How to ensure 24/7 TV broadcasting in constrained environments

The African operational context

Operating a 24/7 TV channel in Africa means dealing with:

• Frequent power outages
• Unstable internet connectivity
• Difficulty maintaining qualified on-site personnel
• High operational costs

These constraints are real and must be factored in from the design phase.

Solutions that don't work

Many installations fail because they rely on:

• Overly sophisticated equipment requiring non-existent local expertise
• Heavy local control rooms with on-site servers vulnerable to outages
• No redundancy: one failure = broadcast stoppage

The cloud-first approach

The most reliable solution today is to:

1. Centralize operations in the cloud to limit dependence on local infrastructure
2. Use automatic playlists that guarantee continuity even during failures
3. Deploy redundant architecture with automatic failover mechanisms

What this means in practice

With a solution like aCAS, TV playout runs entirely in the cloud. The local site only needs an internet connection and minimal local backup.

During an outage:

• Broadcasting continues from the cloud
• Programmed playlists execute automatically
• Return is automatic once connectivity is restored

High availability: a credibility issue

For a TV channel, every interruption damages credibility and loses audience. High availability isn't a luxury, it's an operational requirement.

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aCAN Group operates broadcast infrastructures for several national channels, with availability rates exceeding 99.9%.