A newly released study argues that U.S. broadcasters face a content crisis, in part because up to 75% of journalists’ time is squandered on technical busywork.

Broadcast journalists are currently spending three-quarters of their time on technical workflows often referred to as busywork, according to a Caretta Research study sponsored by streaming technology firm Quickplay. That leaves just a fraction of their time available for doing what they’re best at, Quickplay said—delivering timely, accurate, trusted and relevant content to their local audiences.

This constraint is particularly troubling because it puts North American broadcasters at risk of losing viewers to third-party platforms, the researchers noted.

“When local broadcast journalists lose 75% of their days to technical workflows, they're not just facing a productivity problem, they're staring at an existential one,” Quickplay Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Paul Pastor said. “While the demand for trusted and relevant local content remains high, new rules are in play for local broadcasters to survive.”

This “technical busywork…could be automated, accelerated and improved,” Ed Barton, research director at Caretta Research, added. “The shift to unified, software-orchestrated operations is no longer optional, it is the urgent step required to empower and accelerate key staff, enabling broadcasters to compete more effectively in the streaming age. The technologies enabling such a transition used to be expensive and required a lot of customization. However, vendors have worked hard to ensure adopting such capabilities is accessible to even the smallest broadcaster.”

The report, titled “The Broadcaster Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” examines how broadcasters can use their strengths—deep local knowledge, trusted brand equity and their content archives—to stay relevant and compete effectively as visual entertainment shifts decisively to streaming.

One major challenge is the fragmented state of broadcasters’ content archives, the report noted. Local stations hold vast amounts of content, but it is spread across many different media asset management systems and file types.

Without the right infrastructure, finding, retrieving and repurposing this content takes too long, the study reported.

Furthermore, many newsrooms and production teams lack a complete view of all their assets, according to the study, making the process of finding the right clip or footage too time-consuming for a busy news operation. As the report highlights, staff currently "just have to know where it is," often relying on the memory of experienced employees to locate specific video files.

Workflows designed for traditional linear broadcasting are too slow for the high volume and publishing cadence needed to satisfy the audiences and algorithms on social and third-party platforms, the study said.

Social media platforms reward consistent, relevant and rapid publishing that elicits engagement and reaction. Boadcasters who want to increase their video presence on these platforms, using the appropriate formats and distinct editorial voices expected by a given audience, need new workflows.

To address these issues, the study found broadcasters are increasingly adopting unified software or orchestration layers that offer visibility and control of their content, production and distribution workflows. Instead of risky “rip-and-replace” approaches to upgrading technology, such an approach reduces deployment, operational and economic risk while conferring significant performance and efficiency gains that quickly stack up, even in smaller operations.

By making core workflows visible and controllable from a single UI, or "one pane of glass,” editors and journalists can easily find, clip, package and distribute content without constantly switching between tools or moving files. This change transforms content archives from cost centers into potential drivers for audience engagement, enabling highly skilled staff to focus on doing what they do best. It also enables broadcasters to assert themselves and compete effectively on the platforms where their audiences spend the most time.

“Gone are the days where broadcast is always the first format and then recut for other platforms,” Pastor added. “Our digital-first world demands the flexibility to start with vertical before broadcast when appropriate. An orchestrated, content-to-value platform then turns one story into formats built for each of these platforms simultaneously, so broadcasters can compete at the same velocity and reach as anyone else without giving up their real superpower: local relevance."

For more information and to access the full research, click here.

Building on a deal announced last August to unify Gray Media's digital footprint, Quickplay has announced the full-scale deployment of Gray Media's next-generation streaming platform, which is now delivering hyper-local news and entertainment to 37% of US TV households.

Built with Google Cloud AI, the new platform is currently live across Gray's 113 legacy television markets, and will soon be launched across four new markets that recently joined the Gray Media family.

The new platform, which is built on Quickplay's orchestration infrastructure and Google Cloud's unified AI stack, is a notable development in AI-powered digital delivery of local news because it consolidates Gray's entire digital footprint — 163 websites, 326 mobile apps and 815 smart TV applications — onto a single data-driven architecture.

The integration allows Gray Media to manage 1,300 digital touchpoints with real-time viewer intelligence, delivering hyper-local news and entertainment to 37% of US TV households with unprecedented speed. The integrated operation is now running 269 live channels under centralized management and 123 FAST channels active across Amazon Prime, FireTV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus and Vizio.

