Avid's Integrated Production Workflow Revolutionizes Nine Network Australia's Content Creation

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Nine Network Australia, one of the five free-to-air broadcasters in the country, was facing a significant challenge in producing high-quality, creative, and regionalized promotional content under tight deadlines. The network had expanded its service regions and added more channels, while also transitioning from analog to digital signaling. This growth, coupled with the industry's shift to file-based media acquisition and distribution, increased the pressure on Nine Network to produce up to 300 promotional content pieces per day. The network's existing production setup, an aging, tape-based system with disconnected storage architecture, was struggling to keep up with the volume and pace. The lack of integration and outdated systems were stifling creativity, reducing productivity, and making it difficult to target specific audiences and demographics. The network needed a solution that would streamline their production process, eliminate points of failure, and allow for last-minute creative changes without impacting schedules.

Nine Network Australia is a terrestrial broadcaster based in Sydney. It was the first to hit the air among the five free-to-air broadcasters that serve the Australian population of 23 million. The network has a rich history dating back to 1956 and dominates the market. In the first decade of the 2000s, Nine Network expanded its service regions from five to seven and added more channels to its service mix. The network is known for its high-quality promotional content for popular programs like The Voice, Australia’s Got Talent, and Wide World of Sports. However, the network's growth and the industry's shift to digital signaling and file-based media acquisition and distribution increased the pressure on Nine Network to produce more promotional content under tighter deadlines.

Nine Network turned to Avid, a trusted vendor with whom they had an established relationship, to replace their outdated systems. Avid provided an integrated, end-to-end production workflow built upon the Avid MediaCentral platform. The solution included a configuration of audio, proxy, and high-resolution workflows supported by a new shared storage server. The network transitioned from creating promos on three disconnected Unity systems to one powerful ISIS, streamlining file sharing and increasing collaboration. The Avid solution enabled cross-platform sharing of media across multiple platforms, setting Nine Network up for further expansion in the future. The new configuration drove a six-step production workflow that streamlined scheduling, file ingest, editorial production, audio engineering, versioning, and delivery. The process required almost no manual data entry or file management, improving tracking and accountability, and allowing the network to publish promos closer to airtime.

• The implementation of Avid's integrated production workflow has significantly improved Nine Network's operational efficiency. The new system has eliminated the need for duplication of effort and reduced downtime from system failure. The network now has a reliable infrastructure that supports growth and flexibility. The streamlined workflow has also unleashed creativity within the network. Editors can now make changes to a promo simply by moving a sequence into an Interplay | Production folder and alerting the right team member. This has allowed the network to add more polish and pizzazz to promotional content, version it to better target different regions and audiences, and turn them around in a fraction of the time. The network is now confident in its ability to innovate and stay ahead of the industry's evolution.

• Increased production capacity to up to 300 promotional content pieces per day
• Streamlined file sharing and increased collaboration across multiple platforms
• Reduced manual data entry and file management