PARIS—Ateme said it has been working with Spain-based multinational telco Telefónica to deploy a cloud-native media processing platform for next-generation video-on-demand (VOD) services. Built on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the solution enables scalable, high-quality content delivery across Telefónica’s international operations, the companies reported.

Using a cloud-native architecture, Ateme said that Telefónica can now deliver its extensive VOD catalog, including 4K content, to a wide range of devices, from mobile screens to connected TVs, with improved agility and efficiency.

“For us, this project is about more than technology—it’s about improving how we serve our audience,” said Javier Lucendo de Gregorio, head of video processing and delivery at Telefónica. “The new platform gives us the agility to launch services faster, ensure consistent quality across regions, and adapt more quickly to changing viewer behaviors.”

Ateme noted that its platform, integrated with Google Cloud’s infrastructure and AI services, is at the core of this effort. Ateme described the key benefits as follows:

• Cloud-Native Scalability: Powered by Ateme’s platform on Google Cloud, the solution enables Telefónica to dynamically scale resources in line with demand. This ensures consistent performance during high-traffic periods while optimizing costs during quieter times, leveraging the global reach and elasticity of the cloud.
• Multi-Affiliate Flexibility: A centralized architecture supports Telefónica’s regional affiliates, simplifying rollouts, updates, and service consistency across markets.
• AI-Enhanced Workflows: The deployment incorporates advanced capabilities such as audience-aware encoding, automated metadata tagging, and predictive demand analytics, driving greater personalization and operational efficiency.
• 4K Multi-Screen Delivery: The platform ensures consistent 4K video delivery across mobile, desktop, and connected TV devices, regardless of bandwidth conditions - improving quality of experience and reducing viewer churn.

“This deployment is a strong example of how we work closely with operators to address evolving video delivery needs,” said Christophe Stigas, vice president of Southern Europe and MEA at Ateme. “By integrating our media processing platform on Google Cloud as part of Telefónica’s VOD architecture, we’ve enabled dynamic resource scaling, 4K video delivery, and automated workflows—all while simplifying operations across multiple markets.”

More information is available here.

DENVER—Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has launched Comcast MediaExpress, a centralized video-on-demand (VOD) management and distribution service for premium content providers.

The new service enables content owners to distribute their VOD entertainment titles with ease into OTT, pay-TV and social media platforms with delivery centrally managed by CTS.

Comcast MediaExpress enables content owners to simplify and streamline their VOD distribution and monetization efforts across their subscription VOD (SVOD), Advertising VOD (AVOD), transactional VOD (TVOD) or Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) partners, the company said.

The service offers a single platform to ingest video, metadata and supporting files for centralized management and distribution—backed by the scale and reliability of CTS, it said.

Content providers only need to integrate with Comcast MediaExpress for mass distribution of their premium VOD titles to reach all leading OTT and pay-TV platforms, including the most popular FAST channels and streaming video services, it said.

“Now, more than ever, media and entertainment companies are looking for the most efficient ways to manage and distribute their short form and long form video across a highly fragmented landscape of digital destinations,” said Bart Spriester, senior vice president and general manager of streaming, broadcast and advertising at Comcast Technology Solutions.

"It’s a daunting task even for the most technically sophisticated programmers, broadcasters, and film studios, but it’s what CTS was built for. Comcast MediaExpress provides efficiency, scale, and reliability for their VOD distribution efforts, so even more of their creative energy can stay focused on content creation and monetization.”

Key Comcast MediaExpress features include simplified single ingest, managed white-glove service, extensive reach across top-tier streaming and pay-TV platforms, advanced metadata management and CTS’ VideoAI metadata augmentation and support for comprehensive monetization strategies.

Comcast MediaExpress is part of a comprehensive suite of solutions for content and streaming providers and advertisers.

More information is available on the company’s website.

DENVER, Colo.—In advance of the 2024 IBC Show, Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a new multi-year agreement with AMC Networks to serve as its centralized video platform for Managed Channel Origination (MCO) and Video On Demand (VOD). 

CTS will also serve as the primary video archive to enforce viewing rights and availability of AMC Networks’ vast library of premium shows, films, and brands across third-party content distribution partners.

Under terms of the new agreement, AMC Networks will use CTS’ Managed Channel Origination (MCO) service to ingest, manage, and distribute linear TV, on demand, and OTT video content across North America and South America for 28 channels including AMC, AMC+, BBC AMERICA, IFC, Shudder, SundanceTV, We TV, and others. 

In addition, CTS’ VOD service will be used to deliver on demand and OTT video content to MVPD, vMVPD and OTT partners globally. 

CTS’ Managed Channel Origination delivers a fully managed 24x7 service aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing capital expenses, and future-proofing customers’ ability to monetize world-class viewing experiences at scale. CTS’ MCO and VOD capabilities provide media companies, content owners, and broadcasters with a platform for unified video workflow from content ingest through delivery, the company said. 

“AMC Networks is home to many of the best stories, characters, and brands across TV and film, and a premier destination for global fan communities,” said Bart Spriester, senior vice president and general manager of streaming, broadcast, & advertising for Comcast Technology Solutions. “We’re honored that AMC Networks will rely on us to help streamline their efforts to reach and monetize audiences across the Americas and around the globe. At Comcast Technology Solutions, our mission is to help leading media companies, like AMC Networks, reduce workflow complexity and redundancy, lower capital and operational expenses, and deliver exceptional quality viewing that today’s consumers demand across their screens of choice." 

"During this time of evolution and change across our industry, AMC Networks is laser focused on achieving the highest levels of efficiency and service quality across our video portfolio,” said Stephanie Mitchko, executive vice president, global media operations and technology at AMC Networks. “Whether it’s to support of our premium channels, our archives, or distribution of our acclaimed original franchises such as The Walking Dead Universe and the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, we believe that Comcast Technology Solutions provides us with the right technological backend for our future. CTS is committed to helping us shift towards a single ingest model, consolidate workflows, and manage our linear TV and VOD efforts across our networks and our third-party distribution partners. By centralizing with CTS, we expect to streamline operations, automate highly complex tasks, and free up valuable resources to focus more on creating and monetizing our extensive programming assets.”

CTS' Managed Channel Origination provides media companies with a unified workflow, from content acquisition through delivery, with 24x7 service level agreements (SLAs). In addition, CTS’ VOD services enable MVPDs, virtual MVPDs, and OTT providers to launch and manage their own SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD offerings. It provides companies the ability to ingest, store, process, distribute, and monetize their video assets to set-top boxes and connected devices while optimizing C3/C7/D4/D7 windows.

At the 2024 IBC Show, CTS will showcase its solutions for streaming, broadcast, entertainment, and connectivity experiences in Hall 5, Stand C80. Experts will be on-hand to discuss CTS’ full suite of products for content and streaming providers, MVPDs, and advertisers. 

In addition, Peter Gibson, VP of Product & Marketing at Comcast Technology Solutions will also present on “The New Age of Cloud TV” on Friday, September 13 at 12:15 p.m. on the IBC Content Everywhere Stage. 

To learn more about Comcast Technology Solutions’ entire portfolio of solutions, visit: https://www.comcasttechnologysolutions.com/our-products.

