware investments and multi-vendor workflows — while minimizing the utilization of public cloud workflows that can easily drive significant charges.

Managed, multicast-native IP video distribution addresses all of these challenges, with interconnected media workflow management that blends a reliable, ultra-low latency intelligent network infrastructure with built-in monitoring, support, and automated versioning capabilities to customize and scale live events and full-time channels across any platform or region. Media organizations favoring IP video distribution can reliably bring their content from any source to every destination, expanding their reach to untapped audiences while minimizing infrastructure requirements as well as the associated maintenance costs and resourcing challenges.

IP technology offers greater flexibility, reliability, and control

One of the major pain points for media companies is the need to maintain control over content. And perhaps one of the most commonly held misconceptions is that moving to a managed IP video distribution option jeopardizes that control. IP technology can be seamlessly integrated within any existing technical setup while providing more granular and powerful capabilities to determine how and where live video is distributed to any screen worldwide.

This layer of control with IP technology enables organizations to create multiple versions, in different languages, for multiple regions, customized for global audiences. Our work with TelevisaUnivision is a great example of this capability, harnessing a suite of IP-based video distribution tools to seamlessly deliver high-value channels and tailored live events across multiple platforms, providing unique live news, sports, and entertainment content to millions across the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, MSG Networks’ shift from satellite enabled greater flexibility, scalability, and reliability in video transport to acquire content in a single format and deliver in multiple formats, common third-party protocols, and in and out of public clouds as required — bringing exceptional live viewing experiences to fans across platforms.

Making the shift to IP simple and effective

Technology executives no longer need convincing around the business and engineering rationale of moving to IP. They do need assurances that any IP migration can be de-risked with best-in-breed engineering, trusted planning, and deep expertise. LTN excels at making the shift to IP a fast, reliable, and highly effective transition — it’s in our DNA.

To learn more about how LTN can enhance your operations while supporting critical business objectives, schedule a demo today.