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HOW THE ACADEMY AWARDS SECURED FILMS FOR OSCAR® VOTERS

bsp-admin-1 on December 9, 2024

BRIGHTCOVE TECHNOLOGY HELPS PROTECT AN ICONIC CEREMONY

The initiative led by Brightcove to create Forensic Watermarking ensures that the Academy Awards remains a trusted entity with studios and creative professionals. It’s also a significant and innovative step forward in the global battle to lessen the impact of illegal downloading.

THE ACADEMY SCREENING ROOM PLATFORM IS USED BY MORE THAN

10,000 ACADEMY MEMBERS in 102 COUNTRIES

Established in 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s leading organization dedicated to the movie industry. With members representing all facets of film production, the Academy upholds the highest standards of cinematic artistry while inspiring the creative community in the universal language of storytelling. Its pinnacle award presentation, the Academy Awards®, honors outstanding achievement in acting, directing and other areas of motion picture production.

PROTECTION AGAINST PIRACY

The Academy’s international membership uses its streaming platform, Academy Screening Room, to watch movies in consideration for the upcoming award season. With such a wide distribution platform, it’s crucial that the Academy maintain security of its owned content. In addition, it’s important to have a firm defense against piracy, an issue that’s been impacting the film industry and other content providers for years.

FORENSIC WATERMARKING

Working with Akamai, NAGRA, and BuyDRM, Brightcove® led a joint effort to deliver a Forensic Watermarking solution for the Academy Screening Room. With this valuable new feature, the Academy can now control piracy across its platform by auditing content, as well as tracking down stolen content and distribution. Anyone with access to the member streaming portal is prohibited from participating in pirate activity such as screen recording content, recording with other devices, and removing video clips. “It demonstrates how video technologies have evolved to include critical security functionalities that protect against piracy,” said Bev Kite, the Academy’s Chief Information Officer, about Forensic Watermarking. “The Academy can continue to deliver content to our members, while strengthening security measures to maintain confidentiality, and protect artists and intellectual property.”

A POWERFUL COLLABORATION

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BECOME A VIRTUAL EVENT EXPERT

GET THE GUIDE

Brightcove’s partnership with Akamai was key to the creation of this secure solution for the Academy. Akamai’s storage and delivery of the screening content maintained the forensic watermark pattern, forming a unique identity for each user while creating a barrier against piracy. Amit Kasturia, Senior Media Product Manager at Akamai, summed it up this way: “The Academy’s forensic watermarking implementation shows how Brightcove, NAGRA, Akamai, and BuyDRM can form an ecosystem that supports enhanced security across the entire content delivery workflow while maintaining the high quality of experience that viewers expect.”

As a result of our work with Brightcove, NAGRA, Akamai, and BuyDRM, the Academy can continue to deliver content to our members, while strengthening security measures to maintain confidentiality, and protect artists and intellectual property

BEV KITE

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES

Image Credit: ©A.M.P.A.S

NOT JUST THE ACADEMY, THE ENTIRE FILM INDUSTRY

Video technology has now advanced to deliver essential security features that provide a true defense against piracy. For the Academy, as well as the worldwide film industry, this represents real progress in halting the theft and misuse of content that constantly threatens the bottom line. And for the individual creators and contributors to the industry, this technology protects their intellectual property and allows them to work with less worry and concern. From Hollywood productions to internal corporate messaging, the integrity and security of video content is of paramount importance to Brightcove. With support for the most sophisticated, studio-grade content protection, plus advanced security features, Brightcove remains a trusted and reliable solution as it empowers the world’s largest organizations to deliver sensitive video content with security and confidence.

HOW ITALIAONLINE REINVENTED THE PRE-ROLL VIDEO AD

bsp-admin-1 on December 9, 2024

Italiaonline is Italy’s largest internet company, dominating the country’s online publishing arena with brands that use the power of video to excite and engage audiences. Together with Brightcove, Italiaonline has always pushed the potential of its digital properties. And now, through the powerful combination of expertise and imagination, Italiaonline continues to create new possibilities with video.

A NEED TO OPTIMIZE ADVERTISING

As Italiaonline brought more and more advertisers to its video platform, the team wanted to maximize every opportunity to increase revenue and target the right audiences. Specifically, they wanted to improve click-through rates, completion rates, and viewability. Brightcove was up to the challenge and helped Italiaonline design and implement a streamlined and efficient advertising solution that ensured all viewers would see optimized content for their viewing device and bandwidth—with no delays in playback. “We have seen significant improvements both in user engagement and monetization,” said Domenico Pascuzzi, Marketing Director Publishing of Italiaonline. “Our video inventory has very strong KPIs and we are attracting more advertisers.” Building upon that success, Italiaonine has now developed a breakthrough idea that sets a new standard for online video advertising.

INTRODUCING PRE-ROLL PLUS

How do you hold the attention of viewers who might typically skip a pre-roll ad? You give them something more. That’s the idea behind Pre-roll Plus. Italiaonline created this unique combination of pre-roll and display ad units, giving advertisers more of an opportunity to engage the viewer. As the companion banner appears at the same time as the video ad, it strengthens the video message with additional details. What’s more, it ensures visibility and continuity of the brand right to the last second of the preroll. Launched on Virgilio Video, one of Italiaonline’s most popular sites, Pre-roll Plus was used for a major product launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. And, this powerful video innovation has delivered a 33% increase in monthly video views, capturing the attention of viewers who often skip through regular pre-roll. “This makes brands, clients and advertisers very happy,” said Domenico Pascuzzi. “The sales funnel is far more effective, because even if people skip ahead, they still see the message.”