For more information about AMC Networks visit https://www.amcnetworks.com/ 

BARCELONA, Spain—Streaming providers worldwide are increasing their infrastructure buildout to reduce latency and hiccups for consumers and the results are beginning to show, according to NPAW, a provider of streaming video intelligence services.

The first six months of 2024 saw a large global increase in quality of experience, with a 54% decrease in buffer ratio for Video-on-Demand (VOD) services, compared to the same period last year, according to the company’s 2024 1st half Video Streaming Industry Report. This KPI illustrates a worldwide shift in the quality of streaming video services. It’s also an indication of the global commitment of OTTs, Telcos and Broadcasters to providing better streaming quality, NPAW said.

Linear TV buffer ratio also improved remarkably in H1 2024, with a global decrease of 34% vs H1 2023 and 24% vs H2 2023. The Asia region alone experienced a 35% decrease in buffer ratio.

“Telcos, broadcasters and OTTs are investing heavily, thus improving the overall quality of the streaming video landscape. With new players entering the market regularly, it’s becoming much more competitive. We are seeing the world rapidly shift away from traditional TV and towards streaming providers.” said Ferran G. Vilaró, NPAW CEO & Co-Founder.

Thereport explores the current state of the video streaming industry both globally and regionally, comparing engagement and quality data from the first half of 2024 with the same period in 2023. The analyzed data were collected from the NPAW Suite for January to June 2024 and contrasted with data from January to June 2023. Advertising data were also gathered from January to June 2024.

To access this report please download here.

Israeli telecom HOT has deployed OOONA’s QA Manager to transform management of its video-on-demand (VOD) catalog and automate quality assurance operation, enhance the accuracy of localization and deliver a better experience to customers.

HOT faced several challenges prior to adopting OOONA’s solution. It relied heavily on manual processes to track and update content in its vast catalog with tools like Microsoft Excel and email. Not only was the process time-consuming, but it also was prone to human error, OOONA said.

Those errors were difficult to identify and once found prioritizing which to correct was difficult. Incorrect pricing and errors in asset metadata had the potential to aggravate customers and negatively impact revenue if not promptly corrected, it said,

HOT also was nearing the limit of its ability to handle its ever-expanding catalog because the operational process that was in place was not scalable, the company said.

OOONA's QA Manager addressed these challenges by automating and scaling traditional, labor-intensive QA workflows, it said.

“OOONA QA Manager has significantly reduced the time needed to fix issues. We can now perform a full quality check on various devices, ensuring a better customer experience,” said Aviran Barlev, HOT Telecommunications content operations director.

Implementation OOONA's QA Manager involved integrating the system with HOT’s existing CMS to ensure seamless data synchronization and maintain data integrity. The system was customized to automate workflows for error handling and updates. OOONA also trained HOT staff on the new system and continues to provide the telecom with support, it said. 

Using QA Manager has led to a 10x improvement in the speed with which errors are resolved. Critical problems can now be corrected in as little as an hour, it said.

The solution also has improved the accuracy of VOD asset metadata and pricing with automated checks, improved scalability in VOD catalog operations by 100% and provided HOT with data-driven insights with dashboards and reports on error trends and operational performance, it said.

Next up for HOT is the integration of other OONA tools, such as one to streamline subtitling. The telecom also plans to explore how AI solutions can automate content previews and metadata generation. HOT also plans to enhance the QA Manager dashboard for better insights and implement AI-driven solutions for content analysis and promo creation, the company said.

“OOONA’s QA Manager not only helps us manage the day-to-day and the quality of our VOD Library,” said Barlev, “but it also gives us insights into overall trends or where we can improve the whole localization process.” 

More information is available on the company’s website. 

BARCELONA—Viewers worldwide viewed more on demand and linear TV than in the previous two years, according to NPAW’s 2023 Video Streaming Industry Report released this week. 

The amount of time the average user spends watching content per day increased globally in 2023 by 12% for VoD and 4% for Linear TV content. This pivot might signal an increase in consumption or a shift in the consumers' attention toward a more selective number of platforms, according to the researcher.

Previously, NPAW had blamed declines in VOD and linear TV on fragmentation in the streaming market but growth in Connected TV sales and “Quality of Experience” helped revive the sector in 2023, the researcher said. 

(NPAW’s 2024 Predictions: Role Of AI In Video Streaming To Climb Next Year)

The most notable finding of the report is the consolidation, in the second semester of the year, of the upward trend in daily user engagement for VoD and Linear TV, at 4% and 3% respectively, NPAW noted. Episodic content continued to dominate as the primary type of VoD content for another year, capturing 67% of the total global playtime. However, movies saw a slight increase, accounting for 26% of all VoD minutes streamed in 2023.

Additionally, 2023 was also a year of significant improvements in the Quality of Experience front, both globally, with a global decrease of 38% in the buffering ratio, and regionally, with regions like Asia experiencing an 18% increase in the average bitrate. These boosts signal that there is still room for optimization of the viewing experience.

At the device level, the growth in Smart TV sales helped drive up total playtime by up to 8 percentage points. NPAW concludes that this reaffirms that consumers overwhelmingly prefer big-screen experiences when streaming video content, reserving smaller-screen devices like smartphones for casual streaming or while on the move.

"These findings underscore a significant year of renewal and growth for the streaming sector. The increase of up to 12% in daily playtime per user, coupled with tangible improvements in the Quality of Experience, highlights how the industry is consolidating and evolving to meet and exceed viewer expectations," said Ferran G. Vilaró, CEO and Co-Founder of NPAW.

"As providers navigate this journey of optimization, leveraging deep end-user behavior and experience data will be crucial in capturing the attention and loyalty of consumers. Understanding the insights derived from NPAW’s 2023 Video Streaming Industry Report will play a pivotal role in shaping successful streaming strategies moving forward." Vilaró added.

The data analyzed in the report were extracted from the NPAW Suite from January to December 2023 and compared to data from 2022. They represent real-time data from over 190 global NPAW clients, including leading OTT providers, broadcasters, and telecom operators. 

The report can be downloaded here.

The U.S. streaming industry has reached the point of near saturation, with 123 million U.S. homes (95% of all homes) having at least one streaming VOD service in December of 2023, according to Kantar. 

Kantar’s latest Entertainment on Demand (EoD) data on the US streaming market provides additional evidence that video streaming is at a near total market saturation level and that players will have to focus on sub retention, providing customers more value, FAST channels and international expansion for further growth. 

The report also noted that over half of US households now use a FAST service in the average week, as FAST continues to be the fastest growing streaming type. Yet, growth of both FAST and AVOD slowed in Q4, despite the Cyber Monday deals for various AVOD streaming services offered in November, Kantar reported. 

The Kantar data also showed that Apple TV+, ESPN+, and Prime Video saw the greatest absolute growth in subscriber share over the quarter among paid VOD competitors, aided by promotions, trials, and holiday spending.

Other key findings include: 

• Perception of content improved in Q4 as the writers’ and actors’ strikes came to an end. New content and content variety drove a greater share of sign ups in Q4 compared to Q3.
• Yellowstone on Peacock was the most watched SVOD title in Q4’23, followed by Netflix’s Virgin River, and Loki on Disney+.
• The #1 go-to streaming service for content discovery continues to be Netflix, but Hulu and Max gained share as the #3 and #4 spots, respectively, in Q4.
• Value for money is seen as the most important factor driving sign up to new video streaming, for the first time surpassing specific content as the most important factor.

