RCN meets the rising demand for Latino content in the US using Zixi-as-a-Service and the Zixi-enabled network, replacing satellite farms and scaling quickly and reliably to reach their partner’s viewers.
RCN Colombia, a free-to-air television network distributing news, sports events, telenovelas and entertainment content, has a wide audience across the LATAM region. Noting a surge in demand from the US as interest in Spanish-language content grows, RCN aims to inform, entertain and connect US-based viewers with content that reflects Latin American culture and character.
RCN has also wanted to simplify and accelerate its content distribution, and was interested in cloud alternatives to depending on traditional satellite and fibre infrastructure. RCN Colombia now implements the Zixi Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) to deliver content to affiliates across the country. By integrating the Zixi-as-a-Service (ZaaS) into its operations, RCN has transitioned smoothly to a reliable, economical cloud infrastructure.
Reliability at Scale
Zixi develops distribution systems for broadcasters, OTT and other service providers, cable operators and telcos. Compatible with nearly any IP network, protocol, cloud provider and edge device, Zixi’s SDVP addresses reliability at scale, a critical factor for RCN. Many clients use the SDVP to deliver and manage thousands of streams, and find few alternatives in the market that can also assure close to 100% reliability.
Central to RCN’s migration is the Zixi Broadcaster, which serves as the bridge for content from on-premises sources to the cloud. Within the cloud environment, the SDVP processes and distributes content efficiently to affiliates, all of which are managed by ZEN Master, the system’s cloud control plane used to handle management and orchestration at scale and give end-to-end visibility.
Zixi simplifies the building and management of live video routes over networks while maintaining awareness of congestion levels, with purpose-built tools and applications that are widely interoperable. The platform supports 18 protocols across diverse operating environments, and has the straightforward ZEN Master as operational control plane.
Optimised Cloud Infrastructure
The adoption of Zixi by a range of major US operators, including Charter, Dish and Verizon, has meant that RCN has been able to transition from traditional workflows to IP-based distribution without investing in new development or partnerships. The shift to IP distribution means ACN can onboard new affiliates more quickly and operate with more agility. By replacing satellite farms with regular on-premises servers and accessing the wide Zixi Enabled Network, RCN can deliver content to new markets, explore revenue streams and keep their upfront infrastructure costs within budget.
Zixi’s reliability, scalability and efficient protocols ease content delivery. The Zixi-as-a-Service version of SDVP, supplied as cloud infrastructure, reduces the time and resources needed for system setup and is intended to allow RCN to focus on business growth and revenue generation.
Protocol optimisation helps limit egress costs and the overall draw on computing power, controlling the total cost of ownership for RCN. The Zixi protocol includes their patented Hitless Failover, overcoming the identification problems of streams from multiple contribution points with missing packets and contributing to reliable signal transmission.
"Demand is rising for high-quality Latin American programming in the United States. RCN Colombia, with its outstanding lineup, is well-positioned to meet that demand. However, traditional satellite workflows were not sufficient to scale distribution efficiently," said Omar Silva, Telecoms Director at RCN. "Through the use of Zixi’s software, we have flexibility and scalability, while keeping costs low and simplifying our processes." www.zixi.com
