Avid Technology > Case Studies > Al Jazeera's Transformation: Building a Global News Network with Avid

Al Jazeera's Transformation: Building a Global News Network with Avid

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Technology Category
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services
  • Sensors - Camera / Video Systems
Applicable Industries
  • Cement
  • Education
Applicable Functions
  • Facility Management
  • Quality Assurance
Use Cases
  • Personnel Tracking & Monitoring
  • Virtual Training
Services
  • System Integration
  • Training
About The Customer
Al Jazeera is one of the world’s largest news organizations with over 70 bureaus and around 4000 employees. The organization gathers news in an ever-changing and often volatile world. Its biggest challenge over the past few years has been to connect all those bureaus and be the first to break stories for its multi-lingual audiences. Al Jazeera embarked on an ambitious transformation project to unify all their newsrooms, leveraging the power of the Avid MediaCentral platform to implement a new, unique and efficient approach to broadcasting news.
The Challenge
Al Jazeera, one of the world's largest news organizations, faced a significant challenge with its legacy system that was limiting growth and access to modern news gathering technologies. The system was nearing its end of life from a support perspective, and a major upgrade was required to keep the channel on-air. The organization's biggest challenge over the past few years has been to connect its over 70 bureaus and be the first to break stories for its multi-lingual audiences. The iNEWS legacy system was reaching end of life and was constraining growth, with no real potential for expansion to include new services and functionality. There were also many tasks that had to be carried out manually, taking up the time of creative operational staff.
The Solution
Al Jazeera embarked on an ambitious transformation project to unify all their newsrooms, leveraging the power of the Avid MediaCentral platform to implement a new, unique and efficient approach to broadcasting news. The main requirements for the new system was to upgrade to HD, based on what Elhusseini describes as “better orchestrated workflows” that are both fluid and efficient. A complete production chain was created using Avid iNEWS working with Interplay | Production (production asset management), ISIS 7500 storage, AirSpeed | 5500, Media Composer editing workstations, Avid MediaCentral | UX web-based cloud interface, Interplay | Capture scheduling and control and Interplay media services. The Interplay | Production system was selected so that material could be ingested, edited and played out in the newsroom, with full connectivity to other facilities. Essential but time-consuming procedures such as transcoding, file delivery and quality control (QC) have been automated to allow reporters, producers and technical staff to concentrate on their jobs.
Operational Impact
  • The new system has allowed Al Jazeera to embrace HD functionality and quality, retrain staff and remain on-air. The journalists were trained in the end-to-end video workflow, allowing them to edit video on the fly and search for clips. The aim is to use the transitional system as a stepping stone to a more inclusive and sophisticated Avid-based newsroom network that will link Doha to Al Jazeera's other broadcast centers, with all video material and supporting information available online for correspondents around the globe. The legacy system will continue to serve an important purpose by providing training facilities that will lead to the future of newsgathering for Al Jazeera.
Quantitative Benefit
  • The transitional installation is about 20 percent bigger than the system we had been using for 12 years, offering more inputs for playout.
  • The final system that went into service at the end of 2016 was designed very much around the needs of the users and is approximately 30 percent bigger again, with greater bandwidth and storage.

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