VIDEO DRIVES PUBLISHING’S FUTURE

“Brightcove’ industry-leading technology and insights have been key to the video success of Italiaonline. Brightcove offers a complete and flexible solution for video player, asset management and monetization. The Brightcove platform is critical for delivering the best video, which is crucial for us, being, with iOL Advertising, Italy’s largest digital sales house” says Pascuzzi.”

We have seen significant improvements both in user engagement and monetization; our video inventory has very strong KPIs and we are able to attract more advertisers.

DOMENICO PASCUZZI

MARKETING DIRECTOR, ITALIAONLINE

As Italiaonline sets a high bar for all those in the publishing industry, it counts on video more than ever. Along with the innovation of Pre-roll Plus, the publisher’s video initiatives include editorial playlists and featured selections to aggregate thematic videos, customized lists for users to save videos, overlay links that appear during video streams, plus animated thumbnails and new modes of subscription content.

For an industry like publishing, with rising pressures to remain fresh, relevant and forward-thinking, video is the ideal solution for connecting with today’s audiences.

HOW SEVEN WEST MEDIA (SWM) PUT VIEWERS IN CONTROL

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2024

As one of Australia’s leading integrated media companies, Seven West Media (SWM) offers top quality, story-driven content to millions of consumers across the country. Whether it’s in the form of broadcast programming, magazines, newspapers, or digital media, SWM operates from the standpoint of creating engagement and value from powerful storytelling.

SWM decided to pivot its business strategy and become a total video enterprise, putting consumers in control of the viewing experience. In order to do that successfully, the company identified two major goals: (1) incrementally monetize all of its live stream content, and (2) measure each asset independently. Says Clive Dickens, Chief Digital Officer for SWM: “If we could incrementally monetize and independently measure, then we’d be able to take our total video experience to all devices, better known as TV Everywhere.”

What makes us different is that still today, we’re incrementally monetizing…live streaming with addressable live TV using server side ad insertion technology, and also independently measuring it…

CLIVE DICKENS

CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, SEVEN WEST MEDIA

Seven West Media launched its TV Everywhere strategy with Australia’s first-ever, 24/7 live stream television operation, giving viewers live access to big events like the Wimbledon Championships. From there, SWM built a network using the power of Brightcove technology, most notably its transcoding and encoding features, ensuring its consumers can access content anytime, anywhere. The company implemented Brightcove’s server side ad insertion (SSAI) solution to mitigate ad blockers, optimize ad delivery, and boost monetization. Further maximizing the advantages of the Brightcove platform, SWM then launched its own OTT streaming service, 7plus, blending the excitement of live stream content with catch-up programming via on-demand video, allowing consumers to decide how and when they want to enjoy SWM media. With the Brightcove platform, SWM was able to quickly power the service and send to market, all in a cost-effective, efficient manner.  Within twelve weeks following the launch, the service had already recorded nearly three million unique visitors per month.

Standout events fueled a year of stunning growth for SWM in 2018. The Summer of 7Tennis campaign reached 50% of the Australian population through its duration, as 3.3 million viewers tuned in simultaneously at the peak of the Australian Open men’s final. The Winter Olympics reached even more Australians, with 16 million viewers tuning in throughout the event, logging  27.4 million social video views. Finally, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games racked up a total of 189 million live streaming minutes at final count. Throughout the year, their service handled these extreme traffic loads without viewability issues, thanks to the robust capabilities of the Brightcove platform.

HOW JOURNAL MEDIA EXTENDED ITS REACH WITH MOBILE AND OTT

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2024

VIDEO VIEWS SURPASS GOAL IN SIX MONTHS WITH HIGH TRAFFIC AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

If you’re one of the 3.2 million farmers in the United States, chances are you’ve heard of Farm Journal Media (FJM), one of the oldest agricultural publications in the country. What started as a print magazine 140 years ago has now evolved into a full-blown multimedia company focusing on the intricacies of the commercial farming industry.

FJM’s evolution is apparent in its collection of media properties, including 11 business publications, eight broadcast programs, 26 websites, two e-newsletters, and an OTT network, Farm Journal On Air, which is available via web and mobile app. Its programs are broadcast to 100 or so local network affiliates, and they’re also available on digital cable and satellite channel, RFD-TV. Considering FJM’s audience reach, high-quality content, and impressive viewership of nearly two million people weekly, the company is arguably the agricultural industry’s leader in media publishing.

In order to stay number one, FJM knows it has to continue evolving and providing viewers quality content in whatever mode they prefer. “It’s important we go where the customers are,” says Clinton Griffiths, Editorial Director of FJM’s Broadcast Division. And as evidenced by FJM’s track record, they’ve been doing just that. A perfect example is the company’s transition from a single print magazine to an industry premier website, AgWeb, and syndicated broadcast program, AgDay, which is also available on a variety of platforms, including Farm Journal On Air, RFD-TV, and the AgDay website.

“The AgWeb site has now grown into a powerhouse of the industry,” says Griffiths. “It gets more than half the traffic from people looking for agriculture news, markets and other related information. It’s just a behemoth out there in the business.”

We’re looking to roll out our OTT channel to services like Apple TV and Roku…to deliver to bigger screens and living room television sets.

