Chris McCarthy, vice president, media solutions at TMT Insights, on why a cloud first approach is driving development in the media and entertainment industry
By Contributor
Published: August 9, 2024 Updated: August 12, 2024
Chris McCarthy, vice president, media solutions at TMT Insights, on why a cloud first approach is driving development in the media and entertainment industry
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Chris McCarthy, vice president, media solutions at TMT Insights, on why a cloud first approach is driving development in the media and entertainment industry
https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/opinion-why-the-right-approach-is-essential-to-successful-cloud-migration title=Share via Email class=share-email>
For an industry accustomed to measuring success in terms of product firmware updates and software versions, the pace of cloud migration across media and entertainment has been an interesting case study in iterative implementation.
Chris McCarthy, TMT Insights vice president, media solutions Our industry has moved past earlier concerns about the cloud, such as security, data speed, and content access. Companies that not long ago would have said, Cloud? Never! are realising the cloud is the future if they want to remain competitive. They have done the maths and found that cloud technologies are now viable supply chain platforms.
The industry conversation surrounding the cloud has clearly shifted from if to when. The days of wondering whether it makes sense to move to the cloud at all are behind us. The right migration path has to make sense for the whole organisation, as well as its partners and customers. There's no one-size-fits-all plan for everyone.
Some companies are wrestling with which aspects of their business should go to the cloud first, others are phasing their cloud migration while still harbouring concerns about moving on from their familiar processes and operational workflows. Even those that are still all SDI/baseband at least have the cloud on their radar. Regardless of where the industry is on its cloud journey, one constant is that the cloud is forcing people to think differently and examine their workflows more closely than they ever have.
According to a 2023 report on cloud adoption by Forrester, of all the M&E companies surveyed:
73% are running at least one application in the cloud.
57% use the cloud for storage
52% use the cloud for content piracy protection
92% say cloud adoption has been successful
The state of cloud migration What new concerns or issues could possibly hold back the next wave of Cloud 3.0, 4.0 or beyond?
In the early phases of M&E's cloud migration, most companies focused on determining what content in their library archives would move to the cloud, even as a backup at first while still maintaining their on-premise infrastructure. With many having completed that initial phase, the next step is building out supply chains in the cloud to make full use of the content that's already been or will be, moved to the cloud. Now the big questions centre on how to ingest directly to the cloud, conduct processing in the cloud instead of on-premise, and then archive everything for easy access and use.
Even distribution is moving more to the cloud. Many companies that used to be concerned about egress costs and delivery logistics negating the cloud's value are now seeing that more distribution endpoints and platforms are also in the cloud. They don't have to deliver anything externally or pay egress fees. They can copy a piece of media with associated metadata from one bucket to another in the cloud.
Most downstream elements of the media supply chain, like archive or distribution, have already moved to the cloud. Now M&E professionals are more focused on looking further upstream in the supply chain towards cloud-based production and post-production - two areas traditionally viewed as on-premise only.
Virtual production still requires some level of hardware and people on-site, but the bigger benefit is that teams can be located anywhere around the world and still collaborate seamlessly on a remote production. Content goes directly to the cloud and then, once it's there, the idea is that it stays there along with the rest of the downstream process.
A successful cloud migration also integrates the necessary change management procedures and any potential ripple effects across an organisation. Unlike a newly launched shop that likely started as cloud-native, more established organisations may have to manage operations and technology professionals who have worked for decades with easy access to hardware and are uncomfortable adapting to virtual environments. In these situations, it's critical to maintain an open dialogue between management and teams to clearly communicate the benefits of change and to offer any training or support employees need.
The most significant challenge many companies still face is not having a solid cloud migration plan to make sure they receive all the benefits while avoiding any pitfalls. Organisations that have decided to move to the cloud must approach migration holistically, not only in terms of the physical movement of media assets but also the usable metadata that goes along with that. Moving to the cloud is a big step. Companies can't expect to flip a switch and have everything work exactly as it did before.
Just as we've moved on from asking whether we migrate to the cloud at all, in the not-too-distant future, the only discussion will be around what elements do I still have on-premise and how do I get them into the cloud - basically the inverse of what we have today.
That's a bright forecast for an industry with a cloudy future.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
09/06/2026
Last month, Spotify hosted PURE FLOWERS LIVE, a special event celebrating the re...
09/06/2026
Last month, RADAR U.K. artist Skye Newman took the stage in East London for a sp...
09/06/2026
Company to cease operating on 30 June 2026
Australian loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer Wayne Jones Audio have announced that after much consideration,...
09/06/2026
Increases low-end weight and character
The latest plug-in release from Sheffield-based fedDSP aims to offer an all-in-one solution for users in search of mo...
09/06/2026
Introduces AI Studio Assistant, Moises Studio integration & more
Fender Studio have just announced the launch a significant update that brings an array of n...
09/06/2026
The BBC has found its Hercule Poirot.
After Deadline revealed last month that t...
09/06/2026
X-Rite Pantone Launches Offset360 to Modernize Color Control Across Existing Pre...