In the new study, the researchers stressed that noted that with near total market saturation, streaming services are finding it harder to win new users and that the major players are increasingly looking for ways to add value to their offering in order to retain their subscriber base and prevent churn. 

This means that streaming services can no longer compete on only the newest title releases, the researchers argued. They must also provide additional value to keep users engaged.

One obvious way to provide value is price. While this option has had limited value in the wake of recent price hikes, Kantar noted that streamers are also looking to password sharing and the ability to create multiple profiles as a way to create value. The ability for multiple household members to have their own profile drove a greater share of new, paid subscription in Q4 than in Q3 2023, up 13% in the quarter, Kantar reported. 

Diversifying content is another way to provide additional value, the researchers said. Increasingly services like Prime Video, Peacock, and Max are offering live content such as news and sports. Streamers have become more satisfied with both sports and live news offerings over the last six months, while at the same time become less satisfied with the variety of original content and TV series. Sports helped drive the growth of both Prime Video and ESPN+, who saw the largest jump in paid streaming market share in Q4 2023, the researchers said. 

With the Olympics in 2024, Kantar said that the market is likely to continue to see an increased interest in sports in the coming year.

Another way to provide value is via brand ecosystems or bundles of services. The ability to subscribe to another service as a channel add-on provides the convenience of saving the time it takes to switch between services, the researchers said.

Channel add-ons, such as Paramount+ on Apple TV+ or Max on Prime Video, now account for 23% of all streaming services, up from 20% in Q3 2023. Apple TV+ has benefitted from this growth. The share of video streaming services accessed as a channel on Apple TV+ has risen 45% in the last 6 months, Kantar said. 

Brand ecosystems also go beyond streaming channels, the researchers explained. Prime Video benefitted from Prime Shipping in the Amazon ecosystem in Q4 2023 with Prime Day in October, Cyber Monday in November, and holiday shopping in December. Apple TV+ benefitted from iPhone sales in the Apple ecosystem in Q4’23. 

There is also evidence that linking a streaming service to a wider ecosystem is beneficial to the streaming service’s brand health, the study found. 

When asked to rank their streaming subscriptions from the most to least important, the proportion of Prime Video and Apple TV+ subscribers who ranked each service as their #1 most important subscription in their streaming repertoire grew to their highest recorded levels in Q4 2023. One in three Prime Video subscribers say Prime Video is their #1 most important service, and one in four Apple TV+ subscribers rank Apple TV+ as their most important service, Kantar reported. 

PARIS—Viaccess-Orca a provider of OTT and TV platforms, content protection, and advanced data solutions, and Ateme, a developer of video compression, delivery, and streaming solutions have teamed up to launch “Personal Live Channels,” a new service that simplifies the creation of VOD-to-live and personalized live channels with targeted ads. It analyzes usage data, viewing preferences, and subscriber consumption patterns, services to help content owners, broadcasters, and service providers boost viewer engagement, reduce churn, and increase monetization, the companies said.

"We're thrilled to team up with Viaccess-Orca and redefine the linear TV experience," said Ahmed Swidan, Director of Personalized TV at Ateme. "One of the greatest challenges for viewers today is finding what to watch. With this new service, we're enabling viewers to discover the most relevant content in a live watch mode, keeping them watching longer and increasing monetization opportunities for our customers. Viewers can sit back, relax, and enjoy several 'For You' live channels with their favorite shows back to back. No doubt these personal channels will increase loyalty to the service."

The Personal Live Channels service is powered by Ateme's NEA solutions for streaming, including server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology integrated with VO's AI-based content discovery and Targeted TV Advertising solution. The Ateme NEA range includes a cloud-native, containerized solution that allows service and content providers to originate live channels from VOD and catch-up archives. All VOD-to-live channels, personal and non-personal, are monetization-ready by combining VO's Targeted Advertising solution with Ateme's SSAI technology, enabling accurate and seamless delivery of targeted ads within the VOD-to-live channels.

VO's content discovery solution enables service providers to gain deeper insights into viewers' behavior and preferences, enabling them to go beyond routine content recommendations, according to the company. VO's solution is driven by AI analytics, allowing service providers to accurately segment audiences and fully monetize first-party usage data. Using the VOD-to-live service, service providers can deliver custom-made channels based on viewers' moods or true personal channels based on viewers' usage data, simulating the effortless lean-back approach of linear TV.

"The Personal Live Channel service is an innovative step forward for video delivery," said Dror Mangel, Director of Data-Driven Product Management, Viaccess-Orca. "Collaborating with Ateme, we have solved viewers' paradox of having too many content choices. And we have offered service providers and content owners many more opportunities to display ads, giving them higher revenue potential."

Viaccess-Orca will demonstrate the Personal Live Channels service at IBC2022, Sept. 9-12 at stand 1.A51 and Ateme will showcase the service in stand 1.D71.

Viewers want great content, and they want it now. Consumer demand for video-on-demand (VOD) content has increased exponentially in the last decade yet there is still a substantial market for linear TV. 

As long as that market exists, linear TV will remain attractive to advertisers as integrating advertising campaigns across digital and linear channels allows for a much larger audience to be reached. With more new channels launching, it is clear to see that this increased demand is creating opportunities for new startup channels. The high standards held by audiences with access to huge amounts of high-quality content mean that there is little room for error in modern broadcasting. 

With so many VOD offerings available, to attract viewers, linear startup channels need to deliver unique and polished shows with spot-on scheduling and channel management. Launching a startup channel can be technically difficult, especially when workflows are not well established or haven’t been tried and tested. This is particularly true with news and live shows, where there is potential for last minute schedule changes and risks of technical issues to consider.

To successfully launch a startup channel, broadcasters need to ensure that the key challenges associated with delivering a new channel are overcome. Namely, these are establishing infrastructure that is both efficient and integrated, and recruiting experienced staff. Internal workflows need to be established so viewing experiences are enhanced, and monetization opportunities are maximized.

Infrastructure
Establishing the infrastructure for a startup channel is undoubtedly one of the key challenges that broadcasters face. There is a huge choice in hardware and software out there so deciding what to use will depend largely on business needs, broadcast requirements, initial costs, and set up times. Deciding on the right mix of cloud-based and on-premise technology is critical, and ensuring that tools are interoperable will avoid problems down the line. All these things need to be carefully considered and balanced out.

When establishing infrastructure for a startup channel, a decision will need to be made early in the process about whether or not to go through a specialist broadcast systems integrator. If the channel owner has the necessary knowledge and experience, the integration can be done in-house.

Integration is key
In an age where interoperability has become a necessity rather than just a nice to have, being able to fully integrate your traffic management system with third party playout and other broadcast systems and workflows is essential. Using interoperable tools makes it easier for broadcasters to choose the best kit for their operation, so workflows can be efficient, streamlined, and as cost effective as can be, without compromising on quality. 

Recruitment of talent
The post pandemic era has made it more difficult than ever for companies across all sectors to attract and retain the right talent. This is understandably a challenge for startup channels because of the need to recruit a whole team from scratch. Modern cloud-based infrastructures potentially ease this challenge.