CLINTON GRIFFITHS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF FJM’S BROADCAST DIVISIONWATCHIT

Giving customers what they want has always been the driving force behind FJM’s business model. That’s why the company teamed up with Brightcove to further expand its digital footprint. In just about seven months, Brightcove successfully supported FJM in building and launching its OTT and mobile initiatives, driving incredible engagement across all digital properties, and discovering new ad revenue opportunities to help fund future video endeavors.

FARM JOURNAL MEDIA PARTNERS WITH BRIGHTCOVE TO SUPERCHARGE ITS VIDEO CONTENT

During the company’s transition to digital, FJM first delivered video through a content delivery network, but during that time, the team recognized several challenges that were preventing FJM from optimizing its assets. For one, the network’s player, based in Flash, forced content to load far too slowly. Two, the platform lacked a smart tagging system and a flexible player. This made it nearly impossible to play video seamlessly within different browsers or mobile devices, and it erased any chance of enabling interactive content. And three, the entire platform was behind the times; it couldn’t provide FJM the tools it needed to stay on top of the latest technology trends. That’s when the FJM team began looking for the industry standard platform, and discovered Brightcove.

Brightcove’s player has proved to be the ultimate asset for FJM. Its optimized, lightweight technology allows for fast load and play times, which is incredibly helpful for consumers living in areas of limited connectivity. Since FJM’s target demographic is located mostly in rural areas, consumers’ access to high-speed internet is spotty at best. That’s why the Brightcove player helps FJM deliver high-quality video content to any location, regardless of bandwidth.

The player also supports smart tagging, making it easy to distribute video seamlessly, no matter what browser or platform people are using.

“You can put up one video, and it is delivered to multiple players,” says Griffiths. “That’s as opposed to setting up and managing each player individually.”

And because of its impressive workflow efficiency, Brightcove’s platform has truly transformed the way Griffiths and his digital team think about producing and distributing content. Rather than managing separate players and playlists, they’re now able to focus solely on managing the videos themselves, which makes a big difference as far as efficiency is concerned.

OPTIMIZING CONTENT HELPS DRIVE AD REVENUE FOR FARM JOURNAL MEDIA

Since partnering with Brightcove, FJM has been able to take advantage of the platform’s many benefits to drive an increase in ad inventory.

The team is segmenting video content into short, strategically packaged pieces—a helpful practice that drives more traffic to multiple distribution points. Griffiths explains:

“We discovered shorter, more compact clips are far better solutions for digital audiences. Now that we’re doing smart tagging, we’re shortening our clips and being more specific. We’re writing new stories around everything and driving traffic to individual pieces of video, as opposed to the entire show every day.”

FJM now is able to repurpose one piece of video into individual segments and deliver them separately throughout the company’s multiple digital properties and platforms. Therefore, FJM doesn’t have to create more video content; instead, it can distribute many versions of the same video, resulting in more viewing opportunities and a highly efficient work process. In fact, within the first six months of using the Brightcove platform, FJM hit its max data limit for video views, indicating incredibly high traffic and audience engagement. From August 2016 to August of 2017, digital video and audio plays have risen nearly 140 percent.

As FJM’s video assets continue to grow and its viewership increases, its sales team has begun seeking opportunities for additional revenue to support the company’s video initiatives. Griffiths says the team is collaborating with sales staff to develop an impactful approach to pre-, mid-, and post-roll opportunities proving to advertisers just how valuable FJM’s digital content is.

BOOST IN MOBILE USE ALLOWS FJM TO MAKE THE ARGUMENT FOR OTT VIDEO

While broadband connectivity poses a challenge to most of FJM’s rural viewers, it’s actually helped expand FJM’s mobile viewership. With more people investing in mobile technology, including increased data plans and 4G speeds, the company’s ability to reach on-the-go audiences has skyrocketed.

“It makes sense that people are going to get the content where they can actually stream it,” says Griffiths. “It looks like our viewers use their phones for that because oftentimes the connection is actually faster than the internet connection they have at home.”

And with such an attentive mobile audience, FJM is now aiming to attract even more users to its OTT channel, Farm Journal On Air. The channel’s recently revamped mobile app, built with the help of Brightcove’s OTT Flow, will be a huge asset in extending the reach to mobile consumers and at-home audiences. FJM expects their mobile app will be especially appealing to those who have chosen satellite TV or have “cut the cord” in favor of other video services for direct-to-consumer viewing.

“We’re looking to roll out our OTT channel to services like Apple TV and Roku,” says Griffiths. “We eventually want to deliver to bigger screens and living room television sets.”

HOW YOUNG HOLLYWOOD DELIVERS 150M MONTHLY VIDEO VIEWS

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2024

BRIGHTCOVE’S CONTEXT AWARE ENCODING REDUCES STORAGE AND BANDWIDTH WHILE IMPROVING VIEWER EXPERIENCE

As one of the leading producers and distributors of celebrity-driven digital media, Young Hollywood has solidified itself as the go-to entertainment source among millennial and Generation Z audiences. The company’s collection of nearly 5,000 hours of exclusive programming, reaches more than 150 million viewers each month in over 130 countries across the globe.

