In Video Addict Vol.6 [Part 1] (https://www.brightcove.com/ja/resources/blog/video-addict-vol6-rtv-1), Mr. Susawa of rtv Inc. (hereafter rtv) talked about his passion for local sports and regional development. In this second part, he will talk about rtv’s business.
## Turning point was working with TV stations
**Brightcove (BC) Tsuchiya** I think you have carried out live streaming at many different sites, but in growing to this point, have there been any failures, difficulties, or turning points?
**rtv Suzawa** I can’t think of any failures (laughs)
**BC Tsuchiya** That’s amazing (laughs)
**rtv Mr. Suzawa** We haven’t had any experience of the video distribution itself going down, but there have been times in the past when the web server itself has gone down due to increased access.
We weren’t doing any advertising, so there wasn’t any major damage. However, we were a little naive about it, so we’ve taken measures such as using AWS EC2 to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future. As an administrator of a video service, this may be a fundamental thing, but since it was also a small-scale start-up business, we focused on cost performance and carefully balanced things out, and as a result, we had more traffic than we expected.
The most difficult thing was that we just recently carried out a live eSports broadcast. We needed to use YouTube to broadcast at 1080/60fps (1920 x 1080 pixels, 60 frames per second), but we rarely use 60P when broadcasting local sports, so we were worried about whether it would work properly until the actual broadcast. In the end, we were able to broadcast without any problems, but it took a lot of time to select and test the equipment. However, I think this will increase in the future, so it was a good initiative.
**BC Tsuchiya** Game distribution platforms such as OPENREC.tv and Twitch support 60fps, but there aren’t many of them yet. I think there are also many sports broadcasts with high bitrates, but are there any particular difficulties unique to sports broadcasts?
**Mr. Suzawa** After conducting various tests, we decided to stream at around 3Mbps at 1280 x 720. We use inexpensive cameras rather than broadcast equipment, so the original image quality isn’t that great, but we stream at a slightly higher bitrate to make it as good as possible.
One turning point was our work with Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (ytv) on the “Asu Reet Channel”. The budgets and quality standards of broadcasters are on a different level to ours, and we were focusing on activities that broadcasters wouldn’t normally do, so we didn’t imagine that we would be working with ytv. However, this led to us being approached by other broadcasters and even newspapers, and it became a chance for us to collaborate, so it was a major turning point for us that led to growth.
## Our aim is to revitalize local sports and promote regional development
**BC Tsuchiya**rtv’s office was newly established within ytv (the office was newly established in the ytv new building headquarters in August 2019). How do you plan to grow your business?
**rtv Suzawa**rtv’s new office within ytv may have caused various speculations to fly around in other media, including Kansai TV stations (laughs). On the other hand, we are also looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction we get. When ytv approached us, we were also keen to see how far we could collaborate with a TV station, and we were excited at the prospect of taking on the TV station’s way of doing things head-on. I think we have been able to make good use of the benefits of both sides in our collaboration. Also, since we don’t have any group or large capital relationships, we are working in a neutral way (lol).
What we are aiming for is to revitalize local sports and promote regional development. As we approach various sports organizations in the future, the fact that we are working with a TV station will be a major brand strength. We want to promote the ‘high quality’, ‘cost performance’ and ‘content development consulting’ that we originally had.
## We want to invigorate the live streaming industry from a local perspective
**rtv Mr. Suzawa** In terms of new business, we are looking into setting up an education business. We are trying to create a community where students interested in topics such as sports, live broadcasting, article production and marketing can share knowledge and experience. We can’t give too many details yet, but we are consulting with sports organizations, universities and TV stations as we move forward.
**BC Mr. Tsuchiya** What is the purpose of this business?
**rtv Mr. Suzawa** The aim is to promote the idea that there are things we can do ourselves, rather than relying on outside companies for everything when it comes to video distribution. Also, there is a shortage of human resources in the Kansai area, so the aim is to educate people and share information.
**BC Mr. Tsuchiya** With video SNS like YouTube becoming more and more popular, don’t you think there is actually an increase in human resources?
**rtv Mr. Suzawa** There are a lot of people who watch YouTube, but there are only a handful of people who are actually active as YouTubers, and there are no schools for it either. I also think that a little technique is needed for the way of expression from the perspective of “communication”. There are not many companies that have video marketing staff in their public relations departments, not just sports organizations, so I think there is a need for it. I would like to produce more excellent human resources from Kansai by creating a community where people can not only be educated, but also consult with each other.
**BC Tsuchiya**: Although there are now far fewer geographical restrictions on internet distribution, you still need to experience things like troubleshooting on site to learn. It’s certainly good that through your company, people can experience everything from creating images to distribution at live events. If initiatives like the ones you’ve talked about spread throughout Japan, then regardless of location, good content will be able to be seen not only in Japan but also around the world.
**rtv Mr. Suzawa** That’s right. There is also the idea that the basic principle of internet media is that you can’t get to it unless you search for it. We think that if we make internet media that is divided up into smaller segments according to people’s interests and concerns, in the same way as local and cable TV stations, then we will be able to attract users from around the world who are highly interested and enthusiastic about the subject. This is also an advantage of the internet, and it also gives us a different perspective on advertising value. While expressing these things, we would like to make the live distribution industry more exciting from a local perspective.
From the perspective of ‘video’, I am continually amazed by the initiatives and ideas of rtv’s Mr. Suzawa, who supports the revitalization of the local community as well as local sports. I think that the company’s initiatives will continue to increase the number of fans of content that is not currently in the spotlight.
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__After the interview__
__BC Tsuchiya__
This time, we were able to interview Mr. Susawa, the president of rtv, at the company’s newly established office. We have been working with Brightcove since 2014, when we received an inquiry from Mr. Susawa, and our main purpose is to provide live streaming services. Although we share the same goal of video distribution, this interview was a little different from our usual Video Addict interviews, as we were interviewing someone who not only manages the day-to-day operations of the company, but also manages the company itself. Through the interview, I felt the strength of the company, which is moving forward with its business with a carefree attitude, despite the roles and responsibilities that it must be feeling in society on a daily basis.
