Television archives worldwide are in constant transformation. To monitor this transformation FIAT/IFTA yearly asks its members 5 short multiple choice questions: about preservation formats and content management systems in use at your archive, access to your archive, the way metadata are created and your connection to the public. The FIAT/IFTA Media Management Commission uses the data from this survey to keep track of the challenges the FIAT/IFTA members are confronted with. This way we can provide our members directly with relevant information on the FIAT/IFTA-website and interesting lectures during FIAT/IFTA conferences and seminars. At the FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2016 in Warsaw (12th – 15th October), the anonymized results of this survey were presented. These results also enable audiovisual archives worldwide you to answer the question: “where is our archive on the timeline?”

1. WHERE ARE YOU ON THE TIMELINE?
Media Management Commission
FIAT/IFTA World Conference, Warsaw 2016 – Eva-Lis Green, Brecht Declercq, Adrienne Warburton – 15.10.2016

2. What is the Timeline?
A representation of what stage FIAT/IFTA
members are in, on the journey towards
digital archiving in terms of –
• Preservation Format
• Content Management System
• Access
• Metadata Creation
• Connection to the public

3. You tell us
where you are,
FIAT/IFTA allows
you to compare

4. You tell us
where you are,
FIAT/IFTA brings
relevant information
to you

5. disclaimer:
“a witty quote every year
about the relativity of statistics
is not so easy to find”
[Brecht Declercq]

6. TIMELINE SURVEY RESULTS
Number of responses 44
After elimination of doubles 41

7. 75.6
2.4
22.0
TYPE OF ORGANISATION
Broadcaster
Private archive
Institutional archive

8. 16.3
7.0
18.6
18.6
7.0
30.2
2.3
2.9
5.7
28.6
11.4
17.1
34.3
0.0
0.0
4.9
24.4
29.3
12.2
29.3
0.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0
Step 1: Analogue carriers such as film, video or stills.
Step 2: Digital linear tape
Step 3: Up to 25% of digital files on mass storage
Step 4: 26% - 50% of digital files on mass storage
Step 5: 51% - 75% of digital files on mass storage
Step 6: 76% - 100% of digital files on mass storage
Step 7: Digital files stored in the cloud
1. Preservation format
2014 PCT 2015 PCT 2016 PCT

9. 12.2
36.6
14.6
14.6
24.4
17.1
7.3
39.0
0.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0
fear: more expensive
sufficient storage, no need
can't give us quick access
doubts about copyright issues
doubts about data protection issues
doubts about the security
don't outsource core business
investigating the market
other
1b. What stops us from going into the cloud?

10. 2.3
11.6
7.0
9.3
44.2
25.6
0.0
2.9
8.6
17.1
48.6
22.9
2.4
7.3
2.4
12.2
39.0
36.6
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
Step 1: Card index, log books, other paper based
finding aids
Step 2: Standalone databases and other electronic
documents
Step 3: Electronic, networked library cataloguing
and tape management systems
Step 4: Electronic, networked library cataloguing
and tape management systems linked to preview…
Step 5: Digital asset management system
Step 6: Digital asset management and rights
management system
2. Content management system
2014 PCT 2015 PCT 2016 PCT

11. 4.7
9.3
37.2
11.6
23.3
14.0
0.0
5.7
37.1
20.0
20.0
17.1
4.9
2.4
36.6
19.5
14.6
22.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0
Step 1: Viewing originals on video tape machines and
monitors or a Steenbeck
Step 2: Viewing preview copies on video tape machine and
monitors
Step 3: Browse copies on networked computers -
internally
Step 4: Browse copies over the web for staff on and off
site
Step 5: Browse copies over the web internally and through
external websites for staff and public access (parts of the…
Step 6: Browse copies over the web internally and on
external websites for staff and public acces; ability to…
3. Access to essence
2014 PCT 2015 PCT 2016 PCT

12. 9.3
18.6
23.3
11.6
32.6
2.3
2.3
5.7
14.3
22.9
25.7
17.1
5.7
8.6
2.4
9.8
36.6
14.6
26.8
2.4
7.3
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0
Step 1: Only production metadata in existence, none
created by cataloguers and no catalogue
Step 2: All metadata manually input by cataloguers
Step 3: Some automatic creation of technical metadata
from digital files; descriptive metadata manual input by…
Step 4: As stage 3 with metadata automatically fed in from
external applications (e.g. production systems) linked to…
Step 5: As stage 4 with metadata also being put in by
production staff
Step 6: As stage 5 with metadata creation such as tagging
and crowd sourcing utilized
Step 7: As stage 6 with automatic metadata creation such as
speech-to-text, image recognition, …
4. Metadata creation
2014 PCT 2015 PCT 2016 PCT

13. 46.5
23.3
11.6
18.6
31.4
25.7
25.7
17.1
41.5
17.1
22.0
19.5
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0
Step 1: Featuring archival items on tv, radio and
own websites not dedicated to the archive
Step 2: Tthe above plus featuring items on own
dedicated archival website'
Step 3: The above plus via external social media
platforms, sites and/or apps
Step 4: The above plus via external or own
platforms aiming at target groups e.g. education'
5. Connection to the audience
2014 PCT 2015 PCT 2016 PCT

14. EVOLUTION vs 2014: HIGH LEVEL CONCLUSIONS
Preservation format:
Analog and digital linear tape as most advanced
stages is getting lower and lower: everyone has a
significant part on digital storage. Some reached or
get close to full digitisation. Cloud still one bridge too
far.
The cloud for storage?
A mix of reasons why not, but 4/10 are investigating
the market

15. EVOLUTION vs 2014: HIGH LEVEL CONCLUSIONS
Content management system:
¾ respondents has a MAM system these days. If you
buy a first or a new MAM, it features a thorough
rights management too.
Access:
Growing divide between ‘full access’ and ‘internal
only’: security reasons of broadcasters?
Metadata creation:
All manual input in sharp decline (thanks to MAMs),
no big breakthrough yet for automatic feature
extraction

16. EVOLUTION vs 2014: HIGH LEVEL CONCLUSIONS
Connection to the public:
Puzzling results, for some broadcasters, bringing archives
material directly to the audience seems not to be the goal. On
the other hand: almost 1/5 have dedicated platforms for
special target groups.

17. THANK YOU FOR FILLING OUT
THE SURVEY!
WHERE ARE YOU ON THE TIMELINE?
Media Management Commission