U.S. media group Meredith Corporation has chosen to standardize its workflow on Avid’s MediaCentral® Platform. Over a six-year period, Avid will upgrade 10 stations, install new Avid workflows at two additional stations, and enable Meredith to migrate to a virtualized environment, reducing costs and boosting efficiency while also benefiting from the advantage of adopting a common platform across the enterprise.
Meredith’s Local Media Group includes 17 owned or operated television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith’s portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation’s Top 25–including Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis and Portland–and 13 in Top 50 markets. Its stations produce 700 hours of local news and entertainment every week, delivering 24/7 news coverage on digital, mobile and broadcast platforms in large, high-growth markets. Faced with the pressures of operating in a digital environment, Meredith needed to upgrade its aging infrastructure and reduce expenditures. A mix of disparate news production equipment at different stations made technology upgrades, support, training and planning complicated and expensive.
Meredith’s enterprise-wide adoption of Avid’s MediaCentral Platform will help the media company overcome these challenges. With a single platform across the enterprise and planned upgrades every two years, Meredith’s stations will benefit from advanced tools and workflows for enterprise-wide search and content sharing, and for embracing social media.
“Avid is a leader in the broadcast news industry and has been a trusted partner for many years,” said Larry Oaks, VP of Technology at Meredith. “By standardizing on Avid’s platform, we have a one-stop shop for all our technology, support and training needs across our newsrooms, which will enable us to reduce costs, save a great deal of time and effort, and give us the tools we need to succeed in today’s digital environment.”
Meredith’s new workflow comprises Avid’s comprehensive tools and workflow solutions to create, deliver and optimize media, including Avid NEXIS®, the media industry’s first and only software-defined storage platform, MediaCentral | UX, the cloud-based, web front end for the MediaCentral Platform, Avid Interplay® | Production for asset management, and Avid iNEWS® and iNEWS | Command for newsroom management. Meredith will use Media | Distribute to deliver content to social media channels, as well as Media Composer® | Cloud Remote and Media Composer | NewsCutter® Option for nonlinear editing, and Avid AirSpeed® video servers. Avid Professional Services will provide installation, support and customized enterprise-wide training.
“Meredith is the latest member of Avid’s growing community of preeminent customers to adopt an enterprise-wide single platform approach,” said Jeff Rosica, president at Avid. “With Avid’s flexible commercial options and deployment models, Meredith can keep its stations and staff at the forefront of technology, virtualize its infrastructure, and respond quickly to new challenges and opportunities–all while reducing costs.”
“Dune: Part Two” and “House of the Dragon” Win 2 HPA Awards Apiece
Dune: Part Two and House of the Dragon each scored two HPA Awards during a gala ceremony at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday night (11/7). The HPA Awards honor trailblazing talent in the postproduction industry, celebrating standout achievements in color grading, sound, editing, restoration, and visual effects across theatrical features, commercials, and episodics.
Dune: Part Two topped the Outstanding Color Grading--Live Action Theatrical Feature and the Outstanding Sound--Theatrical Feature categories.
House of the Dragon’s two wins were for “The Red Dragon and the Gold” episode which scored for Outstanding Visual Effects--Live Action Episode or Series Season, and Outstanding Editing--Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (Over 30 Minutes). In the latter HPA Creative Category, House of the Dragon tied with the “Part Six: Far,l Far Away” episode of Ahsoka.
The HPA’s Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation honored Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour. This recognition celebrates the profound impact on both live and filmed entertainment that defined The Eras Tour, underscoring its exceptional impact on audiences and the industry. The jury issued a statement outlining their choice: “Celebrated as the cultural phenomenon of 2023, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour set new records in box office sales, tour revenues, and attendance. The tour showcased exceptional artistry and innovation, making a profound impact on both live and filmed entertainment.”
This year, FotoKem was awarded the Charles S. Swartz Award for its role in supporting filmmakers, studios, cinematographers, and artists across diverse film and media landscapes. Also celebrated... Read More