HOW THE HOPE CHANNEL BROADENED THEIR GLOBAL COMMUNITY

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

Hope Channel is a global Christian television network broadcasting shows that promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle. The official television network of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Hope Channel began in 2003 with just one channel; as of March 2016, the network has 44.

ONLINE VIDEO ALLOWS HOPE CHANNEL TO CONNECT WITH GLOBAL AUDIENCES

Hope Channel credits its strong global presence to its strategic addition of affiliate channels that cater to specific regions. “Our growth has been phenomenal in terms of the number of affiliates we have added and their global reach,” states Fylvia Fowler Kline, Director of Marketing. “We are in 30 countries, and still growing. With each new affiliate, we reach new audiences with whom to share the message of our faith.” Online video helps Hope Channel make its content more widely available to its global audience.

Hope Channel is unique in that affiliates around the world create the majority of the content that drives the network. Programs reflect local cultures and are broadcast in regional languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Mandarin, Russian, Tamil, Hindi, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, and Telugu. There is also a channel for the deaf.

As Hope Channel adds new global affiliates, distribution of local content becomes more complex. Satellite and terrestrial broadcast mediums limit viewers’ access and create barriers to growing global audiences by requiring multiple protocol support. Hope Channel’s flagship channel in the United States is on DirecTV. Some affiliates are available only on satellite, and some only through the internet. So, in 2011 Hope Channel began using online video to make it easier for people in all corners of the world to access, view, and share content.

AN ONLINE VIDEO PLATFORM SIMPLIFIES DISTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO CONTENT

Video is the cornerstone of our new website. Our goal is to seamlessly integrate video into the web experience, making our content more discoverable and more watchable.

FYLVIA FOWLER KLINE

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, HOPE CHANNEL

Hope Channel began by offering all episodes of its flagship shows as video on demand (VOD) on its corporate website. Later this year, Hope Channel will launch a major upgrade to its web infrastructure and expand availability of VOD content to all regional programming. “Video is the cornerstone of our new website,” explains Kline. “Our goal is to seamlessly integrate video into the web experience, making our content more discoverable and more watchable.”

Hope Channel is using the Brightcove Video Cloud as its standard online platform to power its live broadcasts and VOD. “Our new web platform will have built-in integration with Brightcove,” states Justin Woods, Manager of Web Services for Hope Channel. “Our online video is vital because many of our viewers cannot access our signal via satellite or terrestrial broadcast. We provide a 24/7 simulcast of all our affiliate channels via the web. Now, anything on air also will have a VOD asset that people can go to directly,” adds Kline.

By integrating the experiences of live linear and video on demand, Hope Channel is making its content easier to find and easier to watch, driving people to consume more video and learn ways to change their life for the better. “In the past twelve months, we’ve had 3.6 million video views, and 96.7 million viewed minutes,” continues Woods. “The VOD library will help grow our audience by making it easier for viewers to share videos.”

EXPANDING ACCESS TO CONTENT IN A MULTI-SCREEN WORLD

With one third of its views of over-the-top content (OTT) on mobile devices, it is essential for Hope Channel to integrate video on multiple devices — in addition to desktop and laptop computers — so people around the world can access the content on any device they have.

Currently, Hope Channel’s content is available on Roku; but later this year, it will also be available on Apple TV, a new app for IOS, Samsung Smart TVs, and Android devices. “Adding devices helps Hope Channel reach more viewers, enabling people to watch our programs the way they want to watch,” states Woods. “Brightcove supports a range of platforms and devices, so our viewers can watch high-quality content anywhere, on practically any device, regardless of where the content was created.”

UNITING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY WITH REGIONAL CONTENT

Hope Channel manages the distribution of content through its corporate website; however, the content is created locally. “It’s important that the content itself is regional because the majority of people view the content within the context of their language and culture,” adds Kline.

In addition to ensuring a consistent user experience, the Brightcove platform enables Hope Channel to have a consistent look and feel for locally created content. Hope Channel is in the process of creating branded templates and a style guide for all the affiliates in the network. The corporate office also offers production workshops that safeguard production quality and create a branded feel among all 44 channels.

Hope Channel is working with Brightcove to make it easy for affiliates to implement the new platform. “Having all affiliates on the same platform will provide an incredibly streamlined process,” says Kline. “By just plugging into the platform, uploading videos, our affiliates will be able to seamlessly distribute content through our website. This will continue to be vital to our audience growth.”

