DPG Media Migrates to AWS to Improve Its Livestreaming Service

DPG Media knew that migration would involve technical challenges, especially because it needed to complete the project without disrupting its nonstop livestreams. In 2022, it started migrating to AWS Elemental, a suite of purpose-built media services, software, and appliances that make creating, transforming, and delivering digital content fast and simple.

DPG Media first performed technical workshops and proofs of concept with support from AWS, then set up a completely parallel infrastructure and live streaming stack, and finally switched over each channel without downtime. The solution went live in May 2024. “Amazing things are possible when you bring together solution-minded people and powerful technology,” says Jan De Beer, video playback product owner at DPG Media.

DPG Media unlocked multiple benefits after its migration, including better scalability, greater control over its infrastructure, and access to client-side metrics, which helped to improve player performance. Plus, transparent dashboards increased visibility and made it simple to spot or anticipate issues. It also optimized costs by consolidating services and predicting its server usage. In fact, it maintained the same costs even when views increased 40 percent year over year.

DPG Media can now offer its customers better picture quality and new features, such as the capability to catch up on live content by rewinding streams. It can also make livestream recordings available within minutes—a process that previously took hours. On AWS, these recordings can be any length—in contrast to the 6-hour limit DPG Media used to face—which is especially important for recording lengthy sports tournaments.

On AWS, DPG Media has empowered innovations such as livestream geo-restriction and interactivity in personalized ads. Moving forward, the company plans to make its livestreams more accessible by adding closed captions, which it couldn’t do before. Additionally, DPG Media will create premium audio and video features. “This migration has been a very rewarding experience,” says De Beer. “We’re proud of what we accomplished on AWS.”