BT Media & Broadcast and M2A Media trial world’s first orchestrated cloud connectivity to Europe’s leading content exchange

M2A Media, leading innovators in cloud-based live video solutions, today announced its collaboration with BT Media & Broadcast to bring the world’s first orchestrated cloud connectivity to BT Tower, Europe’s leading content exchange.

London(04 Dec 2022)

M2A Media, leading innovators in cloud-based live video solutions, today announced its collaboration with BT Media & Broadcast to bring the world’s first orchestrated cloud connectivity to BT Tower, Europe’s leading content exchange.  

M2A Media and BT Media & Broadcast worked together to explore the best method to introduce flexible cloud connectivity into the BT Tower Broadcast Switch in London.  In a proof-of-concept trial the two companies looked at how their systems and processes could be integrated to combine traditional fixed infrastructure with cloud media services.

M2A Media’s cloud IP transport product, M2A CONNECT, has been designed with event-based broadcasting in mind, complementing BT Media & Broadcast’s pedigree in switching and its Outside Broadcast capabilities. It also aligns with the capabilities of BT Media & Broadcast’s newly launched smart broadcast network, Vena – which enables users to add automation, efficiency, end-to-end control and visibility across entire media ecosystems, through a cloud-based operating system.

During the proof of concept, test content was fed from BT Tower’s Broadcast Switch through its encoders and out across the internet using the SRT protocol with feeds ingested into the AWS Cloud. From there, the feed was orchestrated using M2A CONNECT and routed across the AWS Cloud network to specific entitlement outputs and also to device end points for confidence monitoring by both BT Media & Broadcast and M2A Media operations. Along with testing M2A’s API Control, the trial enabled BT engineers to use the M2A Console and its scheduling capabilities, which allow for event-based orchestration of AWS Media Services that would otherwise need to be manually provisioned.

The trial successfully proved that the cloud is a natural extension to the traditional broadcast domain and an effective method of providing event-based, ‘bursty’ capacity into the BT Tower. The integration of cloud services into the BT Tower enables the ‘reach-out’ of BT Media & Broadcast services and demonstrates a transformation beyond traditional network only services. 

Marcus Box, CEO and Co-founder, M2A Media, commented: “In an era when there is an insatiable appetite for content, providing broadcasters with a flexible method to access their rights is more important than ever before.  BT Tower is the central hub for distribution of content to UK and European broadcasters, so to have the opportunity to work with our friends at BT Media & Broadcast to see how M2A CONNECT can be integrated into this existing hub is hugely exciting.  Our collaboration with BT Media & Broadcast is driving change in broadcast technology.”

Faisal Mahomed, Director, BT Media & Broadcast, added: “M2A Media is well known for its expertise in cloud video technology.  We’re seeing a growing demand from our customers for cloud media services, and our collaboration with the M2A team is allowing us to keep pace with this fast-moving market. We’re delighted with the results of this first trial, and we look forward to further developing these opportunities with M2A.”