This newish technology, which supplies a continuous stream of data, rocks! for all reasons. From the consumer's perspective, it implies saving time since one does not have to download a document first, and then consume it. Also, members of the general public do not have to handle vast quantities of data and space on the computer's drive or external disks anymore, since there is no data to download and save as such. From this content producers'perspective, streaming also offers great opportunities: with internet videos and webcasts of live events, there is no file to download, therefore it is hard for some users to save lots of content and distribute it illegally.
Streaming is a relatively recent development, because broadband connection had to perform fast enough showing the info in real time. When there is an interruption because of congestion on the net, for instance, the audio or video will drop out or the screen will go blank. To minimise the problem, computers store a "buffer" of data that had been received. When there is a drop-out, the buffer goes down for a while however the video is not interrupted. Streaming is becoming very common thanks to the popularity of internet stereo and various audio and video on-demand services, including Spotify, Soundcloud, Last.fm, YouTube and the BBC's iPlayer. While streaming initially made its mark in the music sector, with music streaming revenues generating $3.3 billion at the end of 20141, streaming is currently making phenomenal headway in the video distribution and consumption space.
The video streaming market today: beyond distribution and into content creation
Video streaming: the technical bit
Video streaming technology has come a considerable ways: probably the most influential group, of course, will be the streaming technology providers themselves, who choose which technologies and services to integrate within their platforms. These include Apple, which supplies QuickTime in addition to the HTML5-based technology to attain iOS devices; Adobe with Flash; and Microsoft with Windows Media and Silverlight. In early days of streaming, the most relevant playback platforms were Windows and Macintosh computers.
While Apple and Microsoft still hold tremendous leverage, computer platforms are generally more open than mobile devices, whilst the latter comprise the fastest growing segment of streaming media viewers. Because Apple owns both a extremely popular platform (iDevices) and os (iOS), it retains absolute power to manage standards adopted by Apple devices. Other mobile influencers are generally split between hardware vendors - like LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia and HTC - and mobile operating-system providers like Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows Phone).
Streaming media delivery providers such as online video platforms ("OVPs") (which are productized-services that enable users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the web, often using a structured, scalable solution that can be monetized) and such as for instance user-generated-content sites ("UGC sites"), also influence streaming technology adoption. As an example, though Microsoft introduced Silverlight in 2007, it wasn't supported by any OVP until 2010, stunting its adoption. On the other hand, OVPs like Brightcove and Kaltura, and UGC sites such as YouTube and Vimeo were among the first to ever support the iPad and HTML5, accelerating their adoption.
While there are dozens of providers in both markets, the important thing OVPs include Brightcove, Kaltura, Ooyala, Sorenson Media, Powerstream and ClickstreamTV, while probably the most notable UGC sites are YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Viddler and Metacafe. On the video live-streaming front as well, technology has made significant strides. Specialised OVPs such as Ustream and Livestream offer instant broadcasting of user-generated live videos with a live chat window running alongside the video player, giving users an opportunity to not only watch events because they unfold but comment to them, too2.
YouTube made a video live streaming service available to its users too. And now, the icing on the cake: video streaming distributors and providers. The description of the whole ecosystem of video streaming would, indeed, not be complete without mentioning the providers of on-demand internet streaming media also referred to as streaming video on-demand services ("SVoD services"). From 2011, the press began blogging about typically the most popular streaming media services that would bring high-quality commercial content streamed to the TV sets, smartphones and computers of the masses3.streaming drama korea
Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand (now rebranded Amazon Instant Video and Amazon Prime), Hulu Plus and Vudu arrived on top ("SVoD providers").
Replicating the successful business type of music streaming in the video streaming sphere: it's all about scale, baby
SVoD providers own it so good: not only can they take advantage of the great strides produced by streaming media technology considering that the mid-noughties, but they could also educate themselves faster as a result of, and steer clear of the pitfalls which threatened, their predecessors, i.e. streaming music on demand providers such as for example Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, Rdio, Grooveshark and Beats (the "SMoD providers").
While SMoD providers typically charge USD4.99 per month for an access plan for their services, and around USDD9.99 each month for reasonably limited plan, SVoD providers start their monthly subscription plans at USD7.99 with a maximum price of USD11.99 each month for SVoD services on as much as 4 screens per household. Fearless Netflix even got plenty of flak, in April 2014, for hiking up its new subscriber fees globally by USD1 to USD2 a month4. If we quickly do the maths, we could forecast that there is additional money to be made in SVoD services, than in SMoD services, provided these services are scaled up.