Since Young Hollywood’s debut in 2007, its entire digital video ecosystem has been supported by Brightcove technology, particularly its video platform and accompanying APIs. The publisher streams its content using the Brightcove player, and syndicates its video to partners via MRSS feed. Young Hollywood also relies on Brightcove analytics to review video performance data at a granular level, tracking how it has expanded its reach and increased engagement with audiences all across the globe.

In December 2017, Young Hollywood implemented two additional Brightcove Video Cloud features — Dynamic Delivery and Context Aware Encoding (CAE). These two features have enabled Young Hollywood to make more efficient use of bandwidth while saving costs on storage and video operations. Most importantly, these Brightcove technologies have helped Young Hollywood maintain an exceptional end user experience for its massive viewership. During the company’s first few weeks of use, its namesake brand, Young Hollywood, saw a 20% savings in storage and a 17% savings in bandwidth, while its OTT channel, Young Hollywood TV, realized a 23% savings in storage and a 35% savings in bandwidth.

YOUNG HOLLYWOOD BUILDS ROBUST DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Young Hollywood boasts ten different media brands, including Young Hollywood, Younger Hollywood, Beyond the Athlete, Food Feed, The Code Word, The FanGirl Life, Inside the Look, Ampd Up, The Social Stream, and an OTT channel, Young Hollywood TV. Video content across the company’s entire media portfolio is original, produced in-house, and entirely void of libelous gossip, which, according to CEO R.J. Williams, makes videos highly shareable, resulting in increased views and audience engagement. While some celebrity-driven content is sensationalized hearsay, Young Hollywood focuses its efforts on producing only positive stories. Celebrities like Lady Gaga often share the publisher’s content to their own distribution channels and web pages, since it’s the type of press they actually want fans to see. By positioning itself as a trusted, respectful media source and building strong relationships with celebrity talent, Young Hollywood has successfully created a robust distribution network with incredible visibility.

Through Brightcove, we know exactly how many people watched a video and for how long they watched it—to a T.

R.J. WILLIAMS

CEO

“It’s content that celebrity talent is really proud of, which helps us in a big way because it gets them to actually share it,” says Williams. “It’s happening more now with social media. On a daily basis, talent is tweeting about us, putting us in their Instagram story, and putting us on their Facebook fan pages,” says Williams.

And because of the company’s distinctly curated brands, each targeting specific age groups and demographics per vertical, Young Hollywood ensures consumer retention, or “stickiness,” with its audience. Williams explains:

“We’ve expanded the verticals, and our expectation is that our audience is going to transition from Younger Hollywood to Young Hollywood, and then maybe to Beyond the Athlete or Inside the Look. People will be able to transition from one brand to the next depending on what their interests are and where they go in the future.”

YOUNG HOLLYWOOD SYNDICATES VIDEO CONTENT WITH BRIGHTCOVE APIS

Young Hollywood also syndicates video to distribution partners through an MRSS feed using Brightcove’s CMS API. Currently, Young Hollywood syndicates OTT video content to a handful of platforms such as Vewd (formerly Opera TV) and Xumo TV. Barry Cohen, post production supervisor for Young Hollywood, explains the specifics:

“We set up a custom secured feed allowing us to create specific delivery targets that are both private and secure. So if we need to deliver to somebody who’s in Argentina, for example, we can set up a feed that’s specifically for them, and it’s secured, private, and controlled. They can get the delivery assets they need. At the same time, we control whether they turn it on or off.”

By syndicating video content and providing viewers access beyond their owned and operated properties, Young Hollywood is driving brand expansion, visibility, and increased viewership.

“We’ve had it [the syndication feed] in place for a few months now, and we’ve had great success with it,” says David Bell, system operations director for Young Hollywood. “It’s opened up an opportunity for another distribution channel for our product…And it could open up different geographic areas to us in the future.”

BRAND-TARGETED AD INVENTORY HELPS INCREASE CPM

Young Hollywood leverages its own collection of niche media brands and respective audiences to boost overall value of ad inventory. The company manages individual private marketplaces (PMPs) per brand and demographic; it also partners with different advertisers specific to each brand. Because of this, Young Hollywood is able to create customized ad inventory ensuring advertising partners’ content performs well among consumers.

“We look closely at the advertising brands and who they’re trying to reach,” says Williams. “Then we put them on the platform where they’ll reach the audience that makes the most sense for them.”

As the publisher continues to add more editorial content, therefore broadening reach and viewership, Young Hollywood’s PMPs attract premium advertisers competing for the highest quality ad inventory. Combining the company’s highly attentive consumers and valuable collection of ad space, Young Hollywood manages to increase its CPM price tag.

BRIGHTCOVE ANALYTICS DRIVE AD REVENUE SUCCESS

Brightcove’s integrated analytics play an important role in the success of Young Hollywood’s ad monetization strategy. Analytics not only provide data critical to determining video best practices; they also offer the company’s production staff a consolidated collection of performance data across third-party sites and platforms. With Brightcove’s analytics tools, Young Hollywood saves both time and money, eliminating the need to subscribe to additional third-party analytics services. Hence, the company is able to track extremely detailed engagement metrics across all of their brands and various distribution points. “Through Brightcove, we know exactly how many people watched a video and for how long they watched it—to a T,” says Williams. “We have accurate analytics that are actually better than those we’d receive from Nielsen or comScore, which both rely on a panel of users as opposed to specific viewers. It’s a good predictor of success for our programming and what remains in the general interest.”

