FIVE TECHNOLOGIES SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OTT

The world of OTT is changing radically with new innovations, from player technologies to standards convergence, propelling the industry forward. As 2018 comes to a close, AkamaiTV sat down with DASH legend and Akamai's very own Will Law to get his pulse on the major trends and technologies that are driving OTT towards a "better-than-broadcast" future.Akamai Principal Architect Peter Chave recently chatted with Will, the chief architect of our Media Cloud Engineering group, in the third episode of our #OTTuesday video series to talk about some of the most significant advances we've seen this year and how they will shape OTT over the year to come. Here are some of Will's top insights:AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) - Developed out of the Alliance for Open Media and published in June of this year, AV1 is quickly becoming a popular alternative to video codecs like HEVC (whose royalties and patent limitations frustrate many media experts). Even as HEVC holds its ground through demand for 4K UHD stream quality and as AVC dominates the market, AV1 is enjoying adoption by a range of new devices and practically all web browsers. Will expects hardware enablement via chips to influence AV1 adoption toward the end of 2019.

Spotlight

Zero Latency VR

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Zero Latency is the pioneer and global leader in free-roam, warehouse-scale, multiplayer, virtual reality gaming.Free-roam Virtual Reality (FRVR) is the future of out-of-home entertainment, bringing unique social experiences and attracting a new, affluent audience.Zero Latency invented FRVR entertainment in 2014 and remains the category leader, providing the most experienced team, exclusive experiences, tested business model and largest network of venues.

OTHER ARTICLES
Business

The crowd still matters for live sports broadcasting

Article | July 11, 2022

At opposite sides of the globe, two top-flight international football events have kicked off over the last week. In semi-vaccinated Europe the month-long Euro 2020 tournament began on Friday June 11th, with 11 countries hosting the competition across Europe. On Sunday June 13th in Brazil (a country which had now lost nearly half a million lives to COVID-19) the 2021 Copa America kicked off, with the final taking place on July 10th2021. While Euro 2020 is taking place in front of reduced capacity crowds of fans in stadiums, the Copa America is being played behind closed doors with entire participating national delegations required to be vaccinated, and delegations limited to 65 members. Euro 2020’s official motto ‘Live it. For Real’ can be taken as a declaration of intent to host a top-flight mass sporting event as close to pre-pandemic conditions as feasibly possible. The criteria for live spectator participation for UEFA (the event organisers) was key to this. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin confirmed the importance of live spectators at matches in an interview back in March where he stated "We have several scenarios, but the one guarantee we can make is that the option of playing any Euro 2020 match in an empty stadium is off the table. Every host must guarantee there will be fans at their games."

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Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

The rise of the introverted salesperson

Article | July 13, 2022

The shift to virtual selling has upended the status quo for many sales teams across the country and around the world. I firmly believe, as I’ve said before, thatnearly everything can be sold over video— and in many ways the virtual sales process makes it easier for sales reps to connect with customers and build trust.Still, there has been a great deal of resistance, and some organizations have just tried to wait it out, hoping that once COVID passed, they could go back to normal.

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Technologies

Should You Buy A PSVR In 2020?

Article | February 14, 2022

At 5+ million units sold, Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) is thought to be the most successful VR headset on the market. The kit’s had a great run since launch in 2016, but should you buy a PSVR in 2020? Just under two years ago, we stated that you should “definitely” buy a PSVR in holiday promotions. The price, paired with a growing library of games, made it an easy recommendation. But this industry moves quickly and there are a lot of new factors that complicate the question of if PSVR remains a worthy purchase.

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Media and Broadcasting

The Big Fashion Industry Trends for 2021

Article | June 8, 2021

Last year the luxury fashion sector saw a lot of online chatter around men’s fashion, and some of the biggest conversation triggers were the same social movement – breaking gender stereotypes and fighting against toxic masculinity. Many brands and celebrities joined this cause last year and spread their influence through fashion and pop culture.

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Spotlight

Zero Latency VR

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Zero Latency is the pioneer and global leader in free-roam, warehouse-scale, multiplayer, virtual reality gaming.Free-roam Virtual Reality (FRVR) is the future of out-of-home entertainment, bringing unique social experiences and attracting a new, affluent audience.Zero Latency invented FRVR entertainment in 2014 and remains the category leader, providing the most experienced team, exclusive experiences, tested business model and largest network of venues.

