For every consumer that requests a video stream, the base elements needed to create it are drawn from the nodes that contain them. The stream is assembled from scratch, just-in-time, to provide chunked and packetized standard ABR video in the format and bit rate needed, with the appropriate DRM.

No changes are made to content (whether live or file-based) before it is ingested into what is called the ‘Eluvio Content Fabric’. And no changes are needed on client devices, since the outputs from the edge nodes are normal streaming video (e.g. DASH and HLS).

Berkeley, California based Eluvio contrasts this to the way CDNs work, where complete video files and streams are held in origin servers and moved across the Internet and stored/cached at the edge. The company claims that its new architecture eliminates the file duplication that is typical of the CDN model and so saves on storage and bandwidth, resulting in lower costs.

The Eluvio Content Fabric can be used to publish any content type and can be harnessed by the production community as well as those distributing to consumers. Some publishers are interested in servicing full length masters, for example. This solution is for much more than adaptive bit rate streaming to multiscreen devices.

But for media owners that need to serve content directly to consumers, this is, on paper, a potential successor to CDNs. Eluvio provides an end-to-end ‘as-a-service’ solution for content owners and aggregators. Thus, Eluvio is responsible for the media processing needed to decompose video streams into their base elements, and the processing needed to assemble streams for client devices – the latter being a more familiar process that includes transcoding, packaging and the addition of DRM.

Eluvio is responsible for moving the base media elements across the Internet, using its global software overlay network. The storage and compute capacity that is needed, spread across multiple nodes in a decentralised architecture, is all provided by the company, although it is possible for third-party resources to be integrated into the fabric.

Thus, an Eluvio customer could add a node, or even a third-party like a telco could add nodes and get compensated for this, with the work performed by that node measured and remunerated. This is not something that happens today, but it is possible going forwards, Michelle Munson, CEO and Co-Founder of Eluvio, revealed recently.

Eluvio literature confirms that “distributors can offset distribution costs by contributing bandwidth or compute resources.” The company already has enough infrastructure to pitch to the biggest media companies, with nodes on multiple continents.

The Eluvio Content Fabric, which is built on standard IP, is infinitely scalable, the company claims. It includes a data layer and an application layer, with the possibility for third-party vendors to provide media applications via APIs. Media applications could include transcoding, watermarking or ad insertion, as examples.

Munson says her company is radically streamlining the traditional media distribution workflow. “There is a profound simplification, and that leads to the efficiencies,” she says.

Core technology building blocks include:

• Content routing that is led by machine learning, resulting in the use of the highest bandwidth and lowest latency paths
• Programmable, just-in-time media delivery
• Trustless content protection
• Scalable smart contracts for multi-party transactions.

Any kind of live or file-based video can be ingested into the Eluvio Content Fabric. If the content is destined to be an ABR output from the edge (e.g. serving consumer multiscreen devices or connected TV devices) the fabric creates a high bit rate version of the source media during ingest – a mezzanine format. Sometimes the mezzanine could be the same bit rate as the original source content; sometimes it will be less, in which case it is transcoded downwards.

The publisher controls a configurable profile that will determine the mezzanine bit rate used plus other characteristics like the bit rate ladder served (from the edge), the aspect ratio, DRM, etc.

The mezzanine is then decomposed into what are, in effect, a collection of base elements. These fundamental ‘elements’ (the binary media data, metadata and code as noted above, plus blockchain ledger smart contracts) are all protected using zero trust encryption.

The key point about the base elements is that they are flexible and reusable, in the sense that the same elements can be used to create multiple different stream or file outputs at the edge. This is how the bandwidth and storage savings are achieved. “A fundamental point about how the fabric works is that you never see the duplication of data that is inherent in file representations,” Munson declares.

The fabric removes the need to create additional copies of files. Eluvio confirms in its literature: “Live, linear, on-demand or hybrid channel combinations are served from the same source without pre-generating or distributing any files or versions across the network or storage facilities.”

When a client device requests content, consumable media is composed just-in-time from the fundamental elements, using a programmable software engine and the media applications inside the fabric. This means there is no need to archive multiple versions of the same programme in order to offer different language options, for example, where each of those language versions is ready for all popular platforms with the right DRM and available in multiple bit rate options.

“The fabric is radically different to a CDN because what we are sending over the network is not the final output but only the source parts, and we only send them once,” Munson explains.

Content is distributed through the Eluvio fabric in real-time with what is claimed to be broadcast-standard ultra-low latency. What little delay there is comes from standard Internet requirements; Munson says the process of decomposing and recomposing streams adds nothing to latency.

Within the Eluvio architecture, every node is an edge node capable of serving video directly to a client device. This is where the base elements are gathered and built into the typical video stream that plays out from edges. Transcoding, packaging and encryption is therefore performed on the (edge) node for the unique new streams/files that are being created.

When a consumer hits ‘play’ on their device, the client routes the request to a URL which then directs the client to the node that is best equipped to serve the video. The ‘best node’ is chosen purely on the basis of performance, not whether it has any of the base elements stored there already. Thus, the client request goes to the node offering the best bandwidth and lowest latency.

The first/best node then performs a content look-up. If it has all the base elements needed, it can start assembling the video stream. If not, it fetches the elements it needs, most likely from one other node (as the fabric uses a decentralised caching architecture), although they could be gathered up from multiple nodes. In theory, any element could be found on any node in the network. The system finds and retrieves the elements it needs instantly. All of this is a just-in-time operation.

Once all the base elements are available, the media applications can be performed, like transcoding, packaging and DRM wrapping. The video and manifest file is then played out.

The core principle behind the efficiencies of the Eluvio approach is that much of what you find in different versions of streamed video, aimed at different platforms, for example, is common.

Metadata is stored with the base elements – which Eluvio also refers to as content objects. This metadata includes time-coded tags and it is fully reusable by any tool or process that interacts with the Eluvio Content Fabric. Eluvio explains: “Metadata and runnable code stored with the video/asset are read and bound to the output content on demand, at the time of the request.

