As a result, there is more pressure on sports rights holders to maximise the value of their investment. The industry strives to offer more personalised entertainment experiences, meaning rights-holders face essential decisions that will make or break their investment when devising the best go-to-market strategies to overcome today’s challenges.

In parallel with the increasing competition for rights is the lowering of the barriers to entry for our entrants into the market. Streaming has opened the door to direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming operations – look at how Amazon Prime has disrupted the market using the D2C model. Also, for less valuable sports than the UEFA Champions League football, there is an opportunity for sports organisations to cut out the middleman and go D2C.

Adopting a D2C strategy is possible because of the high quality and affordability of streaming technology. However, delivering the content at a premium quality and at scale is a complex process. This is partly due to the increased demands on monetisation in the digital arena, especially where advertising is concerned.

The current advertising landscape

Many ad experiences remain poor for viewers, with excessive repetition and poor execution. In many cases, rights-holders miss out on achieving the highest CPM through a lack of personalisation and measurement.

With a cohesive D2C strategy, sports organisations can create a 360º view of their fans by collecting data on their interactions and spending behaviours. They can then use this data to target customers with relevant adverts promoting specific products, an essential revenue generation tool in today’s market.

Adopting a D2C approach is already finding success, particularly in the U.S. live sports market with the NFL, NBA, and MLB. These sports organisations are offering a strategy that hits the mark with fans. They provide them with greater freedom, choice, and flexibility with their desired content, including access to archived content, real-time stat overlays, social media integration, and live in-game chats. This move has created a fan ecosystem and maximises revenues through personalised experiences.

Market complexities 

However, despite the signs of success, the challenge of complexity looms large. There is a fantastic opportunity for companies to build D2C offerings that deliver high-quality advertising, but factoring in a mix of first-party and third-party sold creates enormous complexity. Third-party require integrations with (often multiple) ad networks. Plus, media companies must consider how to prepare ad content, brand safety, and real-time measurement – as effectively and efficiently as possible.

In addition, to effectively execute a D2C strategy, brands must have the proper technical infrastructure in place to allow them to meet demands. This means a platform enabling them to manage content and digital assets, incorporate broadcast level resilience, and integrate analytics. This infrastructure needs to be flexible enough to allow them to adjust to changes and be able to integrate new technologies in the future.

With the right tech stack, sports brands can embrace the changes in today’s market. By adopting this future-proof infrastructure, brands can improve the digital experience for their customers rather than be limited by legacy monolith systems that have become outdated, expensive to maintain and slow down progress.

Build, buy or partner? 

Scalability, resilience and flexibility are essential in managing such complexity at a mass scale in a live environment where all ad calls happen simultaneously. Identifying the right approach to technology is essential if sports rights owners are to maximise the value of their inventory in an era when the cost of sports rights only increases.

It has been common practice for organisations to have their tech in-house to capitalise. Still, we are now at a stage where media companies are turning increasingly towards third-party vendors as they seek best-of-breed solutions that will allow variation in revenue strategy over the long term.

Competition is increasing, and it’s being matched by complexity. But with the right strategy and the flexibility to deliver it, there is every reason for D2C providers to find long-term success on and off the field.

Instead Vodafone Group, which counts 22 million TV households across 11 European markets, believes it will stand out by providing homes with a mix of broadcast linear TV and the streaming services they want, in a unified experience that is built upon bespoke and individualised discovery for each household, itself driven by smart metadata integrations, plus complementary partnerships with direct-to-consumer streaming services that range from simple reselling to carrier billing to customer care. And Wierig added that centralised negotiations with content providers should enable discounting for Vodafone customers.

Reiterating the commitment to television, the executive pointed to the strategic reorganisation of Vodafone Group to create a harmonised, pan-European approach to television product and innovation. Wierig heads the new Group Entertainment department, created 2.5 years ago, that is creating this more holistic entertainment strategy, backed by a global product management team and featuring centralised negotiations with content providers.

Speaking at Connected TV World Summit in May, Wierig said Vodafone avoids any possibility of becoming a ‘dumb pipe’ by extending its connectivity DNA and customer footprint to new product categories spanning entertainment, smart-tech, home ecosystems and payment solutions. And in entertainment, it is the complementary nature of the partnerships with streaming TV services that is driving innovation. “We support the direct-to-consumer strategies of content providers by giving them access to our connectivity customer base and our strong marketing and sales performance. We work closely with them to help them penetrate our customer base with their content and services.”

