Yvan Cohen
Tue Jul 15 2025
How the EBU Used DAM to Power Eurovision 2025’s Media Workflows
Photo by Caleb Oquendo. Edited by Katya Mulvaney
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) needed a robust and reliable solution to manage content from the Eurovision Song Contest. Their photographers had to seamlessly upload assets to a centralised platform and share them securely across multiple websites
There’s something remarkable about the power of a DAM system like LightRocket Enterprise. It often feels almost magical in how it simplifies complex media workflows.
Our two-decade journey in building LightRocket Enterprise has led our system to be used by major global organisations like the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) — and now, the EBU during one of the world’s most-watched events: Eurovision.
Unlike most journeys however, there is no final destination.
When it comes to solving digital asset management problems, there is no end point. The quest is for excellence, efficiency, and value. But we know that however hard we strive, there will always be ways to improve, new features to add, and new technologies to integrate.
Photo by Michael Burrows
Tailoring DAM for a Global Event
One of the benefits of a DAM system like LightRocket Enterprise is its flexibility - its ability to scale up or down depending on the needs of the client – which is exactly what we did with Eurovision.
Here’s how we tailored our digital asset management solution to meet the unique demands of the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest, of which they are the organizer.
Let’s start out by pointing out that the EBU is not our largest client, nor does it manage the largest of collections. It’s current digital archives amount to some 30,000 or so files (mainly photos) – large enough to need some seriously professional management.
The EBU is “the world’s leading alliance of public service media with 113 Members across 56 countries – along with 31 Associates in Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Americas.” The Eurovision Song Contest, however, is different. It’s massive.
Performers from a total of 37 countries compete (OK, they do stretch the definition of ‘European’) for the contest’s coveted top spot. According to Eurovision’s own statistics, the contest reached a mind boggling 166 million people, with some 83 million unique views on YouTube and nearly 2 billion views on digital platforms.
Given the importance and scale of the Eurovision Song Contest, it was an honour for our team, and an endorsement of our system, when the EBU asked us to provide additional services during the contest. More precisely, it was an honour, an endorsement, AND a very exciting challenge.
Image created by Katya Mulvaney
Centralising Eurovision’s Media Content
The EBU needed a system that allowed photographers to upload content in real time, directly into a centralised system, ready for editing, metadata tagging, and public distribution. This was easy since our system is calibrated for editorial coverage of this kind.
The photographers and editors could then avail themselves of the smooth metadata workflows in their LightRocket DAM, group content into albums, and then publish that content onto their own public-facing DAM website and onto the Eurovision Song Contest’s site.
Knowing that we were about to see an explosion in traffic viewing the content published from the LightRocket DAM, our team set about putting our mantra of ‘flexibility and scalability’ into action. At the core of our corporate ethos is not just a commitment to developing powerful DAM software, but also to delivering a service that is perfectly in sync with the specific needs of our clients.
In practice this means that clients subscribing to a LightRocket Enterprise license are getting a whole lot more than a powerful digital asset management system. They are getting consultancy and collaboration from a team with decades of experience.
Photo by fauxels
How LightRocket Powered Eurovision’s Media Workflows
In the case of the EBU, that meant sitting down (remotely) with our opposite numbers in Geneva and in other parts of Europe to gather the necessary information and understanding how to implement the changes needed.
While some companies believe software alone can solve every challenge, we understand that the real solution lies in adapting technology to each client’s unique workflows and goals. This means taking time to develop a deep understanding of the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of each organisation’s operations – leading to a deeper, more personal understanding of their needs.
Fresh from several rounds of meetings, and armed with all the necessary data, our team set about adjusting the EBU’s system, so that it would be ready to handle the forecast explosion in traffic. It all took place behind the scenes, involving stress and scenario testing on our part to ensure it would literally be ‘alright on the night’.
One exhilarating week later, that was not without its challenges, our team found itself looking back on another landmark for our service. We were immensely proud to have played our small part in contributing to the success of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.
Want to see how LightRocket Enterprise can power your media workflows? Contact us today to explore a custom DAM solution built for your organisation.
Written by Yvan Cohen | Yvan is a Co-Founder of LightRocket and has spent the past two decades immersed in the challenges and realities of digital asset management. As a professional photojournalist, Yvan uses his decades of media experience to help shape LightRocket's world-class DAM platform; focusing on collaboration, intuitive workflows and continuous innovation.
