A couple of years ago Turner Entertainment Networks (TEN), a division of Turner Broadcasting System, learned that the Sony digital video equipment on which TEN’s broadcasting operations relied was no longer being manufactured. Concerned about the availability of spare parts for its critical machines, TEN worked out a contract with Sony’s SupportNET program to carry the broadcasting giant through the transition period.

Close to a decade ago, Turner Entertainment Networks moved from analog to digital videotape, choosing Sony’s D2 tape machines. It was one of the first practical digital video options, says Ron Tarasoff, vice president for TEN’s broadcast technology and engineering. TEN now operates nearly 150 D2 machines, serving its group of 18 broadcasting networks, including TBS, TNT, the Cartoon Network, and Latin American operations.

About a year and-a-half ago, TEN ordered a new D2 unit only to discover that Sony had stopped manufacturing them. Tarasoff immediately wondered, “What about spare parts?” He calculated that even if TEN devoted four machines around the clock to dubbing its 80,000-title library into another format, it would take seven years to copy everything. TEN would need to rely on its D2 machines for the foreseeable future, but wondered how long spare parts would be available.

Sony asked Tarasoff to project how much TEN was likely to spend on parts over the next seven years if it continued to follow the recommended maintenance schedule, which included regular preventative maintenance and periodic minor and major overhauls. After receiving the projections, Sony’s SupportNET group put together a proposal for a seven-year service contract under which the SupportNET group would guarantee a seven-year supply of spare parts and perform all the maintenance on site at TEN, all at a cost less than TEN was projecting to spend on just the spare parts themselves. “We did get aggressive on the deal,” says Alan Evans, support services account manager. “We wanted to make sure we got their attention.”

Tarasoff’s reaction was “What a deal!” Not only would TEN’s maintenance and parts worries be eliminated, but the company could also project with accuracy how much it would spend on maintenance each year. As it’s worked out, says Tarasoff, “We couldn’t be happier. The Sony people on site are doing a fantastic job.” In addition, the number of errors due to equipment malfunction has dropped significantly, notes Tarasoff, who adds: “Those machines couldn’t be in better shape.” It’s worked out for Sony as well. The SupportNET group has since struck two additional major service contract deals with Turner Broadcasting subsidiaries. And by keeping the existing systems running, Sony has been able to retain TEN as a customer until the next generation of machines is ready.