Alibaba hosts Olympic broadcasting services in the cloud
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Editor
| 29 July 2021
Delivering on an agreement signed almost three years ago, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Alibaba have announced that for the Tokyo Games they are providing service delivery for rights-holding broadcasters (RHBs) in the cloud for the first time.
OBS Alibaba MCR 29 July2021
Built upon the platform provided by Alibaba Cloud, OBS Cloud will offer new models for content delivery that drive operational efficiency and greater agility. A broadcasting solution brought together by OBS and Alibaba, and operating entirely on the cloud, OBS Cloud, is designed to help transform the media industry for the digital era.

By using Alibaba technologies, Content+, the OBS content delivery platform is now fully migrated to the cloud for delivering short-form content, content asset management and content production. During Tokyo 2020, between 7,000 and 9,000 short-form content clips are expected to be produced by the OBS Content+ crew to help enhance RHB coverage. 17 RHB organisations and four news agencies have subscribed to the full service of receiving those clips through a user-friendly web-based interface. Clips generated can be accessed by the RHBs’ digital and social media teams from any location in the world to supplement their own Olympic coverage.

Through Content+, RHBs will be able to access all Olympic content produced by the OBS including live content as it is being produced. 31 RHB organisations have signed up for this full service to be able to easily browse through the low-resolution files in near real-time, and retrieve any content in any of their global facilities. In addition, two RHBs will receive live distribution of Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and IP video and Audio package during Tokyo 2020, allowing them to deliver 4K content to their viewers.

The access to live coverage allows RHBs to mark part of the live content and download it for their own post-production needs, simultaneously when the games are still happening. As part of post-production workflow, OBS will also use the Content+ platform for remote editing and standards conversion; a feature that will be extended as a service to the RHBs for future Olympics.

“The partnership with Alibaba Cloud is transforming how we broadcast the Olympic Games to the widest possible audience,” explained OBS chief executive officer Yiannis Exarchos. “This is perhaps the biggest technological change in the broadcasting industry for more than half a century since the introduction of satellite transmission, which was introduced to Olympic broadcast coverage for the first time at Tokyo 1964.”

“We are confident that OBS Cloud will deliver tremendous benefits to media organisations in terms of cost-efficiency and worldwide manageability, and help digitally transform the way RHBs broadcast the Olympic Games,” added Selina Yuan, general manager of International business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.

“The agility that comes with cloud infrastructure allows faster deployment time with fewer onsite resources, while the flexibility of a cloud platform enables remote post-production and production to be done faster – and from any location with an internet connection. We look forward to seeing the future of Olympic Games broadcasting begin at Tokyo 2020.”