Video compression and delivery specialist Ateme has introduced a Virtual Lounge solution that enables people to interact with each other virtually while watching live television events, with sports as the obvious use-case. In fact, the company is looking to recreate the sports bar experience because the new shared viewing space can contain multiple low-latency OTT streams showing the same event from different camera angles, or can even show multiple events.
Despite being distant from each other, the viewers can socially interact and so discuss what they are watching. Viewers are effectively projected into a common viewing space, prompting Ateme to say the solution “converges traditional television and gaming, enabling users to enjoy ground-breaking experiences.”
Ateme believes this solution will benefit D2C streaming providers and sports leagues and give them a chance to position themselves as sports UX innovators. There are also new ad placement – and therefore monetisation – opportunities associated with this environment.
“Video consumption is evolving, with gaming and social interactions increasingly taking place in both virtual and physical spaces,” says Mickaël Raulet, CTO of Ateme. “Moreover, with intense competition in the OTT streaming market, the industry must adapt to stay ahead.
“Our Virtual Lounge solution provides our customers with a competitive advantage: it incorporates all the features of a virtual environment – gaming, social media, and more – that are sure to appeal to younger audiences. We also enable more efficient streaming through headend optimisation and robust player application interaction.”