Maximizing distribution and quality of experience can be tough for service providers. Brightcove’s Ian Blaine thinks so, too, and has new tools to help with both.
You can watch the full interview below.
Or you can listen to the podcast version below, with an introduction introducing some of the companies and concepts mentioned.
Introduction (0:30)
This interview with Ian Blaine, VP of Insights and Analytics at Brightcove, was recorded on the Brightcove booth on April 18, 2023, at the NAB show. The Brightcove online video platform has been helping video content owners, and service providers reach their audiences direct-to-consumer for almost two decades. And chances are you are using a video service that is powered by Brightcove.
Mr. Blaine talks about some companies I think are worth introducing before we get into the discussion.
FAST distribution
In the first section about FAST channels, Mr. Blaine mentions Brightcove is partnering with Frequency to help its partners launch FAST channels. Frequency is a Los Angeles-based software company that builds and operates a cloud-based video SaaS platform to create, distribute, and monetize linear channels. The company says it delivers channels to over 350 million connected TVs globally via its Free Ad Supported TV (FAST) and MVPD platforms. Other companies that compete with Frequency in this market are Amagi and Wurl. In my many discussions about FASTs at NAB, these three companies were often characterized as the top three providers in the space.
FAST monetization
Mr. Blaine also talks a little about the monetization of the channels through advertising. Brightcove has an ad solution for its customers called Brightcove Ad Monetization, which it is extending to support FAST channels. It partners with Magnite as part of that solution. Magnite is an independent sell-side advertising company. That means it helps service providers with ad inventory connect with advertisers that want to buy. It provides a programmatic platform that can automate the provider’s ad inventory sale. A sell-side platform (SSP) connects with demand-side platforms (DSPs), representing brands that want to place ads in on-demand videos and channels to reach their potential customers.
Measuring Quality of Experience
In the second part of the discussion, Mr. Blaine talks about how Brightcove provides quality of experience (QoE) insights to its customers. If you want to get an idea of what those insights look like, come to the nScreenMedia website and look for the posting for this podcast under the “analysis” tab. I’ll include pictures there of some of the graphs the solution generates.
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Now, let’s get on with the interview.
Launch FAST channels fast (6:00)
Mr. Blaine explains that it is partnering with Frequency to help its customers launch and distribute FAST channels. The solution can help boost monetization by giving service providers immediate distribution to dozens of FAST services. Brightcove can also help customers fill the ad inventory available in FAST channels through its partnership with Magnite, one of the largest sell-side programmatic ad platforms.
Understanding Quality of Experience (8:50)
Brightcove announced the availability of tools to help its customers understand the quality of experience their viewers are experiencing. Included in the results are data on things like playback errors, buffering, and video start time.
Analyze and isolate where the problems are (10:10)
According to Mr. Blaine, the data Brightcove provides is organized so people can also troubleshoot problems impacting QoE. For example, some data is broken out by region and playback device.
Future features for Brightcove customers (12:00)
With so many service providers looking to boost revenue generation to improve profitability, Mr. Blaine says he and his team will be looking to provide tools to customers to help them optimize their revenue generation.
