Live Broadcast Graphics in Minutes: A Graphics Platform for the Cloud Age

Gabriel Baños

CEO & Founder, Flowics

In the fast-paced world of live video production, broadcasters and OTT providers are always looking for ways to accelerate their workflows while controlling costs. SaaS-based solutions are just what the doctor ordered.

The benefits of SaaS for the M&E industry are well-known: flexible pay-as-you-go or subscription-based pricing, no capital outlay or maintenance costs, continually current software, and the ability to scale up and down as needed (to name a few). And they are a perfect complement to the cloud-based workflows that are becoming more common in broadcast facilities today. We created Flowics Graphics — a comprehensive cloud-based platform that powers remote and in-studio production of live graphics and interactive content for linear and OTT broadcasters — to be just such a solution. Flowics Graphics is simplifying the way broadcast graphics are designed and managed for broadcasters and content creators of all sizes (and budgets) and for any production workflow.

Because of the platform’s simplicity, broadcasters and producers in the sports, media, and entertainment industry can create, manage, and deploy cloud-based graphics in a matter of minutes. And they can quickly launch new live productions or cloud studios from any location without making big capital investments in equipment.

We designed the solution with three key pillars:

  • Audience engagement: Increased fan engagement is one of the many benefits Flowics Graphics users get from the platform. The system offers built-in support for working with social media content and for customizing poll widgets, which makes it simple to incorporate social media participation and second-screen solutions.
  • Live data integration: Flowics has integrations with a growing list of data providers — such as Stats Perform, Sportradar, and The Weather Channel — and offers  native data connectors that make it possible to easily incorporate live data into any broadcast graphics package.
  • Workflow integration:  Flowics also has integrations with several different providers for NDI, SDI, and cloud-based workflows. These include cloud playouts, cloud production tools, switchers, etc. The list of partners and integrated solutions continues to grow.

Flowics Graphics works with all leading production software and appliances. Producers and graphic designers can operate Flowics Graphics from any location through a single control platform that integrates graphics with any web-based production tool. 

While the platform was designed with a cloud-first approach, it can also adapt to more traditional or on-premises workflows to help broadcasters in their transition to cloud. Flowics understands that this transition will not happen overnight, so the company works with its clients and partners to provide the tools to make the migration as seamless as possible.

Linear and OTT broadcasters around the world rely on Flowics Graphics to create and remotely operate live graphics and interactive experiences for social media, broadcast, live streaming, websites, apps, or venues.

For example, Colorado-based Boulder County Communications Live (BCC Live), a live-streaming and virtual production company, used Flowics Graphics to help generate real-time, data-infused graphics while covering the Mainova IRONMAN European Championship Frankfurt triathlon. With the competition being broadcast on linear television in Frankfurt and nearby areas and live-streamed to U.S. audiences on Facebook Watch, the production team wanted to streamline operations as much as possible.

Flowics also helped BCC Live manage complex details, such as synchronizing with the competition’s timing system and the live feed from Frankfurt. To make sure the data was properly synchronized, BCC Live and Flowics used API Connector to keep a running tab of data through Google Sheets, one of the many data integrations Flowics provides. Flowics was able to push data from the Google Sheet into the required graphics. Other than supplying real-time data to keep viewers updated during the event, the graphics also prompted interaction by asking questions in the live chat within Facebook Watch.

In another case, the BetQL Network — a live, linear digital channel — chose Flowics for quick-turn, scalable data and graphics integration for its new live sports betting shows airing on Twitch, YouTube, and the Audacy and BetQL digital platforms. The BetQL Network implemented the Flowics Graphics module and the Flowics Sportradar Data Connectors into its workflow. The graphics module makes it possible for network producers and graphic artists to create cloud-based HTML5 graphics rapidly for their digital shows on Twitch, while the Sportradar Data Connector feeds Sportradar’s live betting data from multiple sportsbooks and live sports statistics into the Flowics graphics engine.

The native integration of Sportradar APIs into Flowics removes any need for custom development and abstracts the complexity of data feeds, which is handled internally by the Flowics External Connectors architecture. The combination means the BetQL Network can show its viewers clear, up-to-the minute odds and probabilities that help them make betting decisions.

Unlike traditional graphics solutions, the cloud-based Flowics platform allowed the BetQL Network to get up and running quickly, with the flexibility to manage graphics across a distributed team in a scalable way. The BetQL Network also gets the benefit of remote production support and data integrations that are ready to go.

One final example is ESPN Latin America, which, like most sports broadcasters, places huge emphasis on being able to deploy data in a smooth and seamless way during live broadcasts. ESPN Latin America turned to Flowics Graphics and its native Stats Perform data connector for SportsCenter+, sports news programming that gets transmitted on the weekends on the Disney OTT service Star+. The channel delivers 10 hours of live coverage per weekend and includes extensive news content.

