Sky Sports Simplifies International Clip Distribution Of Premier League Highlights With Ooyala Flex
LONDON (23 Nov 2016)
Ooyala, a Telstra subsidiary and a leading global innovator in premium video publishing, production workflow, analytics and monetization, is automating the global syndication of clips for Sky Sports with Ooyala Flex, its media logistics solution. With Ooyala, Sky Sports is able to deliver hundreds of Premier League (PL) in-game clips and highlight packages for online and linear consumption to 40 international licensee partners, all in a small number of minutes.
The PL | Sky Sports Challenge
In addition to Sky Sports’ portfolio of UK linear & digital rights it is also responsible for delivering clips to over 40 international licensees in multiple file formats based on each individual licensee's regional or platform requirements. Further, they must have all in-game clips available for download and redistribution for all licensee partners within minutes from when the actual highlight is broadcast live.
Sky Sports turned to Ooyala as it could quickly adapt to their needs and technical requirements, rapidly deploying an integrated solution in time for the beginning of the Premier League season. Through the power of automation, Ooyala Flex alleviates Sky Sports from dedicating more resources to this demanding syndication workflow, letting them focus on producing the content.
Leveraging Automation
Once a notable event occurs during a live match, a Sky Sports production team is responsible for quickly creating the clip, inputting metadata and transferring the file into their cloud storage system. Once uploaded, Ooyala Flex automatically detects the clip, ingests it into the system and triggers a series of workflows that transform the clip into 20 different renditions. Once final, Ooyala Flex creates and delivers a number of unique packages, each with a subset of those 20 different renditions based on the preferences for every partner, including the corresponding metadata. This process is repeated and automated every time Sky Sports uploads a clip into Ooyala Flex, occurring numerous times per game, with as many as six to ten games per day, multiple times a week with some games occurring simultaneously. This is a process that, if done manually, would require an immense amount of resources and hands-on work.
“This is an extraordinary syndication contract and set of requirements,” said Ooyala General Manager of EMEA, Rags Gupta, “Today, TV whether online or linear, and especially for sports, is in a constant state of immediacy, requiring broadcasters and publishers to rethink very foundational systems and processes that have worked for decades. Without Flex and the art of automation for Sky Sport’s unique use case, they would not be able to meet the syndication demands from the PL.”
“Ooyala Flex gives us the confidence, and frankly, the capability to meet the Premier League’s requirements,” said Phil Marshall, Head of In-House production at Sky Sports. “There’s no question that automation has a significant role in video production today. Using Ooyala Flex, we’re able to meet the complex demands associated with this project”.
More Information:
To learn more about Ooyala’s solutions for the biggest challenges in video today, including media logistics for video production, its video suite for OTT delivery and analytics, as well as its ad-tech platforms, visit Ooyala.com. Also, for further industry trends please visit Videomind and follow us @Videomind and @Ooyala.
About Sky:
Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 21 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.
Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).
For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate
About Ooyala:
Ooyala helps deliver content that connects. A US-based subsidiary of global telecommunications and IT services company Telstra, Ooyala's comprehensive suite of offerings includes one of the world's largest premium video platforms, a leading ad serving and programmatic platform and a media logistics solution to improve video production workflows. Built with superior analytics capabilities for advanced business intelligence and a strong commitment to customers’ success, Ooyala's industry-leading end-to-end solutions help large-scale broadcasters, operators, media companies, enterprises and brands build more engaged and more profitable audiences, and monetize video and TV with personalized, interactive experiences across any screen.