"Our vision to transform the local news experience has taken a step forward today," said Pat LaPlatney, president and co-CEO, Gray Media. "Our collaboration with Quickplay and Google Cloud has enabled us to not just build but scale a platform that empowers our local newsrooms and provides our viewers with a truly next-generation experience. With well over 1,000 digital touchpoints and 123 FAST channels now active, we are leading the charge in AI-powered streaming innovation – redefining the delivery of tailored local content to our viewers on every screen they own."

To manage the complexity of 1,300+ digital touchpoints at scale, Gray has implemented Quickplay's orchestration layer, providing a cohesive framework that seamlessly integrates live channel management, content scheduling, ad insertion and distribution into a single automated workflow, driving greater operational agility and efficiency.

Early data from the rollout shows that moving to this unified, AI-driven cloud platform is already delivering significant business value, Gray and its tech partners said. Quickplay described those advantages as follows:

• Lower costs: Consolidating hundreds of separate systems into one cloud platform has significantly reduced infrastructure spending.
• Higher engagement: Personalized content recommendations are keeping viewers watching for longer.
• Faster news delivery: Newsrooms can now get breaking stories to the public twice as fast as before.
• Greater ad value: Precision targeting has increased the value and efficiency of Gray's advertising slots.

The platform is built on two primary pillars designed to bridge the gap between traditional broadcast and digital-first streaming. Quickplay acts as the operating system, organizing video and data into one orchestrated flow. Google Cloud AI provides the intelligence and global reach to power Gray's 113+ markets.

More specifically Quickplay handles the following:

• Unified management at scale: Quickplay provides a single, AI-ready orchestration layer that handles 269 live channels simultaneously, ensuring that high-quality video never lags for the end viewer. This centralized control allows Gray to manage its entire digital footprint through one interface.
• Seamless, broadcast-quality transitions: By leveraging LiveOps and Digital Scheduling, the platform manages the switch between shows and commercials with frame-accurate timing. This ensures that the streaming experience feels as smooth as traditional television while enabling the modern, addressable advertising necessary to drive digital revenue.
• Rapid market expansion: The architecture allows Gray to quickly launch and distribute content across 815 distinct smart TV applications and 123 FAST channels, allowing Gray to easily grow its audience.

"Gray Media is one of the largest local broadcast operations in the country, and deploying a unified infrastructure across 113+markets was not a simple integration," said Paul Pastor, Chief Business Officer, Quickplay. "But this is what Quickplay's content to value operating system was built to do. And the deployment is only the starting point – our goal is to set operators up for what comes next. That means an architecture that is ready to optimize AI at every layer and open to publishing endpoints that do not exist yet."

Google Cloud described its role as follows:

• Hyper-personalization at scale: Using Vertex AI, the platform understands viewer intent in real-time, delivering tailored content discovery that keeps audiences engaged longer.
• Operational intelligence: BigQuery enables Gray to analyze viewership patterns across 1,300+ touchpoints. This turns raw data into immediate programming and business strategies. This helps Gray's leadership see exactly what is trending across 113+ markets instantly, so they can make better business decisions.
• High-fidelity delivery and monetization: By integrating Media CDN with Google Ad Manager's Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), Gray is able to handle ads and videos in the same system, which removes the delays and glitches often caused by using outside ad companies. This allows Gray to deliver personalized ads directly into the stream to maximize revenue without operational overhead or latency.

"This isn't just a migration; it's an AI-driven reimagining of the local media business model," said Albert Lai, global director of Strategic Industries, Telco, Media and Technology, Google Cloud. "By unifying their footprint on our AI and data platform, Gray Media has become a dynamic, data-driven enterprise. The scale of this rollout proves that when a media leader innovates with Quickplay's agility and Google scale, you create a new gold standard for ROI in the streaming era."

