Overview
For over a century, a global media and entertainment organization has shaped the industry, delivering compelling content to audiences in over 150 countries and 40+ languages. However, years of expansion through acquisitions created fragmented operations, with multiple ERP systems and siloed business processes. The company launched a multi-year global initiative to consolidate 3+ separate ERP systems into a single, cohesive platform. The goal? To redesign global content and financial operations while rolling out phased changes over 3–4 years.
To ensure the success of this complex transformation, the company partnered with Point B to align its processes, systems, and people into a unified enterprise framework. Our team focused on optimizing ERP functions and addressing the unique nuances of our customer’s content lifecycle, from greenlighting deals to global monetization.
Challenges
In pursuing operational excellence, the organization faced several critical challenges requiring a confident, forward-thinking approach. These challenges included:
Technical Debt
Acquired businesses retained legacy systems, resulting in costly technical debt and operational bottlenecks.
Fragmented Operations
Each business unit operated independently, leading to inefficiencies and missed synergies.
Cross-Functional Integration
The content lifecycle, which cuts across functions like financial planning, vendor management, legal affairs, accounts payable, accounting, and taxation, required expertise to ensure seamless integration within the new ERP system.
Industry Evolution
Expanding business models from traditional content production to integrated global distribution models and the rise of streaming services added further complexity to their operating landscape.
Complex Financial Workflows
Financial teams faced challenges managing cost-intensive assets with intricate accounting treatments, such as asset amortization and budgeting for content production.
Opportunity
The rise of direct-to-consumer streaming networks and shifting content monetization models presented opportunities to adapt and integrate operations for greater efficiency. A new ERP solution was selected to support the entire content lifecycle, from creation to distribution, requiring a refined approach to implementation that aligned technology with business goals while mitigating the risks of departmental silos.
Approach
We closely integrated with our customer’s Content Transformation team to deliver a holistic solution focused on 3 pillars of success:
1. Business Processes
- Designed over 40 interim-state and future-state processes that streamline operations and foster greater cross-functional collaboration.
- Standardized workflows across strategic planning, greenlighting, production, marketing, and distribution.
2. Technology
- Enhanced ERP performance by ensuring SAP S/4HANA modules were tailored to the company's unique operational and content lifecycle needs.
- Addressed integration challenges between modern ERP systems and legacy data platforms and applications, such as evolving deal, rights, scheduling, and distribution data.
3. People
- Facilitated effective change management to prepare teams for new processes and tools.
- Engaged stakeholders to align priorities and foster adoption at all organizational levels.
Combining expertise in business transformation with a deep understanding of content and financial workflows, we ensured the implementation was seamless and sustainable for future growth.
The company is equipped to optimize global operations, drive innovation, and capitalize on future opportunities.
Outcomes
Improved Engagement: Stronger collaboration was fostered across teams, creating goal alignment and a shared sense of purpose.
Operational Clarity: The transformation highlighted operational gaps, paving the way for global alignment and process standardization improvements. Over 40 processes were redefined, allowing for efficient and effective support to over 50-100 stakeholders worldwide. This contributed to the alignment of strategic goals and the improvement of overall operational performance.
Optimized Systems and Scalability: Legacy systems were consolidated, addressing technical debt and enabling global scalability. The new ERP solution enhanced future-state workflows and interactions across content lifecycle functions, including greenlighting, deal/rights management, and taxation.
The result is a streamlined operation prepared to meet the demands of global content distribution and maximize ROI in a dynamic media environment.
Looking Ahead
With our expertise and the new ERP solution as the tech backbone, the company is equipped to optimize global operations, drive innovation, and capitalize on future opportunities. In addition, the project served as a catalyst for future organizational changes, ensuring the enterprise remains responsive and agile in a rapidly evolving market.
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