Tightrope Media Systems Announces Cablecast Version 7.9 Upgrade

Tightrope Media Systems has announced Cablecast Version 7.9, an upgraded software release designed to streamline video workflows and enhance accessibility for government and community media users. The update introduces a Bulk Actions feature, allowing users to make changes across multiple shows simultaneously, along with a redesigned interface that simplifies meeting workflows. Cablecast’s video portals now meet WCAG accessibility standards, offering improved support for captions, translations, and screen reader-friendly navigation.

A major highlight of Version 7.9 is Cablecast Smart Summary, an AI-powered tool that automatically indexes and summarizes government meetings. This feature saves staff hours of manual work by creating searchable, editable transcriptions and video chapters linked to meeting agendas. As government meetings continue to play a crucial role in public engagement, these updates ensure a more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly experience for both video teams and viewers.

Tightrope Media Systems will demonstrate Cablecast Version 7.9 at the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Booth W2615. The upgraded software delivers a new Bulk Actions feature to make changes to multiple shows simultaneously, video streaming portals that comply with WCAG recommendations for ADA compliance, an enhanced user interface for improved meeting workflows, and Cablecast Smart Summary, an AI-powered indexing and summarization feature for government meetings designed to help local governments and community media centers save time and engage more residents.

Designed to reduce duplicate efforts, the new Bulk Action feature allows users to select multiple shows and apply a change to all of them at the same time. For example, users can delete VOD files, assets, or metadata associated with selected shows (without deleting the actual shows). Users can also use Bulk Action to update metadata, such as show title or producer information, across multiple shows.

Cablecast 7.9 further enhances video accessibility on its Cablecast Internet Channels, aligning with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Designed to make web content more inclusive for people with disabilities, Cablecast’s turnkey video portals offer customizable features that enable accessible streaming of live and on-demand government meetings. These features include closed captions, translations, audio descriptions, screen reader-friendly navigation, and more.

To provide a more streamlined user experience, the Show Record redesign features a reorganization of show fields into separate tabs. A new step-by-step process makes it simple to create new show segments (called reels), as well as intuitive drag-and-drop functionality for rearranging the order of reels. Plus, an integrated reel trimmer allows users to adjust segment timing or create new reels from the same file using a simple slider.

Powered by AI technology, the new Cablecast Smart Summary automatically indexes and creates chapters of government meetings, which enhances transparency and makes government more efficient and approachable. With searchable, editable transcriptions, Cablecast Smart Summary ensures minutes are detailed and accurate—without clerks having to re-watch an entire meeting. It also summarizes content, which saves staff hours of manual effort, and empowers Cablecast users to sync video chapters to agendas. For VOD viewers, the time-saving Cablecast Smart Summary allows them to easily jump to specific discussions, agenda items, votes, and more within meetings.

“Cablecast Version 7.9 is all about improving workflows for users and enhancing accessibility for viewers,” said JJ Parker, co-founder and CEO of Tightrope Media Systems. “Meetings are a big part of government video efforts, and the new UI enhancements make it easier to produce and edit coverage. Cablecast Smart Summary is the crown jewel of Version 7.9, because it saves significant time and effort for government video teams, while providing a very valuable service for viewers.”