iWorld
Benchmark Broadcast partners with Adobe to upgrade video & audio services
Mumbai: In the last few years, the media and entertainment industry has taken a giant leap, thanks to the digital transformation that it has witnessed. The industry leaders now increasingly recognise technology’s strategic significance and do not see it merely as a tool for operational efficiency.
On the other end of the spectrum, consumers are keen to explore new experiences, including audio and video content. Their consumption avenues are not limited to TV, but also cover OTT platforms, web, social media, and native apps. For media and broadcasting companies, the evolution is a lifetime opportunity, and it requires them to use agile and effective ways to create a niche for themselves.
Setting ‘Benchmark’ since 2006
Established in 2006 in Singapore, Benchmark Broadcast Systems is a consultant and technology partner for media and broadcast companies in Asia. The company has over 50 in-house engineers and more than 500 years of cumulative experience in the broadcast industry to empower broadcast and media clients. The team works for end-to-end systems integration, project roadmaps, site support and maintenance, and personnel training.
From assessing requirements to designing systems, procurement, installation, and maintenance, Benchmark provides all services to its clients, which includes several broadcasters in the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia – CNBC, Mediacorp, Aljazeera, Nepal TV, and MyTV among many others.
For the uninitiated, production companies work with multiple vendors who provide a complex array of equipment and software — from the network, storage, and compute infrastructure to editing software, ingest systems, and media asset management. Often, these companies struggle to put all of these complex pieces together and follow a streamlined workflow. As a systems integrator, Benchmark works with each client to identify and implement a customized solution to address their specific problem.
The pandemic has not only catalysed the demand for digital content but also changed the production environments significantly. At this juncture, Benchmark set out to look for new-age solutions which help its clients respond to the changed environment and maintain their competitive edge.
Adobe joins the saga
Being a leader in creating digital experiences, Adobe’s solutions create environments that help media companies achieve their goals.
In September 2020, the company introduced the Adobe Certified Service Partners for Video and Audio program. The program helps systems integrators gain the high-level knowledge and confidence needed to deliver their services in three strategic areas: support, workflow and system design, and in software integration. Systems integrators that meet proficiency requirements in all three areas become Adobe Certified Service Partners for Video and Audio. The program supports partners in several ways. Through training, engineers become proficient in each service areas, giving systems integrators a clear path to gaining skills that will enable them to compete in the industry and better serve their clients. They can also leverage the certification as a unique selling point to offer professional services to their clients.
Benchmark Broadcast’s relationship with Adobe is not a recent one. The company has been successfully creating workflows for its clients by using Adobe Premiere Pro. Therefore, the leadership at Benchmark was excited to have their engineers be a part of the Adobe Certified Service Partner for Video and Audio program.
The program modules offer structured lessons about best practices on building the right workflows throughout the production journey. This enables Benchmark’s engineers to be more efficient in managing timelines yet develop a deeper understanding of systems integration, as they aim to improve the Adobe ecosystem for clients.
Amid the demand for complex remote production environments, production houses need trusted partners to help them with effective integration and the desired production workflow.
By joining the Adobe Certified Service Partners for Video and Audio program, Benchmark attempts to enhance the customer’s trust. For a relatively small team at Benchmark, the certification becomes a testimony of its experience with the Adobe ecosystem and the ability to get the work done.
By becoming an Adobe Certified Service Partner for Video and Audio, Benchmark Broadcast Systems is pushing the envelope in helping media and broadcast companies adapt to new consumer demands.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
