Is the media industry delivering on sustainability?

From reducing transcoding compute requirements to embracing a circular economy, TVBEurope hears from key figures within the media tech industry about their approaches to sustainability and which initiatives are helping them make a positive impact

By Contributor

Published: May 11, 2023 Updated: May 19, 2023

From reducing transcoding compute requirements to embracing a circular economy, TVBEurope hears from key figures within the media tech industry about their approaches to sustainability and which initiatives are helping them make a positive impact

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The media and entertainment industry is uniquely positioned to influence public perception and inspire change, and as a result, it's essential that the sector focuses on and actively promotes environmental sustainability. By demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable practices and utilising cutting-edge green technologies, the industry can not only reduce its own carbon footprint but also inspire other industries to raise their game.

To understand how and where progress is being made, TVBEurope asked some key figures within the industry to explain their approach to sustainability and which initiatives are helping them make a positive impact.

Remote production boosts sustainability and drives financial benefits The pandemic introduced remote production with fewer people and trucks sent to an event producing sustainability and financial side benefits, states John Wastcoat, SVP alliances and marketing at Zixi.

We've introduced electric vehicles, biodiesel/hydrogen-powered generators, plant-based catering and increased remote functions. We've moved 24/7-powered production control rooms, whether in use or not, to the cloud on an as-needed basis using virtualised workflows that save energy.

Several years ago, it was common to provide data throughput of 100Mb/s per computer core, but we've undertaken some innovative engineering to take this up to 1Gb/s in the latest version of Zixi software, adds Wastcoat.

Recent industry data from the DPP suggests that while sustainability is still a target, implementation is driven by ROI. If it delivers economic benefits, it will be actioned; if it doesn't, it won't.

Initiatives such as our work with CPU throughput and re-architecting cloud workflows for greater efficiency ticks both boxes, adds Wastcoat, allowing organisations to save costs and be greener simultaneously.

Intelligent overlays revolutionise live content Sustainability is one of Singular.live's core values; it was at the heart of our conception as a platform that dramatically lowers emissions by eliminating the need for dedicated hardware and transportation, comments Mike Ward, head of marketing at Singular.live.

We are revolutionising live content with Intelligent Overlays a more sustainable and accessible way of adding graphics to live productions, he continues. Since our platform is natively browser-based, this not only fulfils the goals of live sports production teams needing to pivot to remote distributed workflows but also helps outside broadcasts deliver on carbon reduction targets. We empower broadcasters to deliver graphics without the need to invest in expensive infrastructure, additional studio space, large production teams or any shipping costs.

Ward adds: Recently, we launched our uno product that provides a lower-cost, easier-to-use version of Singular to open it up to a broader audience to give even more people access to the tools via a lost-cost model.

Delivering low-energy, sustainable streaming We are proud members of Greening of Streaming and we are chairing the compression working group, which is helping to shape the Low Energy Sustainable Streaming (LESS) Accord recommendations that will aim to help services reduce end-to-end energy consumption, says Fabio Murra, SVP product and marketing at V-Nova.

LCEVC is proven to reduce transcoding compute requirements by up to 3x in many configurations, but there are a range of technologies, both compression and otherwise, which must be considered as part of a complete system to ensure that improving one element of a workflow does not have unforeseen negative consequences elsewhere.

We are committed to working with our colleagues in GoS, along with customers and partners, to better understand the effects of these technologies and to continue refining them to help move us all towards more sustainable video delivery, states Murra.

Committing to sustainable operations and cloud workflows In order to minimise our impact, we continuously monitor various aspects of our operations, including reusing and recycling, reducing water and power consumption, and purchasing materials and resources that come from renewable sources whenever possible. We also support our live systems as long as possible well beyond the usual depreciation period, explains Pebble's director of sales and marketing, Alison Pavitt. Moreover, our customers using Pebble solutions for hybrid cloud workflows benefit from the environmental economies of scale provided by cloud providers.

In recognition of our sustainable practices, we received the DPP Committed to Sustainability Mark in May 2021. Our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, minimising waste, and promoting sustainable practices will remain a top priority for us. As we continue to grow, we will integrate more sustainable procedures into our business model and encourage our stakeholders to do the same.

Balancing streaming efficiency with carbon footprint reduction Remi Beaudouin, chief strategy officer at Ateme, believes the industry is increasingly aware of the need to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2021 Ateme was one of several companies that worked together to create Greening of Streaming - a forum to share be

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