Over the next quarter, Quickplay reported that it will deploy the next phase of capabilities across Gray's platform, including:

• A Next-Gen application interface (a ground-up redesign)
• Native Mobile Verticalization
• AI-Embedded Shorts Creation
• Live Clipping with Ad-Marker Preservation
• Hybrid Hyper-Personalization (Content- and User-based recommendations)
• Precision Interactive Player Controls and Picture-in-Picture
• Dynamic Bitrate Adaptation
• Cross-Platform Universal Search
• Advanced Stream Monitoring & Tracking

TORONTO—Quickplay will feature its newly unveiled AI Studio that assists broadcasters and streamers in transforming their content libraries into short-form assets at scale during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

AI Studio leverages generative AI to find and extract key moments from these massive archives, automating short-form workflows. The new offering enables users to deliver a steady feed of clips that engage audiences across owned and social platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube and Meta, the company said.

AI Studio eliminates bottleneck, such as manual clipping and disjointed operations, by orchestrating end-to-end content workflows, enabling operators to deliver dynamic, immersive experiences while maximizing library value, it said.

The solution turns trending topics into action for marketing teams, streamlining promo and content workflows that attract new subscribers, lift retention, and guide viewers to owned-and-operated platforms, it said.

“The creator economy and short-form social platforms have transformed audience engagement, and broadcasters are looking for practical ways to meet the expectations of an always-on, social-first consumer,” said Paul Pastor, co-founder and chief business officer at Quickplay.

“Earlier this year we introduced Quickplay Shorts to address these market shifts. AI Studio is the next logical step, giving our customers the ability to seamlessly integrate automated scene-level metadata enrichment and shorts production into their existing systems. With AI Studio, discovery, personalization and contextual advertising are elevated across platforms. It’s like a system upgrade without the pain of a rip-and-replace.”

Core features of the platform include AI metadata enrichment generated with multi-modal AI that analyzes video content; moment identification that automatically identifies and extracts key moments from content libraries; smart verticalization supporting search and editing to find, clip and verticalize content; publishing flexibility enabling content owners to publish to owned-and-operated platforms and social sites with appropriate content and metadata; and API-based orchestration.

“Quickplay AI Studio is not just AI hype; it’s a working, in-market system that delivers immediate ROI and helps our customers solve real business challenges by adding a layer of intelligence to their content, enabling better engagement and monetization,” said Juan Martin, company co-founder and CTO.

Quickplay will demonstrate AI Studio on the IBC2025 Content Everywhere stage.

See Quickplay at IBC2025 Stand 5.G80.

More information is available on the company’s website.

ATLANTA—Gray Media has laid out plans for launching a new cutting-edge, hyper-personalized streaming platform that will start going live in Gray's markets in January of 2026.

The service will use an end-to-end solution from Google Cloud and Quickplay, that combines the power of Google Cloud's AI infrastructure with Quickplay’s flexible, cloud-native platform to deliver deeply personalized viewing experiences, the companies said.

By harnessing real-time data and advanced machine learning, Gray said the offering will transform how content is delivered and consumed.

“This newly created video partnership marks a pivotal moment for Gray. With this game- changing infrastructure, we are leading the charge into the future of local streaming, one personalized viewing experience at a time,” Gray’s president and co-CEO Pat LaPlatney said.

“We are proud to collaborate with Gray Media and Quickplay to bring the power of Google Cloud AI to the local broadcast industry,” said Albert Lai, global director, strategic industries, Media & Entertainment, Google Cloud. “Our AI capabilities enable Gray Media to understand viewer preferences and deliver personalized content that drives engagement and revenue. This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to helping media companies transform their businesses with AI.”

In making the announcement Gray described the capabilities of the platform as follows:

• Understand Viewer Preferences in Real Time: Leveraging advanced machine learning to analyze viewer behavior, content consumption patterns, and engagement metrics in real-time.
• Dynamically Adapt the Viewing Experience: Adjusting content sequences, ad loads, and overall presentation based on individual viewer preferences and engagement levels.
• Optimize Content Delivery for Maximum Engagement: Delivering personalized content recommendations, tailored search results, and seamless access across all devices.
• Future-Proof the Infrastructure: Embracing a cloud-native architecture that can scale, adapt, and evolve with the ever-changing media landscape.

“We are excited to be the first to deliver this innovative technology to viewers, including tailored recommendations and a personalized content experience that is seamless across devices,” Gray’s executive vice president and COO Sandy Breland said.

TORONTO—Cignal TV is relying on Quickplay’s Shorts tool for its recently launched Pilipinas Live Shorts service, available to millions of users of Pilipinas Live, an app offering sports content from the Philippines.