Streaming is a relatively recent development, because broadband connection had to perform fast enough showing the info in real time. When there is an interruption because of congestion on the net, for instance, the audio or video will drop out or the screen will go blank. To minimise the problem, computers store a "buffer" of data that had been received. When there is a drop-out, the buffer goes down for a while however the video is not interrupted. Streaming is becoming very common thanks to the popularity of internet stereo and various audio and video on-demand services, including Spotify, Soundcloud, Last.fm, YouTube and the BBC's iPlayer. While streaming initially made its mark in the music sector, with music streaming revenues generating $3.3 billion at the end of 20141, streaming is currently making phenomenal headway in the video distribution and consumption space.
The video streaming market today: beyond distribution and into content creation
Video streaming: the technical bit
Video streaming technology has come a considerable ways: probably the most influential group, of course, will be the streaming technology providers themselves, who choose which technologies and services to integrate within their platforms. These include Apple, which supplies QuickTime in addition to the HTML5-based technology to attain iOS devices; Adobe with Flash; and Microsoft with Windows Media and Silverlight. In early days of streaming, the most relevant playback platforms were Windows and Macintosh computers.
While Apple and Microsoft still hold tremendous leverage, computer platforms are generally more open than mobile devices, whilst the latter comprise the fastest growing segment of streaming media viewers. Because Apple owns both a extremely popular platform (iDevices) and os (iOS), it retains absolute power to manage standards adopted by Apple devices. Other mobile influencers are generally split between hardware vendors - like LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia and HTC - and mobile operating-system providers like Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows Phone).
Streaming media delivery providers such as online video platforms ("OVPs") (which are productized-services that enable users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the web, often using a structured, scalable solution that can be monetized) and such as for instance user-generated-content sites ("UGC sites"), also influence streaming technology adoption. As an example, though Microsoft introduced Silverlight in 2007, it wasn't supported by any OVP until 2010, stunting its adoption. On the other hand, OVPs like Brightcove and Kaltura, and UGC sites such as YouTube and Vimeo were among the first to ever support the iPad and HTML5, accelerating their adoption.
While there are dozens of providers in both markets, the important thing OVPs include Brightcove, Kaltura, Ooyala, Sorenson Media, Powerstream and ClickstreamTV, while probably the most notable UGC sites are YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Viddler and Metacafe. On the video live-streaming front as well, technology has made significant strides. Specialised OVPs such as Ustream and Livestream offer instant broadcasting of user-generated live videos with a live chat window running alongside the video player, giving users an opportunity to not only watch events because they unfold but comment to them, too2.
YouTube made a video live streaming service available to its users too. And now, the icing on the cake: video streaming distributors and providers. The description of the whole ecosystem of video streaming would, indeed, not be complete without mentioning the providers of on-demand internet streaming media also referred to as streaming video on-demand services ("SVoD services"). From 2011, the press began blogging about typically the most popular streaming media services that would bring high-quality commercial content streamed to the TV sets, smartphones and computers of the masses3.streaming drama korea
Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand (now rebranded Amazon Instant Video and Amazon Prime), Hulu Plus and Vudu arrived on top ("SVoD providers").
Replicating the successful business type of music streaming in the video streaming sphere: it's all about scale, baby
SVoD providers own it so good: not only can they take advantage of the great strides produced by streaming media technology considering that the mid-noughties, but they could also educate themselves faster as a result of, and steer clear of the pitfalls which threatened, their predecessors, i.e. streaming music on demand providers such as for example Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, Rdio, Grooveshark and Beats (the "SMoD providers").
While SMoD providers typically charge USD4.99 per month for an access plan for their services, and around USDD9.99 each month for reasonably limited plan, SVoD providers start their monthly subscription plans at USD7.99 with a maximum price of USD11.99 each month for SVoD services on as much as 4 screens per household. Fearless Netflix even got plenty of flak, in April 2014, for hiking up its new subscriber fees globally by USD1 to USD2 a month4. If we quickly do the maths, we could forecast that there is additional money to be made in SVoD services, than in SMoD services, provided these services are scaled up.
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