“This creates the ultimate flexibility for programming and availability windows, which can be updated without remaking or redistributing any new versions.”

Eluvio has made it clear that its managed service solution is not just about increasing the efficiency of distribution. The company believes this new approach enables more personalisation of media and will also help to monetise it, and this is where the use of blockchain comes to the fore. For example, every media asset (even when in base element form) has a built-in blockchain contract that controls access to the content, subject to user rights.

This forms the basis for content transactions. A blockchain ledger records the life of the content, from version history to usage rights, authorisations and even audience reporting. This ledger is provable and tamper-free, Eluvio says.

Eluvio has revealed that it is collaborating with various content providers to refine the features of the platform, including proof-of-concepts involving live content. An IBC demonstration showed a live feed from a tier-one broadcaster via the Eluvio Content Fabric.

MGM Studios is one of the users. The content owner is using the Eluvio Content Fabric for streaming to multiscreen devices, including via TV Everywhere services, where Eluvio has replaced typical CDN services. MGM is making use of transcoding, multi-format encryption and DRM plus access control and audience reporting. Jim Crosby, SVP Digital at MGM Studios, said in September: “The deployment of the Eluvio Content Fabric started as an experiment to test this promising new technology, and it has exceeded expectations.

“It has delivered ultra-fast video loading, high quality playback, and a cost-efficient solution eliminating separate aggregation, transcoding and CDN services. With its blockchain, it gives us the ability to transact business directly on the content. We look forward to more to come with Eluvio.”

The Eluvio Content Fabric has taken two years to develop. Michelle Munson says the bandwidth and storage savings, with associated cost reductions, are not the main benefit. The biggest win for customers is the simplification of operations. She compares her company’s technology to a smartphone that has taken on multiple functions that were once performed by different devices, including feature phones, cameras and music players.

Eluvio views its approach to content distribution as transformational. Now we must wait to see if this is, indeed, the CDN replacement the company believes it is.

Cheevers identifies some key opportunities for service providers in the connected home of the future. First, they could provide their own voice assistant that, on request, will tell consumers their Wi-Fi password or add movies or sports to their subscription package. These are just some of the examples of what operator skills could cover. Second, the operator could integrate their voice system with third-parties like a utility company so that we can also request our latest energy bill, or seek alerts when we cross a monthly consumption threshold.

Third, the operator can exploit the growing demand for screens to accompany a voice-based digital assistant. Amazon is already pursuing this opportunity with the Echo Show and its tablet-sized screen, but Cheevers thinks service providers can trump this by harnessing the television set and its potentially vast real-estate to give visual feedback for skills that need more than a voice-based answer. A list of football fixtures would be a good example of where a visual list is preferable.

Some skills or requests will best suit a voice answer on one occasion and visual feedback on another. Thus, if you were to ask Alexa for the weather today, voice feedback is perfect, but if you wanted to know the weather for each of the next seven days, it would be quicker to glance at a screen. Cheevers believes that a service provider, using a Smart Media Device that is already connected to the television set, is ideally placed to bring the big screen into this assistant ecosystem.

Crucially, a voice-enabled SMD with smart assistants onboard could provide a faster and easier route to the smart home applications you want than a computer or even a tablet. This means that suddenly a device supplied by the service provider – whether acting independently in conversation mode or with a screen for visual feedback – becomes one of the most user-friendly in the home, surpassing many of the ‘bring your own devices’ littered around a typical house or flat.

The fourth opportunity spins from the third: new services/applications that are well-suited to the use of a smart gateway that is commonly situated in the living room or lounge, and which can make good use of visual prompts. Cheevers is especially excited by the potential role for service providers in the ‘Ageing in place’ market, where care companies could use smart home technology to help the elderly live independently for as long as possible.

‘Ageing in place’ functions could include monitoring (knowing if someone has had a fall) or metering of medicines. Cheevers points out that elderly people can spend long periods in the living room. People recovering from illness can often be found in the lounge. The SMD is therefore a strong candidate to provide the technology platform through which ‘Ageing in place’ applications can be managed, using its far-field microphone and speaker system for voice requests and answers, and the television set to display more complex information.

Cheevers argues that ‘Ageing in place’ is part of an important category of new services that are local at heart, rather than global, since they need boots on the ground – installers and field engineers to ensure a managed service for what could be mission-critical applications. He believes the service provider is well placed to partner with companies offering these services, whether they are utilities or care companies (who have carers and call-out teams in the community).

“More skills and technologies on these platforms will be driven locally, not globally,” he suggests. “There is a local ‘skills’ revival.”

CommScope believes that service providers can use the SMD to aggregate entertainment, e-health, education, utility and productivity services, among other things, in the smart home. The company believes that this new device category will be front-and-centre of our connected lives, providing the best way to make a phone call (using high-quality audio speakers) and the best place to conduct a voice or video conference (making use of a camera).

“The Smart Media Device has a great [physical] position in the home, found in rooms with high traffic like the living room and kitchen,” Cheevers says. “They are found where people spend most of their time in lean-back mode, relaxing.”

CommScope is advising its current and potential customers to onboard two assistant services on their SMD, one provided by a global skills ecosystem provider like Amazon (i.e. Alexa) or Google (i.e. Google Assistant) and one operated by the service provider themselves and focused on a narrower range of applications, and so requiring less development work. Thus, Alexa provides the weather, but the service provider reminds you what your Wi-Fi password is.

“This suits everyone. It is a marriage made in heaven,” Cheevers says of this double-assistant strategy. There is even a possibility that we will see specialist voice ecosystems evolve, which could offer skills outside of these two categories, so the SMD should be able to onboard multiple voice systems if necessary.

Even with two voice systems, there is an important challenge that must be addressed: while consumers may quickly learn that the service provider voice assistant is better for some things, and the global assistant better for others, there must be a mechanism for transferring requests that are directed at the wrong assistant. Each voice ecosystem must be able to recognise if a request should be offloaded.

SFR, the French quad-play provider owned by Altice, is the first service provider to deploy a CommScope Smart Media Device with its new SFR Box 8 device, which includes an SFR assistant and Alexa, both made available via a high-quality speaker. If you want an SFR skill, you use the wake-up phrase ‘Okay, SFR’. SFR is also harnessing the television set to enrich assistant services, using a software solution developed by Wiztivi to bring the television screen under the control of voice commands.

The Smart Media Device generally, as offered by CommScope to all operators, features Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support to make it easier to connect a host of IoT devices to the gateway (Z-Wave and Zigbee radios are optional). BLE is also used for remote controls and to stream audio to ‘satellite’ connected speakers. Cheevers expects Wi-Fi 6 to play a prominent role in the SMD. This technology increases client device speeds by nearly four times compared to Wi-Fi 5, and improves performance in congested environments. It enables more devices to achieve peak performance at the same time.

Cheevers believes the Smart Media Device and the services it supports will make it easier for consumers to justify their service provider subscriptions, including device rentals where that model is used. “If consumers are more immersed, beyond video and broadband, and you converge everything they need in a single device, that offer tends to be sticky,” he suggests.

“If another operator offers someone a deal on video that is 20% cheaper, they might want to save the money, but then they look at how they can pause the kids’ access to Wi-Fi for a family dinner, see warnings when a rogue device appears on their network, or check the security cameras before telling the TV to lock the house.”

CommScope is confident the device economics will work for subscribers, even if they have to pay a rental premium for an SMD device. Potentially, they can avoid the need to buy an Echo Dot type device, sound bar or an Echo Show style product yet enjoy the features they offer. Operators can offset some of the CapEx premium by exploring new services with recurring revenues attached – and of course the ‘sticky subscription’ argument is a perennial winner, if proven.

At IBC in September, CommScope unveiled its Smart Media Device platform 7852, featuring Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and support for AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) and high dynamic range. This is part of the company’s RDK Video Accelerator portfolio, a joint initiative between CommScope and RDK Management that covers a range of devices that are pre-installed with the latest version of RDK open source software, the Metrological App Store, and tools to customise services. The purpose of RDK Video Accelerator is to shorten development times for service providers, so they can get to market sooner.

The SMD 7852 was accompanied by the launch of an SMD client device, the IP Client VIP7802, also with Wi-Fi 6, AV1 and HDR onboard. This, too, is part of the RDK Video Accelerator portfolio.

Data from the remote control is sent to a server which, subject to the usual privacy rules, can determine the current television viewer. The ID should be available to the operator within a few seconds. What happens with this knowledge depends on a range of factors – operator policies and user opt-ins being the most obvious. Clearly there is potential for serving addressable advertising, given that the viewer can be identified at an individual level. Service personalisation is another obvious outcome.

As the company points out, “We are living in an era of recommendations, customised services and tailored content. In order to provide information that is valuable for a single person, the system must identify that user, either by having the user identify herself by entering a PIN code, using a fingerprint or using alternative means via connected devices.”

The new remote control technology is designed to eliminate tedious log-in procedures, working out automatically who currently controls the television. “Identification is performed the moment a person is holding the remote, before they start to interact with the system,” the company emphasises.

The new sensing technology is part of a generational remote control ‘upgrade’ that Ruwido has been demonstrating. Other key components in the upgrade can be seen in the new TICTACTILE. 7.0 product. This is the latest version of the TICTACTILE device that uses a 3×4 grid of finger-shaped hollows that allow you to navigate the remote control easily, with sensory ‘feedback’ in the sense that the edges of each ‘hollow’ tell you exactly where you are on the remote control ‘grid’. The general idea is that you should never have to look down at the remote control while navigating on a television set.

The TICTACTILE. 7.0 is designed to be more than a television/STB remote control. Ruwido has been demonstrating its ability to control smart home services (or ‘convenient home’ applications, as the company likes to call them). The services being controlled do not have to be offered by the operator – a key principle is that the remote control pairs with your smartphone and the smart home services contained on it, and effectively replicates some (simple) functionality from the smartphone apps.

In effect, the television remote control also becomes the remote control for smart home apps on a smartphone – and so can be used to dim lights or listen to music via a Sonos speaker, for example. One aesthetic advance on TICTACTILE. 7.0 is the addition of back-lit icons to represent the services. When you are watching TV, you see television functions on the remote. These switch to smart home functions as needed.

The pairing with the smartphone means the remote control is configured to the smart home services a consumer has. Ruwido is also using smartphone pairing to expand the entertainment role of the remote control, too. If you subscribe to Spotify, you can use the TV remote to access the service, including your personal playlists, for example.

“We are using smartphones as a hub – an access point to networks,” Ruwido confirms. “Appliances within the convenient home can be managed independently of the big screen, and in a consistent way, directly on the remote. This means that users no longer have to unlock the smart phone, search for an app and get a system started, as it can be directly displayed on the remote.”

Managing services independently of the big screen is a notable development – Ruwido is trying to place the remote control at the centre of our home life even when the television is turned off.

TICTACTILE. 7.0 therefore embodies two new future-facing remote control strategies: smartphone pairing as a way to integrate with adjacent services (like smart home applications) and non-operator entertainment (like Spotify); and use of the remote control when the television is off. The use of user identification as a gateway to greater personalisation is a third strategy that can be integrated with these others.

“We are rethinking the remote control,” the company stated recently. “Instead of a device with a button to turn on the TV, the future remote control is about access to added value, which makes daily life easy and more convenient.”

Ferdinand Maier, CEO at Ruwido, adds: “TICTACTILE. 7.0 is the result of the transformation process of the remote control, similar to the way we saw the feature phone evolve into the smartphone. With our TICTACTILE. 7.0 we manage the TV entertainment system as well as the ‘convenient home’ in a comfortable way.”

