Create niche live streaming services without unnecessary overheads

March 29, 2021

1 minute read

Graphic showing how the Channel Assembly feature works within AWS Elemental MediaTailor. — Channel Assembly’s role within AWS Elemental MediaTailor. Source: AWS.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Channel Assembly for its content personalisation and monetisation service AWS Elemental MediaTailor.

Traditional methods of delivering pre-recorded content across multiple channels or for replay on a channel can be inefficient and cost-prohibitive, as broadcasters and OTT channel operators often have to pay multiple fees to transcode and process the same piece of content. However, AWS Elemental MediaTailor Channel Assembly now offers a simple solution.

The Channel Assembly feature provides a more streamlined way to leverage existing content, enabling specialist or niche live streaming services to be created without unnecessary overheads. With the new feature, users can quickly and easily create virtual live channels, and optionally monetise the channels with dynamic server-side ad insertion.

Users can assign a list of pre-prepared programmes to a schedule, after which AWS Elemental MediaTailor delivers a playlist for a linear channel to audiences at scale, without having to re-transcode video content or create SCTE-35/104 infrastructure.

Building a virtual channel with the new Channel Assembly feature is straightforward. Users log into the AWS Management Console, configure a user profile with permissions to create AWS Elemental MediaTailor resources, and assemble a live channel from HLS, DASH or CMAF packaged sources.

The AWS Elemental MediaConvert file-based video encoding service can be used to transcode content from single file sources, including MP4, MOV, and MXF formats, into the HLS, DASH, or CMAF outputs that can be used as sources for AWS Elemental MediaTailor Channel Assembly programmes.

AWS Elemental MediaPackage, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), or any compliant origin can then be configured as the source location for content, and once a source location is defined, the user can create programmes and assemble a schedule for the linear channel. Programs can be scheduled in a relative loop with dynamic pre-, mid- and post- roll ad breaks defined.