BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 an E-Magazine from Edgeware About Next-Gen Online TV Delivery
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BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 An e-Magazine From Edgeware About Next-Gen Online TV Delivery THE NAB SHOW ISSUE: WHAT DOESN’T HAPPEN IN VEGAS... BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 / WWW.EDGEWARE.TV 1 A WORD FROM OUR CEO #1:20 WELCOME TO BEYOND BROADCAST! BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 I hope this message finds you safe and well. Like many sectors, the May 2020 media industry is currently going through a period of unprecedented An e-Magazine From Edgeware change. And along with every business in it, we’ve needed to adapt THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM About Next-Gen Online TV Delivery ENSURING QOE quickly to the challenges of government lockdowns, remote working and AND THE BATTLE ON THE the uncertainty that’s hit all aspects of the market. DURING THE CONTACT US We understand this isn’t easy. Broadcasters, content owners and online DANCEFLOOR Phone: +46736126840 TV providers have no choice but to respond to these changes, but doing Editors: [email protected] Edgeware Sales: [email protected] so comes with potential risk. It emphasizes the importance of remaining COVID-19 in constant dialogue with customers and partners – albeit without being www.edgeware.tv X able to meet in person. Providing support in a business environment hit PANDEMIC by hesitancy and disruption is essential, even when conducted remotely. 4 6 After all, it’s customer input and demand that drives innovation forwards. Despite a lot of things being put on hold, this doesn’t need to be. Subscribe to the Beyond While it’s important for online TV providers and broadcasters to emerge Broadcast quarterly magazine from the pandemic stronger and in better shape, it’s just as important to for free by clicking here. CONTENT CUSTOMIZATION, deliver an unbeatable viewing experience during it. The interest in fine- tuning networks and making sure services are working and performing well PERSONALIZATION AND THE is certainly growing. All of this is what has largely determined the content of our first Beyond PARADOX OF DIGITALIZED TV Broadcast issue. Check out the article by our CPTO, Johan Bolin, to find out the steps TV providers can take to protect and improve QoE during TV APPS SPORTS the pandemic. And of course, we weren’t able to meet at NAB Show this year, but our THREE KEY INTERNET show plans have not been put on hold. Alongside our virtual demos, ISSUES THAT IMPACT THE we’ve encapsulated the online TV trends and topics that would have no 10 VIEWING EXPERIENCE 12 doubt shaped our discussions at the show in this issue – from multi-CDN delivery to tailor-made content. So, sit back, stay safe and take a look to find out what would have hap- pened in Vegas… IMPROVE YOUR TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR 0TT RELEVANCE WITH 18 CONTENT DELIVERY REGIONALIZED Karl Thedéen ONLINE CHANNELS 6 CEO, EDGEWARE 16 18 TV 2Beyond Broadcast. BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 / WWW.EDGEWARE.TV BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 / WWW.EDGEWARE.TV 3 ENSURING QOE DURING THE PANDEMIC ByJohan Bolin CHIEF PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, EDGEWARE However, most TV platforms don’t have the technolo- But as CDN usage increases, it becomes more difficult gy in place to insert emergency announcements into for the content to reach the viewer seamlessly in the ongoing on-demand streams. As an industry, it’s our first place. If CDN capacity is a bottleneck during peak ACKNOWLEDGE, ADAPT AND responsibility to make this technology available – and viewing periods, TV providers can use their own CDNs to do so quickly. either via public cloud infrastructure, or by establishing a dialogue directly with the ISPs. Alternatively, using ACT: ENSURING QOE DURING THE In addition to acknowledging the changing picture multiple CDNs can optimize content delivery by selec- of TV usage during the pandemic, TV providers also ting the most optimal delivery path to reach the viewer. need to acknowledge the issues these changes can COVID-19 PANDEMIC present, particularly when it comes to QoE. With fine-grained delivery control and the ability to both select the optimal delivery path and shape bit ra- QoE issues should be dealt with on a per-user basis tes where needed in real time, TV providers can better – not based on an average – due to the inherent manage their content delivery to minimize – and be fragmentation of the internet. Viewers are on different aware of – the impact it has on users’ QoE. devices, connections and ISPs, so it would be inac- curate to make conclusions based on average values across large samples. By keeping a close eye on QoE From the very beginning, the practice of watching TV has been a form of