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Q4 2019 GLOBAL VIDEO INDEX: CTVS GAIN, SMARTPHONE VIDEOS UP

bsp-admin-1 on March 20, 2020

The increase on screens at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size seems out of character with the streaming world, but it may simply be an example of evolution. Where we once talked about the democracy of screens, that whatever screen at hand was the one we were most likely to choose to watch, viewers have evolved and now use mobile devices to source content and connected TVs to consume it.

Tablets and desktop computers are losing ground, meanwhile, with computers taking the biggest hit, a decline in video views of more than 10%.

ONLINE NEWS BECOMES A STAPLE, ESPECIALLY IN CRISES

If there’s any doubt streaming video has become mainstream across the world, how consumers are getting news related to the coronavirus outbreak should put an end to it.

Data from Brightcove shows streaming media/entertainment and streaming news numbers are riding a surging wave of viewing, almost certainly driven by the coronavirus crisis.

Whether it’s social distancing prompting consumers to camp out in front of screens to watch streamed entertainment, or a need for the latest news that has viewers checking in on developing stories more often, Y/Y streaming numbers have seen big gains.

In the first two weeks of March, for example, the amount of time spent viewing news video increased 14% from the previous year, while the actual number of videos viewed jumped more than 31%.

On March 13 alone, when U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, time viewing news online increased 47% from a year ago and the number of news videos views jumped nearly 66% – the highest total for a single day in Q1 for the past two years.

Broadcasters used to be the go-to source for developing news stories, but the COVID-19 crisis has shown that consumers increasingly turn to streaming news sources for the latest updates – as well as in-depth coverage of news that’s important to them. With streaming, news providers can update news on the fly, provide broader, deeper coverage, and pull in points of view from around the globe. And, they don’t need to worry about fitting reports into arbitrary time slots. They have the flexibility to tell a better story.

Q4 2019 GLOBAL VIDEO INDEX SEES RISE IN TIME WATCHED

Time watched overall during Q4 increased by nearly a quarter, up 23% Y/Y, according to the Q4 2019 Global Video Index. Connected TVs saw time watched more than double globally, up 114% from a year ago, with smartphones rising 30% and tablets up 6%. Only computers saw a decline in time watched, about 2%.

Australia/New Zealand saw time watched on connected TVs increase 173% with North America seeing a significant increase in time watched on smartphones, more than 53%.

MARKETING AND SALES SEE RISE IN MOBILE USE

In Q4, smartphones were the name of the game for marketers trying to reach consumers online. More than 62% of all marketing video views were on mobile devices globally.

Asia-Pac saw an even higher percentage of marketing video on smartphones, 82%, up from 55% the previous year. ANZ increased to 55%, Europe was at 62%, Latin America 61% and North America 53%.

Computers saw the second largest share of retail and marketing video views in every region with tablets trailing and connected TVs even further back. While smartphones earned a bigger share of video views in every market, computers lost share. Asia-Pac saw computer’s share of video views drop by more than 50%, Japan/Korea saw computers fall behind smartphones for the first time, as did North America. MENA saw smartphone share grow to 49%, pulling even with computers during the quarter. In every other region smartphones surpassed computers.

Tablets slipped in every region and connected TVs saw limited growth. But connected TV share is likely to add pace over time as viewers continue to look to the big screen for content, more premium content makes its way onto CTVs and marketers follow.

Engagement (time spent), meanwhile, with retail and marketing video on smartphones is up in every market: Asia-Pac (+380%); ANZ (+41%); Europe (+78%); Japan/Korea (+12%); LatAm (+52%); MENA (+91%); and, North America (+71%).

THE BOTTOM LINE

As the Global Video Index showed, Q4 traditionally has been a quarter of growth for OTT with the holidays driving viewing time on new devices and company’s racing to get content and platforms into the public eye.

But Q1 this year could see significant change as the coronavirus begins to have an impact on how critical information and news is shared around the world.

The true measure of just how far streaming video has come will be even more apparent in Q2, as large portions of the world’s population begins to “shelter in place” to slow the spread of the virus. Will the amount of streaming video consumed increase? Of course it will.

