BARCELONA, Spain—Artificial Intelligence will play an even greater role in the video streaming industry next year, less original streaming content will be produced and sports streaming will play an even greater role, leading to greater reliance on multi-CDN switching.

These are among the top predictions of executives from video intelligence solutions expert NPAW about what to look for in video streaming next year.

AI will play an even more important role in streaming in 2024, especially when it comes to natural language-driven data analysis, personalized user experiences and subtitling and dubbing, the NPAW executives predict.

New AI-powered tools will allow streaming providers to extract actionable data insight with simple and natural language interactions. As a result, deep data insights about a range of issues, such as quality of experience and service, user behavior and content preferences, will be at the fingertips of organizations, said Till Sudworth, NPAW head of BU Video, chief marketing officer and member of the management board.

AI will remove the need for complex analyses and deep knowledge of data analytics. Rather, making a query using a chatbot will provide all the information required, he said.

Consumers also can expect to see their experiences with streaming platforms get more personal thanks to AI. Beyond today’s recommendation engines, AI-powered personalization tools next year will make it possible for individuals to have their own “channels,” said Sudworth.

Advances in speech-to-text AI tools will continue, making fast language processing for live subtitling and dubbing a reality in 2024. Even dialects won’t be stumbling block for AI. More broadly, fast, accurate subtitling and dubbing—even in real time—will make content more accessible to audiences worldwide, breaking down language barriers, he said.

2024 also will be remembered in streaming circles for the year new content production declined, said Sudworth. 

After years of explosive production growth, the industry will see a renewed focus on economic stability rather than shareholder growth. As a result, major content producers will seek balance between content quantity and quality next year. Companies may opt for fewer high-quality productions as part of a long-term shift to connecting more deeply with customers as part of a strategy to retain audience rather than simply grow it, he said.

Next year will also see continued growth in consumption of live sports on streaming platforms, which in turn will make multi-CDN switching technologies essential, said NPA’s head of the CDN Balancer BU Luis Lopez. 

Multi-CDN switching makes it possible for streaming providers to select the CDN that delivers the best live streaming experience. For live sports, delays are unacceptable, and a multi-CDN strategy gives providers a way to take advantage of the CDN that delivers the lowest latency, he said.

The sector also is seeing a resurgence of peer-to-peer capabilities which allow for seamless content delivery during high-concurrency, peak-demand periods, such as live sports competitions, said Lopez.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK—There are a multitude of elements that will contribute to the overall TV industry landscape in 2020, but in a recent study Deloitte took a close examination of three in specific: antennas, content delivery networks and ad-supported video services (AVODs).

Deloitte’s full report, “Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions 2020,” covers a range of technology topics, but the sections on antennas, CDNs and AVODs delve into the economic impact of these technologies across the globe.

In its in-depth look at antennas, Deloitte examines how the death of antenna services have been greatly exaggerated. Across the world, Deloitte forecasts that 1.6 billion people, representing 450 million households, worldwide will watch some of their TV from an antenna in 2020—and it calls that the low estimate. Deloitte acknowledges that data on antenna use is incomplete, with some countries not providing information, but even so, the number of people watching TV through an antenna around the world will be 50% more than those watching TV over cable, IPTV and direct broadcast satellite combined in 2020, per Deloitte.

“Antenna TV is helping the global TV industry keep on growing even in the face of falling TV viewing minutes and, in some markets, increasing numbers of consumers cutting the pay-TV cord,” the report reads. For example, Deloitte predicts that U.S. pay-TV subscribers will decline by 5 million in 2020, in part mitigated because of the 2020 Summer Olympics and U.S. presidential election.

While other countries are seeing similar results, global TV viewership growth is expected to continue to grow in the next few years. Overall, TV subscriptions are projected to grow 8% between 2018 and 2024, while two-thirds of global pay-TV operators are expected to increase over the same period. Specifically regarding ad revenue in 2020, Deloitte estimates that it will grow by $4 billion, boosted in parts by the use of antennas as well as things like targeted ads.

Antennas are impacting another area of the industry. As the issue of spectrum and the desire to develop 5G and other wireless services continues, the industry must be aware that the spectrum used by antenna is not as available as may have been previously thought.

Content Delivery Networks are another element that is expected to significantly impact the bottom line of the TV industry in 2020. With the popularity of streaming video over the internet, CDNs’ global market is projected to reach $14 billion in 2020, a 25% increase than the estimated $11 billion in 2019. By 2025 that number is expected to more than double to $30 billion.

With the demand for CDNs to ensure high-quality delivery of content, media and telecom companies are developing their own CDNs to have greater control over their content and revenue. Despite this, Deloitte says that CDNs and OTT kicking pay-TV to the curb anytime soon.

“Most media companies will likely run their OTT efforts in parallel with their broadcast and pay-TV services, allowing the market to determine which will draw the most subscribers,” Deloitte wrote.

Another area poised to have a noticeable impact in 2020 and moving forward, according to Deloitte, is ad-supported video platforms, or AVODs. These types of services are currently most popular in Asia, with the region estimated to contribute $15.5 billion of a total $32 billion in revenue across the globe.

Something that may boost that in other regions around the world is the overall rise in streaming services available to consumers, says Deloitte. While new ones continue to launch, consumers are expected to limit the number they subscribe to, with some projections putting the cap at three subscription services. In this case, Deloitte believes that streaming platforms that do not make the cut may develop AVODs so as to generate revenue from their services.

Find out more by reading the full “Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions 2020” report.