How Ross Video Ensures Reliability for Broadcasters When it Matters Most  

Live broadcast and media organizations operate in a high-stakes, high-competition environment where every second matters. At the heart of their success are the trusted partnerships they build with technology providers, who ensure reliability and help them shine during high-profile events. These successes strengthen audience relationships, build stakeholder trust, and ultimately elevate their brand. 

Broadcasters need technology partners that can help to guarantee stability and reliability in this high-pressure environment. Ross Video has built its reputation as a partner that helps broadcasters achieve their best. This article will explore why reliability in critical broadcast operations is so important and how partnering with Ross Video ensures not just operational stability, but the ability to shine in high-pressure moments. 

Problem: downtime leads to financial and reputational losses 

While broadcasters strive to avoid downtime, their success often hinges on small wins—delivering flawless broadcasts, incorporating creative elements that elevate their content, and exceeding expectations during high-pressure events. These moments build trust with viewers, advertisers, and stakeholders, solidifying a broadcaster’s reputation in a competitive industry. 

In live events, where every second counts, even the smallest technical failure can lead to catastrophic consequences, with financial losses piling up fast. An extreme example would be an outage during the NFL’s Sunday Night Football coverage. An outage would upset millions of fans and directly impact high-profile advertisers who pay a staggering $882,000 for a 30-second TV ad during these broadcasts.  

An outage of that magnitude doesn’t just cause short-term headaches. It causes potentially irreparable damage to the trust that viewers and advertisers have for that broadcaster, leading to long-term revenue losses, a potential decline in viewership, and strained partnerships and investor relations.  

This, of course, is an extreme example. However, broadcasters know that trust is built over time, often through small, consistent wins that ensure reliable broadcasts and create opportunities to deliver something extra—a creative edge that leaves a lasting impression. 

The reality for broadcasters is that viewers expect real-time content with zero interruptions. Miss a key moment in a live event, and audiences will quickly switch channels or platforms. Audiences are unforgiving—one failure can turn a loyal viewer into a competitor’s viewer for life. 

But, as mentioned, the real cost of unreliable broadcast systems often emerges over time. While issues can create challenges, they also provide opportunities for broadcasters to strengthen trust with their stakeholders—when equipped with the right technology and support to consistently deliver.   

If those issues are ongoing, constant cycles of troubleshooting and fixing can drain resources and drive up the cost of operations. Failing systems will need to be replaced, and partnering with the wrong company may require you to replace that equipment sooner than expected. 

In an industry where reliability is everything, outage-prone technology isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a liability that broadcasters simply can’t afford. 

Solution: partnering with a reliable technology partner 

To mitigate the risks of downtimes, broadcasters should actively seek partners with a strong track record in technological innovation and reliability.  

The importance of reliability in broadcasting is obvious. This is how you ensure that your operations run smoothly, even during peak events and periods of high stress on your systems.  

Innovation, however, is equally important. Technology companies that prioritize innovation allow you to continuously evolve and improve your broadcast content and engagement strategies, helping you stay ahead of the competition and pivot as the market changes.  

Innovation built on top of reliability is the one-two punch that all broadcasters deserve. This allows them to extend beyond their status quo and test new broadcasting techniques and platforms, while being confident that their technology stack will be able to handle the extra workload.  

In this context, let’s look at the specific benefits of partnering with a company like Ross Video, where reliable technology and a dedicated team work together to ensure your broadcasts stay on the air, no matter what. 

Here are four specific benefits of doing so. 

1. Consistent reliability builds trust at every level. Viewers rely on broadcasters for uninterrupted content, and broadcasters rely on trusted technology partners like Ross Video to deliver results. By helping our customers pull off flawless daily operations and standout moments, we help them build trust with their audiences and stakeholders. Whether it’s a major sports event or breaking news, trust is broken when a broadcast falters. Audiences won’t hesitate to switch to a competitor’s channel, and it’s hard to win them back once they’re gone. By working with a technology partner that prioritizes reliability, broadcasters ensure their viewers stick with them because they know they’ll get uninterrupted, high-quality coverage every time. 

2. Reliability reduces costs and maximizes efficiency. When technology works as expected, you spend less time troubleshooting, replace equipment less frequently, and ultimately reduce the occurrence of costly emergency maintenance. Ross Video’s modern broadcast technology is designed to mitigate downtime risks. This kind of reliability cuts down on operational disruptions, preventing the financial hits that come with unexpected downtime.  

3. Reliability and innovation allow you to focus on content, not problems. When broadcasters can trust their systems, their focus shifts from managing technical issues to creating high-quality content. Productivity also increases when technical teams aren’t always fighting fires. Reliable technology partners like Ross Video make this possible by ensuring that broadcasters can run their operations smoothly, without the distractions of failing equipment or operational breakdowns. 

4. Ultimately, you get stronger ROI over time. Investing in reliable broadcast technology delivers long-term ROI by reducing operational costs and minimizing frequent system replacements. Over time, broadcasters benefit from fewer emergency repairs and less downtime, allowing for greater productivity and profitability. And, most importantly, fewer (or no) downtime means fewer (or no) catastrophic hits to revenue or viewership.  

We’ve touched on how Ross Video helps to deliver the right blend of reliability and innovation above. Now, let’s explore how we do that in more detail.  

