Sinclair Broadcast Group Taps Burst to Deliver User-Generated Content

Burst announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has agreed to deploy the Burst platform for user-generated content and Burst On TV (BOTV).  Plans call for the deployment of the Burst solution to more than 50 television markets where Sinclair owns or operates television stations and the SBGI-owned Tennis Channel.

Sinclair’s roll out of the Burst platform started in the second quarter of 2016 and will continue for the balance of 2016. Each station will issue calls to action asking viewers to submit video of compelling moments such as sports events, breaking news, political and cultural happenings, or major weather events for curated broadcast on local news programming and for distribution on Sinclair’s digital assets.  Thanks to Burst-enabled user-generated content (UGC), these stations will have a new inventory of great video content that is totally rights-controlled by Sinclair.

As the stations become familiar with the basic Burst platform, they will progress to Burst On TV. BOTV is the foundational technology and the only platform that allows customers to get video from any mobile device onto live broadcasts, OTT, digital networks, or social media channels instantly without disrupting existing workflows and processes.   

BOTV employs an easy to use point-and-click interface that allows journalists, consumers, celebrities – anyone with a smartphone, a point of view and subject to record – to get their video into live media streams seamlessly without requiring the download and use of a mobile app to participate.  For media companies, live event venues, brands and marketers, this means fresh and compelling content that is readily monetized, giving broadcasters new sources of sustainable revenue from owned content. 

“We are in a market today where consumers have a nearly unlimited number of viewing options,” says Bryant McBride, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Burst, Inc. “Only Burst gives broadcasters like Sinclair the ability to quickly and cost-effectively build fresh mobile video content streams that engage the new generation of TV viewers, while also enabling a new source of revenue and actionable viewer data.”

“Burst is a unique opportunity for us to build upon viewer engagement in our local communities,” says Scott Livingston, VP of News for Sinclair. “The platform has differentiated itself by being incredibly easy to use and early UGC results have been very encouraging.”