Historically, broadcast workflows were hardware dependent so remote working was not a viable option. Remote working makes it easier for content production companies to work collaboratively with people and teams across the globe but also to search out and use both local and non-local creative talent. 

Channels need effective management
Whether a startup channel is being launched individually, or whether a new linear channel is being launched by a digital video service provider to grow brand identity and broaden reach, intelligent management of broadcast traffic is a priority. 

As a minimum, if operating a single channel, broadcasters need the ability to manage advertising sales and traffic, program planning, transmission scheduling, as-run scheduling, and media. 

For more complex operations, broadcasters need a comprehensive business solution that can be tailored to meet a specific business or operational workflow. For maximum efficiency with multi-channel operations, broadcasters need to be able to manage all scheduling systems in a single integrated application, regardless of whether it is for linear or digital. 

Monetization options when growing a startup channel
When launching a startup channel, a range of monetization opportunities are available to the channel owner, such as advertising sales, program sponsorship, channel sponsorship, and profit-sharing advertising with online platforms. 

To maximize advertising opportunities, ad management and monitoring are critical. Viewers don’t want to see the same content repeated during an ad-break, nor do they want to see irrelevant or inappropriate ads. An advanced advertising management system enables ad campaigns to be optimized in terms of placement, target audience, and time slots. This will help to ensure engagement with viewers and maximize return on investment for advertisers. 

For broadcasters with multi-channel operations, there is an additional need to coordinate advertising campaigns simultaneously across various platforms, both digital and linear. In order to optimize ad campaigns, broadcasters need the right management tools and insights at their fingertips.

Business Intelligence and analytics
For a startup channel to be successful, revenue needs to be maximized by ensuring that scheduling and advertising are managed effectively. To do this, broadcasters need tools that can generate comprehensive management and analysis reports which then provide accurate audience measurements. This gives broadcasters the information they need to make operational decisions that are in line with their business strategy.

Future proofing
You may not be planning to dominate the TV market straight away, but it is still worth taking the time to consider future proofing your service so that when you are ready to expand, you’ve got the right tools already in place. It is important to ensure that broadcast tools use current technology, are agile, flexible, scalable, and suitable for deployment in other regions where different languages may be in use. Making sure tools are flexible and scalable from the off will help give your channel resilience and longevity. 

Delivering a new startup channel is indeed complex, but with careful planning, and with the right infrastructure and team in place to meet technical requirements, channel owners can ensure they are in the best position to exploit monetization opportunities and grow their channel. 

DETROIT—New testing of ATSC 3.0 to determine if the NextGen TV standard is robust enough to hold up to the rigors of video streaming and secure broadband file delivery to moving vehicles has revealed that the standard is indeed up to the challenge.

A field test conducted by the Pearl TV coalition with Auton at the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track here showed how robust the transport layer and software applications of ATSC 3.0 are in delivering non-real-time data. The results of the test along with those conducted earlier demonstrate 3.0’s relevance as a viable, data delivery alternative to reach vehicles, Pearl TV said.

“The Motown Test Track continues to be a lead research and development environment for service providers, like Auton, automakers, OEM vendors, media distributors and internet service providers of all types to convene and foster new application development,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV.

“The innovation from the broadcast industry behind the NextGen TV standard is unbound and is reflective of its commitment to enabling a national wireless data distribution fabric for the automotive industry, which it needs to deliver mobile video, audio and digital content to the on-the-move public," she added. 

Testing was done in concert with the E.W. Scripps Company WMYD 3.0 lighthouse station and was powered by the Triveni Digital Broadcast Chain. Test results proved the ability of the standard to deliver files in a wide range of environments, including urban, suburban and exurban settings, the broadcast coalition said.

“Auton continues to lead the way in developing an ATSC 3.0 mobility platform that is effective, secure and more cost-effective for delivery of essential software updates and infotainment to the connected and autonomous vehicle market,” said Auton CEO Robert Foster. “By pioneering the use of NextGen TV technology, we’re able to satisfy the growing demands of the automotive industry with the ultimate integration that will enhance access to mobile broadband services for consumers, enterprises, fleets and public transportation and personal portable devices.”

The Triveni Digital Broadcast Chain offers a variety of tools to optimize data delivery from the physical layer with the help of forward error correction (FEC) and ModCod settings available via mechanisms like statistical multiplexing and opportunistic data insertion, said Ralph Bachofen, company vice president of sale and marketing. 

“These tools can be applied together or separately on each of the data services according to the business needs and use cases,” said Bachofen.

More information is available on the Pearl TV and Triveni Digital websites.

In the dark days of 2020, as virtual events took off as a replacement for in-person gatherings, many events industry observers firmly predicted that, even post-pandemic, trade shows would be forever changed.

“Even when events become physical again, they will require a hybrid approach so that attendees have options to remain safe and comfortable,” Mark Roberts told the Trade Show News Network. “This means that some aspects of the show…will remain virtual for greater access and reach.”

Bill Conerly predicted in Forbes that trade shows would come back leaner and more business-focused: “Many associations will have one or two large meetings a year, with education in between conducted virtually. Trade show producers may want to consider that those who have been coming because of the education, and not because they are buyers, don’t add much value to the exhibitors.”

Both Roberts and Conerly had every logical reason to be right. Still, as in-person trade shows return in earnest in 2022, I can’t help but notice: Don’t the new trade shows seem an awful lot like the old ones?

Global Audience Opportunities
Yes, CES did belatedly and grudgingly offer a virtual component in 2022—but that was at the apex of the Omicron wave. The major tech shows of this spring and summer, including NAB, ISE, and InfoComm, are decidedly in-person affairs, including their training and education components. In fact, some of the shows are doing less in terms of live streaming and video-on-demand than they were before the pandemic.

That’s a shame, because the global audience that industry observers like Roberts and Conerly saw developing over the last two years is definitely still out there. Many people are still staying home, due less now to the pandemic than to company policies, travel restrictions, and personal preference. Deloitte forecasts that by the end of this quarter, corporate travel spend will reach 36% of 2019 levels—and there’s no clear “full recovery” date in sight. If show organizers and exhibitors want to reach audiences comparable to the pre-COVID era, they have to offer a virtual component.

At the recent NAB Show, PTZOptics offered some hybrid elements of our own as exhibitors. We broadcast from both the booth and the show floor, holding live Q&As and giveaways with our virtual audience. NAB 2022 was a great show—it beat the odds, reaching over half of 2019’s registered attendance—but a significant chunk of their audience is still stuck at home and eager for a window into the event.

Like NAB, ISE and InfoComm have compelling conference and education programs that this remote audience would love to attend virtually. I am delivering a talk on “Using NDI Bridge for Truly Remote Video Production” at this year’s InfoComm, which is ironic because therein probably lies the key to actually delivering transformed trade shows.

Tradeshow Realities
Let’s acknowledge realities here: Producing video content from a trade show is really expensive, and event organizers are trying to bounce back from two year of drought. A robust livestreaming or live video production program at a trade show requires a cost outlay of hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover everything from high-bandwidth network drops to camera operators to the construction of a temporary onsite video production studio to production team travel. Trade shows have a legitimate need to operate really lean this year, and it's easy to understand why they’d balk at such costs.