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Business

Entravision adds Entravision Plus for Local Hispanic Reach Optimization

Entravision | February 21, 2023

Entravision, an advertising, media, and technology solutions provider, has recently launched its new solution Entravision Plus, enhancing the local Hispanic reach of companies through connected TV, CTV, and over-the-top OTT, streaming. It leverages performance-based data insights from Spanish-language publishers to optimize digital advertising outcomes. It has added Entravision Plus to its full suite of digital solutions for OTT, CTV, digital audio ads, display ads, SEM, digital out-of-home, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Ads, Branded Content and Email Marketing, along with its television and radio services. It was found that about 90% of Hispanic consumers stream video on smart devices. This data is approximately 10% more than the video streaming behavior of non-Hispanic consumers. Additionally, on average, the Hispanic consumer spends about 26 hours per month on online video-watch. This states that they spend approximately seven hours more watching videos online than U.S. consumers on average. These statistics show that the rising Latino local household consumers can be targeted and reached through television advertising and Entravision Plus online video products. General Manager of Entravision US Digital, Jessica Martinez, said, “Advertisers need to reach their consumers. We can now offer our clients the ability to reach consumers not only through our television and radio assets, but also through an array of digital products.” She added, “Entravision Plus – our newest offering – provides advertisers with unique targeting, competitive ad separation and insightful analytics to reach all segments of the Latino consumers. We are excited to provide this premium solution, along with television and radio, to meet the needs of an evolving market. By leveraging Entravision Plus, we anticipate that our customers’ businesses will stand out and grow faster than ever before.” (Source – Business Wire) About Entravision Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Entravision, an advertising company, provides solutions for digital marketing, social commerce, CTV, application performance, audio programmatic services, Latam, VAS, user acquisition, growth, marketing automation, local marketing, content marketing, data services, mobile advertising and marketing, and media networking. It has been connecting advertising brands with consumers through media, ad tech, commerce and advertising solutions on different platforms and publishers. It partners with companies like TelevisaUnivision, LinkedIn, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Grab for sales operations and financial and commercial services.

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Facebook Acquires Cloud Video Gaming Company PlayGiga

thurrott | December 19, 2019

Facebook seems to be working on a new vision for its gaming products. The company may not be a huge player in the gaming industry, but it has invested a ton into its gaming products for years. And now, Facebook has acquired Spanish cloud video gaming company PlayGiga to further expand its gaming efforts. The company confirmed the acquisition to CNBC, though it declined to reveal any details about the acquisition. Facebook was rumored to have acquired PlayGiga last week by Spanish business newspaper Cinco Dias. The acquisition reportedly cost Facebook approximately 70 million euros. PlayGiga previously ran a cloud gaming service in Europe after being founded in 2013, though the company’s service failed to gain any traction. “We are excited to announce that the PlayGiga team is moving on to something new. We are continuing our work in cloud gaming, now with a new mission. We want to thank all of our partners and customers for their support over the years,” PlayGiga said on its website.

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Vitec acquires OTT tech vendor T-21 Technologies

fiercevideo | January 28, 2019

Video encoding and streaming solutions company Vitec is sharpening its focus on OTT products for broadcasters by acquiring OTT tech vendor T-21 Technologies.The companies did not disclose financial terms for the transaction.Kevin Ancelin, founder and CEO of T-21 Technologies, will join Vitec as vice president of worldwide broadcast sales.“The acquisition of T-21 brings Kevin’s 32-year industry experience and knowledge to Vitec as we expand our product and strategy focus on the broadcast market,” said Mark D’Addio, senior vice president at Vitec, in a statement. “His expertise in product and market development will expedite our new product roadmap and sales efforts for leading broadcasters worldwide.”“I look forward to this new chapter and challenge in my career. Vitec’s technology and dedication to the IP video market is unmatched,” said Ancelin in a statement. “With Vitec’s GEN2+ innovation, the MGW Ace portable hardware encoder delivers no visible latency for the most sensitive video quality and low latency applications. As we develop our next generation of products and marketing, with a focus on broadcast applications, GEN2+ will further transform the contribution market.”

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Business

Entravision adds Entravision Plus for Local Hispanic Reach Optimization

Entravision | February 21, 2023

Entravision, an advertising, media, and technology solutions provider, has recently launched its new solution Entravision Plus, enhancing the local Hispanic reach of companies through connected TV, CTV, and over-the-top OTT, streaming. It leverages performance-based data insights from Spanish-language publishers to optimize digital advertising outcomes. It has added Entravision Plus to its full suite of digital solutions for OTT, CTV, digital audio ads, display ads, SEM, digital out-of-home, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Ads, Branded Content and Email Marketing, along with its television and radio services. It was found that about 90% of Hispanic consumers stream video on smart devices. This data is approximately 10% more than the video streaming behavior of non-Hispanic consumers. Additionally, on average, the Hispanic consumer spends about 26 hours per month on online video-watch. This states that they spend approximately seven hours more watching videos online than U.S. consumers on average. These statistics show that the rising Latino local household consumers can be targeted and reached through television advertising and Entravision Plus online video products. General Manager of Entravision US Digital, Jessica Martinez, said, “Advertisers need to reach their consumers. We can now offer our clients the ability to reach consumers not only through our television and radio assets, but also through an array of digital products.” She added, “Entravision Plus – our newest offering – provides advertisers with unique targeting, competitive ad separation and insightful analytics to reach all segments of the Latino consumers. We are excited to provide this premium solution, along with television and radio, to meet the needs of an evolving market. By leveraging Entravision Plus, we anticipate that our customers’ businesses will stand out and grow faster than ever before.” (Source – Business Wire) About Entravision Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Entravision, an advertising company, provides solutions for digital marketing, social commerce, CTV, application performance, audio programmatic services, Latam, VAS, user acquisition, growth, marketing automation, local marketing, content marketing, data services, mobile advertising and marketing, and media networking. It has been connecting advertising brands with consumers through media, ad tech, commerce and advertising solutions on different platforms and publishers. It partners with companies like TelevisaUnivision, LinkedIn, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Grab for sales operations and financial and commercial services.

Read More

Facebook Acquires Cloud Video Gaming Company PlayGiga

thurrott | December 19, 2019

Facebook seems to be working on a new vision for its gaming products. The company may not be a huge player in the gaming industry, but it has invested a ton into its gaming products for years. And now, Facebook has acquired Spanish cloud video gaming company PlayGiga to further expand its gaming efforts. The company confirmed the acquisition to CNBC, though it declined to reveal any details about the acquisition. Facebook was rumored to have acquired PlayGiga last week by Spanish business newspaper Cinco Dias. The acquisition reportedly cost Facebook approximately 70 million euros. PlayGiga previously ran a cloud gaming service in Europe after being founded in 2013, though the company’s service failed to gain any traction. “We are excited to announce that the PlayGiga team is moving on to something new. We are continuing our work in cloud gaming, now with a new mission. We want to thank all of our partners and customers for their support over the years,” PlayGiga said on its website.

Read More

Vitec acquires OTT tech vendor T-21 Technologies

fiercevideo | January 28, 2019

Video encoding and streaming solutions company Vitec is sharpening its focus on OTT products for broadcasters by acquiring OTT tech vendor T-21 Technologies.The companies did not disclose financial terms for the transaction.Kevin Ancelin, founder and CEO of T-21 Technologies, will join Vitec as vice president of worldwide broadcast sales.“The acquisition of T-21 brings Kevin’s 32-year industry experience and knowledge to Vitec as we expand our product and strategy focus on the broadcast market,” said Mark D’Addio, senior vice president at Vitec, in a statement. “His expertise in product and market development will expedite our new product roadmap and sales efforts for leading broadcasters worldwide.”“I look forward to this new chapter and challenge in my career. Vitec’s technology and dedication to the IP video market is unmatched,” said Ancelin in a statement. “With Vitec’s GEN2+ innovation, the MGW Ace portable hardware encoder delivers no visible latency for the most sensitive video quality and low latency applications. As we develop our next generation of products and marketing, with a focus on broadcast applications, GEN2+ will further transform the contribution market.”

Read More

Events