Wierig said that yes, Vodafone is a super-aggregator, but he emphasised that this means the aggregation of both broadcast TV and “the very valuable and relevant content from the OTT streamers.” It is not just about aggregating apps. He pointed to a 60% viewing share for linear TV today – and believes it will remain at this level. “That means our clear goal is to bring relevant content to our Vodafone homes as a hybrid solution – a best-of-breed and ‘best-of-blend’ across linear TV, with its associated TV Anytime and TV Anywhere, plus the best OTT services.”

Asked by interviewer Ben Keen, Analyst & Advisor, Technology, Media & Telecoms, if more apps would mean less subscription TV linear channel deals, the answer was a firm ‘no’. Wierig made it clear that Vodafone Group is committed to aggregating linear Pay TV channels that it licenses, packages, prices and markets.” But it was clear that more apps onboarding and apps-based viewing will mean holistic packaging and pricing innovation, with bundling viewed as a key value-add. “One of the elements we can bring to the table is centralised negotiations, and the chance of a discount [on the cost of a streaming service].”

Wierig believes Vodafone can help streaming services to grow at a time when consumers may need convincing that they should add a second or third paid service to their streaming stack. He also believes that the introduction of lower-priced, ad-supported tiers by some formerly subscription dominated streaming services will give Pay TV operators more flexibility when creating bundles and placing OTT services into packages.

Content discovery is where Vodafone can add serious value to streaming apps partners and, given that streaming services can be found pretty much everywhere, this is a business imperative if you want to play in the future aggregation marketplace. “The question is how every consumer can find the right content, given that content sources are increasing significantly. So, we look closely into customer segmentation. Our goal is to give every customer – whether a family with kids or a single person household, or a couple – an individualised experience.

So, this is about discovery, and that requires proper metadata integration and unified search across various content offerings. “It is not always easy to convince OTT service providers to be really open [with metadata] but we are getting there, first of all because we are complementary to their D2C approach and we can offer strong marketing and sales, and that is a perfect fit strategically,” Wierig told the London audience.

Vodafone Group is particularly active as a TV provider in Germany, Spain and Portugal, and has enjoyed content exclusivity – as with sports rights – in certain markets. But the Group has concluded that it is generally happy with non-exclusive partnerships. Wierig agreed that this has the affect of de-risking the business, providing a better ‘risk-to-reward’ balance. Shunning exclusive content rights like sport does not mean turning down any exclusives, however, as seen by the recent HBO Max exclusive telco marketing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, for example. “It does depend on the opportunity, and where it is needed and it is helpful, and where the risk/reward profile works, it is something we can look at. But in general, we are more on the non-exclusive path.”

First, Swisscom provides its notable sports content, plus films and documentaries to its rival Pay TV provider, Sunrise (the Liberty Global subsidiary), but not as linear broadcast channels. The content is made available via the blue TV app that has been onboarded on Sunrise set-top boxes. The evolution of the user experience is most obvious for football fans (seeking Super League, UEFA Champions League, Serie A, LaLiga, Premier League, Ligue1, etc. via blue TV). Where once a typical European sports rights licensing deal would have involved linear channels being made available via another Pay TV provider, the sports package on blue TV is accessed only via the onboarded app – and that includes live matches.

blue TV means that, in effect, Swisscom has become a direct-to-consumer app on the Sunrise set-top boxes, since Swisscom creates a customer relationship with the viewers. It also means that more premium sports TV viewing will be via unicast streaming. Schmidt pointed to greater UX control as a key advantage of the new blue TV app approach to distribution partnerships, contrasting the lack of control over licensed linear channels to the way that blue TV transports the brand and the Swisscom-defined UX.

Swisscom has created a common HTML5 browser-based app that can be used across operator set-top boxes (i.e., Sunrise) and on Smart TVs. This app also means that blue TV is available on Samsung television models dating from 2018 and on LG televisions back to 2017. Single app development was a key goal for Swisscom. “Like every major operator, we have to watch where we invest our resource and creating individualised apps for each platform is a development effort we did not want to bear,” Schmidt noted.

The second notable device and distribution innovation at Swisscom is the recent introduction of Apple TV devices as a second set-top box option shipped by Swisscom for on-network Swisscom customers (in a Swisscom home). These now sit alongside the ‘original’ Swisscom-developed STB platform that harnesses Android Open Source Project. This also turns Swisscom Pay TV into an app experience and delivers content as unicast ABR, rather than the classic multicast IPTV delivery into the classic Swisscom-developed STBs.

“Swisscom is an Apple-fan country with a very high iPhone penetration,” Schmidt says, pointing to why Apple was chosen as a new device partner. “Most of the [user] experience is identical [on the Apple TV devices to what you get with the Swisscom-developed STB].”

