AERQ, a promoter of digital transformation for aircraft cabins, and ABOVE a media processing and distribution platform, recently announced their collaboration to automate the media content supply chain for commercial aviation in the cloud. AERQ says the service will allow their customers to receive fast, cost-efficient end-to-end service for video asset encoding, integration and deployment to aircraft. The service is currently being developed and is foreseen to be available Q4 2023/Q1 2024.
Both parties are convinced that the current highly manual, slow, and overly expensive media content supply chain can only be step-changed when it is newly designed in a collaboration of partners across different areas of responsibility. In this collaboration ABOVE focuses on media file encoding, metadata generation, DRM protection and watermarking. AERQ develops automated, cloud-based, fast system integration workflows that allow customers to quality check proper CMS integration in the cloud – and spare them that extra trip to the system rack.
The integration of both parties’ workflows creates a true on-demand service that will allow service level agreements of as low as 24 hours for end-to-end content delivery to aircraft. It also realizes cost savings of up to 10x compared to incumbent media processing and integration cost. In addition to optimized workflows, the parties aim to provide transparency and control to airlines unlocking the whole potential of the end-to-end media journey. Though designed as a one-stop-shop service, airlines will be able to integrate their existing media and ancillary revenue partners e.g. content service providers.
“Collaboration is key to unlock the adoption of paradigm-shifting technologies,” says André Valera, managing director at ABOVE. “What AERQ is proposing to the market is totally aligned with what we envision from a media distribution perspective, where standards are adopted, and friction points are removed. We look forward to contribute with our ABOVE value proposition and, together, to disrupt the inflight entertainment and connectivity ecosystem.”
Jonas von Kruechten, Head of Strategy and Business Development at AERQ adds, “This cooperation showcases how innovation can be achieved when partnering within the industry and looking at the bigger picture. With ABOVE we are happy to have found a true front-runner in media content post-production services. Our innovative workflows will unlock both top- and bottom-line improvement potential for airlines through cost efficiencies and the ability to structure new digital products for passengers.”