Breakthrough products honored at 2022 NAB Show

Last week, NAB Show and Future’s leading media technology brands put forward awards to recognize the most significant and promising new products and technologies exhibited at the 2022 NAB Show.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) received award wins for AWS Elemental MediaTailor Channel Assembly from both NAB Show and Broadcasting+Cable. NAB Show named Channel Assembly a Product of the Year winner in the streaming category and B+C named the feature among Best in Show. MediaTailor is in the AWS for Media & Entertainment (M&E) portfolio, which features services and solutions from AWS and AWS Partners that are built specifically for content creators, rights holders, producers, broadcasters, and distributors.

“The 2022 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards honor innovative breakthroughs that will change the way the media and entertainment industry creates, connects and capitalizes content,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Global Connections and Events Chris Brown. “This year’s winners can help storytellers at all stages of the content lifecycle meet the challenges of today and tomorrow and revolutionize the content industry.”

AWS for M&E makes it easier for media and entertainment customers to select the right tools and partners for their highest-priority workloads, accelerate production launches, and see faster time to value. Learn more about AWS for M&E industry solutions and read on for information about scheduling content for playout using AWS Elemental MediaTailor Channel Assembly.

Schedule content into a linear channel using Channel Assembly

Channel Assembly in AWS Elemental MediaTailor allows users to create linear channels for over-the-top (OTT) delivery in a cost-efficient way. Using the technology, content providers can create virtual live streams at a low cost, leveraging existing multi-bitrate encoded and packaged content. Ad breaks can also be inserted into the channels, without having to condition the content with SCTE-35 markers, allowing for more seamless monetization of linear streams.

Channel Assembly allows content providers to quickly and easily create virtual channels by pulling together programming from multiple existing on-demand sources and blending them into a linear playlist. Users can create static or dynamic playlists to stream content to viewers by reusing previously transcoded video segments from existing catalogs, eliminating the need to re-transcode source content for multiple regional or viewer permutations.

AWS Elemental MediaTailor Channel Assembly workflow

Using MediaTailor Channel Assembly to create a customized channel for a smaller audience group, such as a category of viewers based on interest or regional preference, is no longer cost-prohibitive. With Channel Assembly, users can select between multiple scheduling options such as loop content, or they can dynamically add programs into the schedule, either manually or by inserting a program lineup provided by a recommendation engine. They can also schedule ad breaks with intelligent program-aware rules. There are no upfront costs, and the service is pay-per-use, so that content owners can repurpose and monetize existing catalogs easily and affordably and deliver more personalized experiences to their audience.

For example, Seven West Media used Channel Assembly to create a sit-back channel of Big Brother season one content just ahead of the release of season two. The channel served as a segue to launch the upcoming season and drive new viewership. Available for 11 days leading up to the second season debut, the Big Brother channel accounted for 41 percent of streaming minutes on Seven West Media’s digital-only channels, and the company also saw a 95 percent increase in VOD viewing for the content. Seven West Media has since started to build more channels that showcase exclusive sports, reality series, and other programming using Channel Assembly, including channels for its ad-supported streaming service 7Plus.

Channel Assembly in AWS Elemental MediaTailor was also key for streaming the tenth annual PBS Short Film Festival. Audiences watched a curated series of 25 short films from independent filmmakers playing back-to-back via an immersive WebXR beta experience accessible through compatible headsets or a web browser. Channel Assembly provided a simple, efficient, and reliable way to quickly set up a live linear streaming channel comprising each film to play the experience ahead of time.

For more information about how to use Channel Assembly in your workflow, read more on the AWS Media Blog or contact an AWS media and entertainment account manager directly.