Pilipinas Live Shorts is using Quickplay Shorts to identify, clip and make short-form vertical video content from video-on-demand and live-to-VOD assets and to enable an infinite vertical scroll, social-like experience, Cignal TV said.

Pilipinas Live Shorts leverages content from top Filipino sports properties including the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP), as well as other major sporting events. By integrating interactive elements and fostering influencer-driven content, Pilipinas Live Shorts will help athletes and fans to create and share content, driving deeper engagement within the sports community, Cignal TV said.

“Delivering relevant, short-form content is a game-changer for us, especially when it comes to UGC. With Quickplay Shorts, we have the power to deliver quick, impactful moments—whether it’s game highlights, exclusive behind-the-scenes access or real-time reactions” Cignal Chief Revenue Officer Gerard Milan said. “The launch of Pilipinas Live Shorts gives us more opportunities to keep fans connected to their sports icons anytime, anywhere, and we’re excited to extend our partnership with Quickplay for this thrilling next chapter.”

Quickplay Shorts also enables influencers to create and post user-generated content (UGC) within that feed, monitored by Quickplay’s moderation tools, it said.

The Quickplay Shorts tool brings new velocity to short-form content creation for publication into owned and third-party platforms. An owned experience, like that of Pilipinas Live Shorts, allows consumers to discover new content in a social friendly, infinite scroll format, while providing Cignal with more data to inform customer acquisition, engagement and retention strategies, it said.

With Pilipinas Live Shorts expansion into UGC, the platform adds a layer of engagement that gives influencers and athletes the ability to record videos; add filters, emojis and text; and publish with one-click, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

TORONTO—Jordan Bartow, a 15-plus-year industry veteran with a history of driving artificial intelligence, media and enterprise cloud transformations, has joined OTT solutions provider Quickplay as general manager for North America.

Prior to joining Quickplay, Bartow worked at Google Cloud. There he led strategic initiatives to drive AI adoption for global media, entertainment and sports, and played significant role in scaling AI solutions. Ultimately, this led to the deployment of a product to 150 million global users for one of the top three global streaming companies.

At Google Cloud, Bartow worked with LIV Golf, driving media strategies and digital fan engagement initiatives. Bartow will draw on his experience at the intersection of sports, streaming and AI-powered content distribution to scale Quickplay’s offerings across media, the company said.

“Quickplay is redefining the future of streaming, and I’m energized by their deep focus on building products to aid in streaming profitability, and their innovative approach to market,” Bartow said. “That mindset of challenging the status quo is a cultural trait that I immediately felt from the founders and broader team. The open, transparent and inspiring culture is ideal for my next chapter. I’m excited to help shape the trajectory of our portfolio, especially the recently launched Quickplay Shorts, refine our go-to-market strategy and build deep partnerships that unlock massive opportunities for our customers. Let’s get busy!”

Email Quickplay for more information.

LAS VEGAS and TORONTO—Over-the-top video solutions provider Quickplay today launched Quickplay Shorts, a tool to create and syndicate vertical short-form content from live and video-on-demand video with support for an infinite vertical scroll social media experience on the eve of CES 2025, Jan. 7-10.

Quickplay Shorts integrates seamlessly into existing OTT ecosystems and apps and enables streamers to reach and engage younger audiences to maximize monetization, the company said.

The solution makes it easier for streamers to offer short-form content. Its Shorts Creator & Syndicator tool enables OTT providers to identify, create and distribute bite-sized vertical content originating from traditional live streams and VOD content with the assistance of generative AI, it said.

The Quickplay Shorts Creator & Syndicator tool offers:

• Plug-in extensions to existing AV pipelines and workflows.
• Custom models for specific content types, such as sports and entertainment.
• Audio and video transcoding.
• Smart aspect ratio conversion to vertical format.
• Syndication to owned, third-party and social platforms.
• Automated workflow triggers.

The Shorts Frontend plug-in provides a social-like consumer experience that integrates easily into existing streamer apps. It offers:

• Vertical infinite scroll.
• Personalized feeds leveraging AI and deep learning models.
• Interactive consumer/fan engagement tools, such as likes, comments and reposts.
• “Story” formats.
• AI-powered moderation tools.
• Ad-optimization, shopping and gamification integrations.
• Optional UGC/Creator tool enablement of graphics and overlays.
• Integration with current platform analytics.

“We could see that the trend in OTT consumption has been leaning heavily towards short-form content for some time across all demographics, but with Gen Z in particular redefining new viewing habits. This change in viewing behavior requires a strategic reimagining of audience engagement,” said Paul Pastor, Quickplay co-founder and chief business officer. “Quickplay Shorts brings to market a solution that Tier 1 operators and streamers can quickly implement to captivate this evolving audience, while driving strategic promotion of long-form content and subscriptions and unlocking new revenue streams within their ecosystems.”

Quickplay has partnered with GluedIn, combining its shorts technology and personalization engine with GluedIn’s expertise in delivering dynamic, interactive solutions.

Quickplay shorts products are available in both AWS and Google Cloud (GCP) marketplaces.

More information, as well as setting up a demo at CES, is available by emailing the company.

TORONTO—TelevisaUnivision will enhance its Univision NOW App with Quickplay’s end-to-end Video CMS platform with the aim of attracting new subscribers while nurturing loyalty among existing ones, the company said today.

The news follows an announcement Sept. 11 that Hispanic multicultural media company Canela Media selected Quickplay’s AI-powered Curator Assistant for its AVOD streaming service for its U.S. and Latin American Latino audience.

“Univision is the leading Spanish-language network in the U.S., which is why we’re thrilled to partner with the TelevisaUnivision team as the new provider to ensure loyal viewers have an exceptional and personalized experience across Univision NOW, enabled by our suite of capabilities,” said Paul Pastor, chief business officer of Quickplay.

Quickplay enables the creation of cohorts based on trends in content usage, location and device, providing opportunities for personalized content recommendations and relevant advertising. These solutions aim to attract new viewers and continue to foster consumer loyalty, the company said.

Quickplay offers personalized and flexible content curation capabilities, including targeted ad-insertion for live-linear, FAST channels, VOD content and downloads, it said.

The company also will provide video platform services later this year to power Univision NOW, the over-the-top subscription video service launched in 2015. Univision NOW features content from Univision and UniMás. The service was designed as a standalone offering that does not require a pay TV subscription to access, it said.

Canela Media’s Canela.TV will use Curator Assistant to take advantage of generative AI to enable programming teams to create storefronts and catalog rails that maximize personalization of content experiences, it said. 

The deployment will support geo-targeted advertising that is context- and device-specific. It will run on Google Cloud and amplify the effectiveness of Quickplay’s cloud-native platform by expediting connections between viewers and relevant content, it said.

See Quickplay at IBC 2024 Stand 5.H61.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

Following a difficult 2023 market for OTT solutions and technologies  that saw considerable economic uncertainty, Quickplay chief business officer Paul Pastor says the 2024 market dramatically rebounded. “The 2024 market is on fire.”  

During a review of the OTT business and Quickplay’s business strategies on April 15 at the NAB Show, Pastor noted that Quickplay managed to buck the difficult 2023 market by signing new deals and clients, including agreements with Cogeco, Cannella and several others. 

That momentum is providing Quickplay with even more business opportunities in 2024 as companies reevaluate solutions they selected during the pandemic and are looking to outsourcing solutions as a way of improving profitability, Pastor said.  

To build on those opportunities, Quickplay CTO Juan Martin described their aggressive push to use generative AI to enhance their solutions, detailing how they have developed innovative natural language search and discovery tools that they are now providing to their clients. 

Peter Gonzalez, CTO of the Hispanic media company Cannella also described how they are using Quickplay in their existing and upcoming digital operations. The Quickplay platform provides them with capabilities to grow for the next three to seven years while also offering microservices that allow them to quickly adopt new features, he said. 

"Our competitive advantage is speed and innovation," Gonzalez said, adding that Quickplay's solutions were helping them maintain that advantage. 

TORONTO—During the NAB Show, Quickplay will be unveiling its new Curator Assistant and will be showing how the new solution uses the power of Generative AI to provide better content search and discovery. 

The new Curator Assistant was developed as part of Quickplay’s partnership with Google Cloud.

Quickplay reports that Curator Assistant turbocharges programming teams’ ability to expedite connections between consumers and relevant content. Building on Quickplay’s successful debut of its AI-powered Media Companion at IBC 2023, the Curator Assistant’s search capabilities enable the creation of storefront rails that contain more titles that engage consumer interest. The solution can also be programmed faster, Quickplay said. 

“OTT providers’ programming teams are the unsung heroes of content search,” said Paul Pastor, CBO and Co-Founder of Quickplay. “Curator Assistant gives them increased power to put the greatest assortment of relevant titles front and center before viewers.  Programmers will no longer be limited by their own or licensed metadata - they can literally leverage the entire Internet, with conversational search, to program their service and drive more discovery opportunities that are personalized to the user or cohort.”

Curator Assistant leverages Generative AI to help programmers discover new opportunities to merchandize their content.  With Curator Assistant integrated into the Quickplay CMS, programming teams can conversationally engage with the tool to set up rails aligned with topical or seasonal content or passion verticals that address viewers’ personal interests. 

The solution taps into Google Vertex AI that leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to return results that tap into a much broader database than traditional metadata tagging.  Query results are matched in the Quickplay CMS against available content rights and user profiles, resulting in content presentation that is both surprising and relevant. These innovations are enabled by a modular, cloud based, open-AI platform architecture that plugs into AI marketplaces with ease and time-to-market advantages, the companies said. 

Curator Assistant is part of Quickplay’s ongoing commitment to optimizing AI-driven search, discovery and personalization. Media Companion’s debut at IBC put conversational interaction directly into the hands of viewers by using LLMs to provide deeper insights into content libraries; Curator Assistant empowers programming teams to ensure increased Storefront visibility for topics and titles of interest. The solution does this by:  

• Providing a natural language interface for assisted discovery, including catalog browsing, filtering, and cross-referencing assets.
• Augmenting content metadata with additional insights, including micro-genre descriptors, emotional tags, and embeddings to strengthen results.
• Determining natural content breakpoints to identify binge markers and ad-breaks that can improve usability and expand monetization.
• Auto-generating content rails based on results extracted from the catalog and further refining results based on a variety of engagement metrics.
• Personalizing content carousels based on individual taste preferences, content analyses, and consumption patterns.

Alongside Quickplay’s existing Streaming Analytics and A/B testing framework, these tools help content curators discover novel approaches to maximize audience engagement, the company reported. 

“Empowering curators to create dynamic storefronts with relevant and personalized content suggestions leveraging platforms like Vertex AI will drive more engagement, retention and monetization opportunities for clients,” said Juan Martin, Quickplay’s CTO and co-Founder. “Our goal is to elevate a curator’s impact with this tool in surfacing content that would otherwise not have been captured through traditional metadata programming tools”.

“Our partnership with Quickplay emphasizes not only cutting-edge technology through Generative AI use cases but also thought leadership and expertise in optimizing the viewer experience," says Anil Saboo, director of industry ISV partnerships at Google Cloud . “Together, Google Cloud and Quickplay are setting new standards for the future of OTT, pushing boundaries and shaping the landscape of content delivery.”

In demonstrations at Google Cloud Next 2024 (April 9-11) and NAB Show 2024 (April 13-16), Quickplay will show how the integration of Generative AI with Quickplay’s CMS is leading the way to optimal search experiences. 

In addition, Quickplay will share thought leadership in Generative AI-powered content discovery via two presentations: Martin’s “Driving Viewer Engagement With AI-Powered Conversational Search" at Google Cloud Next and “Creating and implementing AI-powered Conversational Search to Drive Viewer Engagement'' by Naveen Narayanan, senior director, product innovation and strategy, at NAB 2024. 

Naveen’s presentation will be delivered at the Broadcasting Engineering and IT Conference “Application of Large Language Models (LLMs) in Media” at 11:30 AM Saturday, April 13 in Rooms W220-W221 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

TORONTO—Cogeco Media, which is one of Quebec's largest radio broadcasters, has selected Quickplay's cloud-native, open-architecture OTT platform to power the development of a new generation of audio services that will offer access to content on multiple devices and provide better personalization and discovery for 5 million listeners.

"Cogeco Media needed technology and expertise that could help them seize new opportunities and future-proof their business," said Quickplay's chief business officer and co-founder, Paul Pastor. "Our collaborative approach is using the proven flexibility, extensibility, and scale of our platform to help the Cogeco Media team reshape audience experiences, create new content opportunities, and pivot to new business models."

"Personalized experiences that deliver high-quality content where, when, and how audiences want it is the future of audio." Jean-Sébastine Lemire, vice-president, entertainment radio strategies and digital platform at Cogeco Media. "Quickplay's innovative platform and their vast digital transformation experience will help us meet the rapid evolution of digital media and audience expectations head-on, and integrate new AI-powered features in the future."

The partnership with Quickplay will evolve Cogeco Media's platform into a one to one experience that will differentiate Cogeco Media's radio services with a number of new capabilities, including:

• Streamlined content delivery and management across 21 stations, multiple listening devices, languages, formats, and more, including availability on Apple CarPlay and Android Audio.
• An intuitive, visually appealing user interface and high-quality audio and on-demand experiences to improve user experiences.
• Fast, flexible development of new apps to address new audience needs.
• Upgraded metadata systems and processes to capitalize on opportunities based on audience insights.
• AI-driven content personalization to enhance user engagement.
• The Quickplay platform ultimately will leverage Cogeco Media's Google Cloud partnership to unlock generative AI capabilities including speech-to-text, annotations, transcript creation, and targeted content personalization for listeners.

TORONTO—Quickplay has announced that it was involved in “another banner year” of OTT transformation at scale that saw the company involved in the launch of multiple new services for MSG+, YES Network, Pilipinas Live, Allen Media Group's Local Now and The Weather Channel and others.

"What we accomplished in the past year was hands-down an industry record," said André Christensen, CEO and Co-founder of Quickplay. "Our team and our superior architecture were exceptional in driving massive change that accelerated the streaming ambitions of some of the industry's biggest brands, as well as in roadmapping and executing on the next wave of streaming innovation. We have become the No. 1 trusted go-to-partner for Tier 1 sports and entertainment for future-proofing and solving their transformation needs."

The company reported that its cloud-native, open architecture platform supported the simultaneous migration and launch of multiple new Tier 1 services across the globe, while at the same time accommodating significant growth from existing customers. 

The Quickplay platform handled the most complex and diverse use cases in the industry and expedited the ability of customers to future-proof their businesses, reshaping sports and entertainment experiences for tens of millions of consumers around the world, while laying the groundwork for an AI-driven future.

"Architecture matters in OTT: ours is enabling customers to control their own roadmaps and monetization strategies, leading to better business outcomes and time-to-market advantages in delivering innovation to their consumers," Christensen continued. "These architectural advantages have also allowed our customers to set the pace in applying AI marketplace capabilities that enhance customer engagement and drive monetization."

Quickplay also reported that Tier 1 providers such as MSG Networks' MSG+, Rogers Sports & Media's Sportsnet SN NOW, PLDT Smart, Cignal TV, Pilipinas Live, aha, and others are leveraging the platform’s architecture to control their product roadmaps.

Quickplay's architecture helped power the company to multiple awards, most notably a second straight Google Cloud Industry Solution Technology Partner of the Year Award for Media & Entertainment and that Quickplay's latest collaboration with Google Cloud, which debuted at IBC 2023, also provides generative AI-powered consumer engagement, satisfaction, and monetization tools

"In the near future, AI and super aggregation both will be essential to OTT providers' success," said Paul Pastor, CBO and Co-Founder of Quickplay. "Our platform's seamless integration with cloud providers' AI marketplaces and the ability to aggregate video and digital services will enable service innovation and differentiation – defining market winners in the years to come."'

Quickplay will be hosting meetings in its suite at the Aria Resort and Casino at CES 2024 in Las Vegas Jan. 9-12. 

TORONTO—As part of its ongoing global expansion, Quickplay has announced the establishment of a new office in Europe and the naming of Wim Ponnet, a veteran of the media, sports and technology sectors, as president, EMEA.

The new office was set up to capitalize on growing demand for cloud-native, open architecture OTT solutions. With the new office, Quickplay said it will work to use its expertise and its global talent and innovation capabilities to offer fast, flexible, and scalable solutions for pay-TV, telco and MVPD customers throughout the EMEA region.