These are the judges who will consider your entries:

(For all categories except ‘Game-changing Advertising Technology’ and ‘The Advertising Leadership Award’)

• Ben Lavender, CPO, DAZN
• Roma Kojima, Senior Director, OTT Video (CBC Gem), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Steven Hawley, Principal Analyst and Consultant, tvstrategies
• Dan Fahy, VP Commercial and Content Distribution, Viacom International Media Networks
• Sion Wynn Jones, Director of Product, YouView
• William Cooper, Founder and Chief Executive, informitv
• Janine Smith, Head of Digital, ITV
• Ian Nock, Managing Director and Founder, Fairmile West
• Colin Phillips, IPTV & CPE Solutions Architect, BT
• Erwan Nedellec, Orange Referent Expert and Senior Expert on TV Technical Solutions, Orange
• Benjamin Schwarz, Consultant, CToic Consulting
• Anna-Maria Vujinovic, Director Digital & Business Development, Tech and Data, RTL
• Thomas Helbo, CTO and SVP Technology, Tele2
• David Price, Principal, Scala Advisors
• Anette Schaefer, Managing Director, BIG Picture
• Michael Roedel, Head of TV Experience and Design, Vodafone Group
• John Moulding, Editor-in-Chief, Videonet.

(Covering ‘Game-changing Advertising Technology’ and ‘The Advertising Leadership Award’)

• Jeff Eales, Director of Systems & Development, Sky
• Mathias Berg, COO, TV4 Group and Head of Business Unit Advertising, Bonnier Broadcasting
• Jean-Paul Edwards, Chief Product Development Officer, OMD EMEA
• Paola Colombo, General Manager, Adtech and Business Development, Publitalia ‘80
• John Moulding, Editor-in-Chief,

We are searching for stand-out innovation and leadership across the TV industry. Here is a reminder of the categories for 2020:

• The Premium TV Award
• Excellence in Data Analytics, AI or ML
• Game-changing Advertising Technology
• Contribution to Streaming Video Excellence
• Advancing the TV User Experience
• The Advertising Leadership Award
• Customer Premise Innovation
• Protecting Content and its Value
• Outstanding Contribution to Operational Efficiency
• Lifetime Television Industry Achievement Award
• The Videonet Grand Prix.

These awards are organised by Videonet magazine, part of Mediatel Events. They are a genuine meritocracy: anyone, large or small, established or start-up, can win based purely on their achievements. The Videonet Connected TV Awards will be hosted at Connected TV World Summit on Wednesday March 18, 2020. Shortlisted entries will be announced on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

You can read full details about the awards, including category descriptions, judging criteria and entry guidance, at our awards microsite, where you can also submit entries.

Go to Videonet Connected TV Awards microsite.

At IBC this year the standards forming organisation, which drove the analogue-to-digital transition in Europe, showed the world its starting point. It demonstrated a multi-vendor solution that combined the new DVB-I media layer and service discovery specification (including a DVB-I Service List) with DVB-defined approaches to multicast ABR (mABR), and low-latency streaming with DASH (the forthcoming LL-DASH standard).

A dozen DVB members were involved in what was a world-first demonstration of this next-generation television delivery ecosystem. These were ATEME, Broadpeak, ENENSYS Technologies, Harmonic, ITV, Kineton, Newtec, RAI, Rohde & Schwarz, SES, TPV Technology and ViaccessOrca.

The demonstration used two client (receive) devices, the first featuring an Android TV environment (or to be precise, an Android mobile client that had been ported to television). The second client was running an HbbTV application. These clients discovered the streaming services they needed using DVB service information and were delivered DVB-DASH unicast streams (DVB-DASH builds on the MPEG-DASH adaptive bit rate streaming standard with additional requirements to improve interoperability and help implementation).

The clients then switched seamlessly to a shared multicast ABR stream, thus halving the total bandwidth used. Low-latency was demonstrated at the same time, with a three-second delay evident. Crucially, the key technology pieces in the delivery chain, like encoder, server and client, were made by different companies.

The technical specs have already been approved for LL-DASH and the DVB-mABR specification will be ready by February. By the end of this year, the DVB will unveil a proof of concept for this Internet-era TV delivery solution, with 100 services running on it.

Although there are mobile clients that accommodate the DVB-I specification, the main focus of this initiative today is streaming to the television set. And while the demonstration at IBC covered live streaming, where the DVB has focused its efforts until now, Peter MacAvock, Chair of the DVB, said the next step will be taking the DVB-I concept into the on-demand universe.

DVB-I differs from HbbTV, the hybrid broadcast broadband standard that is widely supported by European broadcasters, in one crucial respect. Whereas HbbTV is a broadcast-first concept that enables the seamless incorporation of IP-delivered applications, DVB-I takes an IP-first approach. In fact, it is envisaged as an IP-only solution in the long-term.

The distinctions are not clear cut, though. The DVB and the HbbTV group are working closely on applications that will run over both standards, and many of the DVB-I concepts are being built into HbbTV.

DVB-I features include integrated channel lists, interactive content guides and simple lean-back channel selection. It means streaming services can be presented more like broadcast television today, like in a programme guide, with up-down remote control navigation and without the need for an app, although it can also be harnessed within apps (where the specification could be used for sub-UX layer activities).

The second key part of the IBC showcase was multicast ABR, which has the potential to solve the capacity issues for live streaming. mABR means that if one person is watching a linear/live video stream and others then request the same content, they will join the same stream. Effectively, unicasting is replaced with something that looks a lot like broadcasting – the chief benefit being that bandwidth remains steady no matter how many people are watching.

The DVB is creating standards-based interoperability for mABR that allows different manufacturers to make the server, the client and the encoder, giving vendor choice to service providers. The DVB believes this approach, which contrasts with end-to-end single vendor solutions, will be welcomed by the market.

The DVB has been struggling to find a role for itself in recent years and even held an inconclusive, public ‘What are we for’ debate at one recent IBC. But this year was a very different story.

The organisation is working on the basis that terrestrial broadcasting will become extinct in Europe in the years after 2030, by which point streaming over fibre or HFC will be the dominant method of delivery. It believes that the current approach to streaming will not suit the broadcaster community as they come to rely on it. The delivery chain is too proprietary and there is not enough interoperability between the key technologies, it argues.

