NBCUniversal SVP Monica Williams Talks Streaming the Olympics, Cross-Platform CX, and the Power of Metadata

In this wide-ranging interview with Monica Williams, NBCUniversal's SVP of digital products and operations for the company's content distribution business, we discuss how the proliferation of digital platforms across the OTT, CTV, and online ecosystems has brought new content distribution challenges, the boon of metadata for improving customer experiences, and the 17-day everything-must-go-perfectly marathon of distributing the Olympics.

AI and Streaming Media

This article explores the current state of AI in the streaming encoding, delivery, playback, and monetization ecosystems. By understanding the developments and considering key questions when evaluating AI-powered solutions, streaming professionals can make informed decisions about incorporating AI into their video processing pipelines and prepare for the future of AI-driven video technologies.

Games On! Programmatic Ads Compete for Eyeballs at the Olympics

FreeWheel is ready to support a streaming marathon for this summer's Paris Olympics, enabling programmatic buying for the first time for targeted ad-serving. Here's what this means for FreeWheel, NBCUniversal, advertisers, and premium sports streaming.

All the News That’s Fit for FAST

News broadcasting is one of the most exciting and quickly growing areas for FAST development, highlighted by the recent announcement of the BBC/AMC 24-hour live FAST news channel. Other legacy media news broadcasters, such as Scripps, Sinclair, Hearst, and USA Today, have also entered the FAST news space, many of them with a focus on local content. What are some of the current trends and challenges for FAST news delivery? In this article, several leading industry commentators provide insight.

The State of Streaming Sustainability 2024

How do others see us, and how do we measure our progress? New data on streaming power consumption will al­low the industry to target further reductions in power consumption while working toward longer-term solu­tions that reuse old technologies alongside current best practices as a way to extend the life of streaming tech for years to come.

The State of Media & Entertainment 2024

Jake Ward, Business Development Director at Groovy Gecko, breaks down the current state of the media & entertainment industry in 2024, including Netflix's 'What We Watched' report, Amazon's ascendancy, Apple TV+'s value as a value-add, the BBC iPlayer's dominance, and more.

The State of Live Sports Streaming 2024

Live content is led by sports, and fan appetite—much like bidding for rights—shows no sign of slowing down as the calendar turns to 2024.

Review: Magewell Director Mini

Magewell's new Director Mini is a mini marvel. This 5.5" "all-in-one" production tool with a $1,299 street price can mix multiple inputs and do picture-in-picture graphics, audio mixing, recording, streaming, and more, as IEBA's Anthony Burokas explains in this in-depth review.

Instant Replay: Streaming Media Connect November 2023

Streaming Media presented its 12th Connect virtual conference November 13 - 16, with media industry cartographer Evan Shapiro as host and MC. Shapiro kicked off the event with a dynamic keynote, digging deep into the Q3 earnings call data to hold the spin doctors accountable and giving an unvarnished view of the industry. Other highlights included The Future of Streaming with Shobana Radhakrishnan, Senior Director of Engineering at Google TV, and several panels covering topics such as Cloud Workflows for Streaming and CTV, Optimizing Live Streams at Scale, How Codec Patent Pools Will Impact Streaming in 2024, Making Live Streaming and VOD More Accessible, Live Streaming Technology Trends, and more.

UX Evolution in Live Sports Streams

On a panel at the recent NAB NY show, Rick Allen from ViewLift, Scott Morris from Agilis Quantum, and Lawrence Chan of LiveLike discussed the state of UI and UX for live sports and engagement, with a focus on the importance of low latency and reliability in streaming services, the need for high-quality streams, dynamic content, and personalised experiences for fans.

Netflix and the Challenges of Live Streaming

Brad Altfest of Agora discusses Netflix's move into live sports streaming and the challenges they and other established platforms face in managing large-scale live-streaming events.

Esports and the Rise of Interactive Metaworld Events

Are metaverse events that deliver consistent interactive and even immersive experiences that move with their audiences the future of event streaming? Media.Monks' Alan Bucaria, EdgeNext's Joshua Johnson, and Chris Pfaff of Chris Pfaff Tech Media discuss in this clip from their panel at Streaming Media East 2023.

OTT, the Rising Star for Cable Television Companies and Local Sports Leagues

Alexey Zaberezhniy, Video Solutions System Analyst at Oxagile, discusses why OTT is the future for cable TV providers and local sports communities.

Scale Matters: How to Deliver Five-Nines Streams to Global Live Audiences

Any streaming workflow is only as strong as its weakest (or least-tested) link. The more massive the stream, unfortunately, the larg­er the opportunity and the smaller the margin for error. So, what do the experts say about the architectural demands and challenges of main­taining five-nines uptime and broadcast quality when the stakes are too high to let either suf­fer? And what solutions do they recommend?

The State of Live Streaming 2023

2022 was the year in which sports, the appointment-to-view genre with massive audiences and revenues, moved to the centre of major streaming provider strategies.

Streamticker: The Biggest Streaming Media Mergers & Acquisitions of 2022

A look at the streaming industry's most notable mergers and acquisitions of 2022, from WarnerBros-Discovery to Microsoft/Activision to Limelight/Edgecast to Dolby/Millicast to Telestream/Encoding.com and more

The 2023 Streaming Media Europe 51

Our annual list of the most cutting-edge, influential, and dynamic technology companies in the European online video market.

Q&A: Jarred Wilichinsky, Paramount’s SVP of Ad Operations

Wilichinsky offers a look inside Paramount's ad-tech stacks and strategy.

Video Editing in the Cloud

There are many cloud-based editing solutions available, nearly too many to count. Who should consider using them and why? How can you tell them apart? That's what we'll cover in this article.

Review: The Roland V-160HD Hybrid Event Video Switcher

While detailing every feature of this switcher is beyond the scope of the article, we'll present the top 10 features we fully appreciate on the Roland V-160HD, peppered with some constructive criticism for good measure.