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HOW TO EFFICIENTLY STREAM MULTI-CODEC VIDEO

bsp-admin-1 on March 23, 2021

During the last decade, the majority of video streams sent over the Internet were encoded using the ITU-T H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC video codec. Developed in the early 2000s, this codec has become broadly supported on a variety of devices and computing platforms with a remarkable 97.93% reach.

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However, as far as technology is concerned, this codec is pretty old. In recent years – two new codecs have been introduced: HEVC from the ITU-T and MPEG standards groups, and AV1 from Alliance for Open Media. Both claim at least a 50% gain in compression efficiency over the H.264/AVC.

In theory, such gains should lead to a significant reduction in the costs of streaming. However, in practice, these new codecs can only reach particular subsets of the existing devices or web browsers. HEVC for example reportedly only has a reach of 18.73%, pointing mostly to Apple devices, and devices with hardware HEVC support. The AV1’s support among web browsers is higher, but notably, it is not supported by Apple devices and most existing set-top box platforms.

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This situation begs the question: Given such a fragmented support of new codecs across different devices, how do you design a streaming system to reach all devices and with the highest possible efficiency?

In this blog post, we will try to answer this question by introducing the concept of multi-codec streaming and explaining key elements and technologies that we have engineered to support the Brightcove Video Cloud platform.

ADAPTIVE BITRATE STREAMING 101

Before we start talking about multi-codec streaming, let’s briefly review the main principles of the operations of modern-era Adaptive Bit-Rate (ABR) streaming systems. We show a conceptual diagram of such a system in the figure below. For simplicity, we will focus on the VOD delivery case.

Picture8

When a video asset is prepared for ABR streaming, it is typically transcoded into several renditions (or variant streams). Such renditions typically have different bitrates, resolutions, and other codecs- and presentation-level parameters.

Once all renditions are generated, they are placed on the origin server. Along with the set of renditions, the origin server also receives a special manifest file, describing the properties of the encoded streams. Such manifests are typically presented in HLS or MPEG DASH formats. The subsequent delivery of the encoded content to user devices is done over HTTP and by using a Content Delivery Network (CDN), ensuring the reliability and scalability of the delivery system.

To play the video content, user devices use special software, called a streaming client. In the simplest form, a streaming client can be JavaScript run by a web browser. It may also be a custom application or a video player supplied by the operating system (OS). But regardless of the implementation, most streaming clients include logic for adaptive selection of streams/renditions during playback.

For example, if the client notices that the observed network bandwidth is too low to support real-time playback of the current stream, it may decide to switch to a lower bitrate stream. This prevents buffering. Otherwise, if there is sufficient bandwidth, the client may choose to switch to a higher bitrate, meaning a higher quality stream, and leads to a better quality of experience. This logic is what makes streaming delivery adaptive. It is also the reason why videos are always transcoded into multiple (typically 5-10) streams.

The system depicted in the above diagram has two additional components: The analytics system, which collects the playback statistics from CDNs and streaming clients, and the ABR encoding ladder generator, defining the number and properties of renditions to create. In the Brightcove Video Cloud system, this block corresponds to our Context-Aware Encoding (CAE) module.

ENCODING LADDERS AND QUALITY ACHIEVABLE BY THE STREAMING SYSTEM

Let us now consider an example of an encoding ladder that may be used for streaming. This particular example was created by Brightcove CAE for action movie video content.

Screen Shot 2021-03-23 at 8.37.41 AM

As easily observed, the encoding ladder defines five streams, enabling delivery of video with resolutions from 216p to 1080p and using about 260 to 4200Kbps in bandwidth. All streams are produced by the H.264/AVC codec. The last column in this table lists perceived visual quality scores as estimated for playback of these renditions on a PC screen. These values are reported using the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) scale. MOS score five means excellent quality, while score one means that the quality is bad.

We next plot (bitrate, quality)- points corresponding to renditions, as well as the best quality achievable by the streaming system with varying network bandwidth. This becomes a step function, shown in blue.