YOUNG HOLLYWOOD REDUCES BANDWIDTH USE, FORECASTS FUTURE SAVINGS

For Young Hollywood, with its incredible distribution network and extensive viewership, delivering top-quality content in the most efficient way possible is a top priority. The company enabled Brightcove’s Dynamic Delivery and Context Aware Encoding features to accelerate internal cost savings while improving playback quality.

Dynamic Delivery allows users to distribute media more rapidly by processing different quality levels of media formats in real time. Files are packaged in the correct format for each device requesting content at the time of the request, removing the need to pre-create and store multiple combinations of bitrates, streaming formats and DRM . Context Aware Encoding uses machine learning to optimize encoding settings on a per-video and delivery context basis. The technology is proven to reduce storage and bandwidth costs associated with video delivery, all without compromising visual quality.

Young Hollywood initially configured the technologies for two of its brands—Young Hollywood and Young Hollywood TV. In the early innings of using CAE the brands have seen reductions of up to 35% in bandwidth and 23% in storage. Says Williams, “Based on historical viewing patterns of content across Young Hollywood and Young Hollywood TV, these innovations at the platform level are allowing us to forecast a much more efficient use of bandwidth that won’t compromise the end user viewing experience.”

HOW WATCH IT! ENGAGED 400 MILLION PEOPLE

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2024

400 MILLION AND COUNTING

As the world’s largest Arabic streaming network, WATCH iT! offers premium video-on-demand and live streaming to 400 million people across the Arab world.

6 million downloads of the WATCH iT! app

5.2 million paid subscription accounts registered with WATCH iT!

650,000 hours of current and reformatted content on the WATCH iT! platform

90% of subscribers visited the WATCH iT! site each day during Ramadan

Want to reach an audience of 400 million people? Then keep an eye on WATCH iT!. As the world’s largest Arabic streaming service, its blend of legacy programs, sports and original content are designed to engage more than 400 million people of Arab descent across the globe. But more than just an OTT (over-the-top) viewing experience, WATCH iT! is deeply committed to honoring Egyptian culture while providing opportunities for Arab content providers. With the innovations and technology of Brightcove at its side, WATCH iT! will see its purpose and potential achieve new heights.

OLD STORIES, NEW AUDIENCES

One of the key drivers defining the mission of WATCH iT! is its commitment to bring back original Egyptian dramas, TV shows and movies from the 1960s and beyond. More than just entertainment, these shows and movies have great cultural value, enabling WATCH iT! to play a major role in educating Egypt’s next generation. “There’s great interest in this content,” said Moustapha Behkeet, VP and Managing Director WATCH iT!. “We’ve had lots of international stars emerge from Egypt, Nobel prize winners, and so much other history represented in this older material. When you restore the quality of the audio and the video, and then digitize it, the next generation is eager to enjoy it.” This legacy content provides a perfect balance to the contemporary programming of WATCH iT!, which includes original dramas and action content, top-rated tv shows and movies, blockbuster series, live- streamed concerts, documentaries, Egyptian Premiere football matches, and much more. Powered by Brightcove, it’s viewed across all devices in full HD quality, and Behkeet believes this will continue to position WATCH iT! as the “biggest Arabic streaming service, offering the biggest library of all times.”

VIDEO, A CREATIVE FORCE

We count on Brightcove to always give us the edge in technology, the edge in security, and the edge in distribution while remaining economical and efficient.

MOUSTAPHA BEHKEET

VP AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, WATCHIT

“We believe in the power of creativity we have here in Egypt,” said Moustapha Behkeet. “As we find the right forum for creators from the Arab region, and help them monetize that content, we’ll be on solid ground.” From the very beginning, WATCH iT! has been focused on supporting its local creative and production industry, which had been severely impacted by digital piracy. With its subscription-based platform, it will establish a precedent for the way that content is viewed and paid for in the Arab region. The key to making that happen is security–protecting the content they acquire, and the content they produce. This is where Brightcove plays a significant role. “There’s a huge effort being done by Brightcove engineers–and more to come–for content protection,” said Behkeet. “We are always looking at staying a step ahead of illegal distribution, and Brightcove is a main part of that.” With this relentless focus on content protection, digital rights management and more, WATCH iT! can provide vital support to Egyptian content providers while continuing to fuel its expansion to a growing worldwide audience.

KEEP WATCHING WATCH IT!

WATCH iT! is meeting the future head-on with a bold growth plan focused on acquiring more content, creating more original content, and increasing distribution. This includes new scripted series, additional international content, and reaching audiences with innovative approaches such as being available on leading game consoles. With the technology and expertise of Brightcove helping it achieve untold potential, WATCH iT! can stay firmly rooted with its Egyptian heritage as it competes at a world-class level in delivering content for 400 million across the Arab world.

HOW ROGERS MEDIA LEADS CANADA’S MEDIA MARKET

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2024

FREE, TARGETED CONTENT DELIVERED ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS BOOSTS VIEWERSHIP AND REVENUE

For over a century, technology advances have driven changes in user behavior, forcing publishers and broadcasters to evolve their businesses. This trend has accelerated in the past few years as streaming services, social video and other alternatives to traditional media outlets have surged in popularity. To stay relevant—and profitable—in this new environment, conventional broadcasters are continuously looking for new models to grow and monetize their audiences.

One company that is successfully evolving is Rogers Media, a leading Canadian media company. Under the Rogers Media umbrella are over one hundred brands delivering news, sports, and lifestyle entertainment to over 13 million digital visitors. Known for its long history of innovation, Rogers Media is putting digital video at the center of its new business model.

