NEW YORK CITY—Community Media of Staten Island (CMSI) has acquired a new system from tech provider Cablecast Community Media, a division of Tightrope Media Systems, that delivers live and on-demand streaming to viewers.
Four new streaming channels went live Sept. 7 as part of a rebranding CMSI that began in April when it changed its name from Staten Island Community Television. The term “television” in the previous name was antiquated because the public is moving to streaming platforms, said CMSI executive director Jennifer Sammartino.
“We changed our name to keep up with these trends,” she said. “So many people were missing out because they’re not using cable anymore.
“Even some of our producers couldn’t see their finished product. I knew this was something we needed to do. Being able to have this bigger goal in mind has really helped the pieces come together.”
CMSI has deployed four Cablecast VIO Lite OMNI video servers, Cablecast CG bulletin board and a branded streaming app, which works with Cablecast REFLECT to provide viewers with access to live and on-demand content from the cloud, Cablecast said.
Available in the App Store and Google Play, the free Community Media of Staten Island app supports iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV platforms, it said.
CMSI fine tuned its streaming presence and made sure the app’s interface was easy-to-use during a soft launch over the summer. In September, the app went live.
“We wanted to take it to the next level and literally put CMSI in people’s hands,” said Sammartino, who added the app has been warmly received. “The streaming app is really a game changer for us.”
CMSI offers four channels, including a talk show-oriented, local entertainment, religious and civic government channel. They are available live and on-demand via the app. They also can be accessed via the CMSI website.
Besides the streaming launch, CMSI has deployed the Cablecast CG to offer viewers a community bulletin board for the first time.
Scheduling through Cablecast also has increased flexibility, enabling automatic gap filling between shows and other content with PSAs. The Cablecast system also has improved the on-air look of its cable channels, while streaming content allows viewers to see CMSI programming in HD. (Spectrum’s and Verizon’s cable systems only provide SD channels).
More information is available on the company’s website.