WHY YOUR BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN NEEDS VIDEO

bsp-admin-1 on March 9, 2020

The need for a strong, scalable, and nimble business continuity plan is clearly evident today. Situations arise where last-minute cancellations have a drastic impact on businesses.

But there is an alternative to cancellation: Innovative companies are leveraging video in their business continuity plans for both external and internal communications. This not only accommodates consumers’ immediate needs, it also fosters brand loyalty and builds new virtual communities as a result.

Here are some powerful examples of video use cases across industries that enhance external communications within a business continuity framework.

EVENT COMPANIES

Adopting a video strategy means supplementing offline offerings with online content by live streaming conference tracks, publishing video on websites and social media and/or making recordings of events available on-demand soon after they happen. The Brightcove video platform can scale to live stream some of the biggest events in the world, including sports, political elections, and industry conferences.

ONLINE RETAILERS

With foot traffic declining, online eCommerce orders have seen unprecedented surges of up to 300% in a week, with some retailers unable to cope with demand. Retailers need to create immersive online experiences to display their products, like Hugo Boss’s live-streamed fashion show. The time is now for brands to evolve their eCommerce strategy to include video, as well as cart checkout and delivery options.

LIFESTYLE AND WELLNESS BRANDS

Lululemon in China opted to stream training classes directly to consumers who have little choice but to work out indoors because of gym closures. Online fitness brands like Alomoves and Peloton could experience a spike in subscriptions and video streaming traffic as more users choose to train at home.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

In any breaking news scenario, communication is central to a government’s strategy. It is absolutely critical to connect with the public both offline and online and to deliver updates directly to devices. As government agencies roll out their digital transformation programs, expanding communication channels with citizens should be part of their core strategy. And any communication that includes a video element can be especially engaging and effective.

EDUCATION

When conditions prompt school closures and disrupt lesson plans, video e-learning can make a difference. Most schools are not prepared to implement a remote study option, but the beauty of technology in 2020 is that educational institutions can quickly adopt video streaming as a continuity plan. The once highly manual process of uploading slideware with no live commentary can now be replaced with lecturers uploading and publishing their lessons in video format with just a few clicks, then streaming them across various devices and browsers.

The advances in streaming technologies make it easy for schools to serve remote students and minimize disruption to regular classes. Whether live-streamed or on-demand, video can be an effective contingency plan to make sure students can stay current with their coursework.

FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

These organizations have mostly relied on the physical attendance of their members but now face a challenge. With worshippers avoiding crowded environments, faith-based groups are exploring new ways to share their message and promote their events, sermons, and services – all of which can be video streamed to worshippers in their homes or on their mobile devices.

During any unexpected situation, brands and organizations need a business continuity plan that includes engaging and informing their customers and employees through offline and online channels.

New Markets Discovered in the Corona Disaster The Future of Growing Online Event Demand

bsp-admin-1 on March 2, 2020

It has already been a year and a half since the new coronavirus began to spread in 2020, and we are now in a phase that requires a new business strategy that sees this situation as the new normal. Against this backdrop, online events and webinars have rapidly become commonplace. Ltd. has been using Brightcove to deliver on-demand video content for its web media “JBpress” for some time, but as a new business strategy for the new normal era, the company has decided to use Brightcove’s Brightcove Cloud Playout” is one of the first companies to implement the Brightcove Cloud Playout feature for online event and webinar management as a new business strategy for the new normal. Brightcove Cloud Playout” is an optional feature that can be added to ‘Brightcove Live’ to easily organize and deliver video content in any order using drag-and-drop, deliver at a specified time, or loop 24 hours a day. The Corona disaster has created a demand for the service from our clients.

CORONA DISASTER BOOSTS DEMAND FOR CLIENT COMPANIES

According to Yusuke Uyama of the Media Business Division of Japan Business Press, “JBpress” has dramatically increased the performance of its marketing support business for advertisers in the Corona Disaster by utilizing online events and webinars. In the past, the cost of real seminars and other operations was so large that it was difficult to devote internal resources to them, but since the spread of the new coronavirus, the company has put in place a system that enables it to respond to requests from client companies.