A SINGLE PLATFORM WITH EXTENSIVE CAPABILITIES

Before selecting Brightcove, Hope Channel conducted an exhaustive review of all major online video platforms (OVPs). “Brightcove was the only way to go,” states Woods. “The Brightcove API was by far the most robust and usable. Its vast scale means that our videos are served reliably and quickly to the largest global audience. And the extensive Brightcove ecosystem helps us quickly and easily incorporate specialized capabilities from Brightcove partners, such as closed captioning for our non-hearing members.”

Woods adds, “Another huge benefit of Brightcove is the automatic transcoding of every video we upload to a standard multi-bitrate rendition set, which means we can guarantee consistent playback across all devices, for all videos. This is a huge time-saving for us, not having to manually manage a dozen renditions for every video, or perform the transcoding on our own hardware.”

Online video is helping Hope Channel increase its global presence by expanding access to content focused on faith, health, relationships and community. Video makes content easier to find, easier to view, and easier to share. It is content that can change a life.

HOW ACORN TV INCREASED SUBSCRIBERS 400% IN TWO YEARS

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

HIGH QUALITY NICHE CONTENT AND DIGITAL STREAMING MAKE A WINNING COMBINATION

Launched in 2011, Acorn TV offers high quality, carefully curated British mysteries and dramas to discerning viewers. As one of the first subscription streaming services targeting distinct, premium audiences, Acorn TV streams exclusive content series such as Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Foyle’s War, Doc Martin, and Midsomer Murders.

BACKGROUND

Known for specializing in the best of British television, Acorn Media Group has been distributing British mystery and drama television content to U.S. audiences for over 20 years through a wide range of media platforms, including broadcast, DVD/Blu-ray, and digital streaming. Through its SVOD service, Acorn TV, viewers can access almost 3,000 hours of programming, representing over 150 franchises. The streaming channel is one of three niche subscription video channels owned by RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), a global entertainment content distribution company.

Acorn TV exceeded its target for new digital subscription customers, and is on pace to double revenue from its over-the-top TV (OTT) business by the end of the year. “People subscribe to Acorn TV because we offer specific content they are passionate about; and we can deliver it quickly on a myriad of devices,” states Titus Bicknell, Chief Digital Officer and EVP, Operations, RLJ Entertainment, Acorn TV’s parent company. “With OTT, you no longer have to be a big broadcaster to distribute content.”

In March 2016, Acorn TV revealed it had reached over 250,000 paid subscribers, a 100% increase in year-over-year subscribers. The niche streaming service, which Acorn TV had launched as an accompaniment to its traditional TV broadcasting, is now replacing broadcasting.

STREAMING CONTENT TRANSFORMS EXISTING AUDIENCES AND BRINGS IN NEW DEMOGRAPHICS

The speed, functionality, scalability of the video platform are critical to delivering the quality experience customers demand in an OTT service.

TITUS BICKNELL

CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER AND EVP, OPERATIONS, RLJ ENTERTAINMENT

“Over the years, viewers have come to Acorn TV because they are looking for specific content that only we offer,” states Bicknell. “There is a real emphasis on finding the content in its earliest possible U.S. window, and because we are that window, they come to us and they stay.”

The emphasis on accessing content more quickly is driving some of Acorn TV’s established audience, which fits an older demographic, to transition from traditional broadcast distribution to a digital streaming subscription. However, the major growth in Acorn TV’s audience is coming from a completely new segment, 18-25 year olds. “Our availability across a number of devices and platforms is enormously appealing to this younger demographic,” notes Bicknell. “This is a segment that literally views things differently; they have never had cable. In many cases, they may not even own a TV. Yet they are almost always watching multiple screens at the same time; it could be mobile device, a tablet, or a game console. The perception of the TV as a focal point in their lives is changing dramatically.”

The ability to stream to a variety of devices is enabling Acorn TV to attract this new demographic in significant numbers. As Bicknell observes, “This is the real frontier for digital streaming — not just changing the viewing habits of existing long-term customers, but establishing new viewing habits with new audiences.” To do this, Acorn TV delivers its digital content on Apple TV, iDevices, Roku devices, Samsung Smart TVs, and fixed and mobile web. “We’re in the business of reducing the friction between the desire for our content and the reality of delivering it in as many different ways as possible,” adds Bicknell. Making content available on multiple devices makes it possible for a wide range of audiences to embrace Acorn TV’s unique programming.

BUILDING A FLEXIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE

“One of the challenges of being in a niche market is that it’s very hard to determine the size of your addressable audience,” notes Bicknell. But, Acorn TV recognized the business potential of streaming digital content directly to viewers and developed an infrastructure that could grow to support hundreds of millions of video playbacks. “Digital has gone from niche to the most pervasive technology on the planet,” states Bicknell. “That has meant having to refresh the tech stack constantly.”

The initial challenge was managing the expense of new digital delivery technology until the business could support it. Acorn TV developed a technology strategy that allowed for flexibility, agility, and rapid implementation. “There has been a huge evolution in digital technology,” explains Bicknell. “That’s both the challenge and opportunity in the digital world. It’s very mutable.”

Acorn TV selected Brightcove as its online video platform (OVP) because its technology is scalable and reliable. “In my experience, the player is key,” states Bicknell. “The speed, functionality, scalability and flexibility of the player — and the video platform behind it — are critical to delivering the quality experience customers demand in an OTT service.” The Brightcove platform enables Acorn TV to easily and quickly add new devices to support the evolving preferences of its customers, which makes it possible for audiences to embrace Acorn TV’s offerings on an expanding number of devices, including Smart TVs, mobile devices, tablets, Fire TV, and Fire TV stick. The company is currently working on a Fire TV native app.

“At the end of the day, if you cannot deliver content to audiences on a complex and varied set of platforms, reliably and on a consistent basis, you don’t have a business. Brightcove has always been the most reliable provider of that core video service,” reports Bicknell.

OTT OPENS THE DOOR FOR MORE NICHE CHANNELS

Acorn TV and RLJ Entertainment see room for expansion in the niche content market. “With OTT, more people can create and distribute content. We’re seeing more channels pop up and attract audiences with very specific types of content,” continues Bicknell.

RLJ Entertainment currently utilizes the Brightcove platform to power two additional niche channels, UMC — Urban Movie Channel, showcasing quality urban content — and Acacia TV, a healthy-living/ lifestyle brand. The company also has rich content libraries that present the potential for additional stand-alone channels. As an added benefit, Bicknell notes the cost of OTT delivery is less expensive than producing DVDs or Blu-rays. As Acorn TV scales with OTT, margins improve and Acorn TV can invest in more content.

“There is great scalability in the platform and technology we built, and we believe there are more audiences for our niche content,” concludes Bicknell.

HOW UKTV GREW THEIR AUDIENCE AND REVENUE

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

PREMIUM LONG-FORM VOD DELIVERS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANSION

Turn on the TV in the U.K. and you have a bewildering array of over 300 channels to choose from, many of which are available free-to-air. These include national, regional and local channels, and their +1 and HD variants. An interesting difference between the U.K. and the U.S. market is the large proportion of TV that is available without the need for any cable subscription, which has helped drive innovation in the pay TV market as providers such as Sky and BT have had to develop products that are worth the money.

BACKGROUND

UKTV, jointly owned by BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks, has a unique approach to the TV market, with channels available from both free and pay TV providers. It runs 10 channels — including favorites Dave, Drama and Gold — half of which are free-to-air, while the rest require a subscription. It’s this mix of income from advertising and subscriptions that has proven such a success, fuelling both growth in viewership and a 20% increase in profit in the last two years.

In a clear evolution from its position as a traditional broadcaster, UKTV has been developing its suite of video on-demand products under the UKTV Play brand, and two years after its launch, both audience numbers and income are rising at an impressive rate.

In mid-2014, UKTV’s VOD apps and services were all brought together under the UKTV Play brand, with the channels presented as a brand “family.” This coincided with a new approach to the TV’s on-screen promotions for the channels, with greater use of cross-network on-screen ads, again, with a brand family feel. “We were aware that UKTV Play was a brand extension of a relatively unknown network brand, UKTV. The first step was to inform our TV viewers that they were watching a channel from the UKTV family,” explains Oliver Davies, Head of Digital Products at UKTV. “Everyone knows and loves our channel brands, but we had to build the association with the network, and by doing so UKTV Play started to make more sense to the consumer.” With UKTV Play established as the entry point to multi-channel content, users began to discover content from the other channels, which in turn increased engagement, advertising revenue, and awareness of the TV channels.

DIVERSE CONTENT AND CHANNELS DRIVE VIEWERS TO UKTV PLAY

Brightcove makes VOD as easy and convenient as possible and takes care of lots of the complicated bits of the chain so we can concentrate on making beautiful products.

OLIVER DAVIES

HEAD OF DIGITAL PRODUCTS, UKTV

The range of programs available is very diverse on UKTV Play. A portion is supplied by the BBC, including well-loved entertainment shows like “Top Gear,” “QI” and “Mock the Week,” and quality dramas such as “Spooks” and “Silent Witness.” A range of U.S. studio content is available on catch-up such as “Suits,” “Parks and Recreation” and “The Last Man on Earth.” Perhaps the most exciting strand of content is the brand-defining UKTV Originals, available exclusively on UKTV Play. These include “Hoff the Record” starring David Hasselhoff, and a reboot of the sci-fi cult “Red Dwarf.”

“We currently have about 300 program brands in circulation,” says Davies. “At any one time, we have 1,000 to 1,500 episodes available to our viewers, whose demographic is broadly in line with our broadcast channel viewers.”

UKTV Play has achieved a 26% increase in views year-over-year, and is aiming for an increase of 50% by the end of 2016. “We measure our success on a range of metrics including the number of views, brand awareness, and application downloads,” says Davies. “This year we already are tracking above our targets.”

DRIVING GROWTH IN VIEWS AND AD REVENUES: A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH

Providing great programming and a quality user experience is the first step in creating a successful VOD channel. The second step, according to Davies, is providing an ad viewing experience on demand that is consistent with viewers’ experiences on broadcast. “We don’t offer subscription VOD, so ad revenue is critical. People expect fewer ads online compared to TV, so the opportunity for us to maximize revenue on VOD advertising is limited. We aim for the same experience on demand as on TV: a maximum of three ads per pre-break, and no more than four minutes per mid-break.”

UKTV has successfully developed viewer loyalty through consistent viewer experience and treatment of ad placements across all of its channels, whether VOD or broadcast. As the number of VOD viewers continues to increase, so does ad revenue.

A third element in driving viewership is adding platforms and devices. Retention varies by device type, and devices have different usage patterns based on time and day of week. However, adding new platforms expands the network’s reach. “Each new platform attracts a unique user base and doesn’t cannibalize the installed user base anywhere else,” says Davies. Faced with a lack of standardization for viewing on different devices, Davies narrowed UKTV’s focus to a specific list of devices, betting on platforms of the future, and specifically those tactically important for VOD consumption. PC, iOS, Android and YouView were first; longer term strategic platforms such as Freeview Play and Amazon Fire TV have followed closely behind. “Choosing whether to develop for a platform is complicated. What about games consoles, smart TVs or aggregation services for example? We follow consumer and industry trends very carefully and try to figure out what will grow in dominance before committing.”

KEEPING AHEAD OF THE CURVE WITH A LONG-TIME VALUED PARTNER

UKTV has been partnering with Brightcove for more than 10 years. What started with short-form videos on UKTV’s channel websites has grown into a key, strategic partnership for Davies’ small, 12-person team, enabling them to develop products and services across many platforms. “Without Brightcove, I’d need quite a few more developers to sort out all the technical problems, which is expensive.” Davies’ in-house team covers design, production and ongoing evolution of the apps and services, but relies on Brightcove for the mechanics of VOD delivery.

For example, UKTV uses a Freewheel plug-in to facilitate ad break display for each program. Without Brightcove, Davies notes that this functionality would have to be custom built and, crucially, maintained.

Davies relies on Brightcove so the team does not have to develop or manage all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle themselves. “Brightcove services have grown, bringing new functionality online such as Brightcove Once for server-side ad insertion, new DRM, stronger encryption, cloud encoding, dynamic ingest, and enhanced admin console capabilities. Brightcove makes VOD as easy and convenient as possible and takes care of lots of the complicated bits of the chain so we can concentrate on making beautiful products. Without Brightcove, the world would be a more difficult, technically challenging place for us. Video is a fast moving market, and Brightcove helps us to keep up with the changes.”

HOW MONGOL TV INTRODUCED MONGOLIA’S FIRST OTT SERVICE

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

BRIGHTCOVE’S OTT FLOW BRINGS ORI TV TO OVER 3 MILLION MONGOLIAN CONSUMERS

For Bat-Erdene Gankhuyag, television is the family business. That’s because he and his wife, Nomi, co-founded Mongol TV in 2009, which has since grown to become Mongolia’s leading private television broadcasting company. The network offers free-to-air programming that includes both localized, company-produced content and licensed international content from the United States, Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. In the case of Mongol TV’s localized programming, the company buys the rights to popular shows and then recreates them for the Mongolian market. Shows like Shark Tank, The Voice, and Mongolia’s Got Talent are huge draws for the network. So it’s no surprise Mongol TV reaches about 200K households on average and holds about 25 percent of the country’s broadcast television market.

SHRINKING AD REVENUE & INTERNATIONAL REACH DRIVE MONGOL TV'S EXPANSION

Up until recently, Mongol TV only offered free programming to consumers, so the company relied on advertising revenue for continued growth. However, Gankhuyag began noticing an ominous trend happening among local advertisers: they seemed to all be moving from broadcast television to digital media platforms, leaving free-to-air networks like Mongol TV at risk for demonetization.

“The only source of revenue we had was advertising,” Gankhuyag says. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen many advertisers go onto the social media networks. In Mongolia, the revenue for free-to-air TV is getting smaller and smaller. So we had to look into another way to monetize our content besides advertising.”

Additionally, Gankhuyag wanted to expand Mongol TV’s reach beyond Mongolia’s borders, because while three million citizens live within the country, hundreds of thousands live internationally and continue to access Mongolian media, predominantly on mobile devices.

In Mongolia, like many other countries, we’re finding mobile devices are becoming the most important entertainment platform, giving viewers independence and personalized content.

BAT-ERDENE GANKHUYAG
CO-FOUNDER

To mitigate the risk of decreasing advertising revenue and, at the same time, provide audiences with web and mobile-friendly content, Gankhuyag had to find a solution.

ORI TV Becomes Mongolia’s First-Ever OTT Service

Gankhuyag decided that adding an OTT service to Mongol TV’s existing business model would be the best bet to meet both monetization and consumer reach challenges. Together with the company’s in-house technology team, Gankhuyag designed the channel’s overall concept to include a wide variety of current and past season programming totaling more than 2,000 hours of streaming video accessible across every device: web, mobile, mobile app, Chromecast, and Apple TV. More importantly, it would be monetized exclusively through subscription-based fees. Using Brightcove’s OTT Flow product, the team was able to launch its OTT channel, ORI TV, in a matter of eight weeks, making Mongol TV the first broadcaster in the country to offer an over-the-top video service.

BRIGHTCOVE'S TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS HELP BRING OTT TO MONGOL TV

In the initial planning stages for the ORI TV, Gankhuyag knew he needed a video partner capable of providing three essential services: (1) a fully-equipped in-house team of engineers ready to build an OTT service from scratch, (2) an easy-to-manage platform for technology novices, and (3) the ability to deliver an OTT product quickly to global viewers, particularly on mobile devices. “I’m not a tech guy,” Gankhuyag admits, so being able to delegate all the technical responsibilities of an entire OTT build-out was of top priority.And with Mongolia’s growing population of mobile media consumers, Gankhuyag had to ensure a quick and seamless delivery of Mongol TV content to this particularly attentive audience. He explains: “In Mongolia, like many other countries, we’re finding mobile devices are becoming the most important entertainment platform, giving viewers independence and personalized content.” So being able to give these consumers on-demand, customized video in the form of an easily accessible OTT product was the ideal solution. Realizing Brightcove could deliver on all three of these requirements, Gankhuyag knew he had to bring the company onboard.

ORI TV DRAWS 5K SUBSCRIBERS IN JUST FIVE MONTHS, PUTTING MONGOL TV ON TOP

Within the first five months of ORI TV’s launch, Mongol TV has already seen tremendous success, drawing over 5,000 subscribers to the platform. The OTT service has also given Mongol TV even more opportunity to increase viewership and engagement across national and international borders, since ORI TV is so accessible on all devices.

“Fifty percent of our subscribers come from abroad—they’re not physically located in Mongolia. They’re Mongolian people who live abroad,” says Gankhuyag. “These people tend to use more mobile than people accessing service from within the country. This audience uses mostly laptops and computers.”

And with ORI TV being the first-ever OTT service offered in Mongolia, it’s revolutionized the country’s media landscape, and it’s made Mongol TV a name synonymous with innovation and modernization. Says Gankhuyag, “Mongolia is a country with four very big telecom operators. They’re very big companies with big revenues, and they’re quite dominant in the market. Compared to them, we [Mongol TV] had a very small revenue. But with the help of ORI TV, we are the talk of the town. Now, a couple of those companies are trying to make their own OTT platform. Everybody said a small station like ours couldn’t have an OTT platform, and we’re happy to have proved them wrong. Now, we are the most successful OTT platform in the country.” The success of ORI TV has been so incredible, in fact, it’s given Mongol TV respect among fellow content creators. Producers often come forward to pitch Gankhuyag a number of possible project collaborations.

As ORI TV’s subscribers continue to grow, Mongol TV has refocused its social media strategy as well. No longer does the company post full-length video content to its Facebook and YouTube accounts; instead, Mongol TV uses its social platforms to market new ORI TV content when it becomes available. Followers receive alerts via social media, where they can click through to the ORI TV landing page and subscribe.

PLANS TO DOUBLE SUBSCRIBERS IN NEAR FUTURE

For the remainder of 2018, Mongol TV plans to double ORI TV’s current subscribers to 10,000, and to do this, Gankhuyag has his sights set on three main improvements. The first is to adjust the service’s billing and payment options for Mongolian viewers. Since the country’s central bank doesn’t allow recurring payments on personal credit cards, subscribers have to use a foreign currency account to enroll. Gankhuyag plans to implement more purchase options through Google Play and iTunes in order to avoid the hassle of credit card billing and make the enrollment process much more efficient. Second, he plans to study viewers’ behavior through surveys, social media feedback, and analytics and learn what ORI TV subscribers want to watch. That way he’ll be able to anticipate their needs and deliver relevant content. And third, Gankhuyag is focusing on creating a new and improved marketing strategy to promote ORI TV and its content to more consumers. “If we get the combination of all three of these right, then we’re hoping to double our subscriber numbers,” he says.

HOW STUFF MOVED BEYOND TRADITIONAL JOURNALISM

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

THE NEED

Stuff needed a trusted partner to create a brand new video platform offering storytelling across multiple genres and audiences.

THE ANSWER

Brightcove video, with its 24/7 reliability, technical expertise, industry reputation, and OTT solution, made this happen quickly, easily, and with no added development costs

THE RESULTS

3 MILLION+ views per month

27 genres

78 channels

Thousands of videos featuring news, entertainment, lifestyle documentaries, music, sports, business, and much more

As the way we consume news and information changes, publishers must also adapt to connect with audiences in new ways. Reaching beyond its traditional journalism platform, Stuff has created created a bold new streaming service called Play Stuff. Powered by Brightcove®, this experience delivers local and international video content across news, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle programming, with material originating from Reuters, Press Association, Nine, ABC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Bravo New Zealand, Al Jazeera, Sky Vision, Rugby Pass, NZ On Screen, and many more.

PUBLISHERS INNOVATE WITH VIDEO

Like many in the publishing industry, Stuff set out to increase its video footprint, deliver more storytelling with video, and meet the demands for new OTT (over the top) experiences. This gave rise to Play Stuff, which features a mix of short- and long-form programming focused on news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and documentaries. Play Stuff quickly became New Zealand’s new home for entertaining, informative, and compelling video. “The idea was to create a rounded product that goes beyond the traditional news space and into the world of entertainment and beyond,” said Paddy Buckley, Head of Video Products and Strategy at Stuff. “Play Stuff represents a huge opportunity for us to rethink the way we tell our stories and look at new opportunities with video.”

27 GENRES...78 CHANNELS...THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF VIDEOS

Being able to lean on an organisation like Brightcove was essential for us. They have a robustness in their systems that we need. And we need to ensure that there is a high level of responsiveness to any problems that we encounter. We really need to trust our partner being able to deliver 24/7.

CAROL HIRSCHFELD

HEAD OF VIDEO/AUDIO AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS, STUFF

Music? Māori? How about health or history? Maybe a documentary, short film, or home improvement channel. With so many genres and channels, Play Stuff doesn’t leave anyone or anything out of the mix. It’s made possible by a powerful and comprehensive OTT experience powered by Accedo. This joint solution enables Play Stuff to rapidly deploy high quality live and on-demand video across platforms with no added development costs. “Video is becoming more prolific with recent stats suggesting it will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022,” said Chris McNair, Regional Director, Australia and New Zealand, Accedo. “Consumers are increasingly choosing to watch videos for information and entertainment. With this service, Stuff is tapping into that trend and delivering its content in a new and engaging way that will appeal to a larger audience.”

SERIOUSLY RELIABLE

With such a strong legacy in journalism and a mission focused on maintaining a vibrant, diverse functioning democracy in New Zealand, the addition of Play Stuff was a decision that was not taken lightly. The trust of the audience and the integrity of the organization must not face any risk. That led to the choice of Brightcove video. “When we offer new video programming for the first time to our audience, we need to know that it is going to be utterly reliable,” said Carol Hirschfeld, Head of Video/Audio and Content Partnerships at Stuff. “We must continue to build that trust which we have shown through the editorial side and show that we can do it at a technical level. And that’s really one of the key reasons why we chose Brightcove to be our partner.”

HOW SPH USES VISUAL STORYTELLING IN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

INTERACTIVE VIDEO INCREASES VIEWING TIME BY 50%

The leading media organization in Asia, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) delivers editorial storytelling content across a vast portfolio of media platforms, including newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital. Its digital properties encompass more than 25 news, financial and lifestyle websites and more than 50 mobile apps, each reaching a very targeted demographic. Together, these properties serve an audience of 23 million unique viewers and command 360 million page views per month. It’s an established and highly engaged base, one that views SPH’s media segments as trusted, reliable sources for content.

SPH provides its advertising clients with access to affluent, brand-conscious and upwardly mobile individuals between the ages of 25 and 49. Fortune 500 companies and regional brand advertisers leverage SPH’s websites and services to target a highly coveted audience engaging with them on sites and mobile apps they trust, alongside editorial content they value.

VIDEO EXPANDS THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

“Advertisers value us as a trusted source for information and as strong storytellers,” says Serene Goh, Head of SPH Content Lab. “We create unique digital brand campaigns designed to engage audiences and generate returns for advertisers.”

“Video adds a dimension to our storytelling, and makes us a more complete, well-rounded media solution—it goes beyond just suggesting a client buy banners on this site, or print ads, or radio spots. It’s one more way we help our clients reach their customers, shape effective stories and amplify their messages.”

Brightcove allows us to do more with video.

SERENE GOH

HEAD OF SPH CONTENT LAB

As SPH became more invested in video, the company sought to upgrade its technology platform—to a solution that offered flexibility and a robust set of APIs. They chose Brightcove as a key technology partner, hosting all editorial and advertising video content on Brightcove Video Cloud.

“Brightcove is our video technology partner,” explains Eric Tan, Manager, Business and Product Innovation. “We transitioned to Brightcove because we needed a very strong technology partner with a mature platform that can reach all our websites and publications.”

To capitalize on SPH’s expertise in delivering trusted content, the company assigned a specialist team to focus on branded content solutions for the digital space, BrandInsider, within its Content Lab. BrandInsider conceives, produces and distributes approximately 50 digital-led campaigns—including video components—for its advertising clients each year, helping them create and cultivate their distinct voices across digital media.

Content Lab’s strength was in offering expertise in matching the right media to the right story. “Video helps us in visual storytelling. When you talk about share of mind, it really enhances the stickiness of a story,” Goh says. “As media owners, SPH distributes a client’s message to a greater diversity of audiences to better meet their business objectives with a comprehensive, targeted campaign.”

“Brightcove allows us to do more with video,” she says. “It enables us to be more creative with how we approach different customers and their needs. We particularly like the ability to innovate. Integrating new technologies, such as interactivity, into our videos, offers progressive clients a novel element.”

INNOVATING WITH INTERACTIVE VIDEO TO DEFINE A BRAND

The Courts campaign, targeting local shoppers, ran for four weeks and delivered higher-than-anticipated engagement. Although a longstanding print advertiser in the SPH news publications, the furniture retailer was still relatively new to the digital marketing space.

To better reach a digital audience, it wanted to engage viewers more deeply, and use the occasion of the 10th anniversary celebration of its megastore to solidify its reputation as an innovative brand. To achieve this aim, the BrandInsider team collaborated with Courts to design a story that would play out using interactive video elements. Its story revolved around a couple trying to find solutions for redecorating their home, using the interactivity functionality from Brightcove partner HapYak.

Unfolding over six minutes, the story was paused at three points to offer a branching option so viewers could select what would happen next. The effect was to help the Courts campaign stand out to Singapore audiences. The video received twice as many views as a previous, similar award-winning video from a different customer, as well as higher play-through rates.

The integrated strategy used Brightcove’s strong analytics capabilities to track traffic to the stores, conversion, how many people followed the campaign through the full four weeks, and whether customers were driven to the store from the mobile app or from Courts’ website. “The breaks and branching options allowed the one video to have an episodic feel,” says Goh. Plus, its interactive elements were essential to positioning Courts as an innovator, willing to try something fresh.

The interactive video generated a more captive audience by increasing viewing time by 50% compared to non-interactive videos. The technique is something SPH intends to roll out with other clients, across sectors, as a key component of its integrated media solutions, positioning it where it might be most effective to entertain, or deepen audience engagement.

“Each time we run a video campaign or add a video element, we learn more about how customers respond to the client’s brand,” says Goh. “Interactivity is one more tool we can use to increase engagement with audiences, and keep us at the head of the branded content storytelling pack. We’re excited about the innovative functionalities Brightcove continues to offer. It is helping us to do more to maximize the power of video.”

HOW VOX MEDIA GAVE ADVERTISERS INSIGHT INTO VIEWERSHIP

bc_campaign_editor_4 on December 9, 2024

BRIGHTCOVE TECHNOLOGY PROPELS CONCERT PLATFORM SUCCESS

Through its eight distinct media brands—The Verge, Vox, SBNation, Eater, Polygon, Racked, Curbed, and Recode—Vox Media distributes dynamic video storytelling that’s integrated across all digital platforms and adapted specifically to each target audience. By combining stand-out technology with captivating video and digital journalism, the company produces thought-provoking pieces that advertising partners can trust.

“We only work with premium and brand-safe environments. We also build all of our own ads in-house, which is something that’s really rare, and advertisers have really been excited about that. Those two pieces together make sure it’s extremely safe,” states Heather Savatta, Director of Ad Solutions.

Vox Media’s audience-first mindset is embraced by both editorial staff and producers working to build custom advertising solutions for marketers. To ensure these turnkey ads play to audiences with speed and reliability across a number of environments, the company appointed Brightcove as its video platform of choice. Leveraging Brightcove’s industry-standard HTML5 playerand trusted viewing analytics, Vox Media is able to monitor video ad performance and overall success, thereby prompting return business from numerous advertising partners.

EVOLUTION OF CONCERT PLATFORM INTRODUCES ADVERTISERS TO TURNKEY AD SOLUTIONS

Vox Media was founded on the belief that passionate, inquisitive people deserve stories that go deeper, connecting audiences to subjects they value most. The company continues to expand on that creative drive, building standout technology on which Vox Media operates. Take, for example, its proprietary platform, Chorus. As the company’s own content management system (CMS), Chorus is a tightly looped workflow system that runs across all Vox Media brands. On the platform, the company’s own writers and developers manage assignments and tasks seamlessly using its massive collection of publishing tools.

When we were rolling out outstream, we knew we were going to use Brightcove to build it on…we definitely were able to innovate and get it to market much faster, just building on top of Brightcove.

HEATHER SAVATTA

DIRECTOR OF AD SOLUTIONS AT VOX MEDIA

With the success of Chorus, Vox Media’s revenue product team went on to develop an advanced suite of custom ad products targeted specifically to the company’s brand partners. In doing so, these partners were able to leverage Chorus’s same proprietary tools to build custom advertising programs that live on platform, making it easy to share messaging across Vox Media’s O&O properties. This resonated so well with brand partners, Vox Media launched a new sister company called Concert, designed specifically with its advertisers in mind.

The Concert platform operates in partnership with NBCUniversal and collectively sources valuable ad inventory across a variety of premium digital media properties. Concert then provides marketers with innovative ad solutions that are both effective and specific to target audiences. While similar in concept to other ad networks, the platform does differ in that it’s entirely publisher-led. This means the company’s editorial partners are able to build greater relationships with consumers, while still delivering high-impact advertising opportunities for brand partners. Vox Media even leverages Concert to distribute original branded content from Vox Creative, the company’s in-house creative practice.

“We track all the different metrics, and we’ve been able to help advertisers decide which video to distribute based on the VCR goal that they’re going for. Advertisers have been really, really happy with [the] product … our own ad builder and all our internal tools power them to be live as soon as they send us that video. From a distribution standpoint they look to us as a partner to get their message out as fast as possible, but also in a really safe environment and in premium publishers,” explains Savatta.

BRIGHTCOVE PLAYER, METRICS PROVE REAL VALUE IN VOX MEDIA’S CUSTOM AD UNITS

In order for Vox Media to deliver its beautiful, first-rate video ads across Concert’s premium collection of ad inventory, the company partnered with Brightcove, using its player to support several custom video ad units, including its UX-friendly outstream format.

Unlike instream ads, which run as pre-, mid-, or post-roll content within a video hosted on a website, outstream ads exist natively on a text-based editorial page outside publisher-owned video content. While users scroll through editorial text on a page, the outstream player comes into view and begins to autoplay muted video. The player itself doesn’t disrupt the editorial content at all; in fact, the video automatically pauses as soon as users navigate further down the page. Vox Media’s version of outstream, therefore, helps publishers maintain a good relationship with consumers— they’re not being distracted by intrusive ad content. Advertisers can also be assured they aren’t irritating audiences while delivering ad messaging.

And with Brightcove player’s critical pause feature, Vox Media can now track more accurate ad performance data. For example, if a user scrolls past an outstream video ad on a page, the player immediately pauses, putting the creative on hold as it scrolls out of the user’s view, ensuring that accurate video completion rates are recorded and the user can easily revisit their drop-off point if they do return to the ad at a later time. With Brightcove’s analytics accurately measuring metrics, Vox Media is better able to properly gauge the success of each ad unit.

With Brightcove’s integrated video player, Vox Media’s in-house product team has the time to focus solely on developing new, innovative products and continuing to lead the way in the digital ad space. As a result of the success with their custom ad formats, the company is seeing more and more advertisers inquiring about its unique product innovations and Concert’s premier ad inventory. At the same time, it’s also seeing an impressive boost in return business, signaling that Vox Media’s advertising solutions have proven effective for marketers.

“When we were rolling out outstream, we knew were going to use Brightcove to build it on…we definitely were able to innovate and get it to market much faster, just building on top of Brightcove,” says Savatta.

HOW THE ACADEMY AWARDS SECURED FILMS FOR OSCAR® VOTERS

bc_campaign_editor_4 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

bc_campaign_editor_4 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.

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