AWS for M&E Blog
[Updated 11/17] Your guide to media and entertainment at re:Invent 2021
The entire AWS Media & Entertainment (M&E) team welcomes you to celebrate 10 years of AWS re:Invent this year. We’re back in Las Vegas (and virtually) with an exciting program planned with five keynotes, more than 20 leadership sessions, and over 1,200 breakout and interactive sessions from November 29 through December 3, 2021. Plus, stop by the AWS for Media & Entertainment and Games Lounge at the Venetian to network and learn from AWS experts and your peers.
To get the most out of your re:Invent 2021 experience, follow these steps:
- Find all the M&E sessions available, plus other information and activities, in the curated M&E Attendee Guide.
- Review the catalog to “favorite” sessions you are interested in.
- Bookmark this post and check back regularly for the latest updates and information.
Can’t join us in Las Vegas? Registering virtually grants free access to live keynotes and leadership sessions, plus access to on-demand breakout sessions. Every in-person registration comes with free virtual access. Learn more about COVID-19 health measures at re:Invent.
M&E at re:Invent 2021
The following are the M&E industry-led points of presence at re:Invent 2021, including an M&E track, the AWS for M&E Lounge, and the AWS for M&E demo pod. We encourage you to look at the M&E Attendee Guide and to use the “M&E” filter for Topic / Industry in the session catalog to find everything relevant for M&E attendees.
M&E Track breakout sessions available in person and on demand
MDS201 – Transform and innovate with AWS for media and entertainment
- When: Friday, December 3, 9:15-10:15 AM PST
- Where: Lido 3006, The Venetian
- Speakers: Jason Lenhart – VP of DTC Eng & Op, WarnerMedia DTC and Eric Iversen – CTO for M&E, AWS
- Abstract: Content creators, rights holders, producers, broadcasters, and distributors continue to face industry-wide disruption and transformation. The increased pace of innovation in media technologies—along with resiliency requirements and the demands of global audiences for high-quality live, on-demand, and personalized content—continues to be a challenge. Learn how AWS for media and entertainment simplifies using the cloud to build, deploy, and reinvent workloads, making it easier to select the right tools and partners for your highest-priority workloads, accelerate production launches, and see faster time-to-value. Hear how customers are creating content in the cloud, modernizing their broadcast and over-the-top distribution, and increasing customer engagement.
MDS202 – A new reality for content production
- When: Wednesday, December 1, 1:00-2:00 PM PST
- Where: Summit 214, Caesars Forum
- Speakers: Kyle Roche – GM for Immersive Technologies, AWS; Katrina King – Senior Specialist SA M&E, AWS; Gerry Travers – Chief Operating Officer and Producer, Pop Family
- Abstract: The world of content production in media and entertainment is evolving quickly. Studios have to find new ways for staff to work remotely while keeping pace with unprecedented audience demand for premium content. From on-set production to post-production, creative people are pushing technology and challenging traditional models to find new ways to deliver entertainment content while maintaining, or increasing, project quality. Learn how AWS is innovating with new services and by working with partners to help creative customers like Pop Family Entertainment navigate remote work and achieve the scale they require to deliver projects faster than ever before.
MDS203 – Transforming broadcast production, playout, and fan experiences
- When: Tuesday, November 30, 1:15-2:15 PM PST
- Where: Delfino 4006, The Venetian
- Speakers: François Ribeiro – SVP, Discovery Sports; Dave Duvall – Chief Information Officer, Discovery; Steph Lone – SVP, Engineering, CBS Sports Digital; Jamie Duemo – Principal BD Manager – M&E Broadcast, AWS
- Abstract: Join us to hear Discovery share its broadcast transformation journey on AWS; from an Emmy award winning supply chain, to the playout of channels worldwide, learn how the company achieved 61% cost savings by modernizing their infrastructure. Also learn about Eurosport’s next generation audience experiences enhanced by AWS Data Sciences. ViacomCBS discusses the ongoing evolution of its Live Sports Production journey, including some challenges and solutions as they mature their Live Production workloads on AWS with the help of large ISV solutions.
M&E Track interactive sessions available in person
MDS301 – Build an interactive live streaming platform (Workshop)
- When: Thursday, December 2, 12:15-2:30 PM PST
- Where: Venetian B, The Venetian
- Speakers: Sam Patzer – Sr. Solutions Architect, AWS and Shawn Przybilla – Principal, Solutions Architect, AWS
- Abstract: Do you want to live stream and interact with fans around the world? In this workshop, create engaging live experiences by building a fictional streaming platform that connects and entertains fans anywhere. Learn how to use AWS Amplify to build an interactive live video streaming application, including real-time GraphQL APIs backed by AWS AppSync and video streaming with Amazon Interactive Video Service, which is built on the same live streaming technology that powers Twitch. Hosted by experts in application development and streaming media, this workshop brings participants to the cutting edge of cloud-enabled interactive web video.
MDS302 – Monetize your videos with free ad-supported streaming TV (Chalk Talk)
- When: Tuesday, November 30, 2:00-3:00 PM PST
- Where: Lando 4206, The Venetian
- Speakers: Ken Kanagaraj – Principal Architect, AWS and Chris Kuthan – Head WW D2C GTMS, AWS
- Abstract: Households are becoming increasingly attracted to entertainment programming without subscription pricing. Free ad-supported television (FAST) is rapidly gaining traction with consumers and, in some cases, is used as a remedy for subscription overload. When delivered with scalable AWS services, FAST provides an opportunity to deliver more value with targeted ads and predictable costs. In this chalk talk, learn how to build and monetize a 24/7 FAST channel from your video-on-demand catalog. Create engaging experiences by incorporating live video production and inserting targeted ads for your audiences.
MDS303 – Build metadata-rich media libraries with machine learning (Chalk Talk)
- When: Wednesday, December 1, 2:30-3:30 PM PST
- Where: Forum 104, Caesars Forum
- Speakers: Liam Morrison – Principal M&E SA, AWS and Katrina King – Sr. Specialist SA M&E, AWS
- Abstract: Want to increase the value of your archive, and supercharge your content discoverability and monetization? This chalk talk covers how to generate and make searchable, detailed metadata for large content catalogs (such as images, video and audio files, and documents) using computer vision, speech to text, and natural language processing. It also details common challenges when integrating this data into different systems and discusses the use cases for accurate content metadata, such as moderation, localization, editing, search, and ad optimization.
MDS304 – Live, from the cloud: It’s production on AWS (Chalk Talk)
- When: Wednesday, December 1, 7:00-8:00 PM PST
- Where: Forum 104, Caesars Forum
- Speakers: Aaron Tunnell – Principal NAMER M&E GTMS, AWS and Peter Riordan – Head WW Broadcast GTMS, AWS
- Abstract: Broadcasters around the world are moving live video production to the AWS Cloud. Using a combination of partner solutions and AWS services, users are optimizing the operating costs of production, testing new business models, and centralizing and automating operations, making it easier to find talent and stay focused on business goals. In this chalk talk, learn about different approaches and technologies that AWS customers and partners are using for live production in the cloud, such as the open-source AWS CDI SDK, Network Device Interface (NDI), Secure Reliable Transport (SRT), and more.
MDS305 – Automate video clipping and highlight generation (Chalk Talk)
- When: Thursday, December 2, 4:00-5:00 PM PST
- Where: Forum 110, Caesars Forum
- Speakers: Aravindharaj Rajendran – Solutions Developer, AWS and Kyle Huang – Solutions Developer, AWS
- Abstract: Do you want to save time and effort producing live video highlights using the power of ML? If so, join this chalk talk to learn how to create personalized sports and news highlights from live video with an ML-powered solution that uses Amazon Rekognition for object detection, Amazon Transcribe for speech to text, and Amazon SageMaker for bespoke ML modeling. Also, discover how to apply ML techniques to automate clips and highlight generation for any genre of content.
Extras you won’t want to miss out on
Adam Selipsky Keynote
- When: Tuesday, November 30, 8:30-10:30 AM
- Where: Hall A, The Venetian and livestreamed
- Speaker: Adam Selipsky, AWS CEO
- Abstract: Adam Selipsky takes the stage to share his insights and the latest news about AWS customers, products, and services.
AWS for Media & Entertainment and Games Lounge
- When:
- Monday, November 29, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM PT
- Tuesday, November 30, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM PT
- Wednesday, Dec 1, 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM PT
- Thursday, Dec 2, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM PT
- Friday, Dec 3, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT
- Where: The Venetian, by the meal hall
- What: Stop by the lounge to see how you can power engaging entertainment and interactive experiences on AWS. Catch up with your AWS account team, collaborate with industry peers, and explore everything Game Tech and M&E has to offer at re:Invent.
AWS for Media & Entertainment demo pod
- When:
- Monday, November 29, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT
- Tuesday, November 30, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM PT
- Wednesday, Dec 1, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM PT
- Thursday, Dec 2, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM PT
- Where: AWS Village in the Expo at the Venetian
- What: Stop by the AWS for M&E Demo pod to see the latest features and services for the M&E industry. Speak with a subject matter expert one-on-one to get your questions answered.
AWS on Air
- AWS for M&E service and hardware updates
- When:
- Tuesday, November 30, 3:20 PM – 3:35 PM PT
- Where: AWS on Air (follow @AWSonAir on Twitter to submit your questions and get the latest updates when shows go live
- What: In this session, AWS will highlight the 2021 features and releases for the purpose-built service and hardware for the M&E industry – including Channel Assembly, AWS CDI, and Amazon Nimble Studio
- When:
- AWS for M&E re:Invent updates
M&E Attendee Guide
Download the full M&E Attendee Guide to get further information on industry sessions, activities, and “how to re:Invent.”