09/06/2026
09 Jun 2026
VEON Appoints Serkan Ozturk as Chief of Staff & Strategy Officer Dubai and New York, June 9, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital oper...
09/06/2026
Tuesday 9 June 2026
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a candid and unfiltered accou...
09/06/2026
Enni Continues to Rely on Arvato Systems - And Will Be Using AEP.EnerS4 Billing Solution
Arvato Systems to implement transformation project for SAP S/4HANA Ut...
09/06/2026
These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora
This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...
08/06/2026
At Spotify, our commitment to the LGBTQIA community is year-round. Through GLOW, our global music program, we celebrate and amplify the contributions of queer ...
08/06/2026
Get Hands-on With Keyboard & Synth Brands
GearExpo UK wouldn't be complete without some synth action, and we've got some of the industry's most ...
08/06/2026
50 popular in-ear monitoring system profiles added
The latest update for IK Multimedia's headphone-correction system has just arrived, and introduces ca...
08/06/2026
Manny Marroquin signature cans upgraded with SLAM Technology
The flagship model in Audeze's Manny Marroquin Signature Series has just been treated to an...
08/06/2026
Air domain supremacy redefined - New counter UAS, space solutions and directiona...
08/06/2026
he BBC and BritBox have announced that Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My ...
08/06/2026
Plus, 20% off TVs ahead of kick-offMonday 8 June 2026
Sky introduces Real Time...
08/06/2026
FOX Secures Live NFL Game Package in Mexico Starting in Fall 2026 Agreement Features Thursday Night Football, Sunday Games Package, Thanksgiving Day Games, al...
08/06/2026
FOX One, FOX Sports and Indeed Name Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto as FOX One C...
08/06/2026
Meet us on the show floor
Stand #286310 Discover Nara, the media management tool used by major facilities including Harbor and Molinare.
Nara v2 introduces re...
08/06/2026
L'art de l'Image dans Reflet dans un diamant mort' Une conversation avec le directeur de la photographie Manuel Dacosse, SBC et l' talonneur Pe...
08/06/2026
Embracing today's modern media workflows: FilmLight presents Nara 2.0, with FilmLight API Designed to support the growing demands of today's production ...
08/06/2026
Moderated by Andy Minuth, FilmLight's Colour Workflow Specialist
Wednesday 18 February
6:00pm / Doors open
7:00pm / Presentation in German
8:00pm / Drin...
08/06/2026
Join us on April 14 at 10:00am for a technical roundtable with the Filmlight dev...
08/06/2026
You're invited to FLAPI Classroom The fundamentals of coding and machine-assisted development
These sessions will help you build the skills needed to cre...
08/06/2026
With Sylvain Canaux (St Louis, Paris) and J r me Cloutier (MELS, Montreal)
Wednesday 6 May
Pick your time: 1:00PM / 5:00PM
Note: The presentation will be hel...
08/06/2026
FilmLight, 1107 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles
Doors open at 3:30pm
Join the FilmLight team on June 9th at 4pm to learn how FilmLight products and APIs can stre...
08/06/2026
The Creators List launched to Help Brands Connect With Top Creators In CannesThe curated directory launched by Tubefilter, Comscore, Whalar Group and Gospel Sta...
08/06/2026
Irish YouTube star DavidMC joins Aisling O'Reilly to tackle all things socce...
07/06/2026
Company introduce 21 new protective covers
Decksaver have just announced their Sping 2026 Drop, which sees a total of 21 new models added to their ever-grow...
07/06/2026
Sunday 7 June 2026
Dynamo Vs Houdini comes to Sky later this year
The last time the world saw Dynamo, he buried himself alive. This weekend, he returned.
Mom...
06/06/2026
Check Out Leading Monitor Brands
We'll have monitors of all shapes and sizes at GearExpo UK, so whether you're looking to upgrade or expand your set...
06/06/2026
Two Originals offerings join MPC line-up
Following on from their partnership announcement at NAMM 2026, Spitfire Audio and Akai Pro have announced the relea...
05/06/2026
Built from the same recordings as flagship library
Sonuscore's LUX Orchestral Strings has been met with widespread praise since its launch in late 2025,...
05/06/2026
High-end converter, interface & headphone amp upgraded
Said to represent the next evolution of RME's all-in-one reference converter concept, the all-new...
05/06/2026
Win a Soundgas Type 636P & Type G preamps
Soundgas, one of the UK's leading vintage and boutique audio equipment specialists have just announced the lau...
05/06/2026
New leadership of Technology Systems Division at Rohde & Schwarz On July 1, 2026, Hansj rg Herrbold and Andreas H gele will take over as Executive Vice Presid...
05/06/2026
Hitachi and Intel announced a strategic collaboration to explore opportunities t...
05/06/2026
05 Jun 2026
VEON's Kyivstar to Expand Digital Mobility Ecosystem with Acqui...
05/06/2026
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards to take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026, Vicar Street, Dublin
Moya Brennan, D nal Lunny, Mary Black and Christy Moore among previou...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
Chris McCarthy, vice president, media solutions at TMT Insights, on why a cloud first approach is driving development in the media and entertainment industry
