By Nate Frink, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Vubiquity
The media and entertainment industry faces unparalleled pressures. Disruptive technological changes, rapid consolidation, increased viewer demands, and continuously shrinking content delivery timelines have forced businesses to operate under immense strain. Coupled with notable layoffs, such as those at CNN, and shrinking budgets, the need for operational agility is more critical than ever.
For media companies, these challenges mean balancing faster workflows with higher quality, while minimizing risk. To stay competitive, businesses must adapt and reconsider how to maintain productivity without adding unnecessary risk. Outdated operational models, particularly those reliant on CapEx, are no longer sufficient to ensure agility or scalability. Operational agility is now a survival mechanism. Companies that fail to respond quickly to market demands risk being left behind.
Approaches that leverage scalable resources and innovative frameworks help companies reduce costs without compromising operational excellence. Here’s how media and entertainment businesses can achieve operational excellence:
Seamlessly Scale to Meet Changing Demands
Media companies need flexibility to handle fluctuating demands, while enhancing their ability to deliver quality results quickly. Scalability and efficiency are critical, and enable companies to expand operations during peak periods without significant upfront costs, ensuring demands are met without compromising timelines or quality.
Competitive media companies rely on a global network of specialized experts, which can help them bypass delays caused by lengthy hiring processes. Additionally, finding trusted avenues to outsource resource-intensive tasks frees up internal teams to focus on strategic priorities, accelerate delivery timelines and encourage innovative content production.
Prioritize Operational Agility
With shrinking timelines, media organizations must act quickly to adapt operations for tight launches or expanding into new markets. Such agility demands more than just speed—it requires maintaining quality assurance and reliability, even under intense pressure.
Working with technology partners unlocks experience and innovation that can steer businesses towards solutions that help them overcome resource constraints, enabling them to nimbly maneuver as needed / where needed. Whether it’s a high-profile launch or a global expansion effort, these partners provide the agility required to execute efficiently. For example, leveraging hybrid operational models, which blend on-premise and remote workflows, allows organizations to pursue efficient, follow-the-sun strategies that enhance resource utilization without compromising delivery.
Transition from CapEx to OpEx Models
The media and entertainment industry has long relied on CapEx-heavy investments—dedicating substantial upfront resources to proprietary infrastructure. Yet, these frameworks hinder agility, particularly in uncertain markets.
OpEx models offer an alternative, where operational costs shift to pay-as-you-use frameworks. This allows companies to optimize resources during high-demand periods without committing to large, inflexible expenditures. By integrating the latest technologies and infrastructure, companies can modernize quickly, without stopping their business.
Finding ways to allocate advanced resources and capabilities across multiple customers is the challenge that, when solved, can help a business gain immediate access to cutting-edge tools and systems without additional investments.
Simplify Workflows in the Long-Term
One of the most pressing challenges for media organizations is inefficient workflows. Fragmented systems, siloed teams, and disconnected technologies add unnecessary bottlenecks to content delivery pipelines.
By unifying workflows, streamlining collaboration, and integrating disconnected tools into modular systems, companies can centralize, enabling them to optimize resource allocation which then reduces costs and accelerates production timelines.
Automation further eliminates repetitive tasks, allowing internal teams to concentrate on high-value, creative work. This simplification not only enhances output but also positions companies to handle future challenges easily. Pre-integrated systems from technology partners ensure predictable, seamless workflows—a critical factor amidst the complexity of global distribution.
Preparing for the Future
Looking ahead, layoffs and market consolidation will continue to strain resources, making efficient, optimization-driven partnerships essential. Now is the time to embrace advanced technologies and tools to address resource gaps creatively and effectively. For businesses, proactively investing in scalable, adaptive solutions today is key to overcoming operational challenges and ensuring sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.
About Nate Frink
Nate Frink is a seasoned Operations Executive with over 28 years of experience in the Media and Entertainment industry. Nate studied film and television at UMBC and FAMU/Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, CZ. He has worked in varying roles over the years across all aspects of the media supply chain verticals of production, post, localization, syndication, packaging, Live linear and delivery. Nate has also spent 10 years in the Advertising Industry across broadcast, radio, print and online advertising distribution. Nate has worked across public and private companies and contributed to 12 M&A’s in the space ranging from 20M to over 500M. Nate currently holds the position of Executive Vice President – Global Operations and Infosec at Vubiquity, overseeing all day-to-day activities across security and content delivery. He looks forward to contributing his knowledge and experience to the IABM board.