“There is a cry from the industry, ‘Please, let’s standardise some of these elements so we can have a more economic solution across all the different platforms,” MacAvock says.

The DVB used its IBC showcase to test sentiment in the marketplace, given that there are viable solutions for streaming (regardless of any flaws). The feedback was positive.

MacAvock cannot say whether DVB-I will get the kind of backing that DVB-T enjoyed. “It is a more crowded marketplace and we are not the only game in town,” he admits. “But this has landed very well with broadcasters who are thinking about a future beyond broadcast distribution. The impression we were given is that we are on time, or slightly ahead of time, with what they need.”

The DVB is confident that broadcasters will support DVB-I for service discovery and not view it as a threat to their app empires. Currently, they can expand the content contained in their app, draw us into their world and hope to keep us there for longer than they might on a TV channel, which is so easy to navigate into and out of.

But apps come with pain – the need to create different apps for different environments, and there is a limit to how many devices most broadcasters can afford to get on. Dedicated apps, even for the largest broadcasters with the deepest pockets, cannot reach every consumer and DVB-I offers the enticing prospect of being able to stream to every device without dedicated integrations.

Of the IBC demonstration, MacAvock says: “This was our first toe in the water, showing how we replicate the DTT experience on a fibre connection, first in a hybrid broadcast broadband environment and then in broadband only.” Within the next year the specifications will be mature enough to implement, and we will know then what the real support is for the initiative, MacAvock forecast.

The technologies on the DVB stand represent a viable, working solution today but the standards-making organisation stressed that this is just a start and they are “absolutely not the finished product”. And now that you can develop specifications in software and do not have to lock your standard into silicon, developments can happen faster than they used to, of course.

Highlighting macro-trends that could increase demand for DVB-I, MacAvock noted that terrestrial spectrum is becoming scarcer and the requirements to access it are becoming harder. The television industry is in the process of a managed transition from full broadcast to a point where IP is the primary delivery mechanism. “That is a more significant change than we have ever seen before – more than the transfer from analogue to digital,” he points out.

At IBC, the DVB was showing what it believes television will look like when it is only delivered via the Internet. The combination of media layer, service discovery paradigms, multicast ABR and low-latency amount to a next-generation TV delivery solution. Whether this collection of standardised technologies gets the same backing as the preceding broadcast standards, like DVB-T, remains to be seen. But the technical offer is a DVB-T for the Internet era, if the market wants it.

Related content:

DVB wants to enable streaming channels without app complexity

DVB-I will not replace apps but will make service discovery easier from within them

DVB to demonstrate progress with DVB-I, which aims to harmonise broadcast and OTT

The awards are organised by Videonet magazine, part of Mediatel Events, and have a judging panel that features no less than 14 top executives who are currently working for a service provider, broadcaster or media agency. You can see the full list of judges below, which also features highly respected consultants with a history of working with some of the biggest names in television.

The awards entry submission deadline is Friday, November 8, 2019 – in just under six weeks’ time. You can find everything you need to enter at our awards microsite, here.

These awards are a genuine meritocracy. Anyone – large or small, established or start-up – can win based purely on their achievements. The Videonet Connected TV Awards will be hosted at Connected TV World Summit on Wednesday March 18, 2020. Shortlisted entries will be announced on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

The categories for 2020 are:

• The Premium TV Award
• Excellence in Data Analytics, AI or ML
• Game-changing Advertising Technology
• Contribution to Streaming Video Excellence
• Advancing the TV User Experience
• The Advertising Leadership Award
• Customer Premise Innovation
• Protecting Content and its Value
• Outstanding Contribution to Operational Efficiency
• Lifetime Television Industry Achievement Award
• The Videonet Grand Prix

The awards microsite contains full explanations about each category, guidance on what judges are looking for, the entry form questions and the mechanism to submit entries.

The judges for the television category are:

(For all categories except ‘Game-changing Advertising Technology’ and ‘The Advertising Leadership Award’)

• Ben Lavender, CPO, DAZN
• Roma Kojima, Senior Director, OTT Video (CBC Gem), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Steven Hawley, Principal Analyst and Consultant, tvstrategies
• Dan Fahy, VP Commercial and Content Distribution, Viacom International Media Networks
• Sion Wynn Jones, Director of Product, YouView
• William Cooper, Founder and Chief Executive, informitv
• Janine Smith, Digital Content Director, Channel 4 Television
• Ian Nock, Managing Director and Founder, Fairmile West
• Colin Phillips, IPTV & CPE Solutions Architect, BT
• Erwan Nedellec, Orange Referent Expert and Senior Expert on TV Technical Solutions, Orange
• Benjamin Schwarz, Consultant, CToic Consulting
• Anna-Maria Vujinovic, Director Digital & Business Development, Tech and Data, RTL
• Thomas Helbo, CTO and SVP Technology, Tele2
• David Price Principal, Scala Advisors
• Anette Schaefer, Managing Director, BIG Picture
• Michael Roedel, Head of TV Experience and Design, Vodafone Group
• John Moulding, Editor-in-Chief, Videonet.

The judges for the advertising categories are:

(Covering ‘Game-changing Advertising Technology’ and ‘The Advertising Leadership Award’)

• Jeff Eales, Director of Systems & Development, Sky
• Mathias Berg, COO, TV4 Group and Head of Business Unit Advertising, Bonnier Broadcasting
• Jean-Paul Edwards, Chief Product Development Officer, OMD EMEA
• Paola Colombo, General Manager, Adtech and Business Development, Publitalia ‘80
• John Moulding, Editor-in-Chief, Videonet.

Send your nominations for our Oscars style categories

We have three Oscars style categories this year, where Videonet magazine and judges can nominate companies or people for consideration by the whole judging panel. These categories are:

• The Premium TV Award
• The Advertising Leadership Award
• Lifetime Television Industry Achievement Award

You can propose candidates for Videonet to consider and possibly put before the judges by emailing john.moulding@mediatelevents.com by Friday, October 18, 2019. Please visit the awards microsite for full details. There are also summaries about these categories below. It is free to propose an awards candidate in these categories.

