On Air, the 24-hour live stream spanning six continents and produced by students from 18 universities worldwide, will be the first to use the Time Addressable Media Store (TAMS) based on the open-source API specification from BBC R&D.
The live stream on 16th October will involve 500 students worldwide, employing AWS reference implementation and open-source tools, with the whole live programme output recorded using Techex tx darwin as a single item into the store.
TAMS will give the students real-time access to ingested content, enabling them to create social media clips and edited segments as the broadcast progresses.
On Air will use Ravensbourne University in London as its central hub, with the production team employing Amazon Web Services (AWS), FAST channel methodologies, and AI tools in areas such as subtitling, editing, ad creation and content generation.
The project is backed by more than 20 organisations in the media technology industry, as well as broadcaster CNN which is working with Wandsworth Council on a live segment filmed at CNN’s London studio. CNN Academy Abu Dhabi will also provide an hour of original programming.
Carrie Wootten, co-founder of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto, said: “Momentum is building fast. With more than 500 students confirmed, new partners joining, and our presenters announced, On Air is shaping up to be a truly global celebration of the next generation of media talent. It’s an extraordinary collaboration between education and industry, and we can’t wait to showcase the results in October.”
On Air will stream live worldwide on YouTube from 16-17 October 2025. The broadcast will remain available afterwards, ensuring employers, mentors and educators can continue to engage with the content and connect with students.