FREE, HIGHLY-TAILORED VIDEO PROGRAMMING DRIVES AUDIENCE GROWTH

Rogers Media content includes a wide variety of national, local, and regional current season programs addressing topics ranging from politics to health to arts, as well as US-acquired primetime shows. The company also owns rights to air professional and amateur sporting events, showcasing teams Canadians care about most. Through this type of focused programming, Rogers Media ensures there’s something for everyone.

One of the main differentiators for Rogers Media’s local City™ brand is offering primetime shows for free. “We’re the only major broadcast channel that puts in-season shows out for free,” says Kasra Zokaei, Director of Digital Product Development at Rogers. “Our content is ad-supported, whereas most other platforms are subscription-based and feature only past season content. Our viewers aren’t limited to past season catch-up.”

There’s a very important connection between sports fans who follow multiple sports at different times of the day, and the availability of various content—video, traditional stories, scores, data—all on digital devices.

DALE FALLON

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AT ROGERS

The instant gratification of up-to-date programming for those who don’t have a cable subscription is helping Rogers Media attract new viewers. This is supported by the company’s decision to not require authentication to access Rogers Media’s videos, which allows viewers to catch up on current season shows with zero hassle. This convenience has helped make City a major destination for primetime shows in Canada.

VIDEO VIA APPS DRAW MOBILE-SAVVY AUDIENCES

Rogers Media’s live and custom programming is accessible through multiple digital platforms—desktop, mobile, tablet and connected devices. As part of its strategy to reach audiences everywhere, Rogers Media pairs brand channels with a free app, allowing viewers to consume video content on-demand while on the go. This way, Rogers Media maintains their current viewership and gains new audiences. “We’ve been a pioneer in terms of our hybrid approach. In addition to making some content available at no charge to consumers and without authentication, we also offer a special tier of subscription access to our linear channels,” says Zokaei. “As our linear audience is very tech-savvy and quick to adopt our digital products, there’s a lot of uptake on mobile, so we really strive to give them the best mobile experience when it comes to consuming video.”

SPORTSNET REIGNS: MULTI-PLATFORM STRATEGY DRIVES REVENUE AND AUDIENCE GROWTH

Sportsnet is a prime example of Rogers’ success delivering content on a variety of platforms and through multiple business models. As the country’s number one sports brand, Sportsnet® delivers 24×7 access to regional and national coverage, in-depth analysis, and live events for a variety of professional leagues, including NHL, MLB, NBA, Curling and WWE—perfect for the all-around sports fan. Viewers can access this content free with advertising on the Sportsnet website or the Sportsnet app. In addition, Rogers Media also offers fans a subscription-based OTT product—Sportsnet NOW—for those who want live streaming of six Sportsnet linear channels, anytime, anywhere on a variety of different devices. The first mainstream sports TV channel in North America to be offered directly to consumers, Sportsnet NOW is available on desktop, through the Sportsnet App on mobile devices, Apple TV, and other connected TV platforms including Xbox.

“The Sportsnet mobile app is key to our success; it is heavily focused on distributing video. Our demographic is very mobile savvy, so we extend the brand to all major mobile devices,” says Dale Fallon, Director of Digital Product Management.

The Sportsnet App has helped Sportsnet grow a substantial audience and has become a revenue driver within the Rogers Media sports portfolio. Available on iOS and Android, the Sportsnet app won top prize for Best Mobile Utilities at the nextMEDIA Digi Awards and Best Apple Watch app at the Apple Best of Awards. The app has become a fan favorite, and is a regular fixture in the top downloaded sports mobile apps.

“There’s a very important connection between sports fans who follow multiple sports at different times of the day, and the availability of various content—video, traditional stories, scores, data—all on digital devices,” Fallon explains. “With our portfolio of products, we have all bases covered.”

BRIGHTCOVE PLATFORM PROVIDES EASY TRANSITION TO DIGITAL VIDEO SUCCESS

Rogers Media’s aim is simple: distribute video wherever people are consuming it. Using Brightcove’s technology, Rogers Media is able deliver on that goal.

Fallon explains: “In general, we’ve found Brightcove’s product plans and roadmaps align nicely with our needs, whether it’s SSAI, Brightcove Social, mobile SDKs, or integration with different ad servers. Brightcove is really a partner to us. There is a strong fit between the needs of our business and what Brightcove recognizes as trends in the media industry and priorities for media companies.”

Zokaei praises Brightcove’s Video Cloud solution for its high-functioning adaptability and superior technology.

“Brightcove has the fastest player on the market, and that’s very important for our audiences who want fast, uninterrupted viewing. We also have a lot of flexibility in how we customize and modify our players based on our brands. Each of our brands has its own unique needs, so customization is key.”

Overall, the collaboration between Rogers Media and Brightcove has delivered strong results. In expanding localized video content to digital platforms, Rogers Media has found a way to reframe its value potential for advertisers.

INNOVATION CONTINUES FOR ROGERS MEDIA

With Brightcove handling the heavy lifting on the technical side, Rogers Media is able to focus its efforts on finding innovative ways to expand. The company hopes to incorporate new discoverability methods to introduce viewers to alternative content. It’s also exploring digital live-feed capabilities for those who want to consume content in real time.

To increase monetization opportunities, Rogers Media plans to use Brightcove’s SSAI tools, which mitigate the impact of ad blockers and deliver an improved TV-like viewing experience across multiple platforms. The company has implemented Brightcove Social for its major brands, allowing streamlined publishing and aggregated performance data across both social networks and owned and operated sites.

In the end, Rogers Media doesn’t want to just grow as a company. It wants to continue building brands that offer relevant, reliable content to its audience where they want it. Zokaei explains: “We want to make it easy for our audience to get to the content they care about by bringing that content to the platforms they want to consume it on.”

“We are leveraging our content to turn viewers into local superfans. We want to win our viewers’ time so they’ll continue watching our channels, using our digital products, and interacting with our brands,” concludes Fallon.

HOW JUKIN MEDIA GENERATED BIG REVENUES WITH UGC

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40,000 LICENSED VIDEO ASSETS GENERATE BILLIONS OF VIEWS, MILLIONS IN REVENUE

Jukin Media predicts user-generated video is the future of storytelling, and they are leading the way by licensing videos that capture authentic, spur-of-the-moment stories. If you’ve seen a funny, inspirational, entertaining, or newsworthy video that’s gone viral, chances are it is one of Jukin Media’s 40,000 video assets.

Over the past six years the company has become the go-to source for advertising agencies, digital publishers, and TV producers looking for original video stories that resonate with consumers. “We provide high-quality, hand-selected videos that transcend geography and language,” states Mike Skogmo, Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “There are videos we licensed five years ago that are still being used by partners, and they’re still generating revenue for the people who filmed them. That’s the power of really compelling video; it’s universal and timeless.”

In addition to its licensing revenue, the company monetizes its video assets through branded social video properties on YouTube and Facebook and original programming for television and OTT channels. Jukin Media’s brands currently have 55+ million fans and record more than 1.5 billion video views per month. The company’s original TV programs air in 200 markets around the world.

AUTHENTIC, “CAUGHT ON CAMERA” USER-GENERATED VIDEOS ARE THE FUTURE OF STORYTELLING

Jukin credits advances in technology with the burgeoning availability of compelling user-generated video. “Ten years ago the cost of creating original video footage or broadcasting live was prohibitive for the average person,” notes Skogmo. “Today, everyone has a personal television studio in their pocket. Anyone can capture beautiful HD 4K footage with their cell phone and upload it to social media sites with a touch of a button. As a result, the amount of video people are generating has gone through the roof. This has opened the door for our business and enabled us to grow exponentially.”

Brightcove is the video player for our online business-to-business ecommerce platform.

MIKE SKOGMO

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Although it receives thousands of user-generated video submissions each week, Jukin Media relies on its internal research staff to identify the bulk of the videos they license. They scour the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week to identify videos with the right content to go viral.

“Our focus is video that captures compelling, everyday life moments,” explains Skogmo. “Ninety-nine percent of our videos are filmed by amateurs—not professional videographers, not entertainers, not people trying to make a career on YouTube. The videos are organic life moments from everyday people who happened to catch something remarkable on video.” To date, Jukin has paid over $10 million in royalties for user-generated videos.

BRIGHTCOVE POWERS JUKIN MEDIA’S EXPANSION

Jukin Media hosts its library of 40,000 videos on the Brightcove Video Cloud platform. “Brightcove is the video player for our online business-to-business ecommerce platform,” declares Skogmo. “We needed a reliable and flexible platform to support the volume of videos we host and the large number of people who view them on a daily basis. We integrated the Brightcove player with our back-end system and website, and that’s been great from our perspective.”

Before transitioning to Brightcove, Jukin Media tried other video players to solve the challenge of reliability. “Our business depends on people being able to watch videos when they want to watch them, on whatever device they choose. We can’t afford to have any issues with the video playback,” explains Skogmo. “We needed a reliable solution that would ensure our videos loaded quickly and displayed well. And that is why Brightcove is so important to our business. It just works as it’s intended to work.”

Brightcove’s search and preview functionality are also critical. “If you’re a TV producer and you need to fill 50 clips for a show, you don’t want to look through hundreds of irrelevant clips to find the 50 that meet your needs,” explains Skogmo. “The videos need to load, present well, and play quickly. Brightcove’s video preview feature is a huge time saver for our clients. The convenience to search and preview is extremely important to our customers.”

“Our website plays a critical role in our expanding business,” concludes Skogmo. “With Brightcove, our website delivers the reliability and performance our business demands.”

ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, TELEVISION, AND OTT CHANNELS DRIVES NEW REVENUE

Jukin is breaking fresh ground and establishing new revenue opportunities by using its diverse video assets as the foundation for branded YouTube channels and original productions for television and OTT channels.

The company’s dedicated YouTube channels, which focus on specific verticals, have attracted large and engaged fan bases. The largest of its collection is the “FailArmy” channel, a global comedy brand that blends blooper videos with graphics and on-air hosts. “FailArmy” has 25+ million global fans and garners more than 500 million views a month. Similarly, Jukin’s “The Pet Collective” channel has 6 million fans between YouTube and Facebook combined, and it receives more than 200 million views a month. Another channel—“People are Awesome”—features videos of ordinary people doing unusual and extraordinary things. It has attracted 12 million fans and draws three hundred million views per month.

