More content, more choice, more means to access. The digital transformation of the way in which audiences consume TV and video over the internet has created new opportunities and challenges in content delivery. An OTT (Over-The-Top) video streaming solution allows your audience, of any type/ demographic, to easily identify, locate, engage, transact and consume content. Directly and at any time. These direct-to-consumer (D2C) models can be achieved through multiple distribution strategies but are best performing when underpinned by a ‘Destination OTT Platform’ which connects and syndicates content to partners, other branded digital instances, social media and more. Check out some frequently asked questions about the service below:
What is a destination OTT Platform?
A high performing digital hub that acts as the anchor for video and other digital content formats – Live, VOD, or even linear.
What device formats should I consider when building a destination OTT platform?
Web, mobile web, native iOS and Android applications and Smart TV provide common ways for audiences to interact with destination OTT services.
Can I distribute different content to different audiences from just one platform?
Yes, and this is one of the core benefits of a destination OTT service. When architected correctly, a single platform can carry different content to different markets based on geography, demographic, entitlement, products/packages purchased and more. For example, you may have sold exclusive live distribution rights in market A but not in market B. In Market A, the destination OTT service will act as a supporting function, providing pre and post event content services as well as magazine/archive material that the broadcaster does not plan to show. In Market B, the event can be made available as a live stream, supported by the same on-demand affiliate content as described above. Different retail packages and business models can be used to attract different audiences and provide different tiers of content. Content also does not have to be entirely video based. We can surface spoken word (podcast) content, as well as editorial.
Which business models can I use?
A strong destination OTT platform will utilise different transactional models to maximise exposure and revenue conversion while minimising churn. Across all, capturing audience data is a key advantage of OTT services, whereby registration or ‘gating’ is used to gather audience specific information. The following business models highlight how your audience can be segmented based on their chosen transactional model. Free (ungated), Free (gated), AVOD (advertising supported), SVOD (subscription services), PPV (Pay-Per-View).
Doesn’t OTT compete with broadcast partners who have the rights to my content?
No. A strong destination OTT service should be seen as complimentary to your broadcast partners. It can be used to promote the carrier, and also provide ancillary content and features/services that maximise the audience experience.
I already have some existing digital products that require a password/login. If I build a destination OTT will these customers need to register again?
No. We understand that a frictionless digital customer experience is key. We can work with you to understand your single-sign-on (SSO) requirements and how we integrate accordingly.
Can my commercial partners and sponsors benefit from this?
Yes. As the anchor platform for all content formats, any commercial partner should view a destination OTT service as a means to increase their own exposure. This may be through brand placement within the user-interface (UI), or through the sponsoring/investment in new content formats for example.
We don’t have a digital or content management team. How can we manage a platform like this?
A strong destination OTT platform will have a simple and intuitive content management system (CMS) and associated tooling that requires very little investment in new overhead. At Staylive we provide comprehensive training and can even manage the service of your behalf. This includes end user customer support.
What kind of investment do I need to make?
There are many solutions in market, many of which will ask for significant upfront payments to build. Test and deploy. At Staylive we seek to de-risk any moves to OTT and we do this by offering a very simple revenue share model. If you are successful, we are successful. We encourage our clients to experiment, test and evaluate and as such make no demands for substantial upfront or recurring CAPEX investment.
How can Staylive help us build and deploy an OTT service?
We are market experts in sport and premium entertainment and are the innovators and operators of a best-in-class content streaming platform that powers destination OTT services for over 100 organisations worldwide.
Who else have you done this for?
We work with focused and niche content creators such as Fredrik Steen, Dobb TV, and carry this through to major international brands such as IndyCar. In addition we power major news outlets and content aggregators such as Fanseat, Sport Expressen, SportBladet and focused sport platforms, such as Swedish Basketball League, Innebandy TV, STCC, and ATG.
How do you manage high traffic volumes?
Our platform is architected on the latest cloud technologies and is always iterating to ensure we deliver new cutting edge features ahead of the curve. Platform stability, in our opinion is a non-negotiable….a baseline requirement. We ensure that all elements of our platform scale in line with audience volume to ensure that audiences globally, at any time of day and at whatever level of peak concurrency, can watch the content they choose to seamlessly and without interruption.
How do I manage the revenue cash flow between our businesses?
Staylive collect revenues on your behalf through our payment gateways. These are remitted on a monthly basis. We do not add additional charges to fiscal/banking charges, simply pass-thru these fees.
What about the data? How do I access this, who does it belong to and are you compliant with local laws and regulations?
Similarly to revenue, Staylive and its platform are the enabler, not the owner. Any customer data gathered by the platform belongs to you. It is gathered, analysed and presented through an analytics module within the platform core. This data can be exported/synchronised to existing CDP and data lakes. We ensure that our data collection policies are aligned with local laws and regulations.
How long does it take to build a platform and release it to market?
The capability of our platform ensure that we can have services live and in-market within a very short space of time (including same-day). Typically we launch within 2-3 months to allow for a rigorous design, test and release programme supported by growth marketing to maximise audience onboarding.
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