LEXINGTON, Ky.—Following the successful launch of its first NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, broadcast last fall, KET is now making short videos available for instantly viewing through its NextGen TV app. 

KET worked with Pearl TV and its RUN3TV platform to launch the features.  The NextGen TV app uses the same PBS content delivery system that provides on-demand video on KET’s website and the PBS App.

"KET has always looked to the latest innovations to power our mission of educating, informing, inspiring and connecting,” said Shae Hopkins, KET executive director and CEO. “We’re excited to be on the leading edge of this new technology.”

KET was among the first 15 public television stations in the nation to launch NextGen TV. now, with the launch of this app, KET is the first public broadcaster to leverage the new interactive capabilities of this broadcast standard to offer VOD.

Using the same PBS content delivery system that provides on-demand video on KET’s website and the PBS App, this NextGen TV app takes advantage of the latest broadcast technologies to serve viewers a new streaming option.

"Pearl TV, a consortium of US broadcast stations groups, is proud to have supported the launch of KET's application as well as other PBS stations,” said Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV. “KET’s integration of VOD into the TV application using the PBS Media Manager tool was instrumental and a first. We are delighted to have PBS station momentum behind the NextGen TV interactive consumer experience."

“This is a promising first step,” Hopkins said. “Our hope is that it gives us the opportunity for our NextGen TV offerings to evolve and mature so that we may present a compelling user experience as more televisions become NextGen-ready and more of the public adopts this new technology.”

Viewers in the Louisville broadcast area with a NextGen TV-capable set will be able to automatically access the free app. More information about KET’s NextGen TV is available at KET.org/NextGen. 

PUNE, India—As of 2017, the global Video on-Demand market was valued at $28.9 billion. Based on recent studies from Maximize Market Research, that number is set to climb to $89.3 billion by 2026, a compound annual growth rate of 15.14%.

Among MMR’s cited reasons for the expected growth in VoD is the growing use of internet around the world and the increasing number of online video streaming websites available to viewers. Other trends that are likely to contribute to VOD’s growth are factors like time-shift viewing, customer reach, customer experience and the presence of high-speed data-enabled networks and service providers.

This includes IPTV, which MMR says is dominating the global VoD market, and the increasing availability of broadband internet services help make it a more in-demand service than traditional television services.

Other expected boons for VoD include the introduction of next-generation devices, improved viewer engagement and payment services, and the combination of VoD content with live streaming events.

Around the world, the U.S. is the global leader in VoD and will remain so throughout the forecasted period. But APAC will be the fastest growing region in the VoD market as it adds more internet services and smart devices. Between 2018 and 2026, MMR expects APAC to grow at a CAGR of 10.2%.

However, MMR does acknowledge some challenges that lie ahead for the VoD global market. Among these are multiple screen format management, digital rights management and tailoring content for different operating systems and diversified bit rates.

To access the full report, visit MMR’s website.

LONDON—As consumers continue to manage their budget to figure out how to get access to all the content they want from streaming/video on-demand services, Ampere Analysis sees the AVoD market on the verge of significant growth to help satisfy their needs.

AVoD stands for Advertising supported Video on Demand and are often free services that feature ads mixed in with their content to draw revenue over subscription fees. At the start of 2020, only 3-6% of U.S. households use AVoD services, per Ampere, but the media analyst firm sees a surge on the way.

Examples of AVoD services include Crackle, Roku TV, Tubi, Vudu and Pluto. Roku TV is currently the most popular among U.S. consumers at 6% use. One of the reasons that Ampere believes that these services could see growth this year is because they offer access to older content that more popular streaming services may have lost access to.

Netflix’s catalog used to be largely based off content that was five years old or older—50% in September 2015. But between their focus shifting more toward original content and losing content to other SVoDs, as of September 2019 Netflix’s older content makeup fell to 35%. Many SVoDs are putting similar emphasis on original content.

AVoDs meanwhile are primarily using older content to stock their catalogs. Between Roku TV, Crackle, Vudu and Tubi, an average of 80% of their catalogs are content that is five years or older.

Ampere believes that as AVoD services continue to grow, advertisers spending for online video advertising will also see a spike. This will be helped by major players like Disney’s Hulu and NBCUniversal’s Peacock offering AVoD models in addition to SVoDs.

