
Its NAB time again. As you make your way to Las Vegas this year spend a little time thinking about your MOM. No really.
You may be planning to assess Media Asset Management (MAM) product offerings - MAM remains one of the top investments that media operators make each year. As we have blogged previously we do not think that MAM, as an acronym or concept is broad enough for a modern media operation.
MAM tools providing content cataloguing, search and retrieval addressed the needs of digital transition initiatives from the late 1990s onwards and over the period became quite sophisticated. But as we head towards the 2020's the expected functionality is broader and include workflow automation, operator task management, and crucially the ability to be readily adaptable. More Media Operations Management than MAM.
MOM or MAM, here are six thoughts on assessing the vast number of product and service offerings likely to be on show at the Las Vegas Convention Centre this week.
Workflow and Task Management The operational effort savings resulting from automating tasks, particularly predicable and reputative tasks such as media format transcode, packaging and delivery / publishing are obvious, and many modern MAMs provide these. The addition of task management allows operators to create task driven workflow to support the day-to-day human operations. Is task management intrinsic to the product?
Flexibility through Configuration To meet ever-evolving operational and business requirements, the MOM needs to be adaptable. The data schema, the workflows, the video processing formats, delivery end-points and reporting should all be definable by systems administrators. There shouldn't be any need to contact the vendor to create scripts or write any software. Are the workflows operationally configurable?
Integration The most significant business benefits to be gained from implementing media operations management systems come from the integration of disparate systems. The integration of business and production systems streamlines, ensures accuracy and enables complete visibility of an end-to-end operation. Elements of integration may be required on legacy or in-house developed systems. Does the vendor have the capability - and inclination - to provide these important integration professional services? Beware those that tell you how easy it is for you to develop against their API or the platform's ability to readily subsume other systems. Does the vendor have a sound software system integration capability?
3rd Party Connectors Many very specialist systems and tools have evolved to support production processes and it is extremely useful to access these through the MOM. Does the given platform have a range of connectors to 3rd party products and services so that these can be seamlessly accessed, configured and controlled from within the system? These may include file QC tools, AI tools such as speech to text, or more prosaic traffic systems or proprietary HSM. How easy is it to add a new connector from the off the shelf' range to a live system? If the connectors aren't available, is the vendor willing to develop the connector and will you pay the standard connector cost or day rate for professional services? 3rd party connectors are essential in achieving efficiency. How are 3rd party systems and tools connected?
MOM and the Cloud You will likely also be considering how the MOM vendor offerings fit with your cloud strategy. You may envisage all or some of the MOM / MAM capability will be provisioned through cloud services - the benefits of scale and proportional costs are clear. Such assessment may warrant a more technical than operational examination. Does the solution fit into your cloud strategy?
Software Architecture Ensure that the tools and services running in the cloud are appropriately architected to deliver the benefits of cloud such as scale and the rapid provision of additional functional capability. It is highly likely that some services will be run on-prem' (unless your business infrastructure was born in the cloud). Properly architected cloud software runs quite happily on the ground, but the reverse is not true. It is not unfair to state that there are a number of offerings which were very clearly designed and built to run on a server on-prem' which have been shoehorned into the cloud on a VM. Not a huge problem if remote compute is all that is required, but scale and cost benefits will not come from such an implementation. Does the product architecture serve your purposes?
Implementation Support The power and flexibility that cloud services bring to media operations are being realised by some of the larger operators, but cloud can seem a long way up. A common and low-risk approach is the controlled migration of services into the cloud from the ground. Does the product or service under consideration support such an approach and does the vendor provide consulting and management services to support your operation on the journey'?
We would say all that wouldn't we? Blue Lucy is a complete solution provider - see BLAM at SL5025c. Other solution providers are available but there's one final question to consider; do they have the breadth of capability?
By Blue Lucy - April 6, 2018
Share this Twitter Its NAB time again. As you make your way to Las Vegas this year spend a little time thinking about your MOM. No really.
&source=BlueLucyMedia rel=noopener noreferrer target=_blank class=social-share-btn btn-linkedin mr-15 mb-15>Linkedin
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...