Enhancing Entertainment Content Distribution with DAM Solutions

The leisure business is changing very rapidly. Streaming and other new technologies have changed how material is shared and watched. At the same time, an amazing amount of material is being made every day. For companies in this field, tracking and sharing all this information has become a significant hurdle.

That's why digital asset management (DAM) tools can be useful. A DAM system gives you a single location to store, organize, and share all the different types of files and assets that are needed to make entertainment content. It speeds up work processes, makes teamwork more effective, and most crucially, simplifies distribution across various platforms.

In this blog post, we will discuss how DAM is making it easier for entertainment companies to share material. We will cover the distribution problems they have now and how DAM helps with many of them. Plus, we will talk about ioMoVo, a DAM tool designed just for the needs of media and entertainment companies.

The Evolving World of Distribution

Not long ago, distribution mostly meant sending finished movies and TV shows to theatres and TV networks so they could be shown. The rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video has made a huge difference in how things work. The distribution scene now looks more like this:

• The content is sent straight to a number of streaming services so that it can be watched online. It is important to follow the upload and metadata rules for each site.

• People also watch or download material on their phones by streaming it or getting it from app stores. To do this, files need to be optimized for different screen sizes and types.

• Because social media is more important, assets need to be shared on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get the word out about shows.

• You can buy and rent movies and TV shows across various stores with Video on Demand and electronic sell-through, which you can do online and through connected TV apps.

• More and more events are being streamed live, which requires high-quality service to people all over the world.

There are numerous different ways to access content, which is good for viewers but hard for people who own the rights to the content and people who distribute it. It's harder to keep track of file versions, follow partner specs, automate processes, and do analytics.

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Main Issues in Distributing to Many Partners

Without the right systems in place, getting material to dozens or even hundreds of streaming services, broadcasters, and stores around the world is a logistical nightmare. These are some of the main issues that come up:

• It's boring, time-consuming, and easy to make mistakes when you have to upload and send files to each partner separately. Custom information must be added to files according to the schema set by the partner.

• Each partner has different file needs, such as codecs, sizes, subtitles, and so on. Content needs to be re-packaged or encoded in numerous different ways.

• Different versions are needed because of rights and region limits. Sometimes, parts of the content need to be changed or taken out. DRM needs to be used properly.

• Without a central database, it's hard to keep track of all the different versions of files and process steps that happen between partners. During the process, it's simple to lose track of where assets are.

• Communication and teamwork worsen as more assets go through external review and approval cycles with many different parties.

• Each partner offers a different type of report with information on things like viewership, sales, and more. Putting together facts for analysis is hard.

• As more and more material is sent to many endpoints in different formats, the costs of storage, transcoding hardware, and bandwidth go up.

It's clear that processes, infrastructure, and tools need to be completely redesigned in order to distribute entertainment of this size. That is the issue that robust DAM systems fix.

Read also : Improving Telecom Marketing with Digital Asset Management‍

DAM Powers Efficient Content Distribution

Some of the main ways that a DAM system speeds up content delivery are by centralizing asset management and sharing tasks:

Automation of Workflow

A DAM system automates tasks that need to be done repeatedly, such as importing files, entering information, creating versions, preparing and sending partner files, and starting distributions. Pre-set up processes that can be changed ensure consistency and growth.

Metadata Management

Consistent, well-organized metadata that is added at ingestion leads to automated distribution. It also ensures that assets can be found and used for other things. Schemas that work with metadata can be linked to them.

Putting Together Assets

The DAM system’s intuitive folder structures and tagging keep the many versions of files separated by partner or region organized and make it easy to find the ones you need to finish a job.

Look Over and Approve.

Multiple internal and external users can quickly and easily check assets in the system before they are sent out thanks to built-in customizable review and approval processes.

Partner Integration

The DAM platform works directly with distribution partners through APIs and SDKs, so you can automatically upload ready-made asset packages and check on the status of delivery without having to upload them by hand.

Analytics and Reporting

On the back end, centralized reporting collects partner data for business research, such as views, purchases, and more. You can also keep track of how assets are used over time.

Working Together

For best efficiency, team members can collaborate on asset tasks in the DAM system without any problems by using secure online access from anywhere on any device.

A DAM solution like ioMoVo makes distribution faster, more reliable, and more consistent for content producers and distributors by automating repetitive tasks and making sure everything is the same. New levels of efficiency are reached by businesses.

Read also : Managing Telecom Assets Efficiently with DAM Solutions‍

How a Streaming Service Leverages DAM for Global Distribution

A leading international streaming service produces dozens of original titles annually across multiple regions. To effectively distribute this content, the company implemented ioMoVo’s DAM system as a centralized hub. Here is how they leverage it:

• Ingest: Assets from all stages of production automatically flow into ioMoVo upon upload based on predefined metadata profiles mapping project/episode attributes.

• Prep & Approvals: Using customized ioMoVo workflows, internal/studio reviewers smoothly collaborate to approve final deliverables through automatic versioning and assignment notifications.

• Partner Prep: Templates automatically generate versions tailored to each of the service's 200+ distribution partners globally with local metadata and encoding specs handled programmatically.

• Distribution: The ioMoVo API seamlessly uploads finalized packages to partners worldwide and tracks delivery status via integration. Multiple language/caption files are also distributed simultaneously as dictated by metadata.

• Usage & Royalties: Comprehensive viewership and purchase reports from all partners aggregate in ioMoVo which analyzes performance and handles accurate royalty payouts.

• Promotion: Approved marketing assets like titles, descriptions, images, trailers, and clips designed for global social/digital campaigns are securely shared via ioMoVo with rights restrictions.

With ioMoVo powering its operations, the service now distributes its content library to an immense and growing global audience with unprecedented speed, scale, and quality control thanks to a well-oiled centralized system. Their customers enjoy localized access to diverse entertainment no matter where they are located.

Read also : Managing Production Assets in Manufacturing with DAM Solutions

Why DAM is Crucial for Media Companies Moving Forward

As streaming continues redefining content consumption, digital distribution will only grow in strategic importance for rights holders, producers, distributors, and other industry stakeholders. To remain competitive in this highly dynamic landscape, stakeholders must optimize processes around three core challenges:

• Scale: Vast libraries require high-volume bulk operations to reach all markets efficiently via numerous platforms and devices globally.

• Customization: Localization demands adapting assets and metadata and delivering them to cultural/language nuances across territories worldwide.

• Agility: Fast iteration and experimentation help maximize opportunities from emerging consumer behaviors/technologies - this demands flexible, automated systems.

Conclusion

Only through centralized digital asset management driving consistent, data-backed operations at enterprise scale can companies hope to address these evolving needs. DAM has, therefore, become the mission-critical infrastructure for globalized media businesses seeking to maximize value from intellectual property portfolios and meet the demands of modern audiences.

Looking ahead, as industry convergence accelerates and non-linear revenue streams like licensing gain prominence - with DAM as the connective tissue - incumbents and newcomers alike will increasingly rely on best-in-class digital solutions like ioMoVo to power next-generation workflows across creation and worldwide monetization. Adopting an agile enterprise DAM strategy is now a table-stake for sustainability.