"Our success with sports, media and entertainment providers across North America and APAC has spurred enormous interest in our ability to drive results for the streaming industry," said Paul Pastor, chief business officer and co-founder of Quickplay. "Wim Ponnet's skillset and track record in EMEA will spearhead a dedicated presence that will help us immediately to address a growing pipeline of inquiries from providers – all of whom are seeking the superior performance and rapid integration of AI technologies that only cloud-native, open architecture solutions can provide."

As chief strategy and commercial officer of Endemol Shine Group, Ponnet was responsible for P&L management of the company's sales organization, achieving multiple consecutive years of annual growth in excess of 20%. Previously, with Yahoo!, he had been senior director, strategy and operations, EMEA and chief of staff. He most recently served as founding partner and CEO of FanTechCapital, an investment firm at the intersection of sports, media and technology. He also serves on multiple investor and advisory boards for sports, academic and business organizations.

"Every distributor and sports league I've worked with has articulated the need for platforms that go beyond delivery of content and instead can truly drive viewer engagement," said Ponnet. "Quickplay's cloud native, open architected platform is opening the door to rich fan and consumer experiences that can meet the OTT and sports industries' strategic objectives today and can harness the business and market potential of Generative AI tomorrow."

NEW YORK & TORONTO—MSG Networks and Quickplay have announced that MSG+, MSG Networks' new streaming service set to launch this summer, will use the Quickplay cloud native OTT platform to power the service and optimize sports viewing experiences for consumers. 

As part of the deployment MSG+ will use Quickplay's CMS, edge services, and player – all running on Google Cloud – to support the data-driven delivery of content based on viewers' specific interests.

MSG+ is being developed as a state-of-the-art streaming platform to provide fans in the region with the ability to access MSG Networks' exclusive coverage of their favorite teams wherever they are and on their favorite devices, the companies said. 

Fans can subscribe to MSG+ on a direct-to-consumer basis by purchasing monthly and annual subscriptions, which will include MSG channels and all MSG-produced Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Sabres games as well as other live sports, events and programming. Additionally, fans will be able to purchase single games of their favorite local teams, an innovative offering not made available by any other regional sports network. 

MSG+ will also be available at no additional charge to subscribers of participating pay television service providers of MSG Networks, replacing MSG GO as the company's authenticated streaming service.

"In the same way MSG Networks was a pioneer in sports broadcasting, the launch of MSG+ and our migration to the cloud are pivotal for our passionate sports fans," said David Schafer, senior vice president, product, technology and operations, for MSG Networks. "Using the Quickplay platform, we are creating an industry-leading direct-to-consumer streaming sports service that offers fans a feature rich experience with the choice to subscribe directly or through their TV provider."

The Quickplay platform combines the flexibility and scalability of the cloud with the quality and reliability of traditional broadcast and cable environments, the companies said. 

The platform is also the foundation of an enriched environment in which MSG+ can quickly and efficiently create new features that uniquely cater to diverse subscriber interests and enhance the viewing experience of MSG+'s marquee live sporting events and complementary content.

"Maximizing viewership today requires the flexibility to meet sports viewers on their terms: live or archived game coverage, real-time highlights, gamification and more" said Paul Pastor, CBO and co-founder of Quickplay. "MSG Networks' shift to the cloud is paving the way for truly personalized experiences that will enhance the ability of viewers and sponsors to connect with many of the world's most important sports brands."

DALLAS—Quickplay Media will now fall under the AT&T banner as the company has announced it plans to acquire the OTT video and TV Everywhere services provider from Madison Dearborn Partners. The two companies have a previous relationship, with Quickplay support AT&T’s U-Verse TV Everywhere offering. With the new partnership AT&T will use the Quickplay platform to support the DirecTV Now, DirecTV Mobile and DirecTV Preview streaming services that will be released later this year.

“Quickplay’s multitenant IP distribution infrastructure, combined with AT&T’s leading scale in IP connected end points, will allow us to host and distribute all forms of video traffic,” said John Stankey, CEO of AT&T Entertainment Group, in the company’s announcement. “We intend to scale and operate an industry-leading video distribution platform, and viewers will get the high-quality online viewing experience they desire.”

AT&T says it will retain Quickplay’s employees and contractors.

The transaction is subject to pre-merger review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act in the U.S. and the Competition Act in Canada. AT&T and Quickplay expect the deal to close in mid-2016. No financial terms were disclosed.