18 IBC OTT SHOWCASE Simplestream
BUILDING OTT SERVICES EASIER FOR SMALLER PROVIDERS At this year’s IBC Show in Amsterdam, Simplestream will exhibit VOD tools aimed at helping niche OTT players compete on a global level
VOD IN A BOX Simplestream which develops Software as a Service infrastructure for live streaming, catch-up and live-to-VOD, is using IBC2018 to launch new modules in its cloud-based streaming products. This includes new third-party integrations such as data analytics from Nice People At Work that track user behaviour, helping Simplestream’s customers optimise their overall data strategy and user service, according to chief commercial officer Dan Finch. “At IBC we will also showcase our cloud-based streaming solutions that dramatically reduce the costs, complexities and turnaround time in delivering OTT video services to market on time and on budget,” he adds. This includes VOD-in-a-Box – described as a multiscreen, end-to-end white- label streaming solution that enables broadcasters and content owners to deploy VOD and live-streaming content to market in as little as four weeks in a single territory or internationally. The solution includes support for all OTT platforms and a range of monetisation options, allowing any combination of subscriptions (SVOD), advertising (AVOD), pay-per-view and other transactional models (TVOD).
he continuing growth of the OTT video industry has brought more content and platform options to the consumer, and in turn
NICHE SERVICES One customer is BAFTA and Emmy award- winning Little Dot Studios. Finch explains, “Little Dot partnered with us to build an international VOD service out of its Real Stories YouTube channel, which includes over 300 licensed and original documentary titles with over a million subscribers. It launched in January this year as an AVOD and SVOD service and is available on iOS mobile and tablet, Android mobile and tablet, and desktop worldwide.” VOD-in-a-Box also caught the attention of HistoryHit – a podcast produced by British TV personality Dan Snow that amassed more than 300 episodes and one million downloads per month. HistoryHit chose Simplestream to build Snow’s SVOD service HistoryHit.TV, that provides history buffs with original programmes as well as an extensive content library featuring images, maps, timelines and detailed explanations of key moments in world history. Launched last December, the service now has thousands of subscribers. “When it comes to OTT, we know what content owners and providers need – and sometimes, even more importantly, what they don’t need – and look forward to demonstrating this at IBC2018,” adds Finch.
has opened up new revenue streams for broadcasters, content owners and operators alike. While generalist giants such as Netflix still heavily dominate – with recent forecasts indicating the service could have 201 million streaming subscribers by 2023, an increase of 82% from 111 million at the end of 2017 – building, launching and managing OTT services is now essential for the survival of niche providers that traditionally don’t have the resources to do this. Fortunately for these smaller players, the flexibility and cost advantages of cloud-based OTT streaming technology removes the need for costly infrastructure upgrades. The simplicity in adopting a cloud-based system when creating these services means that the turnaround time in delivering a platform to market can be just a few weeks. As a result, smaller providers can test the market and tailor a service to be as simple or as broad as they like, without hindering current infrastructure, workflows or, importantly, revenue streams.
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