Picture3

In the above figure, we also include a plot of the so-called quality-rate model function [1-3], describing the best possible quality values that may be achieved by the encoding of the same content with the same encoder. This function is shown by a dashed red curve.

As can be easily grasped, with a proper ladder design, the rendition points become a subset of points from the quality-rate model, and the step function describing quality achievable by streaming becomes an approximation of this model. What influences the quality of the streaming system is the number of renditions in the encoding ladder, as well placement of renditions along the bandwidth axis. The closer the resulting step function is to the quality-rate model – the better the quality that can be delivered by the streaming system.

What this all means is that encoding profiles/ladders for ABR streaming must be carefully designed. This is the reason why most modern streaming systems employ special profile generators to perform this step dynamically, by accounting for properties of the content, networks, and other relevant contexts.

Additional details about mathematical methods that can be employed for the construction of quality-rate models and the generation of optimal encoding ladders can be found in references [1-5].

MULTI-CODEC STREAMING: MAIN PRINCIPLES

Now that we’ve explained key concepts, we can turn our attention to multi-codec streaming.

To make this more specific, let’s consider an example of an encoding ladder, generated using two codecs: H.264/AVC and HEVC. Again, Brightcove CAE was used to produce it.

Screen Shot 2021-03-23 at 8.38.05 AM

The plots of rendition points, quality-rate models, and quality achievable by streaming clients decoding H.264 and HEVC streams are presented in the below figure.

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As easily observed, the quality-rate model function for HEVC is consistently better than the quality-rate model for H.264/AVC. By the same token, HEVC renditions should also deliver better quality-rate tradeoffs than renditions encoded using H.264/AVC encoder.

However, considering that there are typically only a few rendition points and they may be placed sparsely and in an interleaved pattern, this may create regions of bitrates, where H.264/AVC renditions may deliver better quality than nearest HEVC rendition of smaller or equal bitrate. Such regions in the above figure are seen when step-functions for H.264/AVC clients go above the same functions for HEVC clients.

What does this mean? It means that with a two-codec ladder decoding of only HEVC-encoded streams does not automatically result in the best possible quality! Even better quality may be achieved by clients that selectively and intelligently switch between both H.264/AVC and HEVC streams. We illustrate quality achievable by such “two-codec clients” in the graphic below.

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In this example, the two-codec client can make nine adaptation steps instead of just five in HEVC or H.264-only ladders. This enables better utilization of the available network bandwidth and delivery of better quality overall.

MULTI-CODEC FUNCTIONALITY SUPPORT IN EXISTING STREAMING CLIENTS

As we just saw the ability of the streaming client not only to decode but also intelligently and seamlessly switch between H.264/AVC and HEVC streams is extremely important. This leads to better quality and allows for fewer streams/renditions to be generated, reducing the costs of streaming.

However, not all existing streaming clients have such a capability. The best known examples of clients doing it well are native players in recent Apple devices: iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, etc. They can decode and switch between H.264/AVC and HEVC streams seamlessly. Recent versions of Chrome and Firefox browsers support the so-called change Type method, which technically allows JavaScript-based streaming clients to implement switching between codecs.

Streaming clients in many platforms with hardware decoders, such as SmartTVs, set-top boxes, etc. can only decode either H.264/AVC or HEVC streams, and won’t switch to another codec during a streaming session. And naturally, there are plenty of legacy devices that can only decode H.264/AVC – encoded streams.

This fragmented space of streaming clients and their capabilities must be accounted for at the stage of encoding ladder generation, by properly defining HLS and DASH manifests, and design of the delivery system for multi-codec streaming. In the next section, we will briefly review how we addressed all these challenges in the Brightcove Video Cloud platform.

MULTI-CODEC SUPPORT IN BRIGHTCOVE VIDEOCLOUD PLATFORM

Brightcove Video Cloud is an end-to-end online video platform that includes all the building blocks of the ABR streaming system that we’ve reviewed in this blog post.

For example, encoding ladder generation in this system is done by using Brightcove CAE technology. For the user/operator of the system, it manifests itself by the presence of several pre-configured CAE ingest profiles enabling H.264-, HEVC-, as well as mixed-codec- streaming deployments.

Screen Shot 2021-03-23 at 8.38.40 AM

When the Multiplatform Extended HEVC (CAE) mixed-codec ingest profile is selected, the result will be a mixed codec ladder, with both H.264 and HEVC streams present. This profile can produce from three to 12 output streams for both codecs, covering the range of resolutions from 180p to 1080p and with bitrates in the range of 250Kbps to 4200Kbps. The CAE profile generator defines everything else automatically, based on characteristics of the content as well as playback statistics observed for the account.

In Video Cloud, the manifests and media segments are produced according to a variety of streaming standards and profiles (e.g. HLS v3, HLS v7, MPEG DASH, Smooth, etc.). These are all generated dynamically, based on the preferences and capabilities of the receiving devices. Furthermore, certain filtering rules (delivery rules) may also be applied. For example, if a playback request is coming from a legacy device that can only support H.264/AVC and HLS v3 format of streaming, it will be only offer a HLS v3 manifest along with TS-based segments, and they will only include H.264/AVC encoded streams.

On the other hand, for newer devices capable of deciding both H.264/AVC and HEVC streams, the delivery system may produce a manifest including both H.264/AVC- and HEVC-encoded streams. The declaration of mixed codec streams in manifests is done according to the HLS and DASH-IF deployment guidelines. I show conceptual examples of such declarations below.

Screen Shot 2021-03-23 at 8.38.40 AM

As observed, in HLS, mixed codec renditions can be included in the natural order in the master playlist. In MPEG DASH, however, they must be listed separately, in different adaptation sets, sorted according to each codec. To enable switching between mixed-codec renditions in DASH, a special SupplementalProperty descriptor is included in each adaptation set.

To assist clients in making the right decisions in switching between streams encoded using different codecs, special relative quality attributes can be used. In HLS, they are called SCORE attributes, with higher values indicating better quality. In MPEG DASH, they are called “Quality Ranking” attributes, but now with lower values indicating better quality. However, both of these attributes are optional and supported only by a few existing client devices. To make sure that all devices/clients don’t get confused in switching between multi-codec streams in Brightcove Video Cloud offers a manifest filtering option that leaves only renditions with progressively increasing quality values in the final manifests visible by the clients.

The final delivery of multi-codec streams in Video Cloud is handled by a two-level CDN configuration, ensuring high efficiency (low origin bit rate) and high scale and reliability of delivery of the streams. More details about various configurations and optimization techniques employed by the Brightcove Video Cloud can be found in our recent paper [3] or Brightcove product documentation.

CONCLUSIONS

With a combination of all described features and tools for multi-codec streaming support, enabling and deploying it with Brightcove Video Cloud can be done in a matter of minutes.

If you are delivering a high volume of streams to Apple devices or other HEVC-capable mobiles and set-top boxes – enabling the use of HEVC and multi-codec streaming can offer a considerable reduction in CDN traffic/costs, without compromising reach to legacy devices.

The tools that we have engineered ensure that such deployments will happen with minimum deployment costs and ensuring high quality and reliability of reaching all devices.

REFERENCES

[1] Y. Reznik, K. Lillevold, A. Jagannath, J. Greer, and J. Corley, “Optimal design of encoding profiles for ABR streaming,” Proc. Packet Video Workshop, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 12, 2018. [2] Y. Reznik, X. Li, K. Lillevold, A. Jagannath, and J. Greer, “Optimal Multi-Codec Adaptive Bitrate Streaming,” Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Multimedia and Expo (ICME), Shanghai, China, July 8-12, 2019. [3] Y. Reznik, X. Li, K. Lillevold, R. Peck, T. Shutt, and P. Howard, “Optimizing Mass-Scale Multiscreen Video Delivery,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 129, no. 3, pp. 26 – 38, 2020. [4] Y. Reznik, “Average Performance of Adaptive Streaming,” Proc. Data Compression Conference (DCC’21), Snowbird, UT, March 2021. [5] Y. Reznik, “Efficient multi-codec streaming” – talk at HPA Tech Retreat 2021

LIVE LINEAR CLOUD PLAYOUT: THE FUTURE OF FREE AD-SUPPORTED TV

bsp-admin-1 on March 8, 2021

While almost everyone you know subscribes to some kind of streaming service these days (the average person subscribes to 4-6 apps), there’s something to be said for just sinking into the couch, turning on the TV, and enjoying what’s on. This explains the huge surge in FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) as it presents new opportunities for viewers, advertisers, broadcasters and content providers.

Brightcove’s Virtual Panel Discussion, “How Live Linear Cloud Playout Is Changing The Game,” explored the many advantages of FAST and what the future holds for it.

  • Rebeca Avery, Head of Content Operations at Local Now
  • Damian Pelliccione, CEO and co-founder of Revry
  • Madhu Somasundaram, Director of Content Management at VIZIO

Here are some of the topics our panelists covered to help you get the most from ad supported streaming services.

FAST IS HERE TO STAY

This is the way we’ve all been watching TV, and even as the technology evolves, the behavior is simply ingrained in all of us. FAST has universal appeal for multiple reasons.

  • Not everyone can afford even just one subscription, so there’s an impact to having free ad-supported content
  • Viewers avoid the endless searching and questions of “what are we going to watch?”
  • With the rising popularity of smart TVs, just connect to WiFi and get 100+ free channels
  • It offers entire genres of content, from movies to multi-lingual to live sports and music

ADVERTISER APPEAL

More and more advertisers are increasing their digital budgets, realizing the efficiency and reach they gain with ad-supported streaming.

  • Audiences will show loyalty to a channel, returning again and again as a daily habit
  • Audiences can be targeted and monetized, based on content they are choosing
  • Advertisers have options with overlays, lower thirds, dynamic insertions and more
  • The unique and customized ad experience improves viewing for consumers
  • FAST easily integrates with ad tech, making it a more seamless experience

CONTENT AND PROGRAMMING

FAST enables media properties and brands to create, curate and deliver content that engages audiences in a number of different ways.

  • It offers the opportunity to form a content partnership, getting input from a content partner and exploring the best way to program that for the audience
  • Gather content on a certain subject matter from several specialist providers, and then package it together in a unique way
  • Partners may offer their own individual assets which can be curated and packaged
  • Single series channels offer binge-like “background” experiences that many viewers enjoy

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

The targeted, intentional approach to creating fast channels offers an unparalleled ability to understand your audience and have clear insights into their viewing behaviors.

  • Understanding the demographics of partners will inform your programming decisions
  • Smart TV vs mobile app can offer two very different audiences
  • Technology such as automated content recognition offers valuable viewer insights
  • See how your content performs compared to other viewing models such as SVOD
  • It’s not about just creating a feed or playing movies randomly–it’s about having a plan and a purpose

As ad-supported streaming continues to evolve and standardize, best practices and strategies will evolve as well, raising this viewing approach to its very own art form as it delivers fresh, engaging content to a growing audience. Brightcove’s robust video platform is a key driver of this momentum and we are beyond excited about the future of FAST.

4 PREDICTIONS FOR HOW VIRTUAL EVENTS WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE

bsp-admin-1 on March 7, 2021

The nature of virtual events has changed dramatically over the last year, and they’ll keep changing as audience expectations continue to rise and attention spans become more challenged.

I had the chance to connect with David Moricca, CEO of Socialive, a Brightcove partner company, to get his take on how virtual events will continue to evolve in 2021.

“I think being prescriptive in your virtual events is going to be key,” says Moricca. “Your virtual event is not a Zoom meeting. It has to be a prescriptive content experience where you’re sharing important information and also responding to the audience’s questions.”

According to Moricca, we’ll see virtual events shift in four areas throughout the year ahead.

WE’LL SEE SHORTER EVENTS AT HIGHER FREQUENCIES

“I think this idea that every event needs to be a full-day session is going away. In fact, I think what we’re going to see is this compression into shorter, more frequent segments. I think we might see more people switching to multiple sessions, but just two hours a day, or one thematic session over the course of several days. We all know people’s attention spans in a virtual environment are much shorter, especially with eight hours of Zoom calls a day, which is really requiring us to think about being a bit faster with content and not trying to overwhelm people with too much.”

–PUT THIS IN ACTION: If you’re planning a full-day virtual event, consider compressing it into shorter sessions across several days if the content is intended to be sequential. Try to keep sessions to 20 – 30 minutes max so people stay engaged, and make sure to really land the three key messages you want your audience to think about or walk away with.

WE’LL SEE MORE DYNAMIC VIDEO CONTENT EXPERIENCES

“I think audiences are also looking for more interactive, dynamic video environments, especially given what we’re finding with Zoom fatigue. People are expecting more of a CNN-level style broadcast for their virtual events, with more dynamic elements, like video, graphics, and split-screen formats. I also think the idea of a fireside chat or panel with multiple folks, who offer different viewpoints or come from different angles in the market, creates a more dynamic, interesting experience by nature.”

–PUT THIS IN ACTION: Whenever possible, find opportunities to infuse dynamic elements into a segment, like cutting to a video clip to break up a panel of talking heads, or building on-screen graphics with specific calls to action or a recap of key learnings.

WE’LL SEE NEW INNOVATIONS FOR AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

“I think we’re going to see more innovation from virtual events platforms, like Brightcove, in terms of how we can drive new forms of audience engagement. Breakout rooms with Chatroulette are interesting, but I think there will be more. I think engagement is going to be much more thoughtful, and we’re going to start seeing more intimate, engaging environments for folks that are more inter-participatory and bring people into the experience to make it more of a genuine, two-way experience.”

–PUT THIS IN ACTION: Look at your overall run of show and identify some key moments within the overall event when it might be helpful or interesting for your audience to open it up to participation, whether that’s a live chat, quick poll, or Q&A. Interactivity deepens engagement.

WE’LL SEE GREATER FOCUS ON POST-EVENT CONTENT STRATEGY

“For physical events, there has always been a heavy focus on the promotion of the event to drive registrations, and the event itself. But the post-event content strategy has been overlooked. I think it’s just as important when you’re building an event strategy to define, ‘What’s my content strategy after I’ve done the event?’ Especially in a virtual world, where you’re going to be producing and capturing all these great sessions with amazing nuggets that you can then repurpose and re-share. All of this content is very powerful when you distribute it across social, digital, and other organic channels. This is where you can actually get the largest segment of customer acquisition.”

–PUT THIS IN ACTION: When you start planning your event, bring everyone together – people from sales, marketing, content, and events – to determine what each team wants to accomplish before, during, and after the event. Then methodically map out the sales enablement and marketing materials that can be leveraged after the fact for email follow-ups, outbound sales, social media, and digital marketing.

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, make sure to download our Definitive Guide to Virtual Events.

The key to ‘collecting survey responses’, which is more difficult than offline events

bsp-admin-1 on March 3, 2021

Whether online or offline, it is very important to collect questionnaires from participants. However, the questionnaire response rate tends to be lower for online events than offline events. Questionnaires are very important data that can be used to improve content and as a reference when following up with participants. We will introduce how to increase the questionnaire response rate for online events.

3 TIPS FOR PRODUCING COMPELLING VIRTUAL EVENTS

bsp-admin-1 on March 2, 2021

Talkdesk exists to help companies build brand love and customer loyalty through exceptional services and experiences, all via a cloud-native contact center solution.

During 2020 planning, the Talkdesk team set an ambitious goal to launch “20 products in 20 weeks,” and then showcase these new products at their in-person customer conference in San Francisco. But we all know what happened next.

“We, like everybody else, had to convert it from an in-person to a virtual event,” says Kathie Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer of Talkdesk. “I just said to my team, ‘Folks, nobody can do this like marketers can. We are innovative, out-of-the-box, creative thinkers. If anybody can figure this out, we can.”

Despite the need to quickly pivot, Johnson kept her team’s focus on the event’s original objectives: announce new products, engage customers, and educate some new folks about Talkdesk.

OpenTalk 2020, proudly streamed by Brightcove, ultimately saw three times as many people attending compared to past in-person customer conferences. “We also saw participation coming from all around the globe,” says Johnson, “with people who may not have had that opportunity to attend before.”

For Johnson and her team, virtual events combine the urgency that live, in-person events are known for with the ability to stream valuable content on-demand, for others to watch any time they choose.

Virtual events also create opportunities for pride. “Really, [a virtual event] is a time for your customers to come and be engaged, it’s the time for prospects to create a spark of interest in you, and it’s also a time for your employees to be incredibly proud of the company they work for.”

This year, Johnson plans to host even more virtual events. “If you think of the conference as the ‘one to many’ approach, we’re also really leaning into a ‘one to few’ approach for virtual events. So, creating a large number of very small intimate executive events,” she says.

If you’re planning a virtual event, here are three tips to consider.

1. DESIGN YOUR EVENT TO BE “PRODUCTION RICH”

“One of the things we decided to do is, let’s make this a production,” says Johnson. “If you’re like me, you’ve attended events where the production was really poor, and it was really hard to be engaged, and as a marketer, I just … oh my heart would sink thinking about the marketers who were involved in it.”

So production was something she made sure to invest in right from the start. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean expensive,” she says. “It means to make it an event that people are happy to be at.” For Johnson, she wanted attendees to feel well taken care of. “Once people come they should feel that you’ve made that effort to make that connection with them and they want to be there.”

2. CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

“You also have to make sure there’s that community feel,” she says. “Make sure there’s a way to interact with each other and you’re not just talking at people, but really engaging with them.”

Johnson felt strongly about fostering a human-to-human connection with embedded interactions using Brightcove.

“We did a lot of polling, we did a lot of questioning, we did a lot of interaction and engagement during the event. I really felt that we created an environment where people wanted to stay and even come back again.”

3. KEEP CONTENT SNACKABLE, AND MAKE SURE TO REUSE IT

“You don’t achieve engagement with long monologues,” warns Johnson. “Your content can’t be so long people don’t want to come back.” And engagement doesn’t have to stop at the end of the event. “I wanted to really help our customers understand all about business transformation, all about these new solutions we were launching, and then have an opportunity for them to still learn and engage with us going forward,” she says.

Inspired by Netflix and Ted Talks, Johnson made sure to look at their event content holistically so everything could be repurposed and live beyond the event itself. “We really wanted to think about, ‘How do we create content that’s not only critical in the moment but that we can also use later to continue to engage with customers on an ongoing basis?’ We took our event video and launched a whole new content series on different topics every week, Netflix style.”

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us here.

HOW SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA USED BRIGHTCOVE TO PIVOT TO VIDEO

bsp-admin-1 on March 1, 2021

6 REASONS WHY VIDEO HAS OPENED THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S EYES AND EARS

Symphony halls around the world have one thing in common: they’re all designed to be “acoustically wonderful,” says Christine Wood, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the Seattle Symphony.

So when the Seattle Symphony had to shut down operations and cancel their shows when COVID-19 hit (just like every other performing arts organization), the live music stopped … temporarily.

“We always wanted to go online and have a more digital presence, and we were on our way to do that,” says Wood. “But we weren’t prepared to bring our whole business online.” That’s when Christine and her team reached out to Brightcove to help catapult the Seattle Symphony to a video-first model.

Christine recently joined us for a live panel discussion, where she shared six benefits the Seattle Symphony team discovered by pivoting to video.

GETTING UP AND RUNNING IN JUST 5 WEEKS

The Seattle Symphony reached out to Brightcove to help build an online video platform for two main reasons: to quickly reconnect with their audience and to sell subscriptions and pay-per-view shows. “When the pandemic hit, it was the first time we went to some of the material we have in our vault. We thankfully had recordings of different concerts that we were able to piece together for the rest of the season and stream,” says Wood. “We were really excited that we were able to pivot so quickly and to launch on the platform in five weeks.” The organization has live-streamed 20 concerts since launching, with plans to do even more in 2021.

STAYING CONNECTED TO A LOYAL FAN BASE

In the beginning, the Seattle Symphony wanted to make sure their subscribers were still able to “see the symphony” and offered some free broadcasts. “They’re our family,” says Wood. “We wanted to make sure that we were still able to perform for our patrons and to give them something that we’ve promised them.” With video, the Seattle Symphony made good on that promise.

REACHING NEW AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD

With the Symphony on Brightcove’s platform, people don’t have to be in downtown Seattle to see them perform. “We really have been able to expand our footprint,” says Wood. “We have audience members now in Texas, California. We have people watching in Norway. We’re excited about where it’s going to take us and the reach its given us outside of Seattle.”

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RICHER CONTENT EXPERIENCES

The musical content is compelling enough, but the Seattle Symphony isn’t stopping there. “We just finished interviewing videographers so that we could build more behind-the-scenes content,” says Wood. “We’re looking at what next season looks like, what can go live, and how we can maybe piece together some of those programs and have them on the platform longer.”

GETTING MORE MILEAGE OUT OF EVERY PERFORMANCE

Not too long ago, if you couldn’t get a ticket to the symphony, you were out of luck. Now, the only limitation is deciding if you prefer to watch a performance live or on-demand. “We have 2,500 seats in Benaroya Hall,” says Wood. “But now, on our Brightcove video platform, we have almost 4,000 people watching the live broadcast, and then we’re getting another 3,000 people on the replays within the first seven days.”

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A HYBRID APPROACH

The Seattle Symphony is currently working through their five-year plan around a hybrid strategy to continue to offer in-person and virtual performances. “The great thing about being digital right now is you go to one performance, and if you really want to see it again, you can on the platform,” says Wood. “Brightcove has just helped us open so many doors and to so many new fans. We’re really excited to continue to explore how much further we can push it – the sky’s the limit!”

Nick Iuliano is Brightcove’s Senior Director of Content, helping to tell our best brand, product, customer, and partner stories across global marketing channels.

3 REASONS TO MONETIZE YOUR NEXT VIRTUAL OR HYBRID EVENT

bsp-admin-1 on February 23, 2021

Virtual events have now become a driving force in the way that we gather and communicate.

In fact, virtual events last year exceeded the revenue target of physical events for the entire year. Our virtual panel discussion “ROI ASAP, Monetizing Virtual Events,” features four experienced pros who’ve been making the most of their virtual events:

No matter if your event is free, sponsored, or paid, this roundtable discussion highlights the opportunities to tap into revenue both during and after the event.

Here are three takeaways from our panelists on why you should monetize your virtual events.

1. BIGGER AUDIENCES = BIGGER PAYOUT

With the global reach of virtual events, you’ll far exceed the numbers you’d normally see for a physical event. And that impacts sales, sponsorships, and advertising.

  • Brian Gates of RainFocus reports that virtual events in 2020 helped his clients increase their audiences by almost 500%.
  • With larger audiences tuning in to your virtual event, you’ll get more qualified leads to convert into future sales.
  • Sponsors always want a big audience and will pay to appear with your content as it engages thousands of people.
  • Virtual trade show events often attract key industry players and audiences, so these events often function as a “release party” for a new product or service. That means higher ad revenue.
  • Beyond the four walls of a conference center or concert hall, you now have “unlimited seating,” which translates into more customers and more revenue opportunities.
  • Once you establish a robust video platform for your virtual events, you can partner with other organizations to join you in distributing and monetizing content.

2. YOUR VIDEO CONTENT IS VALUABLE BEYOND THE EVENT

In the not-so-distant past, you’d hold a performance or event that would be finished the minute people walked out the door. No longer. The content you now create for your virtual events should be considered valuable–and never disposable.

  • On-demand content extends far beyond the event, offering more opportunities to charge viewers for premium and exclusive content.

  • Advertisers and sponsors will pay for the opportunity to extend their message by aligning with your on-demand content that lives on indefinitely.

  • Virtual events can transform into opportunities to create OTT broadcast-like channels, offering further engagement with customers and revenue opportunities.

  • Content from your virtual event can be divided and packaged into smaller units, such as podcasts, social videos, case studies, and even advertising, creating new ways to stay connected with your audiences.

