The media supply chain at A+E Networks EMEA handles 27 linear feeds and 60 VOD platforms, with content in 24 languages. In November 2023, A+E Networks EMEA took Rally — and integrations with in-house scheduling and management systems — live to handle all incoming content from production companies, distributors, and acquisition parties. Workflows for content going out to distribution partners and platforms are slated for this summer.

With automation of the ingest workflow, content that arrives in the evening from the U.S. can be processed overnight and ready for operators in the morning, accelerating the workflow by six to 10 hours. Content from A+E Networks in the U.S., where the supply chain has been under Rally management since 2020, arrives with extensive metadata that allows content to be matched up automatically to placeholders in the workflow and sent through validation and QC processes before a human operator begins work.

In addition to enabling greater automation, Rally has centralized data management and improved visibility across these operations. As a result, various departments can now access up-to-date information, eliminating extensive email communication, time-consuming spreadsheet management, or duplication of common tasks.

Supply chain visibility and reporting allow the finance team to determine how many minutes of content have been processed by Rally itself or by third-party applications, such as transcoding and QC, and how much was spent on a show, or even on a specific asset. The compliance team enjoys more direct access to content via Rally and now can view and approve assets without waiting for the technical team to deliver them. And the programming acquisitions team can see when content has gone through extra transcoding or extra QC steps and reconcile additional costs according to contracts with third-party distributors.

The Rally platform gives engineers at A+E Networks EMEA the ability to build essential workflow capabilities themselves, taking ownership of the media supply chain rather than relying on suppliers to align with the company’s technology roadmap.