The order of content to be distributed can be programmed and managed in advance, much like programming a television program. We used to outsource this service in the beginning, but now we can easily do it in-house.

Mr. Yusuke Uyama
Manager, Media Business Division, Nippon Business Press, Inc.
In order to meet the ever-increasing needs of its clients, JBpress has established a team dedicated to online event and webinar management, and has created an environment in which seminar operations, which were initially outsourced, can be handled in-house. The company has gone to such lengths because “we feel that the possibilities and benefits go beyond a temporary alternative to the Corona Disaster.

THREE BENEFITS NOT FOUND IN REAL EVENTS

According to Mr. Uyama, online events and webinars have “three liberating advantages.

The first is ‘freedom from location. With real events, there is a high hurdle for people who live far away to participate, but with online events and webinars, there are no restrictions on where the audience can be located. When we recently held an online event on DX strategies for the public sector, we had viewers from various local governments. Participants loved how it relieved their burdens.”

Another benefit is “time freedom. If content can be recorded in advance, it can be filmed and delivered when it is convenient for the speaker, making it flexible for a variety of situations.

And finally, “Freedom from frequency”. Our online event “JBpress DX Week” was held on weekdays, but as a challenge, we rebroadcast it on Saturdays and Sundays. Using Brightcove Cloud Playout, we replayed the event on Saturday and Sunday with pre-recorded content that we had rearranged into the most appropriate delivery program and scheduled for delivery.

The point is not to preserve the archive, but to rebroadcast it. The point is not to keep the archives, but to replay them. This is a way to appeal to the busy weekday viewers while maintaining the rarity of the content.

In the two weeks of JBpress DX Week, we had 3,000 registrants, and 70% of them actually participated. We believe that both the sponsors and viewers were able to see the significance and benefits of holding the event online. By job title, more than 40% of the respondents were department managers and above. I think this indicates that people who are too busy to attend real events were able to participate because they could freely choose where and when to watch the event.”

RELIABLE 'BRIGHTCOVE CLOUD PLAYOUT' HELPS CORONA DISASTER RECOVER BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

We had been using the Brightcove platform for on-demand video delivery for some time, so it was a natural progression for us to adopt ‘Brightcove Cloud Playout. Initially, we outsourced the distribution setup for online events and webinars to an external distribution company, but this was costly and slow. With Brightcove Cloud Playout, we can now program and manage the order of the content we want to deliver in advance, just like organizing a TV show, making it easy to do it in-house. We have also accumulated know-how in distribution, which has made it a viable business. We now have a dedicated team that holds up to 10 seminars a month at times.

Brightcove’s video delivery system automatically selects and displays video of a quality that is appropriate for the viewer’s environment. This has eliminated most of the occasional complaints from viewers that they can’t see the video or that the video is too rough. The basic, but most important and most gratifying aspect is that we are able to deliver a consistent video experience to our viewers.

JBpress has not been involved in online events and webinars in earnest since the Corona Disaster. The quality and consistency of delivery is the reason why the online event and webinar business has grown to become a new pillar of our business.

THE FUTURE OF ONLINE EVENTS AND WEBINARS FOR MEDIA COMPANIES

The online event and webinar business is a new commercial opportunity found in the Corona Disaster. How does Mr. Uyama see the future? We want to take advantage of Brightcove Video Cloud’s superior data analysis capabilities to deliver more benefits to our sponsors. Not only what kind of viewers are watching what content and how much, but also what kind of articles they usually read on JBpress, and when and when they visit our clients’ websites. Furthermore, if we can analyze the open rates of the e-mails sent afterwards and analyze the data without violating the protection of personal information, we will be able to uncover dormant users and facilitate direct sales communication. For After Corona, we also plan to hybridize with real events. I think it will be effective to reach out through online events and webinars, and then close the deal at a real event. Nippon Business Press plans to hold another major online event toward the end of 2021. With the new business channel of video distribution, the company is expected to make great strides both as a media company and as a content production company.

HOW “K” LINE CONNECTED EMPLOYEES AROUND THE WORLD

bsp-admin-1 on February 23, 2020

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha specializes in international shipping. Its employees are active not only in Japan, but also at ports and on ships around the world. From October 2021, the company began producing its own internal communication video media as a tool for sharing its management plan with employees around the world. The company had previously been using Microsoft 365 to share videos, but in December 2022 they switched to a platform using Brightcove’s Video Cloud. They were now able to distribute videos that had previously only been shared with a limited number of members in Japan to employees working overseas and those on secondment to other companies.

BRIGHTCOVE ADOPTED AS A PLATFORM FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION VIDEO MEDIA

The Corporate Planning Group is at the heart of the company. In order to ensure that the management plan, which sets the direction of the company, is correctly and effectively communicated to employees, we have been considering various methods of communication. “In the past, the president would hold town hall meetings to explain the financial results and management plan for each division, but if we made the basic content into videos, we could convey the same message to all employees at once. We also thought that we could make past videos available for viewing, and that we could gauge the level of understanding of employees based on information such as viewing history” (Mr. Tamura) In this context, the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection provided the impetus.

We wanted to pay attention to the design so that employees would want to visit the site frequently. Video Cloud has a wide range of galleries for posting videos, and it was good that it was easy to set up, with customization options such as brand colors.

Mr. Kazu Murakami
Corporate Planning Group, General Planning Team
“The coronavirus pandemic began at the end of fiscal 2019, disrupting logistics and making it difficult to forecast business performance. At the same time, lifestyles and work styles changed significantly, and we felt even more strongly that we needed to share information about the world and the external and internal environments surrounding our company, and to disseminate our management plan. However, town hall meetings could no longer be held face-to-face due to the coronavirus. At that time, my boss suggested that we try using videos, and in May 2021, the Corporate Planning Group and the Sustainability, Environmental Management Promotion, IR, and Public Relations Group collaborated to launch a video distribution project” (Murakami). They used an application that was already in use within the company, and in six months they launched the internal video media ‘K’ Line With. “At first, we uploaded videos explaining the quarterly financial results and the progress of management plans. As a place for sharing information within the company, we also distributed videos created by other departments, and the content became more and more substantial. On the other hand, we who were in charge of distribution began to feel that there were issues with the time and effort required to upload videos, adjust the entire site, and make updates. In addition, problems such as slow playback speeds and freezing due to heavy traffic began to occur. Due to security issues, the distribution destination was limited, and it became a bottleneck that we could not deliver to employees who had been transferred to other companies or were working at overseas subsidiaries.

THE APPEAL OF THIS SYSTEM IS THAT IT IS EASY TO CUSTOMIZE WITH A FOCUS ON DESIGN. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO REDUCE THE WORKLOAD BY 50%

They say that they were able to solve these problems by using Video Cloud provided by Brightcove. “From the beginning, we wanted to focus on the design so that employees would want to visit the site frequently, but because we were doing it in-house, we couldn’t get around to it. However, I liked that Video Cloud had a wide range of galleries for posting videos, so we could choose the one that suited our needs. For example, even the play button could be set to our corporate colors by specifying the RGB colors. Of course, we were also able to clear issues such as global distribution and a stable playback environment” (Murakami) “I also liked the fact that the Brightcove sales representative gave us a friendly lecture even before we signed the contract. Functionally, we were able to easily set up detailed publishing settings such as thumbnails, and I think we were able to reduce the amount of work involved in setting up by about 50%. We were also concerned about work becoming too personalized, but with the ease of setting up, even if we were reassigned, it would be easy for our successors to take over,” (Aoki)

IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATION MEDIA USING VIDEOS TO SHARE AWARENESS WITH EMPLOYEES WORKING AT BASES SCATTERED AROUND THE WORLD. SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED COMPLETE IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION BY IMPROVING WORK EFFICIENCY

Time required for distribution settings: 50% reduction
Frequency of distribution by in-house team: At least one video per week

IMMEDIATELY DISTRIBUTE EXPLANATIONS OF FINANCIAL RESULTS TO EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE.

TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF VIDEO DISTRIBUTION WITHIN THE COMPANY.

In January 2023, they started using Video Cloud to distribute videos. Despite the unique circumstances of Kawasaki Kisen, which has many employees working overseas or at sea, they say, “We now have a video medium that helps to foster a sense of unity within the company.” “Most recently, we released a video commentary on our financial results on the same day. We created the video alongside our usual financial results announcement work. Specifically, we examined the scenario, asked a professional narrator to provide the narration, created the PowerPoint presentation, combined the audio and video, and previewed the video. I think it took about two to three days in total. After all, there is a lot of interest on the day of the financial results announcement, so the probability of people watching the video increases, so we are particular about the release date. We have to release it quickly on the day of the financial results announcement. I think the speed we can achieve is because we produce it in-house. “We also post videos from other departments, and upload videos taken on ships sailing around the world. The view from a ship at sea is something that people working on land will never see, so we release a new video every week with the aim of connecting the sea and land. Basically, we ask our employees to film the videos, but we don’t force them to do so. It seems that the company is beginning to recognize the effectiveness of publishing videos of matters that we want to share company-wide.

A TOOL FOR FURTHER DISSEMINATION OF MANAGEMENT PLANS AND FOR SOLVING INTERNAL ISSUES

The internal video media “K” Line With has just started full-scale operations. They are considering various developments for the future.
“We have finally been able to start global distribution, which we have been hoping for. First, we will continue to post project videos that other departments want to share, while also promoting understanding of the management plan by referring to the reactions to the content we are currently developing. In the future, I would like to create an owned media for external audiences that has content that can enhance the company’s value” (Murakami)

Kawasaki Kisen has taken the step of producing its own videos, as well as creating documents as before, as a tool for connecting employees. It seems that the day when a deeper understanding contributes to business performance is not far off.

Customer Contact: https://www.kline.co.jp/ja/index.html

HOW TO SETUP GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4 FOR OTT VIDEO SERVICES

bsp-admin-1 on January 28, 2020

In 2019, Google started sunsetting mobile app reporting using their Google Analytics SDK. This required companies wanting to collect usage data from their OTT mobile apps to switch to Google’s successor service: Google Analytics 4.

Google Analytics 4 is a powerful tool for tracking the OTT video playback events generated by your apps and site. Moreover, it allows you to track how popular the content is on your service at a much deeper level than a simple view count. You’ll also be able to see how many users are watching content in near real-time.

GET STARTED WITH GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4

If you’re in a position to start collecting data from scratch, we recommend using Google’s new Google Analytics 4 property type for OTT data analytics (formerly known as App + Web). This makes it possible to track your website and app traffic in one combined view in Google Analytics. Google provides an excellent step-by-step guide for creating a Google Analytics 4 property on their support site. There are several setup options available, from starting a new site on a Google Analytics 4 property to adding a Google Analytics 4 property to a site that already has Analytics.

DEVELOP FOR OTT VIDEO EVENTS IN GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4

INITIAL SETUP

First, you’ll need to update your OTT apps to include the Firebase SDK, which you can do using Google’s quick start guides. If you’ve already added an app data stream to your Google Analytics 4 property, Analytics creates a linked Firebase project automatically.

VIDEO PLAYBACK EVENTS

Next, you must update your video player to send events to Google Analytics 4 when certain user playback events occur. Make sure to set a user ID so that all video playback events are tied to a specific user. This can either be an anonymous ID (e.g. if your site offers free OTT videos without requiring registration), or it can be a subscriber ID. Don’t use an email address for user ID, as it constitutes PII and is against Google’s Terms of Service. For all video playback events, set an Event Name of “video_playback” and include the following Params in the Event:

Firebase Table 1

Send events to Google Analytics 4 when the following actions occur:

Firebase Table 2

ANDROID SAMPLE CODE

This sample code demonstrates the different kinds of playback events that could be sent from the video player to Google Analytics 4:

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(){

   private lateinit var firebaseAnalytics: FirebaseAnalytics

   override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?){
       super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

       // firebase developer documentation
       // https: //firebase.google.com/docs/reference/android/com/google/firebase/analytics/package-summary

       firebaseAnalytics = FirebaseAnalytics.getInstance(this)

       // set user id
       firebaseAnalytics.setUserId(“test_user_id”)

       / video playback events /

       // video start
       val videoStartBundle = Bundle()
       videoStartBundle.putString(“video_event”,”start”)
       videoStartBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoStartBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoStartBundle.putInt(“video_position”,0)
       videoStartBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoStartBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,0.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoStartBundle)

       // video pause
       val videoPauseBundle = Bundle()
       videoPauseBundle.putString(“video_event”,”pause”)
       videoPauseBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoPauseBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoPauseBundle.putInt(“video_position”,654)
       videoPauseBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoPauseBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,10.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoPauseBundle)

       // video resume
       val videoResumeBundle = Bundle()
       videoResumeBundle.putString(“video_event”,”resume”)
       videoResumeBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoResumeBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoResumeBundle.putInt(“video_position”,654)
       videoResumeBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoResumeBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,10.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoResumeBundle)

       // video rewind
       val videoRewindBundle = Bundle()
       videoRewindBundle.putString(“video_event”,”rewind”)
       videoRewindBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoRewindBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoRewindBundle.putInt(“video_position”,327)
       videoRewindBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoRewindBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,5.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoRewindBundle)

       // video fast-forward
       val videoFastForwardBundle = Bundle()
       videoFastForwardBundle.putString(“video_event”,”fastforward”)
       videoFastForwardBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoFastForwardBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoFastForwardBundle.putInt(“video_position”,4905)
       videoFastForwardBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoFastForwardBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,75.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoFastForwardBundle)

       // video stop
       val videoStopBundle = Bundle()
       videoStopBundle.putString(“video_event”,”stop”)
       videoStopBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoStopBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoStopBundle.putInt(“video_position”,6000)
       videoStopBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoStopBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,91.74)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoStopBundle)

       // video skip
       val videoSkipBundle = Bundle()
       videoSkipBundle.putString(“video_event”,”skip”)
       videoSkipBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoSkipBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoSkipBundle.putInt(“video_position”,6000)
       videoSkipBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoSkipBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,91.74)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoSkipBundle)

       // video progress
       // send progress events at:
       // – first 30 seconds reached
       // – 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% of video completion
       val videoProgressBundle = Bundle()
       videoProgressBundle.putString(“video_event”,”progress”)
       videoProgressBundle.putString(“video_id”,”tt7984734″)
       videoProgressBundle.putString(“video_title”,”The Lighthouse”)
       videoProgressBundle.putInt(“video_position”,654)
       videoProgressBundle.putInt(“video_duration”,6540)
       videoProgressBundle.putDouble(“video_progress”,10.0)
       firebaseAnalytics.logEvent(“video_playback”, videoProgressBundle)

       setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
   }
}

 

DEBUG IN GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4

Google Analytics 4 has a DebugView feature that makes testing very efficient. Once enabled, you will see an event stream delivered in near real-time in the Google Analytics 4 Console. You will also be able to see all custom event parameters and values, which are otherwise not possible to see in the Google Analytics 4 Console. We highly recommend using this feature to confirm that your events are firing at the correct times and with all of the correct values.

Firebase Debugging

EXPORT WITH BIGQUERY

There’s a new paradigm to access your raw data in Google Analytics 4 versus Google Analytics. Google Analytics historically has offered a reporting API, whereas Google Analytics 4 offers a database: Google BigQuery.

There are a number of extra steps that you must follow to enable BigQuery for Google Analytics 4, the first of which is to upgrade to Firebase’s Blaze plan. This is a pay-as-you-go plan with a pleasant bonus: Google offers free usage quotas per month, so depending on the amount of traffic generated by your apps, you may end up paying little or nothing.

We recommend that you enable the link with BigQuery as soon as possible, as the data only starts being delivered from the date that you enable the configuration. Data is not populated in BigQuery retroactively.

Setting up BigQuery has a couple of key benefits:

  • Quick, ad-hoc analysis of your data.
  • Easy access to your raw data.

