Media companies are increasingly moving away from disparate vendor systems and embracing centralized platforms. This shift is driven by the need to lower operational costs and break down departmental silos, which often hinder content production and distribution. Traditional media operations frequently rely on a collection of disconnected tools, leading to inefficiencies such as redundant software licensing, constant context-switching, and delayed coordination.
Industry experts note that these fragmented approaches result in significant hidden costs that only become apparent when organizations implement unified systems. “The hidden costs of fragmented media tech stacks add up quickly: Teams lose hours each day searching for assets across disconnected platforms, switching between editing, storage, project management, and review tools, and managing version conflicts that stall production,” stated Kathleen Barrett, CEO of Backlight.
Nav Khangura, VP of sales and business development at TMT Insights, highlights the operational bottlenecks caused by constant context-switching and coordination delays: “In traditional media workflows, time is often lost to manual processes, disconnected tools, and constant context-switching between teams and platforms; like trying to run a relay race without knowing where the next runner is,” he said.
To address these issues, media companies are implementing centralized platforms that connect previously separate tools and workflows, creating a unified source of information. These platforms leverage APIs and automation to link disparate processes. Aaron Kroger, director of product marketing and communications at Dalet, suggests, “To consolidate fragmented processes across departments or vendor systems, organizations should begin with a centralized, accessible platform that enables unified viewing and management. Building on that, integrations can connect disparate tools, workflows, and people while having a single source of truth ensures consistency and eliminates duplication.”
Organizations are also utilizing cloud-based architectures with unified interfaces to manage multiple functions from a single platform. Khangura explains, “Moving to a cloud-based architecture with a single, centralized interface allows teams to manage ingest, QC, approvals, and delivery all in one place.”
Lucas Bertrand, founder and CEO of Looper Insights, emphasizes the importance of centralizing data management for improved strategy and faster response times: “Centralizing merchandising data into a single platform helps unify reporting and removes redundant or conflicting workflows across teams. This eliminates silos between marketing and platform partners. The result is a more coherent strategy and faster response to market shifts.”
Companies that have adopted centralized platforms have reported significant improvements in operational efficiency and cost reduction. For instance, the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils reduced storage management costs by 34% after consolidating their media management systems. Orange Prestations TV tripled graphic output while managing over 730,000 assets following platform consolidation.
Ivan Verbesselt, chief strategy and marketing officer at Mediagenix, outlines the key areas for ROI calculation: “ROI calculation for supply chain consolidation centers on three key areas: operational efficiency gains, revenue optimization, and risk mitigation. When you eliminate duplicate systems, manual handoffs, and data reconciliation across fragmented platforms, labor costs drop significantly while velocity increases.” He adds, “A single source of truth eliminates costly rights violations, missed licensing opportunities, and write-offs from content that never gets properly monetized. The ROI compounds because each improvement amplifies the others.”
Barrett notes the tangible benefits of a consolidated media ecosystem: “Consolidating your media ecosystem isn’t just operationally cleaner — it delivers measurable ROI through reduced software spend, faster asset discovery with AI-enhanced metadata, and fewer labor hours spent on file transfers.”
Geoff Stedman, CMO at SDVI, highlights the financial advantages of cloud-based architectures: “Moving to a cloud-based architecture provides the opportunity to move away from perpetual software licenses and underutilized infrastructure for the media processing elements of a supply chain.” This allows for consumption-based models, ensuring efficient resource allocation and cost management.
In conclusion, consolidating fragmented tech stacks provides a systematic approach to reducing operational costs, enhancing workflow efficiency, and improving interdepartmental coordination within media organizations.