PODCAST
From No Visibility to Real-Time Confidence: How Nine Australia Is Modernizing National Audio Distribution with the Zixi Platform
William Todd, Head of Technology & Innovation, Nine Australia
Andrew Reich, VP of Business Development, Zixi
Overview
Zixi’s Andrew Reich sits down with William Todd, Head of Technology & Innovation for Nine Australia’s Total Audio Division, to discuss how Nine is evolving national audio syndication by introducing visibility and reliability into workflows that have historically relied on satellite.
In the conversation, Todd shares why satellite distribution — while dependable — lacked the operational feedback modern teams need, and how Nine is using the Zixi Platform to gain real-time insight into what affiliates are receiving, how streams are performing, and where issues arise. He explains how this shift from assumption-based delivery to evidence-based operations is changing how his team monitors, supports, and scales distribution across Australia’s vast geography.
The discussion also touches on Nine’s COTS-first philosophy, hybrid on-prem and cloud deployment via AWS Marketplace, and why visibility and reliability are becoming foundational requirements not just for audio syndication today, but for future video contribution, outside broadcasting, and live events — including sports.
Key Takeaways
- Visibility changes everything: Satellite distribution provided delivery — but no feedback. With Zixi, Nine gains real-time insight into decoder status, channel usage, and stream performance, enabling proactive monitoring and faster issue resolution.
- Reliability without hardware lock-in: Zixi fits Nine’s strict commercial off-the-shelf strategy, running entirely in software without bespoke appliances, proprietary hardware, or custom infrastructure.
- Hybrid by design: Nine operates Zixi across both on-prem and cloud environments, creating architectural diversity and resilience without sacrificing operational simplicity.
- AWS Marketplace simplicity: Zixi was procured directly through AWS Marketplace and deployed quickly, integrating cleanly into Nine’s existing AWS tenancy and operational model.
- Operational confidence at national scale: Distributing audio across Australia means dealing with long distances and uneven connectivity. Zixi provides the resilience, observability, and feedback required to operate reliably under those conditions.
- A foundation beyond audio: While audio syndication is the immediate priority, the same visibility and reliability principles extend naturally into video contribution, outside broadcasting, and live events — including sports.
- Standards-driven, future-ready: Nine’s environment emphasizes standardization and interoperability. Zixi aligns with that philosophy, supporting multi-codec workflows and integrating cleanly into modern IP-based operations.
Contact our Sales team to find your perfect solution.
