SPIEGEL TV, founded in 1990, is a German television production company operating under the umbrella of Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s most influential weekly news publications, known for investigative journalism, political reporting, and in-depth analysis. It benefits from this strong editorial heritage and a reputation for credibility, depth, and rigorous reporting.
Alongside traditional television formats, SPIEGEL TV also produces content for streaming and social media, adapting its storytelling to a wide range of platforms and evolving viewing habits. With a fast-paced production environment handling large volumes of media, the team relies on a robust infrastructure to ensure efficient collaboration and reliable access to content across departments.
A Scalable Foundation for Fast-Paced Media Production
The decision to upgrade the system at SPIEGEL TV was driven by the need to replace aging server infrastructure, with the existing environment reaching the end of its lifecycle and no longer meeting the performance expectations of a fast-moving production department. In addition, the company required significantly more storage capacity and higher overall performance to support growing media volumes and increasingly complex production workflows, with long-term scalability and operational reliability as key considerations in the search for a new solution.
SPIEGEL TV had already enjoyed a positive experience with ELEMENTS and was familiar with and confident in its capabilities, with systems already being successfully used for several years by Spiegel Verlag and the SPIEGEL TV Archive, where teams were highly satisfied with both the solution and the level of support provided. It was therefore a logical next step for SPIEGEL TV Production to continue the relationship with ELEMENTS.
As a German manufacturer, ELEMENTS operates in the same time zone, making communication and issue resolution significantly faster and more accessible than with the previous provider. With production teams working across multiple formats and distribution channels, SPIEGEL TV needed a system that could support seamless collaboration and faster access to media assets.
Beyond the storage infrastructure itself, ELEMENTS is also supporting SPIEGEL TV with network connectivity and internal building networking. As SPIEGEL TV prepares to relocate all departments to a new facility throughout 2026, ELEMENTS will assist with the installation of servers and provide support during the transition, helping to ensure continuity and minimal disruption to ongoing production operations.
Improved Control, Administration, and Workflow Efficiency
Since upgrading, SPIEGEL TV has seen significant advantages in system administration and data management. The ability to control data structures and manage access permissions has proven to be a major and much welcomed benefit. The ELEMENTS user interface has also made managing multiple users and workspaces significantly easier compared to the previous system, while the ELEMENTS Automation Engine helps administrators save valuable time by automating repetitive tasks.
Managing data structures, access permissions, users, and workspaces is significantly easier with ELEMENTS than with the previous system.
Manfred Jannsen, Technical Manager, SPIEGEL TV
This level of control allows the team to organize their media environment more effectively while ensuring that users have appropriate access to the right content at the right time. For a fast-moving production environment, this balance of flexibility and control is essential.
The new system, which is used throughout the organization, also supports more efficient workflows, with the exchange of data between departments now significantly easier, helping to reduce friction in cross-team collaboration and accelerate the movement of content across the Spiegel Group.
Fast Onboarding and Strong Support
The upgrade was characterized by a smooth learning curve, and after a short familiarization period with the core features of the new system, users were quickly able to access and make use of more advanced capabilities.
A key factor in this seamless adoption was the strong support provided by the ELEMENTS team, particularly their responsiveness and solution-oriented approach, with the team being on hand to assist and ensure smooth, trouble-free operations.
An Environment Built for Evolving Production Needs
Looking ahead, SPIEGEL TV continues to rely on ELEMENTS as a trusted technology partner, providing a long-term platform that can evolve alongside its production requirements, and the team is confident in the ongoing development of the system, particularly given that ELEMENTS values and actively incorporates customer feedback into future system updates and enhancements.
This adaptability is particularly important in a media landscape where workflows, distribution channels, and content formats continue to evolve rapidly. SPIEGEL TV expects that future developments will be implemented in close collaboration with ELEMENTS, ensuring that the system continues to support both current and emerging production requirements.
A Reliable Foundation for High-End Journalism
SPIEGEL TV has been equipped with a future-ready, scalable, and fully integrated storage and workflow environment that supports both operational efficiency and production demands. With improved administration, streamlined collaboration, and reliable support, the system has become a core part of its production infrastructure.
The new system has made data exchange between departments significantly easier, reducing friction in collaboration and accelerating the movement of content across the Spiegel Group.
Manfred Jannsen, Technical Manager, SPIEGEL TV
ELEMENTS is delighted to provide the technical foundation behind SPIEGEL TV’s journalism, enabling their team to focus on what matters most: delivering high-quality content across all platforms.