The Premium TV Award – Oscars style

This category recognises outstanding achievement in the delivery of a premium TV service and/or premium TV programming to consumers. We will consider Pay TV and free-to-air platform owners, broadcasters and subscription channel owners, SVOD providers, Pay Lite/Skinny services, direct-to-consumer distributors, social TV curators and any other media company offering content that is deemed by the judges to be of premium quality (which excludes user-generated and very low-budget). We do not consider individuals for this category. Tell us about someone we should consider (and why). Email john.moulding@mediatelevents.com by Friday, October 18, 2019.

The Advertising Leadership Award – Oscars style

This category rewards an organisation/company for outstanding achievements in advancing the use of TV/premium video as an advertising medium. They could be recognised on the basis of a single project/innovation or a whole catalogue of innovations that, over a period of time, add up to a narrative of market leadership. We will consider media owners, media buyers, industry alliances, advocacy organisations, standards bodies, etc, but not individuals. If you are interested in nominating a person for an award, please see ‘Lifetime Television Industry Achievement Award’. Tell us about someone we should consider (and why). Email john.moulding@mediatelevents.com by Friday, October 18, 2019.

Lifetime Television Industry Achievement Award – Oscars style

This is our individual-level category where you can nominate yourself, a colleague or other working acquaintance, or even someone you have never met, for their contribution to the television industry. The person you nominate must have spent at least eight years working in the television industry in some capacity, in total. We are looking for people who have changed our industry – leaders, champions, disruptors. Among other things, this person may have:

• Driven a media company, advocacy organisation, standards body or tech vendor (or other relevant outfit) to new heights
• Demonstrated leadership that transcended their own organisations, was an inspiration to others and which had a lasting impact upon the wider industry beyond their employer
• Overseen transformational strategic roadmaps that resulted in successful outcomes or which are generally acknowledged to have set a company/organisation on a new and promising course
• Been largely responsible for an industry innovation/development that was/is so exceptional and important that this alone should be acknowledged with an award, where the outcome from their work can already be shown to have been a success.

Tell us about someone we should consider (and why). Email john.moulding@mediatelevents.com by Friday, October 18, 2019.

Do you have any questions?

You can find contact details for questions concerning categories and judging, awards ceremony logistics or awards ceremony tables/sponsorship/sales at the awards microsite.

Reasons to enter

• Judged by senior executives at service providers and broadcasters alongside highly respected independent consultants
• Videonet and Connected TV World Summit audiences are 100% focused on television strategy and technology – and include senior execs whose job is to define and manage major new projects
• Wide coverage, and full support for your own awards-related press or social marketing activities
• Your team will know any award they receive is based purely on merit – judging is truly independent and transparent
• Smooth and painless awards submission process (the entry form requires up to 1,400 words).

History and previous winners

The Videonet Connected TV Awards were launched in 2011. Two years ago, Mediatel Events merged the Videonet Connected TV Awards with the Connies awards to showcase innovation across the whole media ecosystem, from television technology through to media planning and media research. This year we undertook research to see if this model best serves the television and TV advertising sectors that Videonet champions and, responding to what we were told, we have given the TV-focused categories a life of their own again, with the return of the Videonet Connected TV Awards.

Top of the agenda were ways in which broadcasters can lobby governments and work with device manufacturers to shape the future media landscape to be open, interoperable and to enshrine principals such as accessibility.

“The TV industry is not driven by traditional economics anymore, which raises concerns about public access, local culture and privacy,” warned Tom Morrod, Research Director, Consumer Services and Technology at IHS Markit. “The traditional industry should be supported by governments in order to compete with these companies.”

Taking heart from statistics showing that the TV set is becoming the main screen for streaming as opposed to the laptop or PC, the starting assumption is that the media landscape may be shifting but old patterns remain. “Traditional broadcasters will have to adapt but are well-placed to do so,” said Peter Siebert, Head of Technology at the digital TV standards development group, DVB. “OTT have challenges too, in terms of establishing a trusted brand and providing the same quality of experience.”

The EBU claims that European broadcasting is the driving force of the European creative sector. Sarah Turnbull, Senior Legal Counsel at EBU, said: “There are concerns in terms of safeguarding national culture, social cohesion and democracy through public service media content. As the European media ecosystem goes online, it is important that Public Service Media have their role in online spaces and enable citizens to access high-quality content.”

Initiatives here include revising the Audio Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) to level the playing field for broadcasters and on-demand services. Proposals include reinforced obligations for on-demand services such as the protection of minors and a rule that 30% of catalogues must be dedicated to European audiovisual works.

Pascal Chevallier, Director, Technical Affairs at Digital Europe renewed calls to complete the European digital single market “in order to counteract protectionist forces and proceed towards an inclusive world digital single market.” He added, “Product interoperability is becoming very complex [which] may result in 27 different flavours of the same rules and raises concerns for the industry.

“To achieve a real single market, and therefore to compete with the U.S. and China, European stakeholders should engage to ensure that implementation does not have hidden technical impacts or that the various regulations do not overlap or [have a] disproportionate burden.”

Interoperability, or lack of it, between broadcast and broadband, is a concern in Spain where a third of TVs sold annually are HbbTV-enabled. “Manufacturers are often not interested in updating the software of devices they sold recently and this creates frictions with broadcasters who want to get new services to market,” claimed Xavier Redon Hernandez, Senior Product Manager at Cellnex Telecom, the technology provider behind the LOVEStv hybrid broadcast broadband platform operated in Spain by RTVE, Mediaset and Atresmedia. His prescription to ensure interoperability across systems and devices was for constant conversation with manufacturers.

Harmonisation is the driver behind the DVB Project’s DVB-I (see previous story on DVB-I). Since OTT services are typically deployed through apps, and problems arise when users have to install many of them – while broadcasters need to maintain apps on multiple platforms – DVB-I is an attempt to do for IP services what DVB-T/C/S did for the passage from analogue to digital.

