Meaningful Sustainability in Media Production
by Lee Otterway, Commercial Director, Dot Group
In conversations with media companies about sustainability, we’ve encountered a striking paradox: while some organisations are making substantial investments in environmental responsibility, others dismiss the entire concept out of hand. This divide isn’t simply between large broadcasters and smaller facilities – we’ve seen small production houses leading with ambitious green initiatives, while some established players remain resistant.
What explains this stark contrast, and more importantly, how can we move the entire industry toward meaningful environmental action that delivers genuine business benefits?
The Greenwashing Dilemma
Let’s be honest: much of what passes for “sustainability” in our industry amounts to little more than corporate virtue signalling. We’ve all seen the initiatives – eliminating plastic cups in the office, encouraging work-from-home days, or switching to sustainable catering options for production crews.
While these actions are commendable on a personal level, they often make negligible difference to a company’s actual carbon footprint. This isn’t about dismissing individual choices – it’s about recognising that corporate sustainability requires more substantial operational changes, particularly in areas that are often considered “too hard” to tackle.
As one production executive candidly told us, “We’re putting energy into feeling good about tiny changes while ignoring the massive energy consumption of our core business operations.”
What Actually Moves the Dial
Real sustainability in media and entertainment comes from addressing the energy-intensive aspects of production and broadcast operations – particularly IT infrastructure that’s often relegated to the “too hard” bucket:
- IT servers and storage systems that typically account for a significant portion of a facility’s carbon footprint
- Cloud resources that are frequently over-provisioned “just in case” rather than optimised for actual usage patterns
- Virtualised environments where inefficient configuration leads to wasted computing power and unnecessary energy consumption
The problem with current approaches? They rely too heavily on manual reporting and human data entry, which can never provide real-time, pinpoint accurate measurements of resource usage and environmental impact. As a result, the data captured and ensuing actions are often slow, incomplete, and sub-optimal.
The Data Credibility Problem
Another challenge undermining sustainability efforts is the questionable reliability of environmental impact data. When major cloud providers publish ESG reports claiming dramatic emissions reductions, how can media companies verify these claims?
The solution lies in automated monitoring systems that capture actual operational data rather than relying on human-entered information or third-party assertions. For sustainability initiatives to have real impact, the full production lifecycle carbon footprint needs to be accurately measured and allocated to specific productions and supply chain elements.
Only then can broadcasters drive accountability for carbon reduction across the entire media supply chain and use that information to influence behaviours at the point of commissioning and tendering.
Technology as an Enabler
At Dot Group, we’re helping media and entertainment companies bridge the gap between environmental responsibility and financial performance through AI-powered solutions like IBM Apptio and IBM Turbonomic.
These technologies enable automated discovery, interpretation, and implementation of best practices for both carbon and cost reduction:
- Real-time monitoring of servers, virtual machines, and cloud environments provides the minute detail necessary for meaningful optimisation
- AI-based automation performs workload scaling and resource allocation adjustments that would take engineers considerable time to implement and manage manually
- Integrated metrics connect environmental impact directly to specific business functions and production projects
Together, these capabilities transform sustainability from a manual checklist exercise into an embedded, automated aspect of operational excellence.
The Business Case for Change
The most compelling argument for meaningful sustainability initiatives isn’t environmental altruism – it’s business performance. Companies implementing sophisticated resource optimisation typically see immediate benefits:
- Reduced operational costs through efficient resource utilisation
- Improved workflow performance through elimination of bottlenecks
- Enhanced forecasting and budgeting capabilities
- Proactive risk mitigation for future regulatory requirements
- Strengthened brand reputation with increasingly eco-conscious clients and audiences
Join Us at MPTS 2025
If you’re interested in exploring how AI-powered sustainability solutions can help your production company cut costs while reducing environmental impact, visit Dot Group at Stand AI1 in the AI Zone at the Media Production & Technology Show 2025.
Our team will be demonstrating how technologies like IBM Apptio and IBM Turbonomic can transform your approach to resource management, moving beyond manual reporting to real-time monitoring and intelligent optimisation that delivers both financial and environmental benefits.
In today’s challenging economic climate, the ability to simultaneously reduce costs and carbon footprint isn’t just good for the planet – it’s essential for business success. It’s time to tackle the areas that have historically been placed in the “too hard” bucket and implement solutions that drive measurable, accountable change.