Akamai Goes Deep with Sola Analytics Viewer Diagnostics
New addition to Sola Analytics media measurement and analysis product provides viewer-level service data for subscriber troubleshooting and QoS
LAS VEGAS (10 Apr 2013)
Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading cloud platform for helping enterprises provide secure, high-performing user experiences on any device, anywhere, today announced the availability of Viewer Diagnostics as part of its Sola Analytics media measurement and analysis product. The new component extends the focus, depth and detail of Sola Analytics capabilities from the audience aggregate level down to the individual viewer level, providing media companies with critical information for effective online support of each viewer.
Gaiam TV has transitioned to Sola Analytics in order to take advantage of Viewer Diagnostics. The online video provider has enlisted Viewer Diagnostics to support its streaming video service, which offers exclusive access to more than 5,000 films, documentaries and original programs dedicated to conscious media, personal growth, spirituality and fitness. Additionally, Gaiam TV is using Akamai’s Sola Sphere content storage and delivery solutions in conjunction with Brightcove’s Video Cloud online video platform to offer a comprehensive multi-screen video service that provides access to secure, high-quality video content across multiple connected devices and platforms.
“Akamai’s Viewer Diagnostics is a vital part of Gaiam TV’s service, giving us the ability to offer quick and accurate customer support with immediate access to important details of a subscriber’s viewing experience,” said Jason Riley, Director, Web Development, Gaiam TV. “Sola Analytics integrated seamlessly into both our Brightcove Video Cloud and Silverlight Smooth Streaming platforms, allowing us to easily get up and running with a full streaming video offering that combines high-quality video with top-tier customer service.”
Real-time access to viewing experience information for each subscriber provides deep insights, going back multiple billing cycles, into activity summaries and records for behavioral and quality metrics such as errors, rebuffering, video quality and numerous others, which customer care representatives can use to quickly assess and troubleshoot issues and make informed decisions. An intuitive user interface uses color shading to highlight dates during which customers may have experienced service issues. This functionality allows Akamai customers to easily identify which titles exhibited lower performance characteristics and drill down into detailed viewing session data without revealing any personally identifiable information.
“Brightcove customers increasingly seek more in-depth reporting on quality of service for video delivery performance,” said Jeff Whatcott, chief marketing officer at Brightcove. “Akamai's Viewer Diagnostics and Sola Analytics are an easy plugin that extends the Video Cloud platform to provide customers with critical insights into viewer experiences. Today's announcement is another great example of two market-leaders joining forces to help customers discover audience behaviors and make important business decisions.”
“Viewer Diagnostics is an important step in the evolution of the business of online video, giving media companies immediate, granular insights into a viewer’s experience that is designed to allow them to deliver and tailor the type of comprehensive services to which consumers have become accustomed with other subscription offerings,” said Corey Halverson, Director of Product Management, Media, for Akamai. “Not only does it provide valuable information around playback, Viewer Diagnostics automatically presents each video play in the context of all other similar viewers, creating a comparative picture of the viewer's experience that can aid in the quick identification of the breadth of any quality issues that may be present.”
Viewer Diagnostics is available now as an add-on module to Sola Analytics, Akamai’s cloud-based video measurement and reporting product. The combination of Viewer Diagnostics, Audience Analytics behavior and quality analysis and QoS real-time operations monitoring form a powerful analysis and reporting solution that addresses critical online video service and operations requirements. Sola Analytics is part of Akamai’s Sola Media Solutions platform of cloud-based content preparation, storage and delivery tools.
Akamai is demonstrating Viewer Diagnostics along with its platform portfolio of cloud-based solutions designed to help media companies deliver, monetize and measure the highest possible quality experience across Internet connected devices while also protecting their brand and content at the 2013 NAB Show, April 8-11 in Las Vegas in booth SL2724.
About Akamai
Akamai is the leading cloud platform for helping enterprises provide secure, high-performing user experiences on any device, anywhere. At the core of the Company's solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform™ providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud. To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.