Swisscom already made its television service available as an app on retail Apple TV devices. But Apple also runs the Apple TV Distribution Program that enables Pay TV operators to become a specially integrated app experience on the Apple TV set-top devices – a similar approach to Android TV Operator Tier.

The new Apple STB app was built for the tvOS environment (so is different to the HTML5 app above). Swisscom appears as a very prominent app on the home screen and if you press the EPG button, the grid that appears is served through the Swisscom app. “You are more deeply integrated in this partnership [than when providing an app on a retail connected TV device] and that is why we consider this an equal set-top box, alongside ours,” Schmidt told the Connected TV World Summit conference two weeks ago.

All content, including the approx. 15 UHD linear channels from Swisscom, are served as unicast ABR streams through the Apple TV set-tops – which becomes the first unicast STB deployed by Swisscom. Asked about the trajectory towards all-ABR television, Schmidt pointed out that everyone knows the world is moving to all ‘OTT’ whether in the near or far future.

“There is a lot of innovation in this direction, so we will be driven in this direction. Companies will need core networks that are ready for unicast [as the default TV delivery].”

Addressing the challenges associated with the expansion of the Swisscom addressable market via the blue TV retail apps (on Smart TVs and connected devices owned by the consumer, and not supplied by Swisscom, including in non-Swisscom homes), Schmidt pointed to the need to support legacy devices with weak CPUs and ensure strong new partnerships so changes on the CTV device (like a browser update) do not kill your app. “You must also work on the operations advice for customers that call you, if anything needs to be fixed.”

He also highlighted a UX challenge thrown up by the often-streamlined remote controls on retail CTV devices (and indeed, on the Apple TV set-top boxes). “You are no longer in charge of the remote control and how many buttons you have, so a lot of attention has been paid to how we maintain a superior user experience with less navigation commands.”

Howells also disagrees with the argument that allowing people to watch content outside of apps (in a streaming environment) goes against the commercial interests of broadcasters or studios. The app-centric argument states that these content owners have invested heavily in their direct-to-consumer apps, and once they have a viewer inside that environment their aim is to keep them there as long as possible, through use of smart personalisation including recommendations, and so increase their total share of time. But Howells believes that even the biggest broadcasters will benefit from showing off their goods outside their own apps, and inside what would effectively be a curation app that supports the streaming zapper guide. He points to pop-up channels, and of course the ability to link EPG channels to deeper content catalogues, as obvious benefits.

Speaking at Connected TV World Summit last week, Howells explained: “Content discovery is a huge thing and with an old television set you can switch one button and go through all your channels. It is a simple and serendipitous experience. You can scroll through 100 channels in one minute. People still enjoy that experience, but for IP-delivered content that is really hard. You switch on a device and decide what app you want to go into. You have already made a decision that sections off some of your content.

“DVB-I is a way to provide a ‘magic URL’ for any channel, so there is a service list for all the channels in a market and all of them can be found by surfing. Someone builds a ‘zapping app’ on top to allow that model of discovery for linear content.”

Howells believes the DVB-I-supported EPG will make startover television even easier, since a channel owner could provide separate URLs for a +5-minute, +10-minute, +20-minute, etc. version of the channel, all found via channel up/down. Another use-case he outlined is the branded/themed on-demand ‘linear’ channel experience, possibly as a pop-up promotion for a limited period. Thus, the BBC could easily create a Dr Who channel (for example) that plays Season 1 Episode 1, followed by subsequent episodes. “You watch, leave. When you go back to this channel, play resumes where you left off.”

Pop-ups would be a streaming bonus, Howells reckons. “It is really hard to create pop-up channels in the broadcast environment. With DVB-I you could create event-related pop-up channels in the [channel guide] list and then make them disappear again.

Howells is convinced that a market characterised by many different proprietary methods of curating and presenting streaming content will benefit from some standards-based rationalisation (DVB-I works inside apps as well as outside). The burden of apps development and lifecycle management is well-known, and the DVB Module Chair pointed out that beyond the variety of connected TV operating systems everyone works with today, we must start thinking about cars [ahead of the growing in-car entertainment opportunity that will explode with the advent of autonomous driving]. “Cars have their own systems,” he pointed out.

He also questions whether it is a sustainable model to expect consumers to register for an enormous number of apps. He believes consumers will want less places where they can find more, rather than more apps and choices.

“Maintaining apps will be expensive, and if you are not one of the top few apps, your traffic will be small. You may have good content, specialist content, but unless you are one of the top 3-4 apps it [generating traffic] becomes a problem. The top 3-4 apps will not go away, but we need a place where people can find everything else. And there is nothing stopping the biggest app owners from having a place [in a DVB-I enabled programme guide