ViacomCBS adopts AWS to transform content creation and delivery
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Editor
| 08 December 2020
Just hot on the heels of inking a similar for MGM Studios, AWS has been chosen as the preferred cloud provider for ViacomCBS’s global broadcast media operations to power one of the largest digital transformations in the media and entertainment industry.
ViacomCBS Culturegaming 8Dec2020
Under the terms of the strategic agreement, ViacomCBS will migrate operations for its entire broadcast footprint, which spans 425 linear television channels and 40 global data and media centres, to the leading cloud platform. This is one of the first such large-scale transformations in the media and entertainment industry. The migration is designed to enable ViacomCBS to drive greater efficiencies and cost savings, simplify access to content for its licensing partners, and reliably deliver new viewing experiences to consumers by broadcasting and streaming content on any device.

ViacomCBS will use AWS infrastructure and cloud capabilities including serverless, containers, databases, media services, analytics and machine learning, to build a cloud-based broadcast and media supply chain operating model. This new cloud-based hub is attributed with helping the broadcaster spin up new channels faster, dynamically assemble live content to optimise delivery over any distribution channel, add image and video analysis to applications and automate workflows.

In its new setup, the media giant plans to use AWS Elemental media services as well as AWS machine learning technologies, including Amazon Rekognition (AWS’s service that adds intelligent image and video analysis to applications) and Amazon SageMaker (AWS’s service for building, training, and deploying machine learning models. Deployment of these services is designed to scale quickly video processing resources, automate workflows and predict audience preferences.

This is said to aid ViacomCBS in producing and streaming dynamic content and enabling efficient national and local news distribution on its CBSN and CBS News’s 24/7 digital streaming services.

“We are expanding our strategic relationship with AWS to support our industry-leading technology and operations transformation,” explained Phil Wiser, executive vice president and chief technology officer at ViacomCBS.

“With AWS, we will be able to automate and streamline our processes for content production, licensing, and distribution to consumer streaming services and innovate faster to deliver improved customer experiences. We are thinking and acting aggressively to build on the major disruptions that ViacomCBS is bringing to the market with our leading global content and services. AWS’s deep portfolio of services will help us unleash the power of content in new and interesting ways that benefit our advertisers, licensing partners, and streaming services.”

“We are excited to deepen our relationship with ViacomCBS to redefine video delivery of media and entertainment content for global audiences across any platform,” added Greg Pearson, vice president, worldwide commercial sales at Amazon Web Services. “Moving its broadcast media operations to AWS gives ViacomCBS the agility to lower costs, take advantage of new distribution models, and drive efficiency and innovation across its entire global media operations.”