It appears that China is experiencing similar issues. “In China, there is a big problem of fragmentation within the terminals, as middleware or hardware specifications are not harmonised,” explained Haifeng Yan, Principal Engineer at chip maker Hisilicon. “This means that it is costly to develop new services and difficult to deploy them, and there is no unified security scheme.”

An initiative called TV Operating System (TVOS) aims to build a ‘smart media terminal operating system’ that delivers UX consistency, development efficiency, cross-hardware platform, security and sustainability. It has 120 members including operators and chip vendors and has the backing of the Chinese government. TVOS is also pushing for recognition as an international standard through ITU-T SG9 (Study Group 9) and can apparently be made compatible with other standards such as DVB-I and HbbTV.

Can TVOS be implemented in Europe? “It is up to the manufacturers to find an agreement on the delivery arrangements, but as long as receivers comply with recommendations there wouldn’t be problems,” Yan said.

ITU-T SG9 is further developing a new recommendation that defines the basic requirements and interfaces between cable TV operators and OTT providers. The group is examining Gigaband networks and aims to evolve to what it calls the era of extreme TV/video and ultra-fast broadband. This standard may also embrace AI for use in scheduling, leveraging archives or text-to-speech accessibility.

Andy Quested, Chair of ITU-R Working Party 6C highlighted the importance of accessibility, pointing out, “Access to media is a right, not an inconvenience.” An aging population across Europe makes accessibility systems ever more necessary.

The UK’s DTG, not part of the ITU meeting but an underwriter of its ambition, argues that if we are going to start mapping a future for TV across devices, we need an ordered framework. The organisation divides this into Quality of Interoperability (does something work and does it do what it should?), Quality of Experience (which emphasises the value of attributes like HDR and pushes the industry to deliver the very best for the consumer), and Quality of Security (looking ahead to Smart TV vulnerabilities of the IoT home).

Focusing on the last point, the DTG endorses the UK government’s Code of Practice, which shifts the onus for secure Internet-connected devices and apps from consumers to manufacturers, designers and suppliers.

“Innovation in consumer electronics devices, in partnership with service providers, will shape the future television experience,” declared DTG Chief Executive Richard Lindsey-Davies. “Understanding emerging developments, together with a view on how these might be implemented are critical if the viewer experience is to be protected, and industry and government are to derive the maximum economic and social value of the unique opportunity that lies ahead.”

The report states: “The PSBs retain a vital and unique place in meeting the needs of UK audiences, including by offering content made in the UK for UK audiences to a much greater extent than any other provider.”

PSBs delivered over 32,000 hours of UK-made original content in 2018, while only 221 hours of original subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) content was made in the UK. The bulk of SVOD content is U.S.-made and targeted at a mass global audience.

Despite the sustained demand for local original content, however, the PSBs are not producing anywhere near enough of it to stem the overall decline in broadcast TV viewing. To put this into perspective, the report states: “Although ITV2’s Love Island gained large audiences in June and July 2018, about 14 Love Islands would be required to counteract the year-on-year drop in broadcast viewing.”

And as Richard Broughton, Research Director at Ampere Analysis, points out, the major international players are producing local content, and although it is not at the same volumes as local broadcasters, UK content is looking increasingly attractive for them.

“Just 48% of Netflix’s upcoming Originals slate is U.S.-origin,” Broughton reports. “However, the 52% which is internationally-originated is being spread thinly across numerous markets, so it is really only a handful of territories in which the major OTT players feature among the top commissioners. Slightly unfortunately for UK broadcasters, although perhaps not UK producers, UK content travels well internationally, meaning that the UK takes a disproportionate amount of OTT commissioning focus, which means that there is more new local OTT-originated programming in the UK than there is in most non-U.S. markets.”

Broadcast production spend drops

Investment in UK-made original content fell 5% or £143 million in 2018 compared to 2016. This is explained by a fall in BBC licence fee revenues and a drop in advertising revenues for commercial PSBs. But UK PSBs are increasingly looking to co-productions and third-party funding for high-end drama, as well as collaborations with global SVOD players. Third parties invested a record £455 million in PSB content in 2018.

And UK broadcasters are ahead of most other markets when it comes to investing in new content and staying competitive in the international marketplace, says Broughton. “The BBC and Channel 4 are commissioning more brand new shows than other European PSBs. In fact, the BBC is commissioning more brand new titles than any other broadcaster worldwide – although it should be noted that many of these are one-off documentaries, as opposed to long expensive scripted series. The BBC remains marginally ahead of other broadcasters on new scripted series as well.”

The schedule is an added challenge to PSBs

Unlike dedicated streaming services, PSBs are heavily reliant on the TV schedule. “Subscription OTT players need sufficient content to keep people subscribing, which leads to different economics in terms of commissioning behaviour and spending,” explains Broughton.

“OTT players can arguably forgo spending on ‘daytime TV’ shows, which means that all of the revenue can be diverted into funding tentpole titles to keep people subscribing.

Broughton says UK broadcasters are not under-investing but are faced with unfavourable economics imposed by the broadcast system and a UK audience that is simply smaller and less valuable than the U.S. or global audiences catered for by the major U.S. players. “International diversification and/or partnerships is absolutely essential for European PSBs,” he declares.

The insights form part of a new report by NAGRA, the Kudelski Group-owned Pay TV and OTT solutions provider, which assesses the impact standalone sports streaming services are having on Pay TV. “Tier-one sports rights are critical to the future of Pay TV providers, who are increasingly consolidating their investments,” the report states. Operators are urged to look at different ways to package this content to make it more attractive to cord-cutters and to support super-fan needs.

The report, titled ‘The Global Market for Premium Sports OTT Services’, notes that an increasing number of sports rights holders are launching premium OTT services to drive additional engagement and revenues from their most loyal fans. More than a third of the world’s top soccer clubs, and six of the top ten largest leagues and federations, now offer premium OTT streaming services.

Of the new rights holder-owned services to hit the market, nearly half were launched in the past two years, a statistic which underlines the rapid growth seen in the OTT sports sector. Among the most recent and most ambitious is the international OTT platform debuted by English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City. ‘Man City for TV’ ‘ live streamed several of the club’s pre-season fixtures and shows live matches of its Women’s and Academy teams along with bespoke content.

Nuria Tarre, CMO at Manchester City, said: “By becoming a central hub for Manchester City content, we want to push the boundaries in technology and sports consumption and provide an immersive entertainment experience for our loyal fanbase, wherever they are.”

In North America, all four of the major sports leagues have long operated their own streaming services that show live and archived games both domestically and internationally. Of Europe’s top domestic soccer competitions, four of which rank inside the world’s top ten leagues and federations by revenue, only Italy’s Serie A currently transmits live match action via its own OTT service. Spain’s La Liga already operates LaLigaSportsTV, a free service that provides coverage of Spanish sports content but has yet to stream live La Liga games. The EPL is reportedly considering launching its own streaming platform.

Another property that ranks among the world’s top ten by revenue, but which has yet to be shown via a standalone streaming service, is the UEFA Champions League – although UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, announced the launch of UEFA.tv in June. That service will initially offer live match streaming from UEFA’s women’s, youth, and futsal competitions in certain markets, as well as carrying a channel dedicated to the Bundesliga, German soccer’s top club competition.

At the club level, half of the top ten soccer sides by revenue, and a third of the top 25, now operate a paid OTT service, the NAGRA report notes. These services typically offer complementary programming such as behind the scenes footage, interviews and original shows, as well as live coverage of non-first team matches or pre-season matches.

Formula 1’s F1 TV Pro is an exception to the general rule of leaving the best content out of the direct-to-consumer offers, featuring live races in markets where they have retained digital rights.

While many more clubs and leagues are investing in DTC services, the NAGRA report notes that rights holders “must weigh the benefits of DTC revenues against the risk of diminishing the value of the rights packages they sell to distributors”. It adds: “To date, [rights holders] have mainly chosen to leave their rights deals intact and focus instead on creating supplementary, value-added content for loyal fans.”

Tier-one sports could be lured away from Pay TV by global digital giants, which have the deep pockets to outbid operators like BT Sport or NBCU in future rights rounds. However, their strategies remain unclear. To date, Google and Facebook have focused more on partnering (e.g. YouTube’s Champions League partnership with BT in the UK, in which it shows live matches free-to-air), whilst Amazon has acquired some tier-one content, including a small package of EPL content in the UK.

As Pay TV providers increasingly focus on tier-one rights they are leaving a gap for lower tier rights to be snapped up by OTT sports aggregators including DAZN, Eleven Sports and FloSports. These disruptors, as well as clubs with DTC offers, are experimenting with different pricing and packaging models, which is something Pay TV operators need to emulate.

The report urges Pay TV providers to “evolve their service offerings in response to agile challenger brands who are offering innovative viewing experiences for sports fans.” There is some evidence this is happening. Some Pay TV operators are experimenting with skinny bundles to attract consumers unwilling to pay for full-fixed contracts. These bundles come in a variety of flavours, from OTT-only bundles of a whole Pay TV package to sports-only bundles such as Foxtel’s Kayo Sports in Australia.

However, skinny Pay-TV bundles tend to be the most expensive. The report compares DirecTV Now (AT&T TV NOW)’s premium OTT offer in the U.S. of $50 per month to club services like Manchester City at £1.99 ($3) per month and the NBA, which offers a single game for $6.99 and a last quarter pass for $1.99.

Most of the major players have a wide range of tiered prices and packages and there is considerable innovation, the report warned. ‘Innovative pricing and packaging models are critical [for Pay TV] to attracting cord-cutters and younger viewers.”

Video viewers are intelligently directed to a cache that already contains the content they want to see, rather than being randomly allocated to a cache that may not have the content and which will then have to request it from deeper in the network. When additional cache capacity is needed for a given piece of content, caches can replicate content, also avoiding the need for caches to make content requests from more remote servers (like origins or acquirer servers).

High capacity servers make it less likely that content files are absent at a cache – again avoiding requests to the next server layer. The MainStreaming approach should ensure origin servers are only asked for content once and eliminate the risk that origins are overloaded.

Live content, like a pay-per-view sports match, can even be given priority over on-demand content in the same home, if a service provider wishes to introduce such a policy. MainStreaming has implemented this QoS prioritisation in response to a specific broadcaster request last autumn. It means the bandwidth allocation for on-demand streams could be reduced in order to guarantee higher bandwidth for a live session.

MainStreaming provides an end-to-end, modular streaming solution that includes ingest, storage, media management (including encoding, transcoding and transmuxing) and content delivery, and the company addresses both on-demand and live content requirements. It harnesses 2,700 points of connection directly into telco operator networks globally.

Antonio Corrado, CEO at MainStreaming, reckons the overall impact of his company’s technology is to assure streaming QoE in circumstances where users would otherwise see slow start times or buffering or even black screens. “We want to enable broadcast quality streaming video – that is our goal,” he declares.

MainStreaming believes it has prepared the ground for an accelerated migration of content from broadcast networks to IP streaming. Besides targeting broadcasters for their digital services, and content owners looking to introduce direct-to-consumer offers, the company wants to help Pay TV providers introduce their full-flavour bouquets as well as their TV Everywhere or Pay Lite services online.

Sky Italy has already committed to using MainStreaming to stream real-time content to subscribers across its Sky Go, Sky Q and NOW TV platforms and, notably, to support the non-satellite service that will be delivered over broadband. Another customer is Denver Broncos. MainStreaming provides transcoding and distribution for the video the the NFL team offers on Facebook and Twitter.

A new funding round in May secured $6 million for MainStreaming. That means a total of $10 million has been raised by the Milan-based firm. This round was led by Indaco Venture Partners SGR, Sony Innovation Fund and existing investor, United Ventures. Video streaming is one of two markets MainStreaming operates in, the other being online gaming.