Jukin has created additional monetization opportunities for its videos by producing its own original television shows. One of the shows, based on the “FailArmy” brand, airs in 200 markets around the world. The show is in its fifth season and has aired 80 episodes to date, with an additional 20 episodes currently in production. The company also develops original shows for OTT and streaming platforms, including Verizon’s mobile video service, go90, and Comcast’s Watchable.

“We’re finding new creative ways to package our video assets,” explains Skogmo. “Jukin is the only licensing company that produces our own TV shows. We use only videos from the Jukin library in our shows, and we pay users a license fee if we feature their video in one of our shows.”

USER-GENERATED CONTENT OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES

“As online video continues to grow and become a bigger part of people’s lives, you’ll see that our brands also grow right along with people’s consumption habits from traditional to digital media,” states Skogmo.

User-generated content is creating a new age of entertainment, and Jukin Media sees its next big opportunities coming from international expansion. Jukin expects an increase in UGC coming from international markets, a result of device proliferation combined with better, more accessible global internet access. Advertisers in new markets will be able to seamlessly play back authentic, organic content that resonates more with a digital audience. “Our content is so visual that it works just as well in non-English speaking countries as it does here in the states,” concludes Skogmo.

HOW SAS USED VIDEO TO SHOW THEIR PRODUCTS’ IMPACT

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Since its inception in 1976, SAS has understood that in order to convey the value and power of its analytics software, the company’s marketing needed to be as innovative as the software it engineered. Recognizing the unique ability of video to make SAS software tangible, senior managers embraced it early. Today, video permeates the business. Internally and externally, video is an essential tool to inform, educate, and persuade prospects and customers, and to bring the value of SAS software into sharp focus.

BACKGROUND

“Software is an intangible product,” explains Bill Marriott, Sr. Director of Video Communications and New Media for SAS, “but the benefits are very real. Video dramatizes how advanced data management and analysis impact people’s lives.”

Based in Cary, North Carolina, SAS is the global leader in analytics. Its innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services are helping customers at more than 80,000 sites around the world make better decisions, and make them faster.

The company uses video to communicate with a range of audiences, from prospects and customers to employees and analysts. In the beginning, video was primarily a tool for customer training. But SAS quickly realized the potential of video to elevate marketing and sales campaigns. Last year alone, the 40-person in-house video production group produced more than 1,200 videos ranging in length from 10 seconds to an hour. Video is now a ubiquitous component of SAS’ business operations.

SAS TYPICALLY CREATES THREE CATEGORIES OF VIDEOS FOR A SOFTWARE SOLUTION

The value of our software comes from the great things customers do with it. Video’s value is in helping us tell their stories.

BILL MARRIOTT

SR. DIRECTOR OF VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS AND NEW MEDIA, SAS

Overview video – a short video describing what the software enables customers to do and why it is different than other software.
Reference videos – stories illustrating how customers are successfully using SAS software and the results they are achieving.
Demos – videos that show the software in action.

“The exciting thing about video is that it is not just evolving technologically, but the content is moving forward as well,” states Marriott.

For example, video is bridging geographic distances by enabling sales teams to bring the CEO into key sales encounters. In pivotal situations, a customized message from the CEO assures the prospect their business matters at the highest level. Such videos have helped SAS close deals around the world.

Recently, SAS Middle East had a significant sale on the line and wanted to include a personal message from the CEO in their sales presentation. Although the request arrived in Cary over the weekend, the team jumped into action: they wrote the script on Monday, shot the video on Tuesday, and delivered it to the Middle East sales office on the same day. SAS won the sale. “The video registered with the customer,” explains Marriott. “They were impressed our CEO wanted his voice heard.”

USING VIDEO TO COMMUNICATE THE BRAND

SAS is expanding its use of video to support the company’s brand, building awareness of the company, its culture and its values. “When viewers develop an emotional attachment to our company and our brand, they want to do business with us,” says Marriott.

How do you create an emotional attachment to data and analytics? One recent video documents how data analysis supported relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in Nepal. The powerful and visually compelling story describes how the International Organization for Migration (IOM) used SAS® to identify, source, and distribute much needed resources to 45,000 families living in 200 tent camps.

Racing against time to build shelters ahead of the monsoon season, IOM needed to locate unprecedented quantities of sheet metal. Using SAS analytics, IOM not only determined how much sheet metal they needed, but also which countries produced it, had quantities on hand, and could deliver it quickly.

“The Nepal example shows where video is going for SAS. The value of our software comes from the great things customers do with it,” states Marriott. “Video’s value is in helping us tell their stories.”

ANTICIPATING PROSPECTS’ BEHAVIOR

Marriott notes that today, all content is going to the web. “On any given day, people at different stages of the buy cycle are visiting our website – people of all ages, in different industries. We don’t know what path they’ll take, so we need video at every point in the cycle to encourage them to engage.”

Marriott adds that video is rapidly becoming more immersive. People want to access it everywhere, on their own terms. “As producers, we need to craft a wide variety of video assets and anticipate where they will be consumed and by whom,” states Marriott.

That is a key reason SAS moved to the Brightcove Video Cloud platform. Brightcove helps SAS deploy video through the cloud, when and where it is most convenient, via the preferred device for its audience. And it is also enabling SAS to keep abreast of emerging technology. “With Brightcove, we can focus on developing high-value, meaningful content. We upload one high-quality encode. Brightcove figures out all the devices it has to play on and the encoding algorithms for each. Brightcove is looking to the future with us, giving us the confidence that we’ll be well positioned as new technology evolves.”