  • Creating subscription models, either monthly or yearly, gives customers or patrons access to prerecorded, live, and behind-the-scenes material.

3. VIRTUAL EVENTS ARE INCREDIBLY COST-EFFECTIVE

Once you add up all the costs of a conference center, travel, food, and more, the price of a virtual event outweighs all of that – not to mention delivering a far bigger audience than an in-person event.

  • For companies who can’t afford to send their employees to a trade show, the much smaller price of a virtual event ticket makes it possible to go, increasing your attendance at the event.

  • Virtual events can be incredibly targeted, reaching small and intensely-focused groups receptive to content from you and your advertisers.

  • Sponsors are fully embracing and finding tremendous value in virtual events, gaining qualified leads as they work with you to be part of your overall content strategy.

  • In the non-profit sector, where funds are limited for in-person events, donor and fundraising goals can be achieved through virtual experiences.

So, as we look at 2021 and beyond, what’s next with virtual events? Well, they’re only going to get bigger and better as they showcase their ability to be seen on any screen anywhere in the world. With the power of video, you can engage both audiences and advertisers with a high-quality experience that will open hearts, open minds….and yes, open wallets.

If you missed our virtual panel discussion “ROI ASAP, Monetizing Virtual Events,” you can check it out below:

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us here.

THE SXSW VIRTUAL EVENT STRATEGY: A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK

bsp-admin-1 on February 22, 2021

Over the past year, a lot of marketers have faced the challenges of taking what is usually an in-person event and re-creating it virtually. South by Southwest is no exception.

As the official video partner for the first-ever all-digital SXSW Online, Brightcove has been given a front-row look at what it takes to pull off a virtual event of this caliber.

So we sat down with SXSW’s Chief Innovation Officer, Scott Wilcox, to dig into the South by team’s strategy for virtually bringing to life the iconic experience the conference is known for.

So, how are they doing it?

THE FORMAT? FIVE FULL DAYS OF NON-STOP CONTENT

SXSW is streaming up to 650 hours of live and pre-recorded content, 24 hours a day, for 5 days – no small feat. And once the conference is over, a lot of that content will live on as on-demand video, extending the longevity of the event.

PRIORITY #1 IS ATTENDEE EXPERIENCE

The combination of 5 different channels emulating the stages of years past will create a unique viewing experience for attendees and give them the flexibility to switch between channels in real-time.

It will be immersive: Each channel is specifically designed to provide the best experience for the type of content that will be shown on it – from musical showcases to films to thought leadership speakers to live script readings, and much more.

And each experience will be customized: Everyone attending SXSW can curate the custom experience that works for them. Attendees can jump in and out of the shared live experiences or go explore on-demand content on their own. If they miss something, they can immediately watch it whenever it’s convenient. And the best part?

Attendees can select their viewing experience based on what the content is: If attendees are watching a Brightcove Illumination Award-nominated film from the Film Festival, they can tune in on their connected TV after work. If they want to catch a live thought leadership session, viewers can watch from their computer during the work day. If viewers are looking to enjoy a musical performance while they’re cooking dinner, they can do that from their phone.

“We really feel like picking the right technology partner in Brightcove has really given us a leg up in being able to create this compelling, immersive, amazing experience,” says Wilcox.

FANS ARE GETTING GLOBAL ACCESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

For the first time, access to all of the amazingness SXSW has to offer is available to viewers no matter where in the world they are. The virtual experience has opened up access – attendees can be anywhere, watching at any time of day. And it opened up the opportunity to work with unique talent around the world, too.

THE REAL-TIME DATA IS UNPARALLELED

The SXSW team plans to pay close attention to what their audience is watching and when – and then use that data to craft an even more customized experience.

And it’s all thanks to the power of video: “Video has become this really universal medium that everyone has relied on… it’s about connecting with other people. It’s a naturally powerful medium to be able to collapse time and distance for people,” says Wilcox.

Brightcove is proud to be the official video partner for the all-digital SXSW Online and SXSW EDU Online events, which, for the first time, will be completely virtual and streamed to attendees around the globe on March 16–20, 2021.