Except…they don’t necessarily need all that stuff anymore.  Let’s start with the obvious: Trade show education can benefit from the same camera technology advances as higher education lecture capture. Auto-tracking cameras, with optical zoom capabilities that make them suitable for even large seminar rooms, can capture high-quality video of even the liveliest presenter—no camera operator required. They won’t offer the production values you might want for a recorded keynote, but they are more than up to the task of providing global access to association and exhibitor training sessions. In fact, they’re already performing that role for some of the world’s leading education institutions.

Network costs and on-site production consume a larger chunk of the video production budget, but here again, technology advances have unlocked new, more efficient approaches. Remote production protocols like NDI Bridge and Medialooks are poised to bring a sea change to video production, breaking the traditional workflow where a producer must be alongside the camera or in a half-million-dollar production suite to capture and edit broadcast-quality content.

Using network-connected robotic cameras, producers will be able to control a production or live stream from anywhere, switching between cameras and presets, activating tally lights so the subject knows which camera is live, tracking subjects, and adding production effects. And I do mean anywhere. The producer could be in a traditional control room or at home working on a standard PC.

Even in locations with terrible Internet, such as a trade show floor, producers will have the ability to push content via NDI Bridge to a second location with stronger Internet and livestream from there. Conferences will be able to capture and livestream their content without having to build an on-site production suite—a potential six figure per-event savings.

It's not too late. Trade show organizers can still reach audiences that blow their 2019 numbers out of the water, if they embrace the new video production tools available to them. Far from a budget-buster, modern video production techniques could let them offer their exhibitors a whole new participation benefit: high-quality, reusable video assets that can reach audiences year-round.

This article originally appeared on Systems Contractor News.

AMSTERDAM—Unified Streaming has launched a new solution that enables OTT providers to create live channels from their VoD content.

Remix VOD2Live is based on the company’s Unified Remix playlist technology, and allows streaming providers to present their VoD programming in new curatable linear channels.

The company has set out four possible use cases for the new solution:

• Niche/boutique channels: Creating valuable differentiators for streaming providers that would otherwise be too expensive.
• Targeting by demography or brand product: Promoting certain car brands in a dedicated James Bond channel, for example.
• Flexible ad breaks: Without the constraints of pre-determined ad breaks, OTT providers can place targeted ads where they want and manage the number of ads a viewer sees to optimize the viewer experience.
• Trailer channels: Providing viewers with teasers for the latest must-see box sets.

Unified Remix, which powers Remix VOD2Live, is based on playlists, as opposed to video files, which enables broadcasters and streaming providers to manage streams on the fly, via their own CMS.

According to Unified Streaming, it reduces the “heavy lifting” that file-based workflows require and negates the need for a live encoder.

French OTT provider Alchimie is already beta-testing Remix VOD2Live to further utilize the VoD catalogue of one of its customers and add new advertising opportunities.

“Alchimie’s philosophy is built on providing viewers with a better content experience—whether that’s through curated content experiences or through monetization methods that fit with their expectations,” said David Amiot, CTO at Alchimie. “Remix VOD2Live offers an efficient tool for dynamically delivering virtually unlimited linear channels to the right audience with the linear experience of advertising.”

LOS ANGELES—Streaming subscriptions and digital transactions of content were the driving forces to a big 2020 for U.S. home entertainment spending, per a new report from The Digital Entertainment Group.

DEG found that consumers spent more than $26.5 billion on digital entertainment purchases (EST), VOD and subscriptions in 2020, a 32% increase from 2019’s numbers. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders had an impact on these numbers.

Subscriptions to streaming services was the biggest driver, with 2020 seeing a 37% increase in streaming revenue, thanks in part to the addition of new services like HBO Max and Peacock. EST and VOD purchases and rentals were up 16% and 18%, respectively, from 2019.

Just looking at the fourth quarter of 2020, when the pandemic hit its ninth month, total spending on digital entertainment services rose more than 27%, while spending on subscription streaming went up 33% from Q4 2019.

Looking at digital spending more specifically, rentals through internet services saw a 43% growth for the full year and 33% in the fourth quarter alone, driven by consumers transitioning from legacy cable and satellite services, DEG says.

TV EST grew 39% in the fourth quarter and 37% for the full year. Digital rentals of movies, meanwhile, grew more than 25% in Q4 and 40% for the year; digital purchases of movies grew 6%.

While not able to provide full results for premium video-on-demand (PVOD) content, DEG says early insights indicate strong results. Universal Pictures, which struck a deal with movie theaters to have their new releases go to PVOD after a 17-day exclusive window, said they earned more than four-times expected digital home entertainment revenue because of its PVOD offerings. The studio estimates that it earned $500 million in 2020 from total in-house consumer spend on its 18 titles.

DEG also reported on physical home entertainment formats, which when combined with digital resulted in about $30 billion, a 21% increase from the $25 billion spent in 2019. Just in the fourth quarter of 2020, consumers spent $7.8 billion on both digital and physical home entertainment, up by more than $1 billion from Q4 2019.

DEG’s full report is available on its website. 

FREMONT, Calif.—A new UHD Service Tracker from the Ultra HD Forum has found three-quarters of UHD services available globally are predominantly linear.

The new Tracker looks at 150 commercial consumer-facing Ultra HD television services worldwide, collating information from three billion subscriptions worldwide. It says 300 million of these have access to UHD.

The Forum’s latest data shows that three-quarters of the world’s UHD services are predominantly linear, serving over 125 million viewers. The other quarter of VoD-based UHD services serve 180 million viewers. According to the Forum, half of all the UHD services now offer HDR, while almost a quarter include some form of Next Generation Audio.

The new Tracker is available via the Ultra HD Forum’s website.

Meanwhile, the Forum has also Version 2.3 of its Guidelines for providing UltraHD service. The update includes new details on UHD, such as SMPTE ST2110 and ATSC 3.0 standards.

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.

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology, is announcing the launch of MediaHQ Lite. This is an end-to-end OTT platform that provides a comprehensive feature set at a cost-effective price point allowing an OTT service to be delivered swiftly. MediaHQ Lite keeps complexity to a minimum while satisfying core OTT requirements, reducing overheads and providing the opportunity to test new ideas with minimal budget.

Premium OTT services have become complex and fragmented. Many broadcasters and content owners struggle with bespoke integrations, finger pointing between vendors, the high costs of app development and progressively increased overhead costs. MediaHQ Lite is aimed at new OTT offerings where time-to-market is critical, and budgets are realistic. The platform provides the ability to extend reach, free up operational resources and adapt to the changing OTT landscape and consumer expectations.

Using MediaHQ Lite, an OTT service can be launched quickly and easily without any kind of customisation. Users simply rebrand according to their own brand guidelines. Features include secure VOD and live streaming with DRM, a global CDN service, analytics reports, comprehensive metadata, high definition ABR encoding and use of the Switch Media applications, or their own apps if they have them. What really sets MediaHQ Lite apart is a full featured server-side ad insertion integration with AdEase providing uncompromised addressable ad experiences.

Luke Durham, CTO, Switch Media says, “We have been approached by many content owners wanting to launch new OTT services who are overwhelmed by the intricacy and costs. This is especially the case in emerging markets such as South East Asia and Africa, but also the growing collection of content owners who want to augment their revenue streams by going directly to the consumer with a niche offering. With MediaHQ Lite we’ve created an end-to-end solution that keeps the lion’s share of features and value but removes much of the complexity in the setup, and the often-overlooked operational costs.”

The release of MediaHQ Lite follows the successful launch of MediaHQ Enterprise at NAB 2019. MediaHQ Enterprise uses a powerful workflow engine and houses a flexible suite of modular components that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, which are supported by Switch Media’s expert in-house technical team 24/7. Users can upgrade from MediaHQ Lite to MediaHQ Enterprise at any time if their needs or requirements change.

Switch Media will discuss OTT delivery at:

• Asia Video Summit – Singapore - 4-6 November 2019.  

• AfricaCom – Cape town - 12-14 November 2019. 

New product specialists join from broadcasters to enrich customer understanding

Cambridge, 7 October 2019: Underlining the importance of its solutions business, Pixel Power has added two new product specialists to the team. Tanya Schurawel and Toria Farrell both come direct from broadcasters, and will use their unique insights to help customers develop optimised solutions for automated production, graphics and playout.

Tanya Schurawel joins from Univision in the US, where she was most recently technical supervisor, animator and designer. With her strong technical and creative background, Tanya – who will be based in Florida– will engage with customers during the pre-sales period, ensuring their complex requirements are identified and satisfactorily met with Pixel Power’s virtualizable, modular systems.

Toria Farrell was previously a transmission controller at Red Bee Media/Ericsson. Toria began her career at the BBC as an EPG scheduler, and her career has seen her act as network director and playout director. Toria was a key member of the transmission launch team for the BT Sport launch in 2013, and became a senior playout director in 2015. She has worked within many client transmission areas from uktv and ITV to Channel 4, BT Sport and BBC World News. Based in the Pixel Power headquarters in Cambridge, she will work with customers to define software and virtualized playout solutions which enhance their businesses.

“As playout moves from large hardware installations to the almost infinite capabilities of software-defined, virtualizable solutions, broadcasters need to look at their operations and workflows afresh,” said James Gilbert, CEO of Pixel Power. “Vendors have an important role here, in translating a broadcaster’s business needs into innovative, practical and affordable technologies and workflows.

“Tanya and Toria, because of their extensive and current experience in broadcast and online transmission, are great assets in these discussions,” Gilbert added. “I’m delighted they have joined the Pixel Power team, helping us – and our customers – go from strength to strength.”

###

About Pixel Power, a Rohde & Schwarz Company
Pixel Power develops software-defined, virtualizable, solutions for broadcast playout, automation, master control, graphics & branding used in linear television channels, OTT and VOD. Our award-winning branding and promotions systems, graphics-enabled master control switchers and sophisticated switchable graphics production systems allow producers to deliver dynamic live and pre-recorded content for any SD, HD, 4k, mobile, online or interactive application.

Pixel Power has 30 years’ experience of engineering prowess and dedication to customer support that has made it the industry’s first choice in graphics, branding and playout. With more than 2500 installations worldwide, customers including market-leading broadcasters such as BBC, Ericsson, ITV, SWR, WDR, TV2 Norway, Danmarks Radio, TV5 Monde, CBC, Disney, Discovery, ESPN, ViaSat and Sky.

Recently acquired by Rohde & Schwarz GmbH, Pixel Power corporate headquarters are in Cambridge UK with regional offices in Grass Valley California and Dubai UAE.

Pixel Power can be contacted online at www.pixelpower.com.


Pixel Power Contact:
Name: Ciaran Doran
Title: Exec VP
Email: cdoran@pixelpower.com
Tel: +44 7775 581301

PR Contact:
Name: Jennie Marwick-Evans
Company: Manor Marketing
Email: jennie@manormarketing.tv
Tel: +44 7748 636171

Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, announces it has promoted 18-year company veteran Shakunt Malhotra to Managing Director, Asia, effective immediately. In his new role, he will spearhead operations across Asia and manage four key areas of focus: teleport services, media management services, channel operations and engineering and new technologies.

Philippe Bernard, Chairman and CEO, Globecast, said, “Shakunt’s distinguished leadership and ability to drive a multi-faceted business in Asia are what make him perfectly suited for the role of Managing Director. We know his knowledge of these vibrant markets that we serve will continue to be an asset to our customers.” 

Prior to his promotion, Shakunt was VP- Asia Operations, where he successfully delivered projects that involve international satellite and fibre links, facility expansion, playout, field transmission and company acquisitions. Since joining Globecast in 2001, Shakunt has held various titles, working with high-profile customers on innovative solution for end-to-end service delivery, including recent transmission-ready workflows for cloud-based playout services. He also heads up Globecast’s Technical Governance Group, which is responsible for the synchronisation of global teams and their readiness for new technology.   

Malhotra commented, “I’m excited to take my career with this dynamic company to the next level, ensuring that Globecast keeps heading in a positive direction with its innovative solutions for customers, helping to constantly increase their ROI. We are pushing across the market with our end-to-end media service solutions, designed to help our customers in Asia get their content from where it is to viewers, wherever they may be and on whichever devices they use. With our use of virtualisation and increased deployment of the cloud, we are at the forefront of reshaping the industry.” 

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.  

LOS ANGELES—Digital media management and licensing company Bitmax has announced a new partnership to license and provide new release content to MTonomy, a blockchain-based digital media rights and content management company. MTonomy customers rent and buy content through ether, a cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, and through this deal will now have access to Bitmax TV series, movies, documentaries and digital shorts.

Jim Riley, chief revenue officer at Bitmax, says that by making its content available via cryptocurrency on the MTonomy online platform, Bitmax’s content has now been made available to millions of new viewers and provides the filmmakers new and innovative revenue streams.

Another facet of this new partnership is Bitmax assisting MTonomy to onboard, manage and audit digital media content.

Viewers can access MTonomy’s entire range of VOD content using cryptocurrency wallets such as Metamask, Coinbase Wallet and Cipher.

Las Vegas, NV, NAB Conference, Booth SU2202 – April 8, 2019 – Today Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) an Amazon.com company, announced availability of Accelerated Transcoding, a new feature within AWS Elemental MediaConvert that enables broadcasters, over-the-top (OTT) distributors, and other premium content providers to complete their video transcoding projects up to 25 times faster. EPIX, a 24-hour premium TV network, now uses Accelerated Transcoding to convert 4K UHD content for streaming to approximately 70 million U.S. pay TV homes. Accelerated Transcoding will be demonstrated publicly for the first time during the 2019 NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) April 8-11 in AWS booth SU2202.

Whether on home theaters with dedicated projection, TV sets in living rooms, or mobile screens, multiscreen viewing is proliferating. As the range and resolution of device displays increase, more complex video encoding methods are needed, resulting in long content render times. These delays present challenges for cable networks and streaming content providers. For example, a full-length 4K feature in high dynamic range (HDR) could take more than a day to render using traditional video workflow infrastructure for all of the formats required and the myriad of consumer players available today. With the scalability, elasticity, and flexibility of cloud processing and the advent of new technologies such as Accelerated Transcoding, these compute-heavy workflows can be processed with dramatically reduced turnaround times, allowing customers to meet studio’s requirements for transcode and quality assurance with time to spare. In addition to significantly reducing the transcoding time, AWS Elemental MediaConvert includes Quality-Defined Variable Bitrate control (QVBR) which can reduce file size by up to 50% by automatically adjusting bitrate on a frame by frame basis. Both QVBR and Accelerated Transcoding are available in AWS Elemental MediaConvert with no additional cost.

“We were looking to transcode large volumes of film and original television content into 4K Ultra HD for on-demand streaming to our customers,” said Jon Dakss, Chief Digital Officer, EPIX. “AWS Elemental MediaConvert is a flexible solution that doesn’t require any on-premises hardware, runs in the cloud, and with Accelerated Transcoding ensures faster delivery of the best 4K streaming experience across multiple devices.”

Wholly owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), EPIX is a premium TV service with a line-up of critically acclaimed original programming and thousands of Hollywood movies. EPIX is available nationwide through cable, satellite, telco, and streaming TV providers including Comcast, Spectrum, Cox, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, Sling, and PlayStation Vue as well as through the EPIX NOW streaming app.

About AWS Elemental MediaConvert

AWS Elemental MediaConvert is a file-based video transcoding service with broadcast-grade features that allows customers to easily create VOD content for broadcast and multiscreen delivery at scale. The service also combines advanced video and audio capabilities with a simple web services interface and pay-as-you-go pricing. With AWS Elemental MediaConvert, content providers can focus on delivering compelling media experiences without having to worry about the complexity of building and operating an in-house video processing infrastructure.

Insight TV, the world’s leading 4K UHD HDR broadcaster and producer of native UHD content, is further expanding its US reach with the launch of its popular 4K UHD channel 24/7 on RCN Corporation’s digital pay-TV service. The Insight TV launch, which began on January 7th 2019, is part of RCN’s distribution of multiple 4K UHD channels.

RCN began rolling out its 4K-ready set-top boxes to subscribers last year. The device, made by Arris, is powered by TiVo’s software and user interface. Insight TV UHD will launch along with seven 4K channels hosted by the SES Ultra HD Platform, and is available to all subscribers of the digital basic tier package that have the 4K-ready box.

“Insight was one of the first channels to join the SES’s Ultra HD platform in North America, which now hosts the world’s largest source of 4K linear content and live events coverage,” said Steve Corda, Vice President of Media Platforms for SES in North America.  “Insight TV is on the leading edge of Ultra HD programming, with content shot natively in 4K and transmitted in HLG-HDR.  We are pleased to take yet another next step in Ultra HD together, enabling RCN to offer an immersive television viewing experience like no other.”

“We’re partnering with the world’s leading distribution providers to ensure that our 4K UHD content is delivered globally,” adds Angela Borrillo, Vice President Business and Legal Affairs, Insight TV. “We’re delighted to kick off 2019 with this announcement, which further highlights our growing presence in the US. We seek to connect audiences worldwide with exciting stories based on topics that are trending around the world.”

ADDISON, Texas—Although it is too early to predict the demise of live broadcast TV, findings from a Parks Associates study released this month indicate the importance of consuming live television is slipping among consumers as their viewing habits and the devices they watch change.

In early 2012, live broadcast TV accounted for 60% of video consumed on televisions; however, as of the end of last year that figure had dropped to 44% and by the end of the third quarter this year it had fallen to 42%, according to the research firm.

“While OTT SVOD has significantly changed viewing patterns among consumers, live video is far from dead. We still see massive spikes in viewership for live events. However, an increasing amount of live viewership is on connected devices,” said Brett Sappington, Senior Director of Research, Parks Associates.

The research, presented in “Video’s Critical Path: Success at Web Speed,” a Parks Associates white paper sponsored by MediaKind, documents declining pay TV subscriptions in North America and the adoption of OTT video delivery by a large number of people.

According to the white paper, by 2022 the number of pay TV subscribers in North America will drop to 103 million. By way of comparison, Eastern Europe will have 99 million pay TV subscribers, and Western Europe will have about 130 million.

The Parks Associates research also found the cancellation rate of OTT video service to be holding steady at 18 %, and that more than 85% of millennials subscribe to at least one OTT video service. The firm projects that by 2022 a total of 265 million households around the world will subscribe to OTT services. With some subscribing to more than one, the number of total OTT video subscriptions is expected to exceed 400 million.

MediaKind, which sponsored the research, will join TiVo, Swrve, Massive and Premion as sponsors of the inaugural Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media conference, Dec. 10–12 in Marina Del Rey, Calif., hosted by Parks Associates.

The white paper is available online as a download. Registration is required.

More information on the conference is available on the Parks Associates website.

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Facebook has announced the international launch of its Watch platform.

The tech giant revealed on a European press call with TVBEurope that it is also rolling out ad breaks as an open program to more countries around the world, starting with the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US this week.

More countries will be added in September including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Watch was introduced in the US a year ago to give Facebook users a dedicated platform to find their favourite shows and video creators, and to start conversations with friends, other fans, and even creators themselves.

Facebook has been gradually updating the look and feel of Watch to make the experience more social, and making it easier to see which videos friends have liked or shared, creating shows that have audience participation at their core.

With Watch, users can find the latest videos spanning entertainment, sports, news and more all in a personalised Watch feed. At the top of the Watch feed is the Watchlist, a customisable collection of recent videos from pages a user follows. Users can also save videos from a news feed if they don’t have time to watch it right away.

Facebook’s head of video Fidji Simo made it clear that the platform aims to build new video experiences that put people at the centre, giving them the ability to shape the direction of the content and enabling them to find new video experiences in their Watch feed, like Watch Parties.“Facebook Watch is different because it is built on the notion that video doesn’t have to be a passive experience, and can instead connect you with others,” said Simo. “With Watch we have built an interactive experience that gives you a new level of access and influence. You don’t just watch videos on your own, you can have a two-way conversation about the content with friends, other fans or even the creators themselves. You are truly part of the action.”

"With the global rollout of Watch, we're excited to bring a new distribution platform to our partners around the world, and to help eligible creators and publishers make money from their videos with ad breaks," added head of content and strategy Matthew Henick.

More than 50 million people every month in the US view videos for at least a minute in Watch, and total time spent watching videos in Watch has increased by 14x since the start of 2018.

Watch is now available globally on iOS and Android, and can be found in a user’s shortcuts bar or the “More” bookmark. The service is also available on Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One, and Oculus TV.

The number of subscriptions to US SVOD services will reach 208 million by 2023 according to new figures from Digital TV Research. That would equate to an increase of 70 million subscribers compared to 2017's 132 million.

According to The North America OTT TV & Video Forecasts report 73.5 per cent of TV households (88.5 million) will subscribe to at least one SVOD platform by 2023.

This compares to 55.0 per cent of TV households (65.1 million) subscribing to at least one SVOD platform by end-2017.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research said: “Our SVOD forecasts include homes watching Amazon Prime Video as part of their Amazon Prime subscription."

ATLANTA—Encompass Digital Media is heading into business with Sony Pictures Television Networks, as the companies have announced that Encompass will supply its CloudVOD platform and Digital Network Operations Centers to distribute VOD assets for Sony’s U.S. Channels. Among the channels that Encompass will handle are getTV, Cine Sony and Sony Movie Channel.

The Encompass technology will be used to distribute the Sony channels to major U.S. multichannel video programming distributors and virtual multichannel video programming distributors. Powered by Microsoft Azure, CloudVOD manages the processing requirements and multiple technology standards for traditional and OTT video delivery.

Regional operational teams will manage the CloudVOD platform for the global scaling the delivery of content to MVPDs and vMVPDs.

DURHAM, N.H.—“In 2005, 25 percent of cable subscribers had ever used VOD, 8 percent of all households had a DVR, and about 4 percent of households subscribed to Netflix’s DVD-by-mail movie delivery service,” Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst of Leichtman Research Group, said. Oh how the times have changed, as indicated by the “On-Demand TV XIV” report from LRG. According to the report, 81 percent of U.S. households now have either a DVR or Netflix, or use on-demand from a cable or Telco provider.

Based on a survey of 1,214 U.S. households, the report of those households that use one of the services, 30 percent use two of the services, while 13 percent use all three. Of those, 57 percent of households get a subscription video-on-demand service from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and/or Hulu. Overall, 48 percent of adults stream any of these services on a monthly basis.

SVOD services are most popular among the 18-24 age group, according to the report, with 77 percent using it on a monthly basis; those numbers drop to 63 percent for those 25-44, 50 percent for 45-54, and 23 percent for 55 and older. As many as 37 percent of all adults stream Netflix weekly, up from 8 percent in 2010.

There has also been a growth of homes with DVRs in since 2010, with 64 percent of homes owning one, compared to 45 percent in 2010.

In terms of on-demand, 74 percent of all Telco video subscribers and 61 percent of all cable subscribers have ever used VOD from their current provider, with 51 percent of all cable subscribers using it in the past month. In 2010, the number of cable subscribers to use VOD in the month prior was 34 percent.

The 81 percent of U.S. households with a DVR, Netflix, or that are using VOD, is a five point increase from last year (76 percent) and 11 points from two years ago (70 percent).

To see the full report from LRG, please click here.

NEW YORK—Sometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing. My wife and I recently wanted to watch a movie when we found ourselves with about two hours between car pool sessions. I was interested in action or comedy, she wanted a drama or perhaps something we had missed in the theaters. We’re fortunate to be blessed with a wealth of choices: HBOGo, Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts, not to mention our Fios on Demand subscription.

The result of all those options? It took us more than 45 minutes to pick our movie (“Sleeping with the Enemy” with Julia Roberts). The protracted search effort ate into our limited viewing window. Instead of a relaxed experience we had to pause for car-pool duty, spoiling whatever mood this decidedly non-romantic thriller might have presented. 

“Why isn’t this easier?” 

Not unexpectedly, I am not the only one with this question. At the recent Next:TV Summit it was apparent that the debate about the future of television is still raging. There was one near universal point of agreement among the many speakers and guests at the conference and it was that the filter is definitely “broken,” as pointed out by Clay Shirky of NYU as far back as 2008.

I agree. In fact, I suspect that we binge view content simply because good content is so hard to find. When we find something at all palatable, we cling to it like a life raft for as long as possible.

Yes, Netflix has its recommendation engine. HBO's EVP of technology and chief digital officer Diane Tryneski says one is on the way for HBOGo. Each of those are fine, but neither solution addresses the scenario that my wife and I, as well as millions of others, experience daily: there’s no holistic way of searching across services. 

A killer app would know what cable and OTT service I subscribe to, learn over time what I like and make recommendations which align with my tastes, mood, or other conditions. Ideally such an app would allow me to express interest in a movie currently in theaters too, then alert me when it becomes available on one of my services.

From the consumer’s perspective, it is almost astounding that this does not yet exist. For a more business-minded perspective, consider Jonathan Martaugh. The head of film & television for Facebook/Instagram, two companies that have more insight into what makes their audiences tick than just about anyone, expressed to the Next:TV Summit audience that content discovery may be the single biggest opportunity in TV.

IS APPLE TV THE ANSWER?
So is Apple TV the end of television as we know it or just one more set top box like all the others? 

Erik Schwartz of BitTorrent TV cut through the noise for me through his experience with an early development Apple TV box. He explained, “it’s all about the apps.” His team was able to port his company’s iOS app to Apple TV in just one day. There are huge numbers of programmers and code libraries out there. No one should underestimate the number of third party apps that will quickly be available or the impact they will have on viewers.

Apple TV provides the best opportunity yet for someone to aggregate the huge number of choices available to a consumer and provide a unified and personalized search tool. Better yet, it could easily work across TV, Mobile and the Web. But Apple is not alone.

CHANGE IS COMING
The set top box is still king of linear TV. Given options however, consumers may look more closely at their bills, especially when 30 percent of a typical cable bill can be equipment fees. With cord cutters and programmers both applying pressure to the MVPDs, how long can this last?

Many MVPDs are beginning to realize that their SVOD content should be delivered via IP. Charter clearly gets this, as reflected with their recent announcement of a Roku app. This permits a convergence of head-end equipment for both SVOD and mobile users. I believe this change is just beginning.

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS…
If we were to accept that the IP-based, application-rich device is the set top box of the future, it would not take a huge leap to envision someone coming out with the magic cross-platform search app. A company needs a user authentication system which identifies the subscribed-to services, a powerful robot scraping the available content from the myriad of providers, a recommendation engine, and some APIs to link to the content providers. Then tie the whole thing up in a cool interface via an elegant app that works on a set top box and mobile phones. Not simple, but easier than returning a stranded astronaut from Mars. 

The app need not natively play the content. It would be sufficient to point to content and to know when the play is done. Asking after the play how the content matched the user expectations would provide critical knowledge about users and their habits. That is valuable data in the TV business. How valuable? At Next:TV there was significant discussion about using such information as currency in the distribution economy. 

Attempts are already under way. NextGuide has an app that combines knowledge of linear MVPD offerings with some over the top content. Google is working on a new interface for Chromecast which should enhance navigation. Both Rovi and Watchmi are working on discovery apps for MVPDs, although one has to wonder what business case convinces an MSO to send viewers to competing OTT content? Watchmi says it is targeted advertising. 

That’s going to take some convincing, but the dangers of not taking action are quickly becoming perilous. One thing is certain: content discovery is clearly the next frontier, so as they used to say, “stay tuned.”

BURLINGTON, MASS. – Volicon has introduced a new accelerated VOD/OTT content generation workflow based on the Capture and Share applications for the company’s Observer Media Intelligence Platform. Broadcasters can use these applications to establish efficient content repurposing workflows, with frame accurate closed captioning support that serve both social and digital media platforms, as well as content management systems and online video platforms that support VOD/OTT services.

The Observer Media Intelligence Platform allows broadcasters to capture media in real-time from any source and with any metadata, such as closed captioning. The Capture and Share applications offer three ways to create content to provide a fast and simple edit workflow.

The first is a rapid manual approach, in which the user can review and edit content as it is captured using mark in and mark out controls to generate clips. In semi-automated and fully automated approaches, the platform uses program-related keywords and ad insertion signals to identify and clip all segments of an episode; these clips can then be combined into a single clip for VOD/OTT distribution. The Observer can also clip and push content directly to an edit or MAM system.

Distribution of the finished product is then sped up by the Observer Media Intelligence Platform with single-button publishing profiles to ensure programming is delivered in the appropriate format.

Volicon is a provider of media intelligence, monitoring and compliance logging technology for broadcasters, networks, cable and IPTV operators.