Remote production gains ground as broadcasters seek lower costs, less on-site crew

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As broadcasters seek to reduce costs and carbon footprints, remote production continues to gain favor in the media and entertainment sector. However, experts point to complex trade-offs between potential savings and new infrastructure requirements that complicate the economic equation.
“Remote production of live content is transformative,” noted Sergio Ammirata, founder and chief scientist at SipRadius. “Sending only minimal crews to an event and streaming all sources back to a central production base slashes the cost and carbon footprint, and massively boosts the utilization of expensive production technology.”
The shift toward remote production accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, but technical and operational challenges remain.
“The transition from traditional broadcast engineering to IT-based systems represents perhaps the biggest cultural and technical shift our industry has seen. Training broadcast engineers to be comfortable with networking concepts and managing complex IP infrastructures will be crucial,” said Russell Johnson, director at Hitomi Broadcast.
Infrastructure costs are a significant consideration for broadcasters when evaluating remote production strategies.
“The core challenge is the need to meet the ever-growing expectations of the audience while driving down costs. IP-based workflows deliver against both requirements, but such a complete transformation inevitably involves upfront investment against long-term cost savings. The challenge for broadcasters is to carefully align their investment program with their strategic priorities,” said Peder Boberg, product owner at Intinor.
Technical reliability remains paramount, particularly for live events such as major sporting events or concerts. Of course, we all saw the issues with technical reliability on full display during a boxing match on Netflix last fall.
“For almost 80 years traditional television has built an expectation in the minds of audiences for seamless, high-quality, low latency, uninterrupted delivery. New entrants into the market have to recognize and respect these expectations, while providing engaging audio and video under enormous cost pressures,” Boberg said.
The economics of remote production appear particularly compelling for smaller-scale productions.
“IP-based workflows open the door for improved lower-tier sport leagues coverage by eliminating the need for a full production unit. The live audio commentary, graphic overlays, and even full production can often be managed remotely. The flexibility and reduced entry cost make live broadcasts of niche market events more competitive,” said Vincent Noyer, director of product marketing at Lynx Technik.
Network infrastructure plays a crucial role in remote production success.
Ciro Noronha, president of RIST Forum, noted the cost of bandwidth decreasing, making remote production more practical in the year ahead.
“Connectivity is becoming available to everyone at a lower price… This trend makes remote production more appealing for broadcasters, allowing them to save on travel costs and re-use equipment where they couldn’t before,” said Noronha.
However, the transition requires new skill sets and workflows.
“To be successful, production technologists need to add to their skillsets network and transport stream skills, aided by highly automated systems,” Ammirata said.
“One of the greatest values in an IP-based workflow is the ability to reduce location-based workflows meaning that IP allows for more location-independent operations. IP-based workflows will allow talent to remain in larger metropolitan areas where overall employment cost are higher, but will allow for production teams to be located in lower-cost locations in the countries,” said Philip Grossman, VP of business development and solutions architecture at DigitalGlue.
The environmental benefits of remote production add another dimension to the cost-benefit analysis.
“Broadcasters are moving from shipping multiple aircraft loads of equipment to employing streamlined fly-packs with remote workflows,” Johnson said.
The shift toward remote production also impacts equipment utilization and facility design.
“With Globecast’s recent move, we went from 20+ satellite antennas to just two, using other facilities to service our other satellite requirements. Our recent move from a 1985 building to a much newer one with more efficient HVAC systems is also helpful. The key point is that sustainability is a significant economic benefit so it’s not an ‘either/or’ situation,” said Tim Jackson, SVP of sales and marketing at Globecast.
Looking ahead, industry experts expect continued evolution of remote production technologies and practices.
“IP increasingly makes economic sense for operations of all sizes and is helping accelerate the move toward remote and cloud-based production thanks to SMPTE ST 2110 and the native IP protocols used for contribution to cloud. The natural synthesis between 2110 and JPEG XS was proven on the world stage at the Paris Games, and we’ve also seen extensive use of H.264 via SRT in cases where the cost vs. bandwidth trade-off favors higher compression,” said Steve Reynolds, CEO of Imagine Communications.
As broadcasters evaluate remote production strategies, the focus increasingly falls on finding the right balance between cost savings and production quality.
“The upside is that they are not encumbered by traditional infrastructure and can build the best workflows to meet their requirements, working with companies like Intinor to deliver exceptional experiences cost-effectively, without compromising quality,” Boberg said.
While remote production offers clear benefits regarding cost reduction and environmental impact, success requires careful consideration of infrastructure requirements, staff training and quality expectations. As technology evolves and connectivity costs decline, remote production appears likely to expand beyond its current applications, allowing events of all scales to reach new audiences.
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tags
Ciro Noronha, Globecast, Hitomi Broadcast, Imagine Communications, Intinor, Lynx Technik, Peder Boberg, Philip Grossman, Remote Production, RIST Forum, Russell Johnson, Sergio Ammirata, SipRadius, Steve Reynolds, sustainability, Tim Jackson, Vincent Noyer
categories
Broadcast Engineering, Broadcast Facility Technology, Heroes, IP Based Production, Remote Production