approach,” says Gilboa. “They are leaving on-premises hardware vendors for a solution in the cloud.” At the beginning of last year, before the pandemic, Kaltura acquired a web RTC (real-time communications) company, to add interactivity and real-time meetings (per Zoom, Teams, etc) to its VOD and live-streaming capabilities. Video content is not just about click-and-watch any more. Producers have a variety of tools they can configure to create different content experiences. Video is becoming our lingua franca – the way we get and exchange information – and having some sort of interactive element in video content will be essential for verticals going forward, particularly live content or events. “The possibility for virtual events, an area you might have thought of as quite small a year ago, has suddenly become huge and will probably stay like that," says Gilboa. The sheer amount of content available out there is frightening to anyone thinking of starting a new channel. Most people spend their time on just a handful of platforms, so exposing niche content – that could develop a devoted following in front of the right people – can seem a challenge. But as content proliferates, new ways for customers to find what they want, and for content owners to reach audiences, are starting to appear. “Everyone has been talking about streaming wars. But now we’re getting into the post-streaming wars,” explains Gilboa. “There has been no winner-takes-all scenario among the main streaming platforms. What we’re going to see instead is the emergence SUPER-AGGREGATORS & UNIVERSAL SYNDICATORS
IF YOU’RE A VERY SMALL BROADCASTER, THE ONLY WAY TO GET RICH IS THROUGH UNIVERSAL SYNDICATION
of two types of players: the super-aggregators and the universal syndicators.” The super-aggregators are big content distributors, like telcos, that rely on the customer looking for convenience. Customers can be overwhelmed by the variety on the market and don’t feel like subscribing and juggling five different OTT apps. The typical bundle of broadband, local TV and SVOD into a single experience is very attractive. “Some telcos we’ve worked with are increasing their VOD library by ten times, starting by adding Amazon, Netflix, HBO and other sources. They inject them directly into the consumer experience.” The universal syndicator model describes companies that act like a Netflix, that want to have direct-to-consumer subscriptions, but also want to be part of those super-aggregator bundles. The example Gilboa gives is Viacom 18, a joint venture between TV18 and Kaltura customer ViacomCBS operating out of Mumbai. As an Indian entertainment network, Viacom 18 is also made available to other telco “super-aggregators” around the world, reaching Indian diaspora communities particularly. “If a UK cable operator wants niche Indian- language content, they could easily tap into someone like Viacom 18 and stream the content directly from them. This gives Viacom 18 more revenue and more reach. And the UK operator
feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook