Like many industry events, SVG Summit: CONNECT was held virtually for the first time this year, spanning multiple days and many hours of compelling discussion. The sessions covered topics ranging from the future of live production to graphics and augmented reality. Even more importantly, the event looked ahead to the future of the industry, with Bitcentral’s General Manager of FUEL Greg Morrow participating in a roundtable session titled “OTT and Streaming” to discover insights about this aspect of the industry that has become cemented as a critical fixture of broadcasting and online video.
As part of this roundtable, Greg was accompanied by some of the smartest minds in digital sports production, including Eric Black of NBCUniversal and Steven Thorpe of FOX Corporation. Together, they discussed the consumption of live sports through streaming channels, including conversations on latency, personalization, and monetization.
As an experienced digital publisher, Greg immediately knew the number of applications for FUEL in the online sports environment. These are often applications he is quick to share with those looking to invest in the solution, whether related to sports or other types of content.
“We’ve seen customers express interest in leveraging our FUEL platform for resurfacing content from an archive and making it fit with live broadcasts for a robust viewing experience,” Greg said. “FUEL allows a publisher to deliver on-demand content, then cut directly to live. When that live experience ends, the viewing experience can be set up to segue back to the on-demand content, without any interruption for the consumer.”
This seamless viewing experience is just one way online producers and viewers alike are benefiting from the latest and greatest technology in streaming and OTT. The panelists also discussed the idea of experiencing content in real-time without a lag. NBCUniversal’s Eric Black noted how positively he feels about where the industry is and where we’re headed in terms of latency. He referenced how sports gambling is becoming a game-changer as the ability to participate expands to new areas, and how it’s critical to include device latency in the conversation. Latency will help avoid “spoilers” from live events.
Seamless, spoiler-free viewing is what will keep sports fans tuned in to a particular online provider, which will greatly impact audience building over time. Emerging platforms make it easier to watch games without cable TV, but there is still fine-tuning that needs to happen to ensure fans can get that compelling game day experience without interruption or issue. However, as those fine-detail developments come into play, the ability for publishers to maintain low latency and build their audience leading to long-term great monetization with high scale and robust resilience will help drive a better experience for the viewer.
Think FUEL would be a good addition to your team? Bitcentral can help. Find out more about this industry-changing solution and schedule a demo here.
About Bitcentral, Inc.
We are Bitcentral—one of the video industry’s most trusted and innovative software providers. For more than 20 years, we have helped the biggest names in broadcasting create workflows that maximize the value of media. With our industry-changing solution FUEL™, we’re bringing our innovative approach to video to the digital world to create an innovative curation process—and an extraordinary viewing experience. In addition to FUEL, we are part of everyday news operations with our Core News™ solution, the No. 1 news production platform in the U.S. reaching millions every day, and Central Control™, which provides a flexible toolset for master control operation with modules to execute all the processes that converge into playout. Bitcentral is based in Newport Beach, California, and its Latin America headquarters is in Mexico City. Schedule a demo today with a Bitcentral expert to see how FUEL is revolutionizing digital streaming for the present and the future. Learn more at www.bitcentral.com.