escapism. Putting issues on an individual basis, TV providers can better the stress of daily life aside to get lost in a football match, a compelling drama or a factual do- acknowledge who’s experiencing problems and iden- cumentary is how viewers have grown to love TV. In the process, they have also challenged TV tify common patterns in a more efficient manner. This ensures that when the time comes to act, the right STAYING PUT IN OUR providers to deliver new and better content as their tastes and viewing habits have evolved. solution is deployed. By Johan Bolin HOMES CAN LEAD TO To do this, it’s vital to have technology that granularly A 60% INCREASE filters the high variation of QoE data and tells you what The COVID-19 pandemic has built new hurdles for services with compelling yet relevant content – all to look for. Manually searching for QoE issues can be IN THE AMOUNT OF the TV industry to overcome, including productions while ensuring quality of experience (QoE) is main- overwhelming and risks missing out on unexpected coming to a halt, a shortage of live sports content, and tained. Although this isn’t exactly a new challenge, patterns. The technology, therefore, needs to be highly CONTENT WE WATCH a reduction in advertising revenue. But what it won’t TV providers are suddenly being faced with a surge intelligent to help you classify which problems you can impact is the importance of TV as a source of enter- in internet traffic, CDN usage and network pressures do something about and which ones you can’t. tainment and a means to ‘escape’. In fact, with people when delivering their content. staying indoors and having more free time, the need ADAPT ACT to be entertained has risen in value. But, by actively acknowledging viewers’ changing The pandemic has moved faster than the world imagi- After acknowledging both QoE issues and external needs and behaviors, adapting to the dynamic con- ned, meaning TV providers need to remain agile and influences, and adapting to new pressures by adop- According to research conducted by Nielsen, stay- tent delivery environment and acting upon delivery adapt to the dynamic content delivery environment. ting the most effective content delivery strategy and ing put in our homes can lead to a 60% increase in issues before they become known to the viewer, TV Adopting aggressive protocols to push people out of technology, TV providers can act upon them with the amount of content we watch. At the same time, providers can protect and improve QoE. So, what bandwidth when it’s stretched thinly is not a solution. confidence. It’s simple: having the right mechanisms in the number of people using video-on-demand (VoD) steps do TV providers need to take? During these circumstances, TV providers shouldn’t place allows TV providers to act quickly. platforms is growing, as demonstrated by Netflix’s rely on someone else to shape the streams or decide increase in subscribers and subscription revenues for ACKNOWLEDGE how their content should be delivered. They need No longer can TV providers rely on simply being Q1. People are turning to TV more frequently to be While entertainment remains at the core of TV’s purpose, to take control of content delivery in a way which is proactive; they must now move much quicker to be entertained – and escape the mundane everyday. And the pandemic has also reminded us all of how it can be effective, easy and respectful to others. After all, the more responsive and reactive to the situation at hand. not just during prime time. Thanks to greater acces- used to inform and educate the public. TV is a trusted internet is a shared resource and anyone who uses it The internet won’t be less crowded in the future and sibility and the plethora of devices to watch content and reliable medium for delivering important information should be mindful of others using it at the same time. the importance of TV won’t go away, so the time to on, people are streaming both live and on-demand and more people are now tuning into televised news One way to do this is by employing the latest codecs acknowledge, adapt and act is now. content over the internet 24/7. bulletins, with 67% of worldwide internet users watching and encoding techniques, such as HEVC and VP9, to more news coverage than they were before (Statista). get the most out of the content. AN EVOLVED CHALLENGE With more audiences picking up the remote or open Considering the growing need to inform and edu- their streaming apps during the COVID-19 pande- cate audiences, inserting public safety messages mic, pressure is mounting on TV providers to fill their into streams has emerged as an important capability. 4 BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 / WWW.EDGEWARE.TV BEYOND BROADCAST #1:20 / WWW.EDGEWARE.TV 5 THE FIGHT FOR BANDWIDTH ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS JUST ONE ELEPHANT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF SPACE ON THE DANCE FLOOR..