HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Aug. 25, 2009 — ScheduALL today announced that Independent Television News (ITN), one of the world's leading independent producers of news, entertainment, and factual content across a range of platforms from TV to mobile and online, is using ScheduLINK transmission management and optimization software to streamline management of all lines bookings in and out of master control for the company's news operations. ScheduLINK enables ITN staff to expedite the accelerated, accurate bookings that are so critical in the fast-paced news production environment, and it makes valuable real-time feed status and cost data available to authorized staff throughout the company's newsgathering operations.
"ScheduLINK allowed us to replace an aging line plan system with a flexible, reliable solution that quickly met our immediate specifications and going forward, provides a robust foundation for further streamlining of our operations," said Malcolm Smith, head of newsgathering operations at ITN. "As we continue to expand our use of ScheduALL solutions, we expect that consolidated management of our resources through ScheduLINK will help us realize a significant improvement in time and cost savings."
Every day the ITN newsrooms gather news footage from all around the world. Their operations necessitate the request of feeds from other stations, uplink trucks, and a variety of other sources, both internal and abroad. More than 200 requests may be made on any given day, and each of these is logged into ScheduLINK, which in turn guides the control room operations engineers who coordinate and bring in those feeds. In streamlining critical processes, the ScheduLINK software saves ITN staff valuable time and expense by providing an extensive resource list which reduces data entry required, simplifies planning, and prevents costly bookings conflicts.
"ITN presents an excellent news environment that can take advantage of the full range of ScheduLINK's cross-departmental management tools," noted Barry Lyne, managing director for ScheduALL in EMEA. "With ScheduLINK, rather than call the control room to find out when their material is coming in, ITN journalists access the system to check on the real-time status of bookings and feeds. Additionally, financial staff members use the software's current cost data and reporting capabilities to track costs across different customers."
Following this first phase of successful implementation for lines booking, the company plans to extend its ScheduLINK system to accommodate scheduling for satellite trucks and microwave vehicles and personnel. ITN also plans to further consolidate workflows and integrate ScheduALL solutions with other internal systems, such as its Avid® server system to facilitate direct recordings, and possibly to connect the software with its vendors' ScheduALL systems, bringing even greater efficiency and value to the acquisition and allocation of external resources.
"Our decision to use ScheduLINK was the direct result of extensive research into how we could apply new technology to streamline our workflows, and we've been very happy with how smoothly we were able to launch the system and realize the utility we expected," added Smith. "Through a phased expansion of ScheduLINK, ITN anticipates seeing additional advances in our operational awareness, efficiency, and productivity."
More information about ScheduALL and its robust software solutions is available online at www.scheduall.com.
# # #
About ITN
ITN is one of the world's leading multimedia content providers, producing news, entertainment, and factual programming across a range of platforms from television to mobile and online.
Over its 55-year history, ITN has built a strong reputation as the U.K.'s biggest supplier of independent broadcast news consistently delivering powerful, authoritative, world-class coverage to its core customers, ITV1 and Channel 4.
ITN On produces video-rich news, entertainment, and lifestyle content for global brands including the Telegraph Media Group, Yahoo, Teachers TV, YouTube, MSN, and all the U.K.'s mobile operators. ITN On's ad-funded content has an average of 24 million online views a month and the division's YouTube channels regularly sit in the top five most-viewed.
ITN Source is the most diverse commercial video archive in the world, with over one million hours of iconic footage and creative moving imagery which dates from 1896 to the current day. As well as ITN's own news material, ITN Source represents Reuters, ITV, and FOX Movietone amongst others.
ITN Consulting is another key growth area for the company, providing technical broadcast solutions to broadcasters worldwide. With a particular focus on activities in the Middle East, its services range from training and programming development to channel launches.
ITN Factual is the award-winning documentary arm which produces entertainment and factual programming for U.K. and international broadcasters.
Based in Central London, ITN has bureau and sales offices in New York, Washington, Beijing, Brussels, Paris, Sydney, Bangkok, Johannesburg, and Tokyo.
For additional information visit www.itn.co.uk or www.itnsource.com.
About ScheduALL
ScheduALL is the leading provider of enterprise resource management (ERM) software for the broadcast and media industry. With 20 years of experience and more than 1,200 worldwide clients within broadcast, satellite, and production facilities, ScheduALL is clearly recognized as the partner of choice for operational management software solutions.
ScheduALL's software offers comprehensive workflow and resource management capabilities that enable clients to optimize personnel, resources, and bandwidth utilization in a way that directly translates into increased productivity and ROI. ScheduALL's modular approach and scalable products provide a collaborative platform for users in the broadcast, production, post-production, satellite/network transmission, and newsroom environments. ScheduALL clients include ABC Australia, BBC, CBC, FOX News Network, The Associated Press, IntelSat, Turner Studios, Mediaset, RTL, and SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES. More information is available at www.scheduall.com.
ENDS