For the format of this channel, a left bar overlay is visible at all times. Star+ is using the Stats Perform connector in conjunction with Flowics Graphics. This combination makes it possible to display a wide variety of data during live transmission of sports events, including game score, fixtures, top scorers, league standings, and match stats. Thanks to Flowics Graphics and its live integration with Stats Perform, ESPN Latin American can easily satisfy the escalating demand for sports data and bring invaluable context and understanding to its sports coverage.

Those are just a few of many examples of how broadcasters and OTT providers can use Flowics Graphics to easily streamline their production workflows and add a layer of interactivity to their programming. Live production no longer needs to take place in a studio, and Flowics allows for a simplified approach to production workflows using cloud-based graphics.

APAC: What’s the state of play and what’s next for OTT in the region?

Craig Harvey

VP, APAC, Deltatre

Craig Harvey, VP, APAC, Deltatre reflects on the evolving OTT landscape in APAC, and identifies trends that will characterise the industry in the region in the months and years to come.

The pace of change across APAC for the streaming industry is dazzling, with an estimated 400m viewers using OTT services. Now is a good time to reflect on the last 12 months and, to look ahead to even greater growth across APAC, accompanied by new entrants, innovative content collaborations and emerging technologies to invigorate the market.

We should guard against thinking that one strategy fits all across APAC. Markets across the region can vary dramatically, from high ARPU countries like Australia with a population of 25m to India with low ARPU and 1.2bn people. But overall, streaming usage is up – undoubtedly fuelled by the pandemic – and the direction of travel shows no signs of changing.

That’s not to say that establishing and running a service in APAC is easy.

While each market is nuanced – and understanding these are important – the core challenges of establishing a product remain similar to elsewhere in the world: building a frictionless experience that scales; acquiring and retaining users; strong content proposition; monetisation; etc.

Thankfully our experience around the world grants us a unique perspective on the varying challenges and our Strategy & Design Division work exclusively with organisations to clarify vision - no two platforms are the same.

Momentum continues to build

The transition to OTT continues to grow in APAC, with two distinct categories of platforms emerging: global and major locals.

As anticipated, the global platforms – Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and YouTube – dominate market share (excluding China). Collectively they capture at least 60% share of the market revenue (AVOD and SVOD revenue) – in some countries that share can be as high as 90%. The remaining share is largely captured by major locals like Viu, Nine, Wavve & Vidio, with telco deals typically anchored to the success of these local platforms.

China, given its scale and maturity, is typically viewed separately, with an estimated 54% share of the online video revenue in APAC – dominated by Tencent Video, iQiyi and ByteDance. These three giants are all in the top 5 platforms by revenue according to research by MPA, collectively grossing an estimated US$10bn in 2020.

Room for niche platforms

However, that is not to say there is not an opportunity for niche content providers. There is space for such brands, like Shemaroo and HoiChoi, who differentiate through content specialisation, serving a growing user base of specific, tailored content in a way that major platforms (who are more horizontal) cannot achieve.

For these platforms, there is no expectation to challenge or usurp a Netflix – they can be successful without 100m+ subscribers, by utilising their intimate knowledge of their audience, and making smart, calculated investments and distribution deals to ultimately own that space in the market.

Of course, challenges do remain for the niche platforms. While they have a unique catalogue proposition, it is widely recognised that the user experience plays a critical role in maintaining them. How do these platforms – with lower budgets than their larger rivals – bring to market a service with a quality of user experience that meets consumer expectations and prevents subscribers from churning?

Market dynamics - AVOD and SVOD tipping point

APAC has typically been an AVOD market, but the latest metrics suggest we are reaching a tipping point, with SVOD likely to overtake AVOD revenues (again excluding China) in the next 2-3 years.

AVOD consumption has increased during the pandemic, but weaker advertising revenue has impacted revenue streams. One would expect this trend to be reversed in time, but we expect even more competition for every dollar - platforms that understand their users more comprehensively are therefore likely to be more attractive as they can provide the value back to the advertiser.

In parallel, we know that SVOD services also flourished over the past 1-2 years - with ever more entrants to the market as the transition to online continues. According to recent data from Statista, in 2021, China has over 300 million users. The second and third-biggest markets were in India and Japan, with 67 and 37 million users respectively. These absolute figures look large but fascinatingly the penetration per capita in these countries, and all other countries in APAC excluding Australia and New Zealand, is still sub-30% - leaving significant room for growth.

Advancements in broadband will continue to boost consumption, particularly within countries like India, Indonesia and Thailand. Here, partnerships with telcos will be vital for the local and niche platforms with restricted marketing spend and a need for billing technology given the limited online payment mechanisms. And the telcos will welcome the content as the global platforms do the reverse and seek to keep their content exclusive – for the exclusive ownership of the consumer and their data.

What’s next for APAC?

As we approach a new year, it’s customary to be asked, ‘what’s next?’. For me, the challenge of the question is less about what's next – I am sure everyone sees the trends that I talk about below – but more about how fast will change happen.

Web 3.0: The decentralisation of the ether – the so-called Metaverse – is the latest hot topic. While organisations might not be ready for blockchain, NFTs and enhanced VR in 2022, for certain these topics need to be part of our strategy sessions today. Irrespective of whether Web 3.0 will ultimately decentralise power – Web 1.0 and 2.0 had the same goal and we know the outcome here – the technologies will provide a wealth of opportunities in our industry in the ‘20’s.

Content: With 2/3 of the world’s population, APAC is hungry for content, and the market is expected to spend over $1bn in 2022. English content productions will remain important but less so for local platforms, with Korean, Chinese, Hindi and Japanese content being critical for these platforms to compete. Such demand for content provides opportunities for creators large and small (independent). Much like the OTT platforms themselves, independent creators will seek avenues to distribute their originals, and so expect to see B2B marketplaces like Vuulr prosper.

Maturity: As markets mature, we expect to see higher-premium plans for the same content, but with users being attracted with fresh, innovative features and functionality, gamification and VR. In less mature markets, like Indonesia, ARPUs will remain compressed as the race for reach and scale continues.

Artificial Intelligence: The ‘big data’ revolution fuelled the rush for organisations to collect as much data as possible, often characterised by the 3Vs – volume, variety and velocity. Today the V’s have expanded to include veracity, value and variability. While the term artificial intelligence (AI) is widespread, the understanding of how to deploy AI effectively is still new to many organisations, but its deployment is critical to address the new V’s and having accurate, actionable data.

Betting: The global sports betting industry is penned to be worth $200bn. We have seen in the West the impact of the US relaxing its betting laws, with it predicted to grow $8bn by 2025. In the region, reports suggest that the illegal cricket betting market in India alone is worth $150bn a year and growing 20% YoY. There are different trains of thought to the impact legalising betting would have in the region. If India (and others) do legalise it can learn a lot from the West, and build a framework that supports stakeholders in addition to growing the sport.

Remembering the fundamentals

Long gone are the days of playing a video through a web page and impressing the audience. OTT platforms today are complex ecosystems, distributing content in a paradigm that was not built for the purpose (like satellite and cable TV). Now, more than ever, media organisations need to collaborate in partnerships and embrace the journey together.

For many organisations, OTT in isolation is not the ‘silver bullet’ – OTT should be part of a strategy, not the strategy. Consumer-led approaches will triumph more than those that are the traditional stakeholder-led and being adaptive to the ever-changing consumer needs and habits, qualified through accurate, actionable data, will help ensure longevity.

And finally, if you’ve skipped to the end and missed everything above then don’t panic, as no matter where in the world you are looking to launch an OTT platform, know there is one golden rule applicable for everyone: the video must play.

Overcoming Future Streaming Challenges

Olivier Karra

Cloud Solutions Marketing Director at Broadpeak

The video streaming industry is in the midst of an evolution, with several challenges facing service providers. Yesterday, service providers were focused on providing stable and robust streaming services. Today, they are looking to match streaming QoE with broadcast QoE, at scale. In the future, personalization and contextualization will be the norm, combined with a high degree of agility.

Keeping Up With the FAANG

Overall, staying ahead in this market means reaching the same speed of development as the FAANG. In finance, FAANG is an acronym that refers to five prominent American technology companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. Because of their scale (tens of thousands of software engineers) and global footprint, these companies are setting the pace at an unprecedented level, which is extremely challenging for most other players to match. Without removing the need to innovate, leveraging the same kind of technology, tools, processes, services, and business models is therefore becoming key to remaining competitive.

Overall, those challenges apply to all streaming service providers. Whether you are a content provider going direct-to-consumer, a programmer, an operator such as MVPD or ISP with your own cable or telco network, or an aggregator, you will be impacted at some point. The sooner you anticipate this, the less risk you are exposed to.

What Technology, Tools, and Services Can Make the Difference?

The following approaches are key ingredients to remain or to become successful:

  • AI and analytics can help you anticipate needs, identify patterns, perform cohorts mapping, and make proactive changes
  • SaaS API platforms allow you to easily outsource complicated projects, build your services on top of it, and leverage the opportunity to automate (almost) everything
  • CI-CD aids in building on top of something existing and enables you to be in control in an agile way
  • A/B testing is a great way for you to find your sweet spot leveraging end users’ analytics

CI-CD aids in building on top of something existing and enables control in an agile way

What Does it Translate Into From a Business Standpoint?

Keeping up with FAANG speed basically means you need to answer the following questions:

  • How can you shorten your cycles and make agility become part of your DNA?
  • How to create more value faster for your customers?
  • How to assess product potential very early in your business cycles?
  • Identifying business models naturally aligned with this approach

A lot of the answers to those questions are pointing towards SaaS. Building streaming platforms on top of such cloud services basically introduces the ability to evaluate, trial, deploy and go to market within extremely short timescales.

Adding on-boarding, customization, operations, training and support services on top allows you to go one step further with mSaaS (managed SaaS). The TV industry is indeed too complex to be exclusively approached from a pure SaaS standpoint. With this context in mind, using mSaaS from companies who care can be a smart move, at least to secure key transformation phases or to accelerate go-to-market cycles.

In both cases, native continuous integration, delivery and deployment processes ensure a high degree of automation and adaptability for any service using such foundations. Those options basically represent very safe, rapid and efficient paths to build a streaming platform or to propose new services on top of existing platforms.

Here a few points to keep in mind. Although SaaS is the way to go for a growing number of use cases, it's important to avoid partners that will consider you as a SMB opportunity. For operators wanting to host and leverage such technology on their own infrastructure or cloud environment, a first phase based upon a SaaS or managed service can be seen as an accelerator, giving you time to study alternative deployment environment options. Operators wanting to migrate from one environment or ecosystem to another have the opportunity to smoothly transition and avoid duplicating infrastructure, even partial, with such SaaS-based services.

Applications as a Service

While "functions as a service" SaaS are key components to build upon, "applications as a service" SaaS integrate more value. They allow you to focus on how to create value faster and sooner without removing the ability to customize and automate your workflows.

The key point, in this case, is to ensure you are using a true API video platform as all the automation you may build in your workflows for applying provisioning, changes, and updates would otherwise be lost.

Managed services dashboard

Let’s take the blackout use case as an example. In this situation, a linear feed with original content needs to be blacked out or replaced during specific time slots. It typically applies to some live sports events when a content provider’s distribution rights are restricted.

With the “function as a service” approach, integrating a whole set of complex individual elementary services (e.g., manifest manipulation, audience logic vs. rules and policies, content preparation and normalization, etc.) can require significant efforts.

Blackout application as a service, on the other hand, allows you to immediately focus on more value-added features such as:

  • Personalizing replacement content to improve QoE
  • Monetizing eyeballs time during occultation slots
  • Leveraging audience-based analytics to dynamically minimize churn
  • More generally, be ready for whatever programmers or regulators may impose (example: FCC with EAS emergency alert service in the U.S.)

While the blackout as a service application has already been proposed by Broadpeak to a customer, it shows that building on top of cloud services puts the focus on what matters most.

Takeaway

While the streaming content offering has never been so plethoric, the need to differentiate from ubiquitous competition and to remain visible has never been so acute. Ultimately, anticipation of market evolution and shortening of product and feature launch cycles must be part of every streaming provider strategy.

API-controlled SaaS and managed services built on top are a very efficient means to quickly adapt and to automate advanced streaming workflows at scale. The cherry on the cake is that the risk is extremely low both from a time spent and from an investment standpoint compared with other traditional approaches.

Bottom line, although there is no unique approach, leveraging some of these application-centric services can be a game changer for your business.

To conclude with a concrete example, Broadpeak has joined the AWS SaaS factory program to go through this very transformation. With the peakVU.TV platform, Broadpeak is also in a position where it operates a white-label video streaming platform based upon its own cloud media technology. While every company needs to have its own strategy to tackle the challenges of transitioning toward DevOps, CI-CD and SaaS-based operations, the experience of building both API cloud media services, and a commercial streaming platform upon it, is one of the most unique learnings that Broadpeak has had, and we look forward to sharing it.

How to monetize an OTT platform

How to monetize an OTT platform

The television viewing experience has changed in many ways over the last few decades, with several trends that improve the quality of the experience (QoE). The most obvious one is the arrival of UHD and 4K content, which are gradually becoming mainstream and improving image quality. But beyond that, we are now seeing truly customizable and personalized experiences. Viewers increasingly expect to see content tailored to their activity and potential interests. And the arrival of technologies such as Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) are making it possible to tailor not only content, but also ads to specific regions, households, and viewers.

Meanwhile, there is a growing appetite for content. Big household-name content providers are going the D2C route, such as Disney+, who have the opportunity to expand globally and reach billions across the world, with many eager to watch what they have on offer. But to do this, they need a global reach.

All these trends create new opportunities for monetizing OTT platforms, with a range of technological advances helping to make this possible.

To cloud or not to cloud

The first of these advances is the cloud. The need for a global reach makes versatility a crucial aspect of any OTT platform strategy. In fact, to be able to reach new geographical markets, an OTT platform must migrate to a hybrid infrastructure, blending on-premise and cloud capabilities. This enables providers to use the cloud to reach new regions, while relying on an on-premise architecture when the cloud isn’t available.

Open Caching and the CDN

Another major advancement is Open Caching, which transforms the role of the content delivery network (CDN). A CDN network generally caches content in various nodes across a specific region or country. But to send video to a different country, it will be necessary to access other CDNs.

Open Caching is an encouraging innovation for streaming in the OTT industry. It enables a network of interconnected caches intercommunicating via APIs. With numerous ISPs already running CDNs with caching capabilities, global content providers have the opportunity to go direct to consumer and partner with ISPs in different target markets. The technology facilitates a new approach in caching and delivering content, helping to reduce complexity and facilitate caching closer to the end user.

The opportunities for monetization lie in the ability for content providers to delegate traffic to Open Caching compliant ISPs. This has the added benefit of further enhancing the viewing experience. Accessing Open Caching nodes hosted in ISP networks on the edge of the network, typically close to the last mile, enables providers to ensure that content retains its premium quality. Open Caching also enables market diversification, where end users can be reached in different ways and budgets can be more closely scrutinized. While Open Caching is an emerging technology, a major entrant into the OTT market, Disney+, is already trialing the solution.

The foray into 5G

5G brings better bandwidth capability, and this is key to the enablement of HD and 4K streams on a wider range of content thanks to one gigabit per second streaming. It is also key due to its support for higher-quality audio, such as Dolby Atmos, which adds to the overall viewer experience.

But beyond better images and sound quality, 5G makes multi-access edge computing (MEC) possible, pushing storage and processing capabilities further down the network and closer to viewers. It’s here that the real power of 5G comes to life and personalization takes on a whole new meaning as it is no longer just about watching content; it is about making video part of a wider experience, linking the content you watch with social media, retail, and your community, and providing the interactivity and responsiveness that viewers are used to in these other platforms. This way, viewers can feel on-boarded with a story that is bigger than the content itself, expanding on the monetization opportunities available.

Personalizing the experience

Currently, the offer is fragmented. There is too much content dispersed across too many services. One major frustration viewers face (and also one of the top four reasons for churn) is not finding what they want or spending too much time looking for it. So imagine being able to reach viewers with the content they want, based on where they are (at home or commuting), the time of day (morning or lunch break), their preferences (sports or news), and the type of entertainment they ask for (augmented reality or just a show). With 5G, content suppliers can adjust their offering, the content itself, and the surrounding experience, leading to a win-win situation with viewers who are fully engaged with the content, and suppliers who see increased loyalty, reduced churn, and increased revenue.

Pushing for personalization and dynamic ad insertion (DAI)

Beyond a MEC architecture, you need technologies such as DAI to offer personalized experiences that help to increase content value. With DAI, specific content can be replaced right before it reaches the viewer, which means that service providers can deliver personalized channels with content tailored to a specific viewer’s tastes or interests. This increase in value to the viewer is likely to equate to them being more willing to pay a premium price to access it.

Personalization of course also works for advertising. Using the same content-replacement technology, advertisements are replaced to tailor to specific people. This could be applied regionally, encouraging people living in a certain location to visit their local store, which is looking to attract nearby customers. This increases the value of the ad for the advertiser and thereby increases monetization.

DAI is also likely to play a key role in easing the issues created by OTT market saturation. End users are now overseeing a number of monthly fees leaving their bank account for every OTT platform they subscribe to. As a result, more viewers are turning to platforms with integrated advertisements to avoid accumulating too many subscriptions. OTT providers could employ a DAI strategy and use targeted advertising to offset a lower subscription price for end users, making it more likely for them to sign up to a cheaper service.

Proving the value

A range of emerging technologies are providing opportunities for monetization of OTT platforms. Providing better video quality to end users is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to enhancing the user experience and opening up new revenue streams. Now, OTT providers can empower their platform thanks to cloud infrastructures, Open Caching, Dynamic Ad Insertion and the emerging prominence of 5G, helping them provide personalized and customized services. Technology will play a crucial role in proving the value of OTT offerings in an expanding and competitive market.

How the growth of FAST has changed the channel creation game

Andy Hooper

VP Product Management, B2B, Agile Content

After millions of people streamed more TV than ever during the pandemic, audience expectations have evolved. In addition to wanting more content to watch, they now expect to have access to an even wider range of online TV services. With decreasing attention spans and the growing popularity of personalised content, audiences want more choice and programming that’s tailored to them.

One of the streaming service models that’s helping TV providers meet audiences’ evolving needs is free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). FAST has quickly moved from an area dominated by start-ups and digital brands to the latest avenue for established media and entertainment companies. While it isn’t necessarily an entirely new concept given that ad-supported TV channels have existed for a long time, FAST expands the model into the world of streaming where subscribers can stream ad-funded content for free.

And this isn’t something that audiences mind doing. The vast majority (81%) of consumers would prefer to use a free ad-supported service than subscribe to another paid service, while 83% wish that paid streaming services offered a free, ad-supported option.

FAST enables TV providers to broaden their offering as they compete for audience share, attract new customers and boost revenue. Such a service can provide the lean-back online viewing experience audiences want, all while boosting advertising revenue. But for FAST to succeed, TV providers need to guarantee impressions to attract ad buyers – and the key to this is quantity.

