I got to help with some of the design and testing of this pretty early file-based distribution system at Sony Pictures Television in London. The screenshots might look just a tad dated now, but it really was ahead of its time. The asset-matching bit was particularly fun back then, solving the problem of how to deal with thousands of files being delivered to us with no standardised naming conventions.

Files (Files! Not Digibetas!) would arrive:

We would need a way to match these files to our expected inventory:

We would have to QC them:

Obviously, compliance was needed (broadcast licences on the line, here):

And then off they went on their merry way to TX: