The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced that a new cohort of members has joined the strategic initiative: ActionStreamer, Antigravity, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Freeride World Tour, HOVERAir, Manchester United, Pico, Rezzil, San Diego Wave FC, Specs, Inc, and Trigger XR.

Founded two years ago in June 2024 by Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the XRSA is designed to accelerate time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports services.

The new members are the fourth group of organizations to join the XRSA, bringing the total number of members up to 33.

"Two years in, XRSA has started to build genuine momentum across sports, media, and technology,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented. “This fourth cohort reflects the breadth of what the alliance is becoming and continues to expand its capabilities across the immersive sports value chain. We are now several deployments in, proving our value as a structured testbed for real-world XR experimentation—with each new member strengthening what we can achieve together in accelerating the time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports experiences."

The new cohort of members spans rights owners, technology and hardware providers, and one of the world's leading sports and entertainment agencies—extending the alliance's reach across action sports rights, professional football, and aerial capture technology.

It includes ActionStreamer, a live-streaming software and wearable technology company, Antigravity, maker of A1, the world’s first 8K 360-degree drone for immersive capture; Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a global sports and entertainment agency; Freeride World Tour, the global series of competition for elite freeride skiers and snowboarders; HOVERAir, a technology and robotics company with a range of self-flying cameras; Pico, a VR technology company; Rezzil, a leading sports technology company focused on performance, insight, and engagement; San Diego Wave FC, a professional women’s soccer team, Specs, Inc. a technology company building the next generation of wearable computer; and Trigger XR, a sports and performance-focused agency. Manchester United, a UK Premier League football team, has also joined, as part of its partnership with Qualcomm.

"Bringing together organizations with expertise spanning capture technology, creative services, sports rights and fan engagement gives XRSA the range it needs to generate learnings that are genuinely transferable across the industry,” added Sylvain Lebreton, head of digital, HBS. “Meaningful experimentation requires diverse environments — different sports, different audiences, different production conditions. This cohort delivers exactly that breadth, and that is what will make our outputs valuable beyond any single deployment."

DENVER—MediaKind has announced that it is working with Accedo to deliver a pre-integrated, ready-to-deploy Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) streaming solution designed for today’s digital-first audiences.

The new D2C solution combines MediaKind’s self-serve cloud video platform, MK.IO, with Accedo’s flexible front-end applications to deliver a faster, simpler route to market.

“This partnership unites two trusted leaders in premium streaming,” said Andrew Payson, vice president of corporate development at MediaKind. “With MK.IO powering a robust cloud video infrastructure and feature-rich backend, and Accedo delivering flexible, engaging user experiences, we’re enabling media brands to launch, scale, and evolve standout streaming services faster and with greater simplicity.”

The two companies described the key benefits of the joint offering as follows:

• Proven with leading global brands – trusted by top sports, media, and entertainment providers worldwide
• Lower total cost of ownership – pre-integrated workflows reduce cost and complexity
• Faster time to market – launch premium streaming services in just weeks
• Stronger subscriber loyalty – seamless, high-quality experiences minimize churn
• Future-ready user experiences – a feature-rich backend combined with flexible front-end apps delivers a modern, scalable solution

"Our partnership with MediaKind delivers a foundation of technical and operational excellence that the market is looking for,” said Luke Gaydon, Head of Offering & Portfolio Management at Accedo. “Both Accedo and MediaKind have a proven track record of driving growth for some of the best-known brands in Media & Entertainment, Sports, and Pay TV. We are excited about creating new experiences together that help our customers achieve their key business outcomes, whether that’s increasing revenues, reducing TCO, or combating subscriber churn."

The joint solution is available immediately and will be showcased at IBC2025.

For more information, visit the MediaKind (1.D71) or Accedo (5.F80) booth during IBC2025, or head to www.mediakind.com and www.accedo.tv.

The video industry today is fundamentally different to what it was in its early days when SVOD dominated the landscape. Subscription fatigue and over stretched budgets have caused churn rates to increase and providers have been forced to adapt monetization models in response to changing consumer preferences.

AVOD is surging in popularity, linear format services in the form of FAST are gaining traction, and data shows that viewers, particularly younger viewers, are increasingly open to TVOD (Transactional Video-on-Demand) and PPV (Pay-Per-View) options.

Hybrid business models combining subscription, advertising, and transactional elements have become popular as video services try to combat churn and offer audiences as much choice as possible in ways to watch content.

Another approach gaining in popularity is "freemium" tiers which aims to attract a wide audience by offering free content with ads, while generating additional revenue through premium content behind a paywall. With so many possible permutations in business models, it’s become increasingly difficult for video services to know which model or combinations of models is right for them individually.

Evaluating the Different Models with Audience in Mind
AVOD’s primary appeal to viewers is that it allows free or lower cost access to content. This is of course more appealing to some consumers than others which is why when you weigh up the merits of the different business models, it’s critical to do so with the target audience in mind. Viewers with higher disposable income often lean toward subscription services, while those with tighter budgets, or who are simply more tolerant of ads, may prefer ad-supported options.

So, when factoring in whether SVOD or AVOD is a better option, or perhaps a blend of the two with a premium tier offering ad free viewing and a reduced cost tier showing ad supported content, you first need to know your audience. Their income, age, and location all play a role in their viewing preferences and spending behavior.

More affluent viewers with higher levels of disposable income are more likely to be attracted to a subscription-based model, while older or lower income users are more likely to prefer ad-based services. Viewers in some regions such as the US are also much more willing to accept ads than others.

The type of content being shown also helps determine which model works best. Exclusivity and high-profile series help justify a subscription, live events and blockbuster film releases can work well with TVOD/PPV, while repeat content and more casual viewing works better on ad-funded services. Viewers may well be happy to pay for one or two subscriptions for premium content then prefer to add some AVOD or FAST services to the mix for more relaxed viewing and to access old favorites.

Squeezing More Juice
There’s an underlying problem in the video industry that at the highest level, most engaged users don’t necessarily pay any more than low engagement users. By enabling providers to offer new types of monetization options on top of a free or basic subscription package, the hybrid business models that we’ve started to see emerging in the past year or two help to address this issue.

So, while services need to assess key factors such as current market and trends in consumer behavior, target audience demographics, and the type of content that will feature, to determine which business model is most suitable, it’s also important to consider which model strategy allows the maximum amount of money to be obtained from the most engaged users.

One way to do this could be to differentiate on release windows. Engaged viewers may be willing to pay extra for early release of a particular title. Another approach may be to determine release dates by pricing tiers: a viewer with a basic package is made to wait longer for new releases, while a premium package subscriber gets immediate access on the official release date.

The best way of monetizing a consumer base is to create multiple tiers that serve to maximize revenue from different user segments. This way, you can make the most money out of the consumers who are the most engaged and most interested in your service. Ultimately, monetization isn’t just about deciding which business model is best, but must also be about developing an upselling strategy. This mindset has got to be part of the long-term strategy for any video service.

Multi-Model Future
If it’s not already there, the industry is heading toward a multi-model future where video providers will need to continuously experiment with combining multiple models and strategies. If a particular method or blend of models isn’t paying off, providers will need to quickly switch tactics.

To succeed in this environment, video services will need to be flexible and modular in design. For providers willing to experiment and innovate, the blending of models opens the door to a more sustainable and profitable future.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning clients from a static path to one that’s continuously adaptive, during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

Leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the power of Amazon Sagemaker Unified Studio and Amazon Bedrock, Accedo Compose enables real-time experimentation and optimization across every viewer touchpoint—from playback and messaging to monetization and engagement strategies, the company said.

Developed in partnership with cloud-native data and video streaming expert Merapar, the solution will allow streaming teams to go beyond static feature deployment, activating modular AI impact agents that monitor behavior, test interventions and autonomously evolve viewer touchpoints in pursuit of key business outcomes, it said.

Rather than relying on manual configuration and siloed analytics, Compose orchestrates real-time adjustments aligned with strategic goals, whether reducing churn, stabilizing quality or increasing customer lifetime value, it said.

For example, a churn risk agent can detect declining engagement and trigger retention flows tailored to individual behavior. A UX agent can adjust layout and messaging dynamically based on context, such as time of day or frustration signals. A monetization agent might surface upsell offers precisely when users are most likely to convert. Each agent works independently but can collaborate in sequence, Accedo said.

“As streaming becomes more competitive, media companies need to make every product decision count,” Accedo Group CEO Michael Lantz said. “Compose closes the loop between strategic intent and user-level execution. It enables streaming services to adapt in real time, with intelligence baked into the experience itself.”

Accedo Compose integrates seamlessly with Accedo Assemble, the company’s modular OTT platform, and can be deployed independently or as part of Accedo’s managed service model.

See Accedo at IBC2025 Stand 5.F80.

More information is available on the company’s website.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Accedo, a global provider of video streaming software and services, is launching identity management functionality for its Accedo One SaaS platform and will showcase it during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

Accedo One supports user registration and authentication, something previously only possible through third-party integrations. This function makes it easier to manage registration and authentication on a single platform.

“Identity management is a critical building block for any video service. By bringing it natively into Accedo One, we are making it easier than ever for our customers to manage their subscribers, helping them to build, scale and evolve their video services,” Accedo CEO Markus Hejdenberg said.

The upcoming subscription management suite will enable media companies to manage the full subscriber life cycle within Accedo One—from sign-up to billing, retention and churn management. Accedo One will continue to support integrations with external partners in the identity and subscription space, giving customers the option to choose the solution that best fits their strategy, the company said.

See Accedo at IBC2025 in Stand 5.F80.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Many of us in the industry have closely followed the progress of XR (Extended Reality) over the years, and while there are times when it has hovered on the edge of a breakthrough, it’s never quite hit the mainstream.

There’s a sense right now that this is about to change. One industry analyst predicts that global XR revenue is expected to increase from $21.41 billion in 2023 to reach $41.78 billion by 2028, an impressive CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 14.4%. The key drivers needed to turn XR into a mainstream media force seem to be aligning.

Apple’s Vision Pro is proving the potential of spatial computing with a premium price, while devices like XREAL One AR glasses and Quest 3 are making XR more accessible to the masses. Additionally, Google and Samsung’s entry into the fray is accelerating innovation and will also help to narrow the affordability gap. Yet challenges remain, the industry needs that killer feature that pushes consumers to buy their first XR device, along with compelling content to match that goes beyond gaming.

Apple has Catalyzed the Market
Now in its second year, the Apple Vision Pro has become something of a benchmark for the XR industry. The device has shown what spatial computing can do, and that it can be intuitive and seamless.

Although it carries a hefty price tag and the headset remains bulky, this has not put off the estimated half a million users who have purchased the device. It’s almost certainly not been as popular as Apple had hoped, yet, as Tim Cook himself said, the device was never intended for mass adoption, instead it’s an early adopter product for people who “want to have tomorrow’s technology today”.

The device’s capabilities are unquestionably astonishing with eye tracking, gesture navigation and seamless syncing with other Apple devices to make it a natural extension of the Apple ecosystem. But for many, at $3,500, the cost of the unit is just too high to justify.

Despite this, what it has done, is show consumers and indeed sports, media and technology companies what spatial computing is capable of. At the same time, rumors would suggest that Apple is preparing a second version that could be way lighter and cheaper, while still keeping the premium features that make this device an object of desire. We are also seeing other large technology companies investing in XR technology.

Improved Accessibility
Increased competition in the market is helping to drive innovation and improve device affordability. With more and more affordable XR devices on the market such as Meta’s Quest series and XREAL’s AR glasses, XR has become much more accessible to the masses.

AR glasses in particular are attracting a lot of interest because rather than being burdened with having to wear a bulky headset, users can instead wear a pair of reasonable lightweight and stylish glasses that support a range of spatial use cases such as watching sport, gaming, viewing media or entertainment content, or accessing a virtual workspace.

Unsurprisingly, Meta is also developing its first AR glasses, the Orion AR glasses, which are expected to launch in late 2027. Years in the making and building on the success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, the Orion AR glasses are intended to deliver AR experiences in a compact form factor, using a fraction of the power and weight of a standard mixed reality headset.

Another huge development is the launch last year of Google’s Android XR platform, developed in collaboration with Qualcomm and Samsung. Android XR is an extension to the Android ecosystem so all of the content that Android users are familiar with can be consumed on XR devices.

And off the back of this, Samsung is also preparing to launch its XR headset, Project Moohan, later this year, which is set to rival the Apple Vision Pro. XREAL has also announced that its AR glasses will be ported to Android XR. Increased competition in the sector is helping to drive innovation and at the same time is also narrowing the affordability gap.

Sports May be the Breakthrough Use Case
While XR technology has a huge range of diverse use cases, it is undoubtedly the perfect partner for sports. XR enables fans to engage and interact with live sports in an entirely new way, whether at home or in a sports venue. Fans benefit from overlayed real-time data such as player bios and game and player statistics, as well as multi-angle viewing and instant replays. This makes the viewing experience much more engaging, interactive and personalized and may be just the thing that makes people go out and buy an XR device for the first time.

The newly formed XR Sports Alliance is aiming to accelerate this shift by connecting market-leading stakeholders to bridge the sports and technology industries. The Alliance drives working groups and end-to-end XR Sports experimentations to establish standards in key areas and lay the foundation for the ecosystem to help stakeholders in sports deploy state-of-the art XR services efficiently and at scale.

The framework encompasses immersive video production and distribution, system architecture definition, data and monetization frameworks, user testing and technology and business model advisory elements. At its core, the initiative aims to connect leading companies from the sports, video, telco, and hardware industries to accelerate the commercialization of XR sports experiences.

The Time is Now
We’re entering a pivotal moment for XR. High-quality devices are now powerful and affordable enough to enable truly compelling experiences. The cost of enabling technologies is falling. Investment in immersive content is rising. And industry leaders across tech and media are aligning around the opportunity.

The momentum is real. For those ready to build, the conditions have never been better to create impactful user experiences and scale commercially.

Hallmark has extended its partnership with Accedo to elevate the features of its newly rebranded streaming service, Hallmark+, which officially launched Sept. 10th.

Hallmark+ integrates ad-free viewing with exclusive retail and product offers. As part of the launch, Hallmark tapped Accedo to incorporate multiple new features into the Hallmark+ service.

New features include:

• Unauthenticated homepage: This feature allows potential users to access Hallmark+ without having to sign up.
• Conditional containers: Conditional containers display content tailored to individual user preferences, behaviors and login status.
• Gifting options: New gifting options allow viewers to purchase and send Hallmark+ subscriptions.
• Design facelift: The interface has been redesigned with a more intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing look, Hallmark said.

“The support we received from the Accedo team during this intense period was unwavering. Utilizing Accedo One platform to further grow and expand our offering has accelerated our progress tremendously, allowing us to bring Hallmark+ to market fast and greatly optimize our internal resources.” says Lusha Bodie, SVP Technology, Hallmark Media.

“We are highly impressed with the Hallmark team, its ambitious vision, and the new direction of Hallmark+. We believe this will greatly benefit its loyal customers. It is especially encouraging to see Hallmark leveraging several new key features of Accedo One in its re-launch.” says Fredrik Andersson, SVP, Accedo SaaS Products.

Accedo is joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies and HBS, a specialist sports broadcast organization, to form a strategic alliance with the aim of bringing together market-leading stakeholders to bridge the sports and XR industry. It will draw on Accedo’s expertise in video user experience, distribution and monetization, Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon powered XR technology and expertise, and HBS’ strong sports ecosystem. The program aims to accelerate knowledge gathering, technological advancement and time-to-market for XR sports services, as well as gather and share industry knowledge.

The XR Sports Alliance aims to drive development and deployment of XR Sports product and services by providing an end-to-end solution framework to help key stakeholders deploy state-of-the art XR services efficiently and at scale. The framework encompasses immersive video production and distribution, system architecture definition, data and monetization frameworks, user testing and technology and business model advisory elements. Moreover, the program will be open to third parties to join, including XR OEMs, to drive development of purpose-built XR hardware for the sports and video entertainment use case.

At its core, the program aims to connect leading companies from the sports, video, telco, infrastructure, and hardware industries to collaborate with one another in innovation projects, collectively contribute to each other’s roadmaps, and exchange knowledge and feedback, with the aim of supporting and accelerating industry growth and innovation.

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented: “We believe XR will become an important content distribution and user engagement platform and we want to connect industry stakeholders to collaborate and innovate. The Alliance network will enable industries to uncover industry demand in different geographical regions and shine light on the pipeline of upcoming XR solutions, allowing sports rights owners and holders to make data-driven decisions.”

Patrick Costello, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm, Technologies, Inc., added: “We are entering a new era of spatial computing. We firmly believe that XR experiences will revolutionize how fans engage with sports and we are already seeing a rise in adoption of immersive entertainment experiences thanks to the emergence of new XR devices and increased investment by OEMs for sports content rights. The XR Sports Alliance, will bring together key players in the sports entertainment value-chain, collectively fostering the ecosystem to deliver game-changing immersive sports experiences.”

Sylvain Lebreton, Head of Digital Services, HBS, commented: “This program aims to be a game-changer for the sports industry, helping to drive innovation. We are engaging with industry leaders across every part of the XR and sports broadcast ecosystem, which we are sure will ultimately accelerate development and deployment of commercial XR sports services.”

STOCKHOLM—Global video solutions provider, Accedo is reporting that it has been working with Deutsche Telekom to showcase an extended reality (XR) sports streaming application of its live sports streaming service.  

The application for live soccer uses Accedo Xtend, Accedo’s solution for advanced XR applications in media complemented with solutions from Ateme and HISPlayer. The XR solution integrates live streams and data feeds to showcase a next-gen interactive sports service for MagentaSport. 

The service will include a host of interactive features such as live statistics, multi-camera feeds, player cards, and 3D sponsored experiences, all embracing the immersive aspects of the Accedo Xtend platform.

By incorporating Magenta’s live streams into an XR experience, Deutsche Telekom and Accedo said that they are introducing fans to a viewing experience that is no longer constrained to the physical limitations of the TV screen. 

The application will blend fans’ physical and virtual worlds by displaying the match in the space around the fan, while also introducing a new layer of interaction where fans can access supplementary information such as team and player statistics and watch replays from different angles. 

It draws on solutions from Ateme and HISPlayer to ensure high quality video and experience with low latency and bandwidth, while enabling advanced features in new environments. Additionally, it enables sponsors to interact with fans in new ways to drive revenue, the companies said. 

“Accedo’s unrivaled experience and expertise within the XR, media and sports industries has enabled it to seamlessly build a high-quality XR live sports streaming experience,” explained Daniel Aslam, senior partner & business development manager, Deutsche Telekom. “The application will allow us to deliver a truly immersive and engaging vision of a next-generation MagentaSport experience.”

“As the sports industry evolves, we’re seeing a noticeable increase in activity and interest in XR applications,” added Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo. “The Accedo Xtend platform enables immersive applications to be launched in record time with a configurable set of features, allowing for experimentation as well as cost control. We’re thrilled about this collaboration with Deutsche Telekom, which we believe will showcase the immense potential of spatial interactive user engagement for live sports.”

STOCKHOLM—Global video solutions provider, Accedo has announced that it worked with ITV in the U.S. to expand the reach of the broadcasters streaming service, ITVX to PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles in the U.K.

Acceedo worked on the initial Dec. 2022 launch of ITVX, which delivers a mix of live linear content, curated FAST channels, and an extensive VOD library and has about 40 million registered users. An ad-funded service, ITVX also includes subscription tier ITVX Premium. 

The launch on Sony PlayStation consoles will make its programming available to an even wider audience. 

Huw Byrne Jones, Streaming Director of Engineering (Core Experience), ITV, explained that “Launching ITVX to PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles supports ITV’s position as a leader in UK advertiser-funded streaming. Making ITVX more widely available will help us increase active users and create more value for advertisers. Accedo is a trusted partner, and has been instrumental in supporting ITV in bringing the ITVX service to this platform.”

“The expansion of ITVX on to additional platforms will help ITV deliver its world-class programming to even more people, while also offering viewers more choice in ways to watch,” added Martin Sebelius, senior vice president of EMEA and Latin America, Accedo. “This is important in today’s fragmented market where users are able to access content on an ever-expanding range of devices and platforms. Ensuring expansive reach is imperative in staying competitive and in aiding both user acquisition and retention strategies.”

STOCKHOLM—Global video solutions provider Accedo has launched a dedicated OTT Video Managed Services offering that it will be showing during the 2024 NAB Show. 

Designed to reduce complexity and risk for video service providers, the offering will see Accedo take complete ownership of operating and enhancing OTT video services, managing the entire end-to-end ecosystem, including technology, functionality, people, and processes, the company reported. 

“The OTT ecosystem has become increasingly complex over the past decade,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, said. “Running a successful and competitive video service means that every part of the service puzzle needs to be fully optimized. At the same time, video providers are battling fierce competition and increasing churn, while trying to deliver an optimized user experience across countless different and constantly evolving variations. We are already addressing many of these challenges for our customers and the Managed Services offering is a natural extension of that experience. It will further help our customers put their focus into core business activities such as content acquisition, monetization strategies, and distribution.”

Accedo explained that the Managed Services offering draws on Accedo’s extensive experience in designing, building and deploying video experiences for many of the world's leading OTT services. 

The company’s broad suite of solutions covers a vast array of video streaming use cases, with a focus on user experience and innovation. This, in combination with its extensive and long-standing network of technology partners from across the OTT ecosystem, means that Accedo is able to provide a UX-driven end-to-end offering, leveraging best-of-breed solutions in a single holistic package covering all aspects of running and growing a competitive video business, the company said. 

The offering will enable video providers to streamline and improve efficiencies to get the most out of every part of the video technology ecosystem. As part of the Managed Service, Accedo will be managing multiple vendors and technology stacks as well as constantly monitoring, evaluating, and challenging the technology roadmap, identifying opportunities for service optimization and ensuring a high level of flexibility and scalability, the company said. 

“The OTT ecosystem has become increasingly complex over the past decade,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, said. “Running a successful and competitive video service means that every part of the service puzzle needs to be fully optimized. At the same time, video providers are battling fierce competition and increasing churn, while trying to deliver an optimized user experience across countless different and constantly evolving variations. We are already addressing many of these challenges for our customers and the Managed Services offering is a natural extension of that experience. It will further help our customers put their focus into core business activities such as content acquisition, monetization strategies, and distribution.”

Accedo will be exhibiting at NAB on booth W2166, and presenting the OTT Video Managed Services Solution, from 13th – 17th April. 

More information is available at www.accedo.tv

STOCKHOLM & LONDON—Global video solutions provider, Accedo has announced that it has acquired Easel TV, the UK-based provider of advanced streaming technology and digital media solutions. 

The acquisition will bring the Easel TV SaaS platform and the Accedo One SaaS platform under one roof and further strengthen Accedo’s ability to deliver on customer requirements, the companies said.  

Founded by well-known media executives Joe Foster and Bill Scott. Easel TV has a long track record of being a trusted technology partner of media companies and TV operators. The Easel TV team will immediately join Accedo’s existing London office, allowing Accedo to better serve customers, both in the UK and internationally.

“I’m thrilled to be joining forces with Easel TV,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented. “The team has done a fantastic job in establishing themselves on the market and they share Accedo’s core philosophy of customer centricity. We believe that we will be stronger together as we continue to innovate in this market.”

“We’ve known the Accedo team for a long time,” added Joe Foster, CEO, EaselTV. “It was the right time to join forces having proven out the technology on our latest generation of product and were looking at significant investments to scale our business internationally. Accedo, with its strong brand, global scale and world class technical expertise, is the ideal partner for us and we look forward to continuing to grow together with the Accedo team.”

Easel TV’s brand name will gradually be phased out and will continue to be operated under the Accedo brand, the companies said. 

For many companies in media & entertainment, sustainability is more than a word: It’s a mission for these manufacturers who are taking serious steps to become more sustainable and environmentally responsible in their business practices. Here are some views of how the industry is doing in attaining sustainability, from some of the people making it happen.

The Big Picture
The drive towards sustainability in television touches upon two key areas: The production and distribution of TV content via broadcasting, streaming, and other delivery systems. The other is the various consumer devices that access and display this content.

Let’s start with TV content production and distribution. Thanks to framework organizations such as WeAreAlbert, (an environmental organization aiming to encourage the television and film production industry to reduce waste and its carbon footprint), or consultancies like Mrs. GreenFilm, the industry is seeing more productions taking steps to promote and impose sustainable practices on set, according to François Polarczyk, sustainability director for Accedo. 

“Connecting directly to the grid, hiring local crew to avoid travel, and promoting the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ loop in costumes and set buildings are the top criteria to me,” he said.

Polarczyk points to the Responsible Media Forum (RBF) as one of the leading organizations promoting sustainability in media, with members such as the BBC, Bauer Media Group, NBCUniversal, Sky, Virgin Media, and Warner Brothers Universal backing its efforts. The RBF’s sustainability initiatives include DIMPACT (an online tool for calculating the carbon emissions of digital content’s downstream value chain) and media sustainability conferences such as “Mirrors or Movers.”

“The streaming industry is responsible for 3–4% of global CO2 emissions,” he said. “DIMPACT is looking at providing a methodology to assess and reduce energy consumption of the media chain.”

“There are more and more initiatives that have started and aim to shine a light on being more responsible with the resources our planet offers,” agreed Chris Brähler, vice president of product for SDVI. “For example, the DPP [Digital Production Partnership] has been leading the way with their ‘Committed to Sustainability’ campaign, while other bodies like the NAB Show recently introduced sustainability-focused awards to increase visibility.”

V-Nova is a member of the Greening of Streaming group and the chair of its compression working group, which is working with Low Energy Sustainable Streaming (LESS) Accord recommendations to help streaming services reduce end-to-end energy consumption. 

In order to become more sustainable, the streaming industry should first focus on ways to reduce the utilization of existing systems, said Sam Orton-Jay, V-Nova’s vice president of product. 

“One possibility is rolling out better encoding technologies to reduce transcoding power requirements and the amount of data we deliver, to enable some reduction in required storage and delivery infrastructure over time” he said. “Secondly, a major part of the discussions so far on the LESS Accord has been the idea of a ‘Good enough’ quality of service that considers energy usage rather than simply prioritizing quality at all costs. Try to evaluate if you are delivering higher resolutions to certain devices than they really need. Finally, start asking key sustainability questions both of internal teams and external vendors alike. It is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal at this stage.”

From the Consumer Side
As for consumer products such as Smart TVs and other devices, and their impact on the environment as new models are purchased and older models that end up in landfills? 

“Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of their purchasing decisions, and so are many manufacturers who are choosing to offer more sustainable goods, build out ESG (environment, social, and governance) strategies and report on their environmental efforts,” replied Patty Minichiello, global brand experience manager for TMT Insights. 

As well, “consumer brands are making strides in reducing packaging and plastics in their product and some offer buyback programs for old tech, such as Apple,“ SDVI’s Brähler added. “But a lot more can and has to be done in this area, with different countries looking at legislation to force behavior.”  

It's not just television production and distribution that needs to become more sustainable, but the influence that this industry exerts on society as a whole. 

For instance, “advertising and monetization from a wider perspective needs to be taken into account,” Polarczyk observed. “It is not only producing and delivering advertising that has a huge impact in terms of carbon emissions; the content of advertising also needs to be taken into account. For example, seeing an advert for New Zealand tourism if you’re based in London will have another impact, compared to seeing promotions around local farms to visit.”

Individual Efforts
Each of these companies have publicly committed themselves to pursuing sustainable business practices in the TV industry. Such sustainability commitments are prominently posted on their respective websites, and typically spelled out in very clear detail.

Case in point: “At Accedo, we recently launched our ‘Sustainable Marketplace’ to help vendors build their video applications leveraging sustainable vendors and products,” said Polarczyk. “It enables video service providers to make buying decisions based not only on product features, but also on sustainable KPIs (key performance indicators) to cover carbon emissions reduction, audience influence, and community impact. 

“We also released a new study, which looked at the energy usage of various streaming devices and a number of popular streaming applications. It uncovered some key areas of actions and guidelines to reduce energy usage of video devices.”

ATEME is another company that has taken a proactive approach. In 2021 it launched its  Green Delivery solution, an integrated end-to-end tool designed to allow OTT and DTH operators to reduce their video delivery carbon footprint. Green Delivery brings together carbon-efficient components to reduce hardware requirements, bandwidth usage and energy consumption. 

(Read: NAB Show Launches Excellence in Sustainability Awards)

SDVI’s sustainability efforts are largely centered around saving power, which means better utilization of the infrastructure used for content processing, according to Brähler.

“This can firstly be done by using the public cloud, as sharing compute and storage resources inherently means using less energy,” he said. “If I don’t process something on that machine, someone else is, and it‘s not just sitting there idle but still using energy. If I then optimize my supply chain and eliminate duplicate work and more efficiently use the resources at hand, I save even more energy. Lastly, choose a vendor that uses data centers and cloud providers that invest in green energy, so that even when I use less energy because even after I optimize my operations, the little energy I do use is created carbon free.”

V-Nova’s commitment to sustainability is inherent in their MPEG 5, Part 2 LCEVC (Low-Complexity Enhancement Video Coding) streaming solution, which the company says enhances the performance of existing codecs to reduce energy consumption during transcoding by up to 70%, while augmenting compression efficiency by up to 40%.

“It’s encouraging to hear how much the sustainability of video workflows is now on the agenda for our customers,” said Orton-Jay. “Even if not immediately so, they certainly engage when we bring up the significant savings that can be made in the energy consumption of their systems thanks to optimizations in their video compression technology. The fact that it often goes hand in hand with cost reduction tends to help too.”

This “doing more with less” approach is also being pursued by Zixi. ”We’re making our software cost-effective with 14x less CPU than other solutions in the market, 10x port efficiency, and virtual machine efficiency—requiring 50% less computing power,” said Gordon Brooks, CEO of Zixi. “All of these innovations combined save customers money, making our solutions highly sustainable and attractive in procurement.”

“In order to make meaningful progress towards sustainability, technology buyers need to make it mandatory, rather than a plus or an option—it needs to be a qualification of the procurement process,” he added. “And then, as a supplier it’s on us to do everything possible to be as sustainable as cost-effective to make it as attractive as possible.” l

PHOENIX—Edgio has announced a strategic partnership with streaming technology providers Accedo, Bitmovin, Grabyo, and Vimond to provide a roadmap for M&E companies looking for a more simplified, more cost-efficient platform for delivering OTT video, providing them with the ability to quickly assemble and manage a streaming ecosystem that delivers high-quality linear, live or on-demand video. 

Edgio is leading the alliance as a Managed Service Provider, working with its partners to seamlessly integrate technologies across the entire streaming tech stack—from content production, personalization and distribution to user experience and monetization. This not only simplifies the intricate processes associated with delivering and managing streaming workflows, it also helps provide a frictionless entry into the market, the companies said. As Managed Service Provider, Edgio will provide a single point of contact for all support needs, regardless of vendor. 

"For media companies, piecing together an ecosystem like this on their own would be costly, time-consuming, and risky," said Eric Black, CTO and GM of Media for Edgio.  “By bringing together companies at the forefront of streaming and managing the entire process under one service partner, media companies can focus on creating innovative content versus navigating the complexities of a streaming workflow.”

The pre-integrated workflow provides increased flexibility for M&E companies to experiment with distribution and price point models, such as AVOD, SVOD, and FAST, to find the most profitable individualized offering for their specific audiences, Edgio said.

At launch, the partner ecosystem includes Accedo, which provides Video Application management, which includes custom templates and bespoke development for state-of-the-art UX that attracts and retains users. Accedo is pre-integrated with Vimond and Bitmovin to provide a seamless end-to-end solution.

Bitmovin’s Bitmovin Player guarantees flawless playback and viewing experiences across an extensive range of devices at speed and scale. Bitmovin Analytics ensures stream reliability by user session data and pinpointing any playback issues in real-time so they can be resolved before they impact the viewer. Bitmovin’s Analytics delivers real-time operational monitoring to optimize video and ad workflows based on viewer experiences across all platforms. Bitmovin Analytics also offers benchmarks across different performance metrics to gain industry insights.

Edgio’s Uplynk Platform empowers media companies to deliver the highest-quality streaming experiences to global audiences, while reducing time-to-market and driving operational scale. Its best-in-class components deliver exceptional viewing quality and reliability while maximizing monetization through advanced advertising. Uplynk, coupled with Edgio’s expert services, provides an exceptionally quick time-to-market and improves ROI. The Uplynk platform will be the foundation through which the OTT ecosystem is built upon using a mix of open standard video protocols and flexible APIs. 

Grabyo is a modern, cloud-native SaaS solution for live production, video clipping, real-time editing and distribution. The platform can scale from single operator digital streams to multi-camera productions with a larger remote team, combined with integrated live clipping, editing and publishing tools. With the recent introduction of SCTE-35 marker insertion, Grabyo’s cloud production users can now create ad breaks to monetize their live video across linear broadcast, FAST and OTT platforms. The platform supports live feeds from on-site cameras, audio sources, remote guests or mobile field kits, with ingest streams up to 50Mbps, 1080p/60FPS using leading video protocols including SRT, Zixi, RIST, RTMPs, HLS and RTP. Grabyo provides unlimited capacity for live video clipping and will sit in front of Uplynk, so customers can ingest video with Grabyo then publish to Uplynk where it’s distributed to end viewers.

Vimond’s CMS enables customers to provide contextual metadata to describe and curate content presented to users in apps and websites. With support across the workflow, from media ingest, asset management, metadata enrichment, to distribution, Vimond VIA provides customers with a flexible and user-friendly CMS to handle videos, freeing valuable resources to focus on winning new viewers and content strategy. Vimond’s VIA product will use Uplynk as its backend video management system by integrating with Uplynk APIs.

Each of the companies will be demonstrating their technologies this week at IBC2023, RAI Amsterdam, Sept. 15-18. Accedo: Hall 5, Stand F40; Bitmovin Hall 5, stand D72; Edgio, Hall 5 stand F18; Grabyo, Hall 5, Stand A20; Vimond, Hall 5, Stand H59.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—A new study from Accedo has found a high variation of energy consumption between various streaming devices, with TVs alone being the most efficient. The study, which looked at the energy usage of various streaming devices and a number of popular streaming applications, also found that autoplay content dramatically increases energy consumption.

Accedo tested various scenarios at application level, implementing changes around bitrate, resolution and dark mode versus light mode, to evaluate subsequent energy variations. The team also explored UI and UX techniques that can contribute to improved energy efficiency. This includes the recommendation of better UX guidelines to avoid unnecessary playback.

The study found that set-top-boxes only use a small amount of energy (Amazon Fire ~1.5W, Sky Puck ~3W and Youview ~10W, two streaming devices from U.K. broadcasters), while gaming consoles use around 70W of energy. 

However, since these types of devices need to be paired with a screen for playback, the overall energy consumption is higher than using a Smart TV alone, according to Accedo, which found that Smart TVs use around 51W with energy saving enabled and screen backlight set to 20%. With default backlight settings at 80%, LG WebOS TV would use around 120W and Tizen 2016 would use around 130W during playback. Switching energy saving off increased these further to around 170W for LG TV and around 200W for Tizen.

Accedo also tested a number of the most popular streaming applications. In general, the variation among apps across different devices was minimal. On Smart TVs with lower screen brightness settings, the average power consumption across all tested apps was around 52W. 

Notably, Amazon Prime's home view had lower idle power consumption than the other apps, with approximately 50% less power used compared to Netflix at default brightness settings. This is likely due to the lack of autoplaying content and the use of darker colors on the home screen.

Accedo has highlighted a number of recommendations from its findings, including prompting consumers to switch devices and/or adjust backlight settings, as well as suggesting video providers consider using darker aesthetics, implement energy saving features such as “skip Intro” or “are you still watching” and a reduction in animated content.

François Polarczyk, Sustainability Director, Accedo, commented: “At Accedo, we are committed to helping reduce the carbon footprint of video streaming and contributing to a more sustainable future. Our research has identified several impactful changes that, when implemented during development, could reduce the energy consumption of video streaming devices without sacrificing performance or user experience. However, there is still more work to be done and we are actively looking at further investigations in this area, particularly from a user acceptance perspective.”

Accedo indicated that further research could focus on UX changes or improvements that will help with the sustainability of the application or device, or working with device manufacturers to create more energy-efficient hardware.

The full report is available here. The company’s latest ESG report has also just been released and can be accessed via the website.

STOCKHOLM & MUNICH—Accedo, a global provider of interactive video applications, is expanding its XR capabilities with the acquisition of eyecandylab, an Emmy-nominated provider of extended reality (XR) solutions.  

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with eyecandylab. Our strategic roadmap and vision of the future of XR solutions in the wider media industry are aligned and we believe that together we will be able to deliver even more value to customers and partners.”

eyecandylab’s flagship patented augmen.tv platform for XR applications as well as its Web3-based loyalty solution “Watch&Earn” will be integrated into Accedo’s software stack and will be offered both to customers doing their own XR development and to those who would like support from Accedo’s global team. 

Robin Sho Moser, CEO and co-founder, eyecandylab, added: “Accedo’s global presence and proven ability to innovate will enable us to accelerate adoption. I’m thrilled that our patented software solutions will form part of a bigger software stack for customers on a global scale. We are seeing that interactivity and immersion is becoming increasingly important for a delightful and engaging viewing experience. With Accedo’s footprint in the media industry, we are in a great position to deliver innovative business cases in a scalable way.”

Joint solutions are immediately available.

We’ve witnessed the subscription video on demand (SVOD) market expanding at a remarkable rate over recent years, yet as we approach the end of 2022, there are signs that the market is slowing down. This is hardly surprising given the fact that consumers around the globe are feeling the pinch of inflation and the increased cost of living. 

Conversely, advertising video on demand (AVOD) services are experiencing a surge in demand. We’re also seeing a trend toward multi-tiered hybrid models offering a reduced fee service with limited advertising alongside the standard ad-free subscription service. With the market going through a period of change, is the golden era of subscription-based video-on-demand over? 

Subscription vs. Advertising
Although advertising-based content is growing in popularity, it still may not be the right fit for all video services. Services that adopt a subscription-based model have the benefit of having a predictable monthly revenue stream. 