Operators can stitch either new live content or existing on-demand assets on top of a linear channel or ‘empty’ baseline and apply them to a variety of use cases – such as ‘fan’ or ‘team’ channels. This approach essentially creates virtual dynamic linear-type channels that provide a lean-back viewing experience while giving viewers access to additional content. In doing so, TV providers can attract new customers by offering a broader range of TV channels and gain new revenue streams by monetizing their existing assets through targeted advertising.

Changing gears

There are a number of benefits that come with increasing the quantity of FAST channels. These include building better relationships with ad buyers, extending reach into highly-segmented audience pools and enticing viewers with a more attractive and diverse offering. This last benefit is particularly important in

today’s extremely competitive landscape, where capturing the attention of new and existing customers is harder than ever.

Unfortunately, producing a large number of live linear channels can be an expensive and resource- intensive task if traditional broadcast technology approaches are used. For example, doing so in the uncompressed broadcast playout domain requires editorial and operational costs, along with a high volume of storage and distribution capacity. That’s why it’s important to leave behind the legacy systems and traditional production processes that exist today to allow for scalability, editorial control, and automation for channel creation.

As such, the approach of creating channels in the compressed OTT/HTTP domain is becoming increasingly attractive. By using an internet-native solution, TV providers can cut costs and capitalise on the internet as a production platform.

For example, the compressed domain enables TV providers to create a variety of thematic and regional channel variants that are targeted to specific audiences while reducing storage and distribution costs.

Full throttle

The ability to create multiple channels that are targeted to specific audiences doesn’t just empower streaming TV providers to extend their reach. It also lets them segment their audiences in ways that benefit advertisers. Functionalities such as playout-driven and server-side ad insertion enable personalised advertising, presenting an inviting investment as advertisers can better reach their desired audiences at scale – all while delivering the cost-efficiency of internet-based operations.

What’s more, TV providers can enhance their relationship with ad buyers by selling ad space in various channels tailored to certain demographics, regions and personal interests. As a result, advertisers are presented with the option to increase the relevancy of their advertising and, in turn, improve their ROI.

With audience expectations and preferences continuing to shift, the rapid launch of new and numerous FAST channels gives providers the ability to elevate their position in an increasingly competitive market. As well as remaining at the forefront of modern TV viewing habits and technology trends, it lets them build a fruitful business model that not only retains viewers but attracts ad buyers too. Channels tailored to specific audiences will be more likely to drive impressions, putting TV providers in the best position to capitalise on today’s viewing trends.

The importance of reducing your carbon impact and the Quicklink advantage

Richard Rees

CEO of Quicklink

The reality of Climate Change

It’s extremely hard not to hear about climate change, and rightly so. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) published in a 2019 report that the worst impacts of climate change could be irreversible by 2030 – just over eight years away. There has never been a more imperative time to tackle this monumental issue.

With COP26 (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties) taking place in Glasgow last month, world leaders, climate experts and campaigners came together to agree a coordinated plan of action to tackle climate change.

Subsequently, countries, corporations and businesses alike have been setting important and ambitious goals to become net zero or carbon neutral within just a few years. In October, BBC announced and set out a path to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This is just a single example of a plethora of organisations announcing their commitment to tackling climate change.

We all need to act

To avoid critical changes in our biosphere, crucial action is required to ensure that increases in our planet’s temperature remain under a total of 2°C.

Climate change is largely believed to be caused by Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, and travel is a significant contributor. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that transportation was the single largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, with light-duty vehicles and aircraft making up almost 70%.

Quicklink are committed to helping businesses reach their net zero goals by helping reduce the amount of CO2 emitted. Quicklink’s solutions provide a platform to gather high-quality remote contributions with the highest level of control - reducing the volume of business travel needed while maintaining the same broadcast-quality that would be achieved in-person.

When gathering remote contributions using Quicklink Studio, the estimated CO2 emissions avoided as a result of using the Quicklink platform are seamlessly calculated and displayed to both the remote contributor and Quicklink Manager operators. In addition, operators have the option to track, report and compare benchmarks, and identify important levers on carbon savings within a simple interface.

Within Quicklink’s ‘Reducing your Carbon Footprint: Protect our Planet Without Compromising on Quality’ whitepaper, the sustainability challenges being faced by companies, and how the Quicklink solutions can assist, are further detailed.

Within the whitepaper, Quicklink calculated that since January 2020, over 445,460 tonnes of CO2 were avoided as a direct result of customers using the Quicklink platform over having contributors travel to events or studios in-person. To put these results in perspective, a single tonne of carbon dioxide would make a humungous bubble over twice the height of a double decker bus – just imagine what over 445,460 tonnes would look like!

