Case Study: How the World Poker Tour® Distribution Team Leverages Technology and AI for Global Media Management Success

Since its inception in 2002, WPT Enterprises, Inc. (WPTE) has triggered a global gaming revolution, captivating audiences in more than 150 countries with its high-stakes poker tournaments. These World Poker Tour tournaments are showcased on television, online platforms like ClubWPT.com and WPTGlobal.com, and various mobile applications, including WatchWPT.

However, transforming the gaming and entertainment landscape came with its own set of challenges, particularly managing a sprawling media content library. The dynamic WPTE business model requires creating and sending multiple versions of the same video content to different endpoints. Each version is customized to meet specific branding and contractual obligations for each territory. This complicated their content management by creating redundancy issues.

WPTE recognized the need for a groundbreaking solution to streamline their operations, and they turned their sights to Ateliere Connect. Choosing a cloud-native media supply chain solution marked a pivotal shift in how WPTE tackled centralizing, managing, and distributing its content, ensuring unparalleled accuracy for partners and premium quality for viewers across the globe.

A Game-Changer in Media Management

By adopting Ateliere Connect, WPTE achieved a new level of efficiency in media asset management by leveraging a full cloud workflow from content creation to distribution. WPTE's primary objective in implementing Ateliere’s Connect platform was to refine and enhance the process of rendering and delivering diverse versions of its shows.

Ateliere Connect's component-based workflow and recipe-based packaging allowed WPTE to seamlessly adapt to the diverse demands of its distribution channels. Versions are tailored to quickly meet varied customer demands, specific format requirements, and content nuances. This approach enabled WPTE to dramatically reduce long-term storage costs by 75-90% through de-duplicating video assets, storing only the differences between file types (MB) rather than multiple large video files (which could be hundreds of GB/TB).

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AI-Powered Media Management and Distribution

Ateliere Connect enables WPTE to strategically harness the power of AI to efficiently manage and organize its media inventory. Ateliere’s proprietary technology, FrameDNA™, "fingerprints" media assets on a frame-by-frame basis, providing immediate and accurate identification. This automated process not only allows WPTE to see duplicate content at a glance, but it also significantly diminishes the need for manual version control and compliance checks. Intuitive tools and automation recipes orchestrate workflows, streamlining order processing, packaging and delivery.

The end goal of this endeavor is to eliminate “middle-man” services and establish a more efficient, streamlined and cost-effective system to manage and distribute media content, thus enhancing operational efficiency and ultimately benefiting both WPTE and its platform partners.

This strategic integration of AI and technology is more than just an operational upgrade; it’s a commitment to enhancing the viewing experience of millions worldwide. Watch this video as Ateliere’s Kira Baca and WPTE’s Marc Dion discuss how WPTE is winning with the combination of game-changing technology and AI.