Time for a radical rethink on asset management

摘要

The term asset management sprung up around the time we started storing content on video servers. Before that, we had index cards and sheets of paper stuffed into film cans, and we relied entirely on the accumulated knowledge of the librarian. Asset management systems grew out of necessity; you cannot stick a label on content on a disk, so we had to add a database. But this was 30 or 40 years ago, and our concept of how to interact with computers has changed dramatically since then. However, the typical asset management infrastructure has not. The vast increase in computing power, and the development of intuitive user interfaces, are enablers of change. I think there are three key drivers, and it is time we responded to them. First, we have a whole lot more content than we have ever had before. There are many more outlets for programming - streaming services, social platforms, FAST channels and more - adding to the broadcast services which are still going strong. And when we make those programmes, we create a lot more files. We use more cameras, with very high shooting ratios. Take an event like the Coronation of King Charles Ⅲ and imagine how much raw content was shot, and how many edited files need to be added to the archive.