Sky launches new digital asset management platform to create easy access to TV images

Zaandam, The Netherlands, May 21, 2015 — Sky, Europe's leading entertainment company, is launching the Sky Editorial Asset Centre, a new digital asset management platform, to enable easier sharing of its enormous stock of still images for commissioned and acquired shows and movies. The platform has been created by multi-channel publishing experts, Evolved Media Solutions, using software firm WoodWing’s digital asset management (DAM) system, Elvis, as the basis of Sky’s platform, but customized to Sky’s own unique needs.

Sky´s new digital asset management system Sky Editorial Asset Centre (SEAC) is based on WoodWing Elvis DAM (click to enlarge).

Sky briefed Evolved Media Solutions, a platinum partner of WoodWing, to create the Sky Editorial Asset Centre (SEAC) having identified the time being spent every week on servicing hundreds of requests for images by telephone and email. In addition, it had found that there was inconsistency (and sometimes inaccuracy) with the images being used to promote its TV programs and movies both internally and externally – in the media, for marketing and advertising campaigns, on its website and across the company’s electronic program guides for different services (e.g. Sky and Now TV).

SEAC is set to revolutionize the way in which people can search, locate and distribute digital images for Sky’s content.  It will
• Store all images in a central repository
• Use a simple drag and drop system to assign usage and inherit metadata so that all images are easy to classify and retrieve
• Create a process to manage image requests and allow users (both at Sky and externally) to download approved imagery themselves if the image they are looking for is already available
• Where the required image is not yet available, enable users to make a request which they can then track

Michele Swaine, Transformation Director at Sky, says, “It’s great to offer the Sky Editorial Asset Centre to our staff and external partners – we’re already getting positive feedback from those using the new platform. Quite simply, it will transform the consistency, availability, accuracy and delivery efficiency of the millions of images we use to run and promote our business.”

SEAC will be integrated with Sky’s program schedule database so that its Stills Department can plan ahead for the images they will need before the start of each new series or upcoming movie.  They can then easily upload the pictures and the system also incorporates approval tools so they can manage the picture rights, ensuring that images can only be used for the purpose assigned to them.  People can then search for the images they want by channel, program, series, episode and transmission date.

Russell Pierpoint, Managing Director at Evolved Media Solutions, adds, “The Sky Editorial Asset Centre will streamline the whole process, allowing Sky to take control of the sharing of its digital assets, stop multiple teams across the company having to search for the same pictures over and over again, and make it much easier for users to access the images they need.  Sky should see a good return on investment as a result of the efficiencies this new platform will provide.”

Jeroen Sonnemans, Managing Director at WoodWing Europe, concludes: ”Elvis DAM is inherently a powerful solution for the efficient management of very large amounts of digital assets. But thanks to its open architecture, the support of open standards and the powerful programming interface, Elvis DAM is also ideally suited as a technology platform for the development of highly customized DAM environments, enabling customers to extensively tailor the system to their individual requirements.“

About Evolved Media Solutions
Evolved Media Solutions specializes in efficient multi-channel publishing for media companies, agencies, retailers and corporates. It helps clients automate their publication processes in order to save money and time, and achieve the goal of publishing on all channels (print, web, mobile, email, social media, video, etc.) – ideally without expanding existing teams. From workflow systems to digital asset management (DAM) systems to digital publishing software to cloud CMS systems, it helps businesses of all sizes join the digital publishing evolution. 

About Sky
Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company. The group serves 21 million customers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose. Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.6 billion. The company employs 31,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate.

About WoodWing Software
WoodWing Software develops and markets a premier, cost-efficient multi-channel publishing system, Enterprise, and the next generation digital asset management system, Elvis DAM. WoodWing’s solutions are aimed at magazine and newspaper publishers, corporate publishers, agencies and marketing departments to reach their goals for quality, economy and time-to-market.

WoodWing’s publishing system Enterprise – including the editorial management application Content Station – coordinates and streamlines the process of creating, managing and publishing static, dynamic and interactive content for all media channels – print, Web, social, smartphones and tablets. Elvis DAM enables users to securely store and efficiently manage the increasing collection of rich-media files.

WoodWing Software, founded in the year 2000, has its headquarters in Zaandam, The Netherlands, and has regional sales offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. Customers are served locally by over 80 selected partners in more than 100 countries. WoodWing’s long-standing relationship with Adobe as a Technology Partner and its close cooperation with a large number of other technology vendors worldwide, confirm WoodWing’s position as one of the leading suppliers of publishing software. WoodWing is a privately owned company, with all founders actively engaged. Additional information regarding WoodWing's products and services can be found at www.woodwing.com.

Press contact
Stefan Horst
PR Manager WoodWing Software
T: 49-151-12 72 63 62
E: sho@woodwing.com

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