However, to guarantee that regular income, there is a need to ensure that the content shown is valuable enough to the viewer to justify the subscription fee. The constant need to provide new, high-quality content typically requires big investment. The market is extremely competitive and there is relentless pressure to attract new subscribers and minimize churn.

While AVOD lacks the revenue certainty that comes from having a subscription-based model, it is generally considered easier to build a larger audience with this approach. This is understandable given that you don’t have to convince people to part with any money before they engage with the service. 

However, there is always a risk that ads could annoy viewers enough to make them switch off. This is why it is so critical to get the ratio of ads to content right. After all, ad-revenue is dependent on viewing numbers, and more viewers means higher ad-revenue. 

One thing that has changed over recent years that has helped AVOD to gain a bigger market share is the ability to provide highly personalized ads. If you think back to the days when SVOD services were first taking off and people were switching from linear TV, one of the appealing features of an SVOD format was the lack of ads. 

It’s worth remembering that at the time, ads on traditional linear TV were not able to target the viewer anywhere near as effectively as they do now. Viewers often had to sit through irrelevant ads one after another. But as technology has advanced, ad personalization has become much more effective and sophisticated. This benefits both viewers and advertisers. A well targeted ad is more tolerable for viewers and improves ROI for advertisers because it’s reaching the right consumers. 

Regional Factors
Ad-based content tends to be more popular in some regions than others. When Disney launched its ad-supported service earlier this year, it opted to do so in the US first, where AVOD is particularly popular among viewers. According to a recent report, a higher proportion of viewers choose AVOD services in the U.S. than in other countries. The AVOD market in the US is predicted to grow by $19 billion to $31 billion by 2027. 

Advertising based streaming plays a less important role in Europe than in the U.S., although there are signs that this is changing. Recent analysis shows that revenue from the AVOD market is increasing in all European countries, and was three times higher in 2021 than 5 years previously. 

The U.K. has the highest digital video ad spend in Europe at over $4.4 billion. UK broadcaster, and Accedo customer, ITV recently announced that it is launching a new advertising based platform ITVX that will include numerous AVOD services, as well as additional themed FAST channels.

Looking to the Future
With SVOD’s domination over the streaming market appearing to come to an end, many video providers are launching new services or packages to achieve a business model that is more sustainable for the long term. The most notable of these launches is perhaps Netflix’s introduction of an ad supported plan with a reduced fee that delivers 4-5 minutes of ads per hour of content. 

The Basic with Ads subscriber option is available in 12 countries initially and is likely to expand to include additional countries at a later date. When Netflix first announced its intention to introduce an ad supported package in April, it sent out a clear message to the industry that the market is changing, and relying solely on SVOD may be risky.

Global AVOD revenue is forecasted to reach $70 billion by 2027, so ad-supported models will play a key role in the future of the video-on-demand market. SVOD most definitely still has, and will continue to have, its place in the market. For some services, and for some regions, it will remain the right choice. 

However for other services, it looks like hybrid ad-supported/subscription services may well be the most sustainable model for the long term. What’s clear is that tailoring the model to the region and audience will be crucial for longevity in the VOD space over the coming years.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2018 NAB Show, Accedo will demonstrate how its Accedo One augmented reality platform can deliver a birds-eye view of long-distance sporting events—complete with real-time updates and interactive video experiences—to the viewers’ tablets, smart phones and other portable devices.

This technology is particularly well suited to long-distance sporting events, such as marathons and bike races, augmented by real-time updates. Broadcasters can use this AR platform to complement their live sports broadcasts by sending additional information or interactive experiences as a second screen experience.

Accedo One enables video service providers, brands and broadcasters to overcome the technical challenges of delivering scalable AR video experiences, such as fragmentation of the AR device market and the synchronization of live video with AR interaction and information elements. Accedo will demo AR, virtual reality and other products and services with its key partners, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Comcast and Brightcove.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Accedo will be in booth SU9401CM. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.

SAN MATEO, CALIF.—Accedo, a video experience company, has announced a collaboration with Google Cloud with the goal of providing media and entertainment companies a unified cloud platform to build their own video experiences.

Using Accedo Studio, companies can build customizable video experiences. They can create and update designs and navigations unique to a brand across multiple screens. Accedo Studio’s cloud-based UX management capabilities can configure and test apps in real time. As a result of the partnership, users can adapt the video experience based on factors like data gathered in real-time.

Accedo will be showcasing this latest technology at CES 2018.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2017 NAB Show, Accedo will showcase its latest user experience (UX) innovations, including a new approach that enables an immersive virtual reality (VR) sports experience. This UX, produced in conjunction with HTC VIVE provides users with an exciting new way to experience content, including live sports and events.

Accedo will also demo Videa, a cloud-based platform for building, delivering and managing high performing video apps on phones, tablets and TV screens, and AppGrid, a data-driven application management solution that delivers real-time control by combining content management, analytics, configuration and A/B testing.

The 2017 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 24-27. Accedo will be in booth SU9205CM. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

SYDNEY—Fox Sports and Accedo have teamed up to deliver a different type of football to audiences around the world. Accedo is the provider of Fox Sports’ “Watch AFL” video streaming service that is available worldwide through mobile iOS and Android devices, as well as Chromecast or AirPlay on Apple TV and gives fans access to the Australian Football League.

Reported to be Fox Sports’ first international distribution of its direct-to-consumer international streaming service, “Watch AFL” is available to every market outside of Australia. Fans using the app can access live games, on-demand catch-up content and AFL entertainment shows.

Accedo powers the “Watch AFL” service with its AppGrid cloud-based video experience management platform. AppGrid provides real-time control, configuration and cross-platform insights over video experiences from a single platform.

Fox Sports launched “Watch AFL” in early February and is currently offering a free trial through March 23.