At the beginning of this year, I shared insight into why broadcasters continue moving storage to the cloud. Since my last article, the rate of adoption has only increased, which has emphasized how vital the cloud has become to broadcasters – and the media industry as a whole. This trend is supported by research from Gartner, which forecasts that spending on public cloud services worldwide will grow by 20.7% to $591.8 billion by the end of 2023, up from $490.3 billion in 2022.
This evolution of the cloud comes at a critical time for the industry. With the growth of audiences and multiple platforms at their disposal, broadcasters face an almost-constant challenge of delivering high-quality and engaging content 24/7. However, delivering this much content is expensive and it is time-consuming to create. But, with every problem, there is a solution, and in this case, it comes in the form of cloud archiving.
What is Cloud Archiving?
Cloud archiving is not necessarily a new concept, but its capabilities and benefits are still not fully recognized. To put it simply, a cloud archive is a storage solution that keeps data secure and accessible at any time and from any location. A cloud archive makes it easier to manage large amounts of information, and it also allows vast content libraries while also being more cost-effective to maintain.
Cloud-based archiving is revolutionizing broadcasters’ approach to content creation because it allows them to leverage their content libraries in much more effective ways. By taking such an approach, broadcasters are in a better position to increase audience loyalty and reduce content spending simultaneously. Such flexibility is key in today’s marketplace, as the cloud has become the hub for using all that content to keep viewers watching long after the credits have rolled on the program they tuned in to watch.
Benefits of Utilizing the Cloud
I have already touched upon the benefits of the cloud to create more content, but that is not all. The cloud is helping organizations streamline their operations and grow their bottom line. Here are some examples:
As we are all too aware, budgets are tighter than ever, partly due to increased content production costs, so broadcasters need to find ways to make the most of their content libraries, all while ensuring they meet the evolving needs of their audiences. The cloud holds the key. It is cost-efficient and easy to use, so businesses can save money by reducing expenditure and operating costs.
The cost-efficiency benefits may seem obvious, but little understanding remains of cloud archiving having a positive impact on content strategies. With access to greater cloud storage, broadcasters can re-use library content that is a good fit for today’s market and share it quickly, empowering content owners to stay ahead of their competitors and nurture audience loyalty.
A further benefit of cloud storage is its flexibility - and reliability - for disaster recovery (DR). DR has been a major talking point for years, and with the vast amount of content and data at stake, the consequences of not having the right tools in place can be severe. Ensuring you have a robust DR strategy should be an integral part of any business plan. The cloud gives that scalable safety net broadcasters need, reassuring them their content will be protected.
Metadata's Crucial Role
As broadcasters look to leverage their content libraries, the management of metadata has also become a critical part of their content archiving strategy. Metadata allows organizations to understand their customers’ viewing habits better. Armed with this information, broadcasters are available to implement strategies that can retain and attract new viewers, in turn generating new revenue streams.
The uses of metadata range from simple but valuable additions, such as text transcripts created from audio content, to advanced applications. The cloud's metadata capabilities deliver a long-term ROI to keep content up-to-date and future-proof video libraries.
In addition, since the cloud makes content more accessible than on-prem storage, content owners can use metadata to keep archive videos optimized to align with their changing strategies. These advantages are no longer the exclusive domain of the major players. Smaller broadcasters can also unleash their potential and become more competitive in the industry due to the lower costs and availability of cloud-based workflows.
Conclusion
These cloud capabilities support the continual growth of audiences and platforms, and the content necessary to maintain them. The challenge of delivering high-quality and engaging content is seemingly unrelenting, but with innovation continuing I believe the industry is in good shape to prosper.
