AWS to showcase transformative M&E cloud solutions at IBC 2023

Demonstrations, customer presentations, and a variety of panel discussions illustrate the power of the cloud in creating, delivering, and monetizing compelling content experiences

As professionals across the global media and entertainment (M&E) industry prepare for the annual International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2023 in Amsterdam September 15–18, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is unveiling an exciting lineup of demonstrations, presentations, and discussions slated for the annual conference held at the RAI. Cloud-powered workflows spanning six M&E solution areas will be front and center on the AWS IBC stand (5.C90) and IBC Showcase Theater sessions, which will provide insight into how customers are streamlining the creation and delivery of dynamic content, while simplifying subscriber management, monetization, and customer and content analytics.

AWS IBC stand demonstrations

Content Production

Demonstrating how customers can create, manage, and finish their content in an interconnected and collaborative environment on AWS, the Content Production area of the IBC stand showcases a real-world episodic / promo workflow. Beginning with acquisition of content at camera ingest, customers experience content rapidly moving from set to the cloud. Content then moves seamlessly into a post-production environment with the Edit-in-the-Cloud on AWS solution, where editors can continue to have a familiar edit-bay experience with cloud-to-ground video capabilities. Using Runway ML, generative artificial intelligence (AI) assists artists to increase efficiency and accuracy with complex tasks, while the artist retains full creative control. Collaboration among all users is enabled by production asset management capabilities, tracking assets and steps through the process. Orchestration of all cloud resources is made easy, managed via an orchestration platform with a simple user interface. Completing this workflow is creative finishing with Autodesk Flame on AWS, taking advantage of uncompromised video playback using AWS Cloud Digital Interface (CDI) and AWS Elemental MediaConnect. Once content is finished, it seamlessly moves back to Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), where it triggers an event-driven workflow in the media supply chain, ultimately ending up in a direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming platform.

Media Supply Chain & Archive

Business and operational dashboards, workflow orchestration for content preparation and localization, content analysis and metadata enrichment, and content restoration and resolution enhancement will be the central focus of interactive Media Supply Chain & Archive demonstrations at IBC 2023. Visitors to this section of the stand can get hands-on with AWS solutions that advance the data analysis and visualization involved in content selection, rights management, asset organization, and distribution. One workflow showcases a dashboard with trending content distribution and monetization topics that visitors can search to find relevant titles and associated rights that match the topic. The user is then guided to a media asset management system (MAM), where they can locate the desired asset, create a sub-clip, and publish it to a downstream system for further distribution.

Another workflow ­demonstration expedites the process of identifying, locating, and preparing media assets for use and shows streamlined media ingestion and enhanced metadata accuracy. It simulates video on demand (VoD) file delivery for ingest every 5 minutes, with SDVI Rally powering ingest and quality control (QC). If a VoD asset fails QC, a work order is created, signaling a review process, and VoD assets that pass QC be ingested into a MAM. Generated metadata is stored in a data lake and used to measure operational efficiency and identify unexpected issues that require human intervention. Attendees can also check out a workflow highlighting the transformation of content for localization and monetization.

Data Science & Analytics

Showcasing the value of building data, analytics, and AI-enabled media workflows in the cloud, twelve demos showcase core AWS for M&E solutions for creating rich descriptive metadata that accelerates content production and video content analysis and summarization. These demos shine the spotlight on the value of machine learning (ML) in enriching workflows across the media value chain from pre-visualization and video transformation to analytics and operational dashboards, content enrichment/ restoration, content personalization, and advertising creation, placement, and targeting in video and promotional materials. Demos feature AWS services like Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Rekognition, Amazon Transcribe, Amazon Translate, Amazon Comprehend, and Amazon Personalize, which can make content more searchable, accelerate content processes, and streamline how content is surfaced to audiences. Generative AI applications for content analysis, summarization and restoration, and upscaling video frame rates for smooth slow motion, will also be on display.

Monetization

Interactive demos featuring AWS and AWS Partner solutions illustrate how technologies for M&E can be deployed to increase revenue across viewing platforms; improve cost savings; find and retain audiences; gain insight into the customer journey; and enhance consumer engagement. Additional workflows on display make it easy to unify linear and digital ad sales and delivery systems; deliver effective and profitable audience engagement strategies with a composable Customer 360 solution; and streamline audience enrichment, measurement, and activation via an intuitive AWS Clean Rooms user interface (UI).

Visitors to the stand can also check out demos that highlight strategies for closing the loop on attribution via a content-to-commerce checkout experience with modernizing monetization workloads using generative AI for ad creative and business process improvements; unlocking ad inventory with non-intrusive user friendly video ad formats including frame ads, squeeze backs, overlay ads, and virtual product placement; driving more audience engagement with automated ad insertion, contextual advertising, fewer disruptive ad breaks, and more.

Broadcast

Live Cloud Production (LCP) and Playout workflows, including the first AWS demo of an LCP system for newsroom production at a major industry event, will also be a stand highlight, among other LCP workflow demos that illustrate how customers running sports-based, regionalized, and custom feed productions use AWS to customize multiple streams for regional distribution and multi-platform delivery. Visitors to the booth can also see an innovative playout workflow leveraging AWS Elemental MediaLive and featuring multiple distribution solutions that serve linear, OTT, and satellite. An additional Monitoring and Observability demo with AWS Elemental MediaConnect and AWS Elemental MediaConnect Gateway at its core provides a complete overview of the video chain.

