Live streaming and the deficit of skilled labour in broadcast IT
The advent of live streaming has proved a massive game-changer in numerous ways over the last few years, but perhaps no more so than in changing how businesses interact with their customers. Periscope, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram and Facebook Live are giving broadcasters of all kinds the chance to communicate directly and instantly with audiences across the globe and, most importantly, nurture a more intimate and immediate relationship with those fans and followers.
However, it has become apparent that many smaller organisations are missing out on the opportunities that live streaming offers simply because they lack the much-needed broadcast IT skills.
The traditional role of a production technical manager has changed drastically over the past five years. The growth in IP production workflows, OTT distribution and a myriad other production options means many beleaguered, multi-tasking production managers have needed to become broadcast IT experts – but learning on the job and hoping for the best means most are now facing impossible challenges. Changes are happening so fast that keeping up with the opportunities that new tech and broadcast developments offer is a full-time job in itself.
Detailed technical knowledge is now required to operate within an IP based workflow, to deal with on-site encoding, remote commentary requirements, cloud distribution and all the other nuts and bolts involved in implementing a successful live stream.
That’s where companies like Volcano City come in – with a “Live Stream Control” team that can give would-be broadcasters access to expertise and technical infrastructure as and when it’s needed, without having to organise, develop and pay for such resources in-house.
What most companies need – even if they don’t know it – is a floating department that encompasses and understands the goals of multiple teams – production, social media and marketing. This isn’t just efficient from a technical perspective, it also saves money and aligns resources, and makes it easier to future-proof and scale.