“AVoD is coming, and it’s going to make its mark on the Video on Demand landscape rapidly,” said Guy Bisson, director at Ampere. “It’s impact will be felt not just by the entertainment industry, but by advertising too as the shift that has already disrupted the subscription television market sweeps across the free-to-air sector.”

Bisson would go on to say that while AVoD services are following the proven path of using older content to build an interest, as they grow they may also begin to offer newer and even original content like some of their SVoD peers.

NEW ORLEANS—Video software provider Synamedia has announced that it is augmenting its video network portfolio through a partnership with Telestream. The deal will integrate Telestream video-on-demand workflow products with Synamedia gear.

Several products from Telestream’s Vantage media processing platform will be offered by Synamedia. This includes the Vantage Transcode Multiscreen that automates multiscreen VOD workflows and speeds up the encoding process; Timed Text Flip for subtitle and caption editing; Vantage Array for scalability and redundancy; and Vantage Analysis for workflow decision-making and design.

The Telestream products will serve as a complement to gear from Synamedia like its Digital Content Manager, which supports linear TV broadcast and live streaming.

Synamedia will feature the latest from its video network portfolio during the SCTE-ISBE Cable-Tec Expo at booth 2311. The expo takes place from Oct. 1-3 in New Orleans.

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology has launched Watcha, a key new feature for its product suite, MediaHQ, which was unveiled at NAB this year. The Watcha tool provides broadcasters and content owners with a solution that automatically highlights and reports issues during the encoding process. It was designed to answer the changing needs of broadcasters as they continue to adapt to on-demand services.

Unlike other encoding tools, Watcha tracks the content at the same time it’s being encoded, reporting issues that may arise, such as pixilation. The report is immediately sent to the engineer detailing when and where those issues arise. This is particularly useful for 4K and CPU-intensive projects. If encoding fails, Watcha can automatically restart the process. As well as providing detailed reports, Watcha can encode and stitch together sections of content again, saving significant time and costs.

Project lead for the Watcha tool, Kevin Staunton-Lambert, Solutions Architect, R&D Department, Switch Media says, “Prior to Watcha, if a 4K movie took eight hours to encode, the report may take another eight hours to prepare. With Watcha the two work together simultaneously. That’s a huge time saving for broadcasters who are under pressure to get their content to multiple platforms quickly.”

Watcha also provides support in production environments. If a sports broadcaster is broadcasting a football match for example, Watcha can assist the vision mixer by detecting camera issues, automatically telling the operator to jump to another camera that can cover the pitch in the same area. Watcha will continue to monitor the cameras and will automatically revert to the previous camera if required.

Switch Media’s MediaHQ provides broadcasters flexibility based on individual requirements. Users can tailor their workflows, selecting any or all of the components in MediaHQ’s powerful product suite to manage and assist in the delivery of content for both online distribution and traditional broadcast. From ingest, media management and preparation to distribution and analytics, broadcasters can access everything they need under one roof, on one platform to improve or augment their video workflow.  

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STOCKHOLM—Ericsson has released the 2015 edition of its annual Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report and the big winner this year is video on-demand. According to the report, VOD now represents 35 percent of all TV and video viewing. The report also revealed new numbers on viewership on smartphones and for user-generated content.

Ericsson found that consumers are spending on average six hours per week watching streamed on-demand content; more than double what it was in 2011. Including recorded and downloaded content, the report claims that every third viewing hour is spent watching VOD.

The report also indicated a growth in the number of people watching content on their mobile devices. A total of 61 percent of consumers watch content on their smartphone, an increase of 71 percent since 2012. Teenagers spend nearly two –thirds of their time watching TV and video on a mobile device when the numbers from smartphones, tablets and laptops are combined.

The growth of user-generated content was also a topic of Ericsson’s report, showing a growth in share of consumers’ viewing time. The report shows that one in 10 people watch YouTube more than three hours a day, and one in three consider it important to access user-generated content on their home TV. Educational and instructional videos have also seen an increase in viewership from sites like YouTube, with an average of 73 minutes/week being watch by consumers.

“The continued rise of streamed video on demand and UCG services reflects the importance of three specific factors to today’s viewers: great content, flexibility, and a high-quality overall experience,” said Anders Erlandsson, senior advisor, Ericsson ConsumerLab.

Additional findings from the report include bingeing habits, content searches, linear TV popularity, and OTT vs. pay-TV. The full report can be viewed here.