Hollywood subtitle firm launches new mastering division

The Sheffield-based firm said that mastering is the process of finishing a programme after post-production to synchronise the video and audio tracks, conform to technical requirements of the target platforms, and perform compression and encoding of the audio-visual materials.

Zoo will provide mastering for both UHD and HD content, including "next day air" servicing for content on major streaming platforms.

The service will be led by Zoo’s Los Angeles facility, which benefits from the latest hardware and software for mastering, QC and packaging.

Zoo said that the mastering services division will provide an additional revenue source for the company and will enhance its position as a provider of end-to-end localisation and media services to the global media and entertainment industry.

The new division will be led by former Fox Filmed Entertainment's Melissa McAllister, who has joined the company as director of TV mastering and servicing.

With 18 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, including as supervisor of scheduling and servicing for media services at Fox Filmed Entertainment, Zoo said that Ms McAllister specialises in managing projects to deliver the highest levels of quality, while adhering to some of the tightest turnaround times demanded in the entertainment industry.

Zoo said that she will lead a highly experienced team of mastering project managers, encoders, editors and QC technicians, all working to deliver high quality masters for the world’s biggest content creators.

Stuart Green, CEO of Zoo Digital, said: “The launch of a dedicated mastering service is the natural progression in our end-to-end client offering and positions Zoo to benefit from a potentially significant future revenue stream.

"The biggest names in entertainment are dealing with more languages, more platforms, and more audiences, so having a vendor that can offer both multi-language localisation and media services means greater efficiency, fewer delays, and simplifies the challenge of taking a project from post-production to platform.”

Ms McAllister said: “The biggest factors in delivering mastering services in the entertainment industry are exactly the traits that Zoo has made its name for.

"By always looking ahead at how best to tackle industry challenges, this has enabled us to hit the ground running with the new service line.

"Zoo is a proven safe pair of hands for the biggest names in the industry and we already have the knowledge and experience within the team to deliver high quality mastering projects.”