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C)

With opportunities for creating, delivering, and managing unique, live and on-demand consumer experiences continuing to evolve, AWS at IBC provides insight into how M&E customers can leverage AWS services and solutions to better tailor content offerings to each consumer. D2C demonstrations include: a VOD and linear delivery platform supporting low-latency delivery built with AWS Elemental MediaPackage, AWS Elemental MediaConvert, and AWS Elemental MediaTailor; advanced monitoring and observability capabilities with near real-time data; live and file-based channel streaming distribution for free, free ad-supported television (FAST) distribution; end-to-end OTT platform solutions with wide device support and 24/7 channels scalability for occasional special events; a second screen synchronized multi-cam system; an XR viewing experience; and a churn reduction platform.

AWS Panels and Speaking Sessions

Beyond the stand at IBC, AWS will host and participate in sessions exploring a broad range of topics that tackle real-world M&E industry challenges and solutions – from navigating the rise of generative AI to facilitating a seamless transition from a linear to an IP-based market. The series of talks and panels feature experts from AWS for M&E, AWS Partners such as NVIDIA, and many AWS customers, including Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and Media.Monks. The following is a complete schedule with session descriptions.

Friday, September 15

• 13:15-13:45: Breaking Down Data Silos: How Snowflake’s Media Data Cloud revolutionizes broadcast and streaming supply chain in partnership with Slalom and AWS (Innovation Stage, Hall 3): Learn how the Snowflake Media Data Cloud and AWS can be used to break down supply chain data silos and create a single source of truth on valuable asset metadata as content journeys from ideation to playout and beyond. Snowflake partner Slalom will share its experience enabling studios and streamers to use their rights, production, configuration, distribution, playout, and archival workflows and management in the cloud.

Saturday, September 16

• 10-10:45: Navigating Europe’s transition to IP (IBC Showcase Theater): Learn about the opportunities, challenges, and strategies deployed by broadcasters in Europe to support their transition from a predominantly linear market to a predominantly IP-based market.
• 10-10:45: AI: How to approach AI and gain a competitive edge (Forum at RAI): Panelists examine the areas where businesses see the most value from AI, what experimentation is taking place, misperceptions that need to be addressed, and more.
• 11-11:30: Generative AI in media and entertainment (IBC Showcase Theater): AI and ML services have been deployed in the media and entertainment industry for decades. Now, generative AI has both captured imaginations and prompted important questions about how these tools will be used. Join a panel of experts for a discussion on generative AI as we attempt to peel back the layers to understand what generative AI is and how it can be used in the media and entertainment industry.
• 11:45-12:15: Live cloud production with TNT Sports (IBC Showcase Theater): In this session, learn how Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is migrating its media workflows to gain operational flexibility, have the opportunity to present more data-led stories, and continue to drive deeper audience engagement for TNT Sports.
• 12:30- 13:30: Edit in the Cloud: Shape your facility of the future (IBC Showcase Theater): As editing in the cloud moves past the art of the possible, media organizations are looking at the ROI of editing in the cloud, as well as providing a singular user experience for their creative teams. In this session, explore some of the patterns and anti-patterns for post-production in the cloud. Hear practical tips from experts as they share what they have learned on their journey to the cloud.
• 13:45-14:15: Driving business transition through migration to the cloud (IBC Showcase Theater): Many organizations are now migrating their on-premises workloads to AWS for improved flexibility, agility, and operational efficiency. In this session, hear stories from influential broadcasters and content owners about lessons learned from their cloud migrations, including what has worked and what has not and what advice they would give to those starting the cloud journey.
• 14:30-15:15: Tuned Into Tomorrow: Software-defined broadcast infrastructure (IBC Showcase Theater): Monks, NVIDIA, and AWS examine the foundations of true software-defined broadcast infrastructure and the workflows they make possible.
• 15:30-16:00: Monetizing data in a privacy-first world using AWS Clean Rooms (IBC Showcase Theater): This session explores how a leading broadcaster – TV New Zealand – views the current advertising climate as an opportunity to future-proof operations and build a privacy-focused advertising solution using AWS Clean Rooms. Measurement provider Comscore also joins this session to discuss how it is helping broadcasters plan, transact, and measure campaigns in a privacy-safe environment.
• 16:15-16:45: Building the Studio of Tomorrow, Today! (IBC Showcase Theater): Amazon Studios has defined the state-of-the art in cloud production from the cameras on North America’s largest Virtual Production Stage, through post in its brand-new 8K capable facility for movies and series. Join us for a panel discussion with Amazon Studios, AWS Media & Entertainment, and Partner teams, as they discuss how Amazon continuously seeks to empower visual storytellers by bringing ease, velocity, and new capabilities through media science, innovation, and invention.

To learn more about AWS at IBC, visit the dedicated event page.

Don’t forget to stop by the AWS stand (5.C90), and check out the IBC Showcase Theater on Saturday, September 16.