Transforming Operations for Reliable Broadcasting
This media and entertainment company operates regional sports networks under a recognized brand, providing unparalleled local sports coverage.
Company & Industry Overview
This media and entertainment company operates regional sports networks under a recognized brand, providing unparalleled local sports coverage. Serving as the television home to more than half of all MLB, NHL, NBA, and WNBA teams, it produces approximately 5,000 live professional telecasts annually.
With exclusive broadcasting rights, the organization plays a pivotal role in its regional markets. Amid evolving industry dynamics, including structural realignments and the shift toward digital streaming, strategic oversight and operational efficiency have been critical in sustaining its leadership in sports broadcasting.
Challenge
The client faced widespread operational inefficiencies and technical failures across key broadcasting workflows. Critical issues included on-air outages, delayed incident responses, and a lack of standardization in market switching workflows. These challenges were compounded by vendor-specific technical failures. These issues jeopardized on-air reliability, brand reputation, and revenue streams, highlighting an urgent need for systemic operational improvements.
Pain Points
- Slow incident response and delayed recovery from on-air outages
- Market switching errors caused distribution delays and mismatched broadcasts
- Missing or mislabeled content disrupted programming workflows
- Software bugs and incomplete logging from technical and vendor systems
- High closed-captioning failure rate
Think’s Approach
Through our Rapid Control Process, we began with a thorough survey of key stakeholders across Regional Sports Networks, identifying and ranking issues by severity. This allowed us to launch multiple workstreams simultaneously, addressing critical challenges while minimizing disruption to on-air time. Our unique expertise enabled us to foster strong relationships across all stakeholders groups, ensuring alignment and accountability. We prioritized clear, strategic communication, holding both internal teams and vendors accountable, and delivering tailored solutions efficiently—without unnecessary distractions.
Results
We established a robust data warehouse that captured operational incidents and provided actionable analysis, enabling the client to continuously identify and resolve issues independently. The project exceeded expectations by delivering high-quality systems on time, with minimal downtime during implementation. Long-term benefits included significantly reduced downtime, fewer broadcast incidents, and an elevated standard of operational quality for the client.
Outcomes
- Reduction in on-air incidents preserved revenue streams and brand reputation.
- Delivered system upgrades that boosted efficiency and enhanced broadcast reliability.
- Strong vendor management resulted in visibility and clear accountability, minimizing risks and delays.