By Boris Felts, Product Manager, MediaKind
In the media and entertainment space, we often talk about the impact of “disruption”. But the impact of streaming over the past 10 to 15 years meets that very definition. This has changed the way all traditional market players operate. Indeed, the very idea of content consumption has shifted from an incentive mechanism to a pull mechanism. And now we see content owners moving into the direct-to-consumer space, traditional broadcasters developing standalone streaming services, TV operators becoming aggregated media services, and abbreviated content on social media platforms. (such as TikTok and Instagram) capture the imagination. of young audiences. With all of these trends, there are now plenty of ways to incorporate greater methods of personalization and monetization into live streams.
One thing is certain: the media supply chain, from the original source to the consumer, has shrunk considerably. With the increasing use of cloud technologies to remove the shackles of traditional media processing, delivery and experience solutions, we have enabled innovations that will help transform the future of live content. This is the most premium and high value content out there. However, a balance must be struck when migrating to the cloud. Considerations for the pace of change must be taken into account, including skills, architecture, and overall infrastructure. As numerous conversations at the NAB Show revealed, collaboration will now be key to enabling a new era of ubiquitous streaming experiences. No company has the full capabilities to make the process fully end-to-end.
How do you achieve a world of limitless live streaming?
We need to go back to basics to realize a world where live streaming can be broadcast without limits and at scale. It starts with addressing how content is produced, how it is delivered, to when the content is tagged and metadata – then through the rest of the delivery chain. The streaming service providers and the people running the streaming service itself are driving this shortened delivery chain. This is in stark contrast to the traditional broadcast chain, which involves many more steps and hurdles to jump through before reaching the finished product at the end of the chain.
But both delivery models share a common bond. All live content is where the biggest audiences are, whether it’s a major sporting event, breaking news, or a popular entertainment show. They drive massive concurrent views, and are the content consumers compare themselves to when it comes to the quality and reliability of their service. Streaming offerings are certainly seen as the benchmark for innovation and flexibility, but they still lag behind in delivering this standard quality at scale.
This is hardly surprising; In the last decade alone, we have seen the rise of mainstream content streamed to mobile devices and in different video formats, which are now widely served by new streaming protocols such as Adaptive Bitrate ( ABR). We are also seeing a shift among content owners and broadcasters who are now building direct relationships with consumers alongside their supply of media to aggregators. The challenge of migrating live broadcasts from linear forms to new forms of broadcast must encompass not just one set of technical challenges, but multiple sets – spanning technical and business. As live media irrevocably changes the way it is produced, published and delivered, the opportunity has arrived to transform the media ecosystem and remove its current limitations.
MediaKind’s new application document
So how do you unlock the potential of live content? Frankly, there is no cookie-cutter approach; it requires a significant shift in mindset both in terms of technology adoption and operational processes. While SaaS has been a popular approach for smaller broadcasters due to the simplicity of pre-built cloud media channels, it’s a more complex story for larger organizations where software updates and orchestration are more. complex.
In our latest application document, we outline what it takes to truly live stream without limits. It outlines market trends, key players, barriers, and how the entire media value chain can better seize opportunities in the live streaming space.
Download the full document by register here.
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