2020 has been a busy and interesting year for Team Grabyo across the globe.
There isn’t much that hasn’t already been said about 2020. Many things have changed, perhaps permanently, while we’ve all faced a new set of challenges.
Team Grabyo, like everyone else, has been working remotely. The team has got to know their living rooms, bedrooms and home offices very well. They’ve been working hard, some in their pyjamas, to ensure Grabyo’s partners have the tools they need to keep content on-air across digital, social and broadcast platforms.
However, let’s focus on the positives. The amazing and innovative pieces of content Grabyo has been involved in delivering, and the exceptional work of its team to deliver new product updates and service to partners.
The numbers
30% more live broadcasts were produced using Grabyo in 2020 from last year. As global lockdowns took effect, Grabyo supported a number of broadcasters and publishers to deliver digital-first live shows to a number of destinations – including broadcast TV for the very first time.
We continue to develop our live clipping and editing tools to enable production teams to be first to market with content, generating engagement and views for their channels.
The highlights
It’s been an exciting year for innovation in content. Grabyo has played a part in many exciting projects and pushed the limits of what can be done in the cloud.
EA delivers FIFA 20 #StayandPlay Cup to TV and digital using Grabyo
EA used Grabyo to produce the entire #StayandPlay Cup remotely. The flexibility of the Grabyo platform enabled EA to collaborate with remote guests and presenters on live broadcasts, as well as bring in video from the players themselves over the broadcast.
Goal of the tournament? ✂️ ⚽️ 🎮 @NabilBahoui from (@aikfotboll) scored this beauty in the Quarterfinals of the #stayandplay Cup! pic.twitter.com/FC875NDGZg
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) April 18, 2020
The Cup was broadcast live to EA’s digital channels on Twitch and YouTube, with the final also running on linear television via ESPN 2, delivered directly from Grabyo. This is the first time a publisher has used Grabyo to publish directly to linear television.
2020 IBC Accelerator: Grabyo powers Warner Music & MTV International’s virtual live music talent show
For the 2020 IBC Accelerator programme, Grabyo worked closely with Warner Music MTV International/ViacomCBS, never.no and Joi Polloi to create a disruptive new content format for the music industry. More specifically: The live music talent show that has dominated our screens for the past 20 years.
The proof of concept: An entirely virtual singing competition hosted via a mobile application. The app allows anyone in the world to submit an audition from their mobile device, while other users can browse and vote for their favourites. Everything has to be simple and easy to use, in a smart user-experience that consumers expect from a social media app.
Using Grabyo Producer, the show’s team are able to host a live show, with a live presenter, and mix in VOD auditions and graphic overlays to create a TV-quality broadcast, very similar to the traditional format.
Grabyo supports Mediacorp in providing multi-platform coverage of the 2020 Singapore General Election
Mediacorp utilized Grabyo to provide Singaporean voters access to real-time news coverage of the 2020 Singapore General Election across multiple platforms, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The broadcaster leveraged Grabyo’s flexibility to remotely produce content from various locations, circumventing the strict social distancing regulations in place. Mediacorp used a skeleton crew reporting live onsite, while digital news producers managed and delivered digital live broadcasts and VOD content from anywhere with just a laptop.
The platform
The Grabyo team has pedaled hard to continue updating the platform to meet the increased demands of remote and cloud-based production throughout 2020.
Grabyo adds browser-based multiviewer
As the shift to remote, cloud-production accelerates, Grabyo took a step forward towards delivering broadcast-quality live productions in the cloud, by adding a customizable, multiviewer accessible via a web-browser.
Multiviewers are an essential part of live production workflows. They enable directors and producers to view multiple feeds and sources in a single screen. This development is the first in a series of planned upgrades to Grabyo’s cloud-native live production platform, Grabyo Producer.
Grabyo adds improved multi-person video support, green rooms and scene snapshots
These updates enhanced Producer Guest, Grabyo’s remote contribution app. Guest now has advanced remote production features, including multi-party chat, conferencing, and commentary and the addition of a green room. These functionalities provide more flexibility and improve output quality and user experience.
Grabyo collaborates with AWS for the launch of its new AWS Cloud Digital Interface (AWS CDI)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled its new AWS Cloud Digital Interface (AWS CDI), a new network technology that provides advanced network performance and high-fidelity video transport. Grabyo has been chosen as a launch partner for this new service which provides Grabyo customers, for the first time, the opportunity for uncompressed video transport for live production in the cloud.
AWS CDI has been introduced to address specific challenges in cloud productions. Specifically, workloads that require high-performance connectivity and uncompressed live video transport. These have historically needed an on-premises deployment, using Serial Digital Interface (SDI) connections.
2021 and beyond
As we move into next year, and ‘the new normal’, Grabyo has some highly anticipated new features on its roadmap.
Grabyo would like to thank all of its partners and friends for their support this year. 2021 has some exciting new developments as the broadcast and media industry continues to evolve.
Stay safe and have a good holiday season.
