Case Study: Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) achieves 8x faster ingest and centralized real-time media workflows with DataDirect Networks (DDN)

Entertainment Hub For Toronto’s Nhl, Nba & Mls Teams Increases Broadcast Workflow Efficiency

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors and other teams and broadcast channels, needed to consolidate and fragmented tape-based workflows into a single digital media repository. The challenge was to digitize 11,000+ hours of tape and deploy a high‑performance, high‑capacity storage system that would support diverse ingest devices, Final Cut Pro and Avid edit bays, Harris play‑out servers and a future DAM—allowing all systems to work simultaneously in real time without dropped frames.

MLSE implemented a DDN high‑performance file storage solution as the central repository, eliminating multiple storage islands and enabling immediate access to content across the workflow. The deployment delivered 8x faster ingest, real‑time collaboration for editors, about $100K/year saved in tape costs, reduced operational overhead, and a dense, scalable platform (roughly 280TB/year growth) ready for additional HD channels and DAM integration.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE)

Drew Kikauka

Broadcasting Engineering, Supervisor and Central Storage, Project Lead