A “melt” is a commonly used broadcast media term, but one that few people outside the truck truly understand. A melt isn’t a file format, a piece of equipment, a workflow, or (unfortunately) a reference to CMSI’s annual Cheesesteak Day. A melt is an essential deliverable. The concept has existed for decades, long before servers, shared storage, or cloud transfers. And while the tools have evolved dramatically, the purpose remains the same: capturing the most important highlights of an event in one place.
Where the Melt Began: The Tape Era
Why is it called a melt? The answer comes from the early days of videotape replay. Before EVS servers or NLEs existed, sports broadcasts relied on a room full of tape machine operators. Each operator was responsible for recording a specific camera angle during the event. Then, when the game ended, the real work began. While other members of the crew were outside tearing down equipment and wrapping cables, the tape guys were hustling to melt together their best clips of the day.
Operators would wait for their turn to share the best moments they captured. These clips would include big plays, reaction shots, and anything that mattered editorially. One by one, they recorded these selects onto a single master tape, essentially “melting down” hours of footage into a compact reel of highlights. That reel became known as the melt. The melting process was time-consuming and often went late into the night. It was also the only way to create a highlights package before digital technology existed.
Going Faster: From Tape to Digital
As replay systems moved from tape to hard-drive-based servers, the process sped up, but it didn’t fundamentally change. Operators still had to wait until the end of the game to assemble their contributions. Copies still needed to be moved manually, and the final melt still had to be handed off through a physical workflow.
Even though the technology was faster, the process wasn’t.
How CMSI Changed the Melt Forever
CMSI helped transform the melt into what it is today: a real-time, cloud-enabled, instantly distributable asset.
Instead of waiting for the end of a game, operators using CMSI systems can mark a clip as “meltworthy” the moment it happens with a single keystroke. That tag tells the system to archive the clip, process it, and prepare it for transfer.
From there, CMSI’s tools:
- Pull the clips automatically
- Package them into a structured melt
- Accelerate transfer to networks, leagues, and broadcast partners
- Deliver them to cloud platforms or editorial teams within minutes
This shift turned the melt from a postgame chore into a real-time pipeline powering highlight shows, promotional spots, social content, digital apps, and more.
Why the Melt Still Matters
Even with modern automation, the purpose of the melt hasn’t changed: It’s the central source of truth for the most important moments of an event.
Networks rely on melts for:
- Studio highlight shows
- Game recaps
- Social pushes
- In-game turnarounds
- Archival content for leagues and digital platforms
Because speed matters, CMSI’s melt workflows ensure that the top highlights of the game are available moments after they happen instead of several hours later. They do not (again, unfortunately) ensure a toasty cheese sandwich at the end of the game, but the promise of new technology in the future keeps this dream alive.