Ross Video’s long track record of operational reliability  

At Ross Video, we take immense pride in the technology we deliver and the people who stand behind it. We understand the rigorous demands of live broadcasting and collaborate closely with our customers to ensure their success—technologically and operationally. We’ve worked hard over decades to establish ourselves as a broadcast technology leader, focusing on building trustworthy and reliable technology in high-pressure broadcast environments.  

Here’s how we’ve done it.  

Decades of industry expertise 

Ross Video brings five decades of experience in the broadcast industry, crafting technology solutions that are not only cutting-edge but built to withstand the rigours of continuous live broadcasting. Every day, Ross products power live production for billions of viewers around the world for news companies like BBC World and SKY, sports organizations like the MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL, and awards shows like the Oscars and Grammys.  

This experience means Ross knows exactly what broadcasters need in terms of reliability and performance at the highest levels of the broadcast industry, and we have a deep network of clients, partners, and industry experts to draw input from when developing new offers.  

Rigorous testing and quality control 

Every piece of technology that Ross develops undergoes rigorous testing and quality control, starting at the design phase and flowing through to manufacturing. Our in-house manufacturing capabilities ensure that every product is built to the highest quality standards, providing reliability and performance that our customers can depend on. 

This commitment goes beyond meeting industry standards and regulations. It reflects our dedication to creating products that can withstand the most demanding broadcast conditions—from the unpredictability of live sports to the ruggedness of in-field reporting and the precision required in breaking news coverage. 

Built-in risk management capabilities 

Ross Video’s approach to risk management is built into every stage of our vertically integrated operations—from market research and design to manufacturing and onsite services. This end-to-end integration ensures that our products are designed to meet the rigorous demands of 24/7 operations and crafted with features that actively mitigate risks. 

Round-the-clock global customer support  

In addition to technical stability and redundancy, Ross has support systems in place to help ensure systems remain steady during live events and peak broadcast periods. We provide 24/7 global customer support, meaning that broadcast operators are never left without immediate assistance during a critical event. 

Products built to handle the toughest conditions 

The Ross Video team handles all stages of production and manufacturing for our suite of products, helping us ensure that they are well-crafted and able to withstand the toughest and most demanding broadcast conditions.  

Each product is designed to handle continuous live production without missing a beat or losing connection with other components in the broadcast tech stack. This is true for all of our on-premise broadcast products. 

Continuous improvement and innovation 

We’re committed to continuous improvement and innovation in our products and production suites, backed by always-on feedback loops from customers and industry partners.  

This continuous drive for improvement and innovation means that broadcasters always have access to the latest updates, features, security, and industry advancements, helping them stay ahead of the competition and consumer demands—all while ensuring their broadcast systems are stable and secure.  

The real-world impact of reliable broadcast technology  

Broadcasts around the world—more than 100 countries, to be more specific—rely on Ross Video technology for both its production quality and stability.  

CINELIVE, a mobile production company in North America, is one example. Before partnering with Ross Video, they faced significant challenges managing diverse production needs across multiple verticals,  including corporate AV, traditional networks, and Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD).  

By integrating Ross Video’s Ultrix platform, CINELIVE was able to optimize its mobile production truck for 4K HDR content, saving thousands in setup costs and streamlining operations with the ability to handle multiple streams simultaneously.  

This allowed them to deliver high-quality broadcasts for major live sports events and concerts, while minimizing complexity and ensuring reliability  and uptime across every production cycle.  

---

“We talked to a lot of different manufacturers, and when you compare apples to apples, it was an absolute no-brainer that Ross Hyperconverged Ultrix with Acuity was the answer for us. Not just from a dollar amount but for the quality.  

— Zack Pittman, President, CINELIVE 

---

QTV is another example. They’re a leading sports broadcasting company in Scotland who needed scalable and reliable technology to handle its growing operations, particularly during high-pressure live events.  

By leveraging Ross Video’s Ultrix FR2 router and Carbonite production switcher, QTV significantly expanded its coverage capabilities, delivering seamless sports broadcasts. The flexibility of Ross Video’s technology allowed them to scale without replacing hardware, leading to operational efficiency and long-term financial benefits.  

---

“Our partnership with Ross Video and ES Broadcast has been a game-changer for us at QTV. Their cutting-edge solutions have not only allowed us to produce top-quality content but have been instrumental in our expansion and success in the sports broadcasting sector. Their exceptional support and innovation are invaluable to our operations, and we look forward to many more years of successful cooperation.” 

— Gareth Gordon, Chief Technology Officer at QTV. 

---

QTV’s turnover grew from £1.7 million in 2018 to £5.3 million in 2023, demonstrating the substantial impact of investing in Ross Video’s reliable solutions  

Partner with a reliable broadcast technology provider today 

Broadcasting is a high-stakes, ever-changing industry where success depends on trust—trust in technology and in the team behind it. At Ross Video, we don’t just provide reliable tools; we provide a dedicated partnership to help you shine. Whether it’s pulling off a high-profile event or elevating your daily broadcasts, we’re here to ensure your success every step of the way.

Ross Video has five decades of experience as an innovation and reliability leader in broadcast technology. Our technology drives broadcast experiences for billions of viewers and supports the biggest events in the world.  

Broadcasters can’t compromise on uptime, and shouldn’t compromise on the technology partnerships they keep.