Certain data (like custom parameters) cannot be viewed in their entirety in the Google Analytics 4 Console, whereas all data is made available in BigQuery. Access to the raw data is essential for advanced users and third-party audience analytics platforms like Brightcove Audience Insights, who rely on a complete dataset.

How do you calculate the ROI of a video distribution platform?

bsp-admin-1 on December 30, 2019

According to the Japan Information System User Association’s “Corporate IT Trend Survey 2019 (FY2018 Survey)”, one of the three major issues with digitization is that it is difficult to determine its effectiveness. However, when introducing a new system, it is often necessary to estimate the ROI (Return on Investment). So, how should the ROI be calculated when introducing a paid video distribution platform?

Q3 2019 GLOBAL VIDEO INDEX: OTT SPORTS CONTENT SCORE

bsp-admin-1 on December 11, 2019

Sports programming has always been seen as the last bastion of broadcasters and pay-TV operators in their running battle with streaming; it was content that could help them maintain their footing as more consumers turned to over-the-top delivery of their movies, news and episodic TV.

But that’s changing as more sports leagues, sports teams and sporting figures have discovered what everyone else knows: If you want to reach a larger audience — and to keep the one you have — you need to go over the top and be available on any device, anywhere and at any time.

And, just as streaming providers and content owners have learned that insights driven by data is crucial to their growth, so too has the sporting world.

OTT sports usage data is a part of Brightcove’s Global Video Index for the first time in Q3 2019. Sports will be a part of future Video Indexes moving forward, as we analyze hundreds of millions of data points for insights into how viewers are watching, what devices they are watching on and what kind of content they’re consuming.

SPORTS AUDIENCES TAKE TO OTT

A recent study from USC’s Annenberg School for Communications found that 78% of self-described “intense sports fans” who would pay for a sports-specific channel, would be willing to pay more for a sports streaming channel.

And, as we found in the Q3 2019 Global Video Index, they watch on every device in — and out — of the home.

More than half (54%) of sports content views begin on smartphones globally, that’s up 49% from a year ago. Connected TVs (CTV), meanwhile, saw a 312% increase in views over-the-top, with the highest completion rates of any device.

Some sports findings:

·   In North America, connected TVs saw sports video views increase 730%, with computers (58%) used most often to view sports content.

·   In Australia/New Zealand, CTV views were up 188%, followed closely by smartphone views (+135%). Smartphone’s share of views was highest at 68%.

·   The Asia-Pacific region saw sports consumed most often on mobile devices (61%) but saw the highest completion rates on computers (61%).

·   In Europe, smartphones ruled, with 71% of sports video views starting there. Y/Y views increased 71% on smartphones and fell 43% on computers.

·   Japan/Korea, meanwhile, saw most sports views on smartphones (56%), with the highest growth in terms of views (+124%) also occurring on smartphones. Completion rates were highest on computers and tablets.

MOBILE REMAINS A ‘GROWTH INDUSTRY’

As 5G begins to deploy globally (Ericsson’s Mobility Report expects 2.6 billion 5G mobile connections by 2025) consumers will gradually see speed increases and use more data than ever before. Ericsson expects consumers to use 24 GB of data a month, compared to 7.2 GB today, with about half being video.

In Q3, we saw mobile’s share of video views increase to 62%, with computers trailing at 38%, a significant increase from a year ago, and even last quarter.

Smartphones saw more than half (52%) of all video views, up from 41% a year ago. It was the first time that video views on smartphones alone had the majority of share. The number of video views increased on every device but computers, showing that the migration of online streaming video from its original “home” was accelerating.

The number of views on smartphones increased in every region, with Y/Y gains from a low of 6% (North America) to a high of 33% (Middle East/Africa).

APAC (77%) and Middle East/Africa (60%) saw the highest percentage of video views on smartphones.

We expect the share of video views on smartphones to continue as consumers, in emerging markets especially, use smartphones as their primary screen.

ALONG THE WAY…

The dominance of iOS continues to wane as more Android phones – especially more affordable models from China — continue to flood emerging markets.

Four markets remain solidly Android-based. Asia-Pacific is at an all-time high of 90% Android share, followed by Middle East/Africa (81%), Latin America (81%) and Europe (72%).

Continuing a trend, long-form video (21-40 mins.) and ultra-long-form video (41+ mins.) continued to see growth on all devices but computers, which slipped slightly.

Smartphones continue to see a large number of long-form (21-40 minutes) and ultra-long-form (41+ minutes) starts, 64% and 55% respectively. But, virtually every content length saw significant growth on all devices.

The Brightcove Global Video Index reflects the anonymized, aggregated, online video metrics of Brightcove customers.

HOW TO RUN A WEBINAR: THE ULTIMATE 101 GUIDE

bsp-admin-1 on December 6, 2019

Webinars can be a powerful video marketing tool for gaining new leads and engaging with your current customers. But setting up your first webinar may seem a little overwhelming. After all, you have to coordinate a lot of moving parts to ensure your live event goes off without a hitch.

Not sure where to begin? Have no fear! We pulled together some tips and tricks on every step you’ll need to take to host a successful webinar — from technical admin to promotion to follow ups.

1. NAIL DOWN THE LOGISTICS

First things first: Define the who, what, when, where and why behind your webinar. In particular, this means figuring out the following:

  • The topic: What type of content will your webinar cover? Will it be associated with any of your current or future marketing campaigns?

  • The speaker(s): Will you be presenting your webinar alone or will you host an interview-style discussion?

  • The date: When will the webinar take place? PRO TIP: Make sure the date works for all involved parties and builds in enough time for you to promote effectively.

  • The platform(s): What platform will you use to collect registrations? How will you host the live event? PRO TIP: Consider tying a third-party registration form to a landing page that your team creates on your own site — instead of using the standard landing page that services like GoToWebinar or Zoom provide. Doing so will enable you to create a unique registration experience that matches your brand style.

2. COORDINATE AS A TEAM

Once you’ve finalized the above, it’s time to get to work! Set up a kickoff meeting with all the parties involved. This likely includes the presenter(s), stakeholder(s) and individuals who will be creating and distributing all of the promotional assets (such as writers, designers, developers and the marketing ops team). During the kickoff, make sure that everyone’s aligned on the topic and timeline. And then work together to define the best promotional strategy and messaging.

PRO TIP: A mix of promotions is best to ensure you’re getting the word out to the largest audience possible. Consider leveraging social posts, email campaigns and blog posts to drive to your registration page. If you’re co-presenting with one of your partner organizations, you have the ability to engage their audience through those channels, as well. Just be sure to coordinate and create separate tracking URLs so you can easily determine which asset drove your audience to register.

3. CREATE AND FINALIZE ALL YOUR MATERIALS

After you’ve locked down your strategy, it’s time to start creating your awesome webinar content. For presenters, this means developing slides and talk tracks — while the rest of the team should get to work on creating all the promotional assets.

PRO TIP: Make sure the final presentation deck aligns with the approved promotional copy. After all, you want to make sure that registrants are getting the information they’re looking for when they attend your webinar.

4. TAKE IT LIVE

The day of the webinar is finally here! Here are a few best practices on how to maximize your time with attendees:

  • Set the scene: Be sure to start by introducing the topic and yourself.

  • Incorporate examples: Don’t just talk at your attendees; incorporate examples from your own experience to add your unique spin.

  • Leave time for questions: Incorporate about 10 minutes for a Q+A session at the end of the webinar. And make sure your email address is on the last slide so that attendees can follow up with you directly.

PRO TIP: Consider polling the audience before you begin your presentation. Ask a question that will help you get a sense of your attendees and their professional background. And then adjust your talk track based on the type of information that would be most valuable to them.

5. FOLLOW UP

After the webinar is over, be sure to send a follow-up email to attendees that thanks them for participating. And import all of your leads into your sales database so that your sales team can begin having one-on-one follow-up conversations.

PRO TIP: Add a link to the recording of the webinar to your follow-up email so that registrants can easily watch it again on their own time.

And that’s it! By following the steps above, you’ll be set for webinar success — ensuring the event runs smoothly and you capture the best possible leads.