Most recently, as more people stayed at home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, global streaming viewership shot up nearly 21 percent during the first three weeks of March, and the United States saw a 27 percent rise in streaming viewing hours. Prior to that the industry was already exhibiting very healthy growth, as streaming viewership in Q1 2019 was up 72 percent year-over-year, reflecting an increase of 49 percent over 2018.
For viewers, the convenience of choosing what to watch, when they want is very compelling. However, so is the proliferation of premium content available through increasingly popular OTT services such as Amazon Prime’s Subscription VOD (SVOD) that provides content not available elsewhere for a competitively low cost.
This programming revolution has gone hand in hand with the explosion of devices that are capable of streaming high-quality video. Better quality mobile screens, the proliferation of low-cost data plans, and the increasing number of Wi-Fi hotspots are all fueling this growth. People are no longer viewing through a single TV in their households. They can access content through a variety of tablets and smartphones wherever they want.
This new video landscape presents some interesting challenges for broadcasters. As people are watching more content on multiple devices while on the move, broadcasters have to be mindful of compliance with licensing, copyright agreements and cultural differences. Broadcasters need the ability to grant access where viewing is permissible and restrict access where it is not, all while making the end user experience as seamless as possible.
IP Data is Vital for Content Providers
In a market where legislation and rights can rapidly change, the serving of content to the right user is far from simple. And, the consequences for not protecting assets can adversely affect revenues, produce costly penalties for non-compliance, and damage a brand’s reputation for blocking access when it should be allowed.
IP data is vital for content providers to comply with digital rights licenses, either at a country or regional level. Yet, many are using poor approaches that restrict users who should be able to view content, while allowing access to those who should not. The deployment of accurate IP Intelligence and geolocation technology negates this issue because it accurately identifies the user’s location. Working with less accurate data providers can create false restrictions, leading to disgruntled consumers.
Additionally, accurate IP-derived connection speed data helps ensure streaming content is optimized for the viewing platform and aids in eliminating the technical problems associated with delivering video or music over a range of devices and connectivity types.
Intelligently Managing Web Traffic and Localizing Content
Content providers often cater to global audiences when delivering streaming, news, ecommerce and gaming services. This makes tailoring content to specific locations crucial for delivering the best web experiences for their users. Being able to feed IP intelligence into content delivery operations means you can offer personalized, location-specific content experiences while managing global web traffic levels intelligently. Granular, location-based control over content delivery enables content localization, enhanced analytics and the ability to manage access and digital rights in line with national regulations and traffic patterns.
Varnish Software has partnered with Digital Element to deliver IP intelligence that’s integrated into caching technology, for enabling ultra high speed delivery of personalized, location-based web content.
Varnish Enterprise powers content delivery and streaming for some of the world’s largest streaming services and websites, such as Hulu, Twitch, CBC and Sky. Its pioneering caching technology puts content closer to users while protecting critical infrastructure from the effects of huge demand. As the leading caching technology stack for enterprises, Varnish Enterprise brings unparalleled performance, resilience and flexibility to content delivery operations such as live streaming, video on demand and dynamic web pages. Integrating the industry’s most accurate geolocation data provides an easy-to-use and always up-to-date service that you can query to retrieve location information linked to an IP address.
To get more information on solving the streaming conundrum for your company, download the whitepaper “IP Intelligence and the Digital Broadcast Revolution” here.