SPONSORED CONTENT | Presented by Skyview Networks
Ask a broadcast CFO where distribution sits, and the answer is almost always the same. It is a cost of doing business, a fixed line to be managed down, useful precisely because it is predictable. That framing has been correct for a long time. Aaron Mellis, SVP of Technology at Skyview Networks, sees it differently.
“We aimed to create a solution that provides greater flexibility and additional opportunities for revenue generation,” he says of Cirocast, Skyview’s cloud-native IP audio distribution platform. “Cirocast was designed to give broadcasters a faster positive ROI when compared to other platforms or even staying on satellite.”
Start with what comes off the books. Cirocast’s cloud-native distribution platform runs on infrastructure the broadcaster does not have to build, which means the capital expense of standing up and maintaining satellite uplinks, or a private data center, is not part of the plan. The hardware footprint shrinks inside and outside the facility, and with it the electric load, the outdoor lease costs, and the complex and expensive permitting that large uplink dishes require in metropolitan areas.
The receiver side moves in the same direction. Because the platform is hardware-agnostic, affiliate receivers can be sourced from certified devices that are meaningfully less expensive than satellite receiver hardware, and the broadcaster chooses based on market size, budget, and affiliate preference rather than on a single vendor’s roadmap.
Then there is the part that changes the character of the line item. Skyview Networks’ cloud-native IP audio distribution platform, local and regional spot playout happens in the cloud rather than on an edge device with an onboard hard drive. Nothing is stored at the affiliate, which removes local drive failures as a category of problem, simplifies what has to be maintained in the field, and produces as-played reporting for sales teams and traffic managers in near real time.
Every affiliate receives an individualized audio stream, customized with regionalized and localized network spot content. That is the revenue point. More granular localization means a network can target specific audiences and markets with more relevant advertising than a shared feed allows, and the scheduling, playout and reconciliation are handled inside the same platform, with integration into traffic and automation systems on the development roadmap.
There is an operating expense argument as well. Cirocast is a managed service. Skyview engineers handle the design, installation, setup, day-to-day support, and maintenance, which keeps broadcast and studio engineers on the work only they can do.
The full Cirocast white paper details the cost structure, the revenue mechanics, and the transition. Download it, or schedule a demonstration with a Cirocast sales engineer here.
This sponsored content was produced in partnership with Skyview Networks.