So don’t wait – take action today to help the future of our planet. Talk to a member of the Quicklink team today, or download the whitepaper here. https://www.quicklink.tv/carbon-reduction/whitepaper/

Rise: 2021 – the year of ‘firsts’

Carrie Wootten

Managing Director, Rise

Although Rise has been established since 2017, 2021 has been a year of many ‘firsts’ with new initiatives and projects being launched.

One of the most significant developments has been the launch of the Rise Mentoring Programme in North America, this year supporting 20 women from across the region. Rise has seen the impact and benefit that mentoring can directly bring to women in the sector through its UK programme over the last three years and the North American programme is running with the same framework, with three key strands: the direct 1-2-1 mentoring, CPD training and fireside chats and then monthly meet-ups with all of the Mentees. The camaraderie and support between the cohort of women is one of the main outcomes Rise hopes comes from the programme, so the women have an ongoing network of champions that lasts long after the programme has wrapped.

North American Mentee
‘’I was inspired by the diversity and ambition of the women I met as a Mentee. Their drive, passion for their job and the aspirations they shared were truly motivating. Not only did Rise promote a feeling of camaraderie, the program was also extremely clear that my career growth is my responsibility and gave me the tools to chart my course and take my next steps. I’m grateful to have been included in the program and excited to apply what I’ve learned.’’

North American Mentor:
‘’I am in awe and inspired by how hard everyone within the programme has worked to grow professionally and personally. It is very clear that each of these women has addressed topics ranging from: work/life balance, challenges of work in the pandemic, self-confidence, networking, public speaking, and the list goes on. All of this, plus the additional effort that went into their participation whilst carrying on with their day-to-day commitments...Amazing!’’

One of the key programmes of work that is central to Rises’ ambitions of creating a diverse and gender balanced workforce is the Rise Up Academy. Rise believes that unless the industry significantly invests in children and young people then the dial of diversity will not change. In October this year, Rise delivered 16 hands-on workshops where the children built a 4-camera fly pack gallery and studio. The workshops reached over 400 children in three locations; Hull, Portsmouth and East London. To say that the workshops are life-changing sounds cliched and perhaps a little over dramatic too. But I am confident that this is what happened with many of the students.

We worked with children aged 9 through to young people aged 18 years old. The format and structure did not change and the workshops were split into three sections; a practical lesson, where pixels, RGB and distribution of content were discussed. We then moved onto the central, practical, part of the workshop which is to build the gallery. Many students can feel intimidated by this when faced with a diagram and a pile of kit (!), but once they realise they can plug the cables in and that makes the gallery work, the atmosphere changes. The final part is where the students run a short quiz show and we work as though in a ‘live’ studio. They are led throughout this process by a team of industry volunteers and we had 40 individuals from across the sector working with us throughout October.

The feedback from volunteers, students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive with a huge demand for the workshops to be delivered across the country – my inbox is full of requests! We had the pleasure of working with diverse students across the country and met some incredible young people and one of the joys of these workshops was seeing those

students who do not normally engage in education, grasp the opportunity with both hands. Our challenge now is not to let them down and ensure that their next steps into higher education or the industry are clear and supported by the industry.

‘’In the rise up workshop, I had the rare and amazing experience of a lifetime as I had undergone a day that involved a detailed and mind blowing insight into the process of setting up producing a show in a fully functioning TV studio with 1-to-1 help of brilliant and well-versed team members, each with their own eye-opening stories about the world of media. This was one astonishing moment I will never forget, as it not only gave me deeper understanding of the creative industry, but also helped me shape my career choices in the sector.’’ Xavier, Aged 17, Mulberry University Technical College, East London

In November 2021, we also launched our first Women in Leadership Report, in partnership with the KTN. The report is the first of its kind for the media technology sector and provides an in-depth insight with recommendations into how the industry can encourage women to reach their potential and succeed in leadership roles.

Led by Peggy Rieckmann (Vubiquity) and Stefi Popescu (Sky), Rise developed an initial survey in early 2021 to discover if there were any specific trends that have led to women being leaders in our sector. The findings of this survey were then analysed, identifying underpinning patterns. This work has resulted in Rise’s fully-fledged report, authored by Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain (KTN) which will help companies have a better understanding of behaviours, attitudes and support that can lead to women occupying senior positions at companies across the globe. You can download the full report here: https://risewib.com/female-leadership-report-2021/

In addition to the above work, Rise has also had a brand refresh and updated its website, of which one of the key developments has been the Rise Job Board, funded and supported by Moov. The aim of the Job Board is to encourage more diverse applications for engineering and technical roles across the sector. It will provide a valuable resource providing a library of international job postings and will also develop to add tools for CV and interview advice for women seeking more opportunities within our industry. It has been fantastic to see the Board being used so much already and we look forward to supporting the industry more to reach more diverse applicants in 2022.

One exciting last development has been our first ever Rise Retreat. We brought together 30 of our 2020 Mentees and Mentors to a beautiful site in Lancaster, where we were able to network, connect and spend time in a gorgeous setting. The sun even shone for us. This dedicated time together was quite special, as no one had met face to face due to the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns last year and I really can’t wait to plan our next one now.

These have been some of the key ‘firsts’ that we have delivered this year, but of course there have been other fundamental programmes that have continued throughout the year, such as the wider mentoring programme, where we are supporting 100 women in 2021 and of course our recent Rise Awards, as well as wider events and workshops.

The pace of the global advocacy group is moving rapidly and we are seeing extremely positive results. We are confident that there will be further international expansion in 2022, as well as other new initiatives.

Three is still much to be done to achieve a diverse and gender balanced workforce, but Rise is working extremely hard to ensure that we achieve our goal.

The case against consumption-based pricing models

By Julian Wright 

Blue Lucy founder

Imagine if TV companies charged consumers by the minute to watch a football match. Or if your office rent increased when you had a particularly busy month at work.  Sounds preposterous, doesn’t it? Yet, this is exactly how many media management systems providers are currently pricing their services, and no-one is batting an eye, indeed, it is a model that is being extolled by many. But examination highlights that consumption-based models for management systems are only beneficial to smaller operators.

The media and entertainment industry was slow to embrace the Software as a Service approach introduced by companies like Salesforce over two decades ago. The last few years has, though, seen a massive uptick in the adoption of cloud services and many media operators are now enjoying the benefits of easy access, instant scalability and the financial flexibility that make SaaS applications so appealing to many other business sectors. However, with this new way of working comes a whole new approach to cost and, for the media industry in particular, this aspect of cloud adoption has not been without its headaches.

Specifically, anecdotes of ‘bill-shock’ abound as content producers struggle with the apparently contrived complexity of costs associated with downloading or exporting their content from the cloud and many articles have been written (including some of our own) on the infamous egress fees. But, perhaps the media industry’s preoccupation with egregious egress costs has distracted us from other issues with some cloud-based pricing models which may not be as beneficial as they first appear.

Fees for transcode services and content egress are based on a consumption pricing model which Amazon Web Services (AWS) are credited with pioneering. It’s not really a new concept of course, we’ve been paying for consumables such as gas and electricity in this way for decades. In that context, the consumption model for media services is very clear, and inherently fair.

What is more difficult to reconcile, is the application of the consumption model to management systems that simply orchestrate 3rd party services. For example, some cloud media management providers charge a standing fee for access to their platform and, on top of this, add a variable charge based on the volume of content under management or the 3rd party services utilised. These management costs are in addition to the cost of the actual consumable service and are categorised as throughput overhead. Some providers ‘bundle’ a storage or a throughput allowance and charge an ‘overage’ rate if it’s exceeded, a shameful oxymoron in context of cloud.

This model works for smaller operators – in fact it’s seen as the perfect pricing structure for SMEs because it affords access to enterprise class management software, on a pay per use basis, with a very low cost of entry. Yes, the base costs are a little elevated over the underlying services and each transaction is a little more expensive, but this orchestration tax is worth paying for the operational benefit and convenience.

But, for anything but the smallest operators with only a few TB of content, this orchestration tax becomes noticeable, if not burdensome. Providers are quick to justify the model by pegging cost to success – the more content a producer has under management, the more work they are doing, the more successful they must be and, ergo, the more revenue there is to spend on services. This creates a very linear relationship between busyness and cost - which is just about justifiable for video processing services were work is proportional, but that is not the case with management systems.

Like online accounting software tools, media operators expect to pay for management systems based on features, or even user ‘seats’ but will balk if pricing is per transaction. Moving production operations to the cloud affords limitless scale but that should not limit the economy of scale and media operators should see the cost per transaction flatten out and fall at higher throughput volumes.

In recent years there have been many published comparisons between taking a CAPEX (hardware and perpetual licences) and an OPEX (cloud service) approach to production technology procurement. In most cases authors tend to present a clear winner one way or the other but the reality is more nuanced and comes down to the business’s operating model. The significant variations between the different types of SaaS model on offer, and specifically how these suit different business requirements, play an important role here and deserve more scrutiny.

We are great proponents of cloud and SaaS and, in our own procurement of business systems and infrastructure, the model has allowed our business to grow rapidly without taking on burdensome debt or suffering the distraction of equity investment. But our success has been based on careful assessment of the different SaaS pricing models on offer and how these align with our specific business requirements. Our advice is that medium and larger scale businesses, in particular, should engage directly with underlying service providers and factor in future growth to identify which model is right for your business.  

The acid test here is that operational costs should fall with, not track, your business growth - and if the model on offer looks complicated, look out for the devil in that detail.

In Conversation with Agile Content

In this IABM TV interview, Johan Bolin (CTO, Agile Content) discusses the monetization of OTT services as well as their 2021 acquisitions, including Edgeware.