by barry hartman

Content providers are in a mad dash , aiming to be first to market and first in the hearts , minds and wallets of their audiences . To stand out and get ahead of the pack , they must maximise content output and achieve the greatest possible ROI from their video . So far , the result of this competition has been a raft of innovation , changing the video market rapidly .

It ’ s hard to recall a time when video streaming wasn ’ t commonplace , which makes it all the more incredible that this is a technology barely in its second decade . According to Cisco , Internet video streaming and downloads have already started to take a larger share of bandwidth and will grow to more than 80 % of all consumer Internet traffic by 2020 .

Rather than innovation slowing down , as you might expect as technology progresses , the pace of broadcast innovation continues to gather momentum , and broadcasters are still investing heavily in new solutions to help them keep

Video supply chain management — also known as media logistics — has become an essential means to support the process of content creation , production and video syndication .

nies deploying sophisticated strategies , as well as small companies looking simply to expand beyond YouTube . Syndication of content to multiple endpoints is now a critical requirement .

But , while sending one video to perhaps three different platforms sounds simple enough on paper , challenges persist . If content creators and broadcasters are to maintain their position or speed forward , it is this aspect of the puzzle that must be locked into place .

Without a streamlined method for syndication , companies risk falling at the first hurdle — and opportunities for further innovation will be quashed .

Video supply chain management — also known as media logis tics — has become an essential means to support the process

up with the competition . A primary need today is to find quicker , more efficient , and more cost-effective methods to create and distribute premium content .

A general challenge is managing content volume .

As industry demand for content has surged , personalised video appetites have grown , and distribution outlets have multiplied . Keeping up with customer demand necessitates an increase in output while simultaneously managing limited resources and increased costs , measuring appropriate results and maintaining agility .

This might not cause such difficulty if funds were limitless , but in many cases , budgets and resources have remained flat or even decreased . That has put more pressure on content producers to find the most efficient way possible to increase their output and syndication of content and , ultimately , grow revenues .

With this in mind , amplifying content has become a 360-degree effort across platforms , something which is true for both large compaof

content creation , production and video syndication .

Such platforms provide a single source of truth across all aspects of operations , enabling the visibility needed to more efficiently produce , edit , process , transform , and deliver video assets and their data .

As an outcome , companies can build workflows with customised functionality and capabilities , and increase acquisition and distribution partners in less time and with less expense .

Many content companies struggle to support the pace of content growth with the tools they currently have . They remain burdened with disparate systems that cannot talk to or work with each other , and inherently incorporate a deluge of manual tasks .

As a result , they have limited

visibility into their operations . They ’ re also struggling to meet ever-changing distributor requirements and content packaging demands .

These challenges inhibit efficiency and collaboration , and reduce flexibility as market needs evolve , monetisation models change , and distribution outlets continue to grow .

However , a modern syndication workflow enables successful orchestration of many complex processes and ties each step together in an automated , cohesive and efficient way — whether they involve human or machine tasks , or a combination of these .

In a market where constant innovation is pushing companies to progress faster than they might evolve otherwise , it is only with the right technology tools that companies can gain a single , unobstructed vantage point to view all activities , address issues , and understand how to optimise their operations .

Barry Hartman is product director at Ooyala .