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Media/Entertainment Video

Today's viewers expect to be able to watch movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere, and on any device, including set-top boxes, game consoles, phones, and tablets. Here you'll find Streaming Media's coverage of OTT, social video, and other media and entertainment video, as well as the business models (AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, HVOD) behind them.

Features

SiriusXM EVP and CPO Joe Inzerillo Talks Satellite and Streaming Delivery and Personalization

SiriusXM EVP and chief product and technology officer Joe Inzerillo is probably the first streaming pro I've interviewed who also has building satellites in his job description. Inzerillo spent 16 years as a streaming CTO with MLB Advanced Media, BAMTECH Media, and Disney Streaming before crossing over to satellite radio with SiriusXM in 2022. If you're not a SiriusXM listener, you might know the company through its other audio service, Pandora. Either way, its media business gets 80% of its revenue from subscriptions on top of an extremely low churn rate, and we're here to talk tech.

Removing the Friction of Content Discovery On CTV

Today's streaming providers deliver endless amounts of content, which can overwhelm viewers who are simply looking for something to watch. This article will explore how a range of content, media, and tech companies are addressing the challenges of content discovery and the strategies and emerging tech they're deploying in the ongoing efforts to reduce and eliminate the pain points that continue to plague the content discovery experience for CTV and OTT consumers.

The 2024 Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards

The readers have spoken! We've counted all of the votes in the 2024 Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards, and—drumroll, please—it is now my pleasure and sworn duty to present winners and runners-up in each of our 17 categories.

Q&A: Simon Crownshaw, Microsoft’s Worldwide Media and Entertainment Strategy Director, Talks Gen AI

In this expansive interview with Simon Crownshaw, Microsoft's worldwide media and entertainment strategy director, we discuss how Microsoft customers are leveraging generative AI in all stages of the streaming workflow and how they're using it in content delivery and to enhance user experiences in a range of use cases. Crownshaw also digs deep into how Microsoft is building asset management architecture and the critical role metadata plays in effective large-language models (LLMs), maximizing the value of available data.

Spotlights

View From the Top: Bitcentral

Bitcentral, a trailblazer in media software solutions, presents ViewNexa®, a game-changing streaming platform designed to meet the evolving demands of the digital video era. Bitcentral's commitment to innovation is exemplified in ViewNexa, a solution that redefines how broadcasters, content creators, and publishers connect with their audiences.

View From the Top: Zixi | Navigating the Challenging Financial Landscape: The Strategic Importance of Total Cost of Ownership in Broadcasting and Streaming

The broadcast and streaming industry is currently navigating a challenging financial landscape, marked by economic uncertainties, intensified competition and shifting consumer behaviors. In this environment, understanding and optimizing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) has become more critical than ever. TCO is not just a financial metric; it's a strategic tool that helps organizations manage resources efficiently, maintain competitiveness and contribute to sustainability in a rapidly evolving market.

Eluvio CEO Michelle Munson Talks Latest Content Fabric Release with New AI and Security Features

In a post-IBC interview, Eluvio Co-Founder and CEO Michelle Munson and I discuss the Content Fabric's next-gen Casablanca release and the transformative impact of the Content Fabric technology on the media and entertainment industry and premium video on demand.

Boosting Streaming Profitability with IMAX StreamSmart

Streaming organizations must be able to accurately measure and swiftly assess the impact of workflow changes to validate their effectiveness. Therefore, they must have access to the right metrics that can reliably predict viewer perceptions of quality for achieving bitrate savings without compromising the viewing experience.

Columns

Why Ad Tech Is Becoming Smarter Than Ad Buying

SGAI is an ad-insertion technique that combines the advantages of CSAI and SSAI. This approach allows for more targeted ads and better technical delivery. It's part of an industrywide effort to standardize the ad-insertion process in which the server and client video player share the responsibility of ad insertion.

Dynamic Paywalls for Streaming Services

What would happen if we started to have dynamic paywalls for streaming ser­vices? Leveraging user data, machine learning, and generative AI could create offers based on con­sumption patterns. Some companies are dab­bling in this, but now we have the technology to really start developing it.

IBC 2024: Better Content Curation Through Conversation with Imaginario AI

One AI-driven solution that stood out at IBC 2024 as particularly smart and creative comes from a London-based company called Imaginario AI. I met with CEO and Co-Founder Jose M. Puga and got an up-close look at a content indexing and curation tool that uses multimodal AI models to "make video content searchable like text." Imaginario AI made a big enough splash at IBC this year to take home 1st prize in the "Manage" category of the IABM's BaM awards.

Cue the Sunset: The Rise and Fall of Reality TV

Though Emily Nussbaum's Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV reads more like a biography than like an obituary, the book lands as reality TV appears to be shrinking along with the scripted side of the business. More than one pundit has proclaimed its demise at the hands of TikTok, the "now everyone grows up on video" platform that reality TV prefigured.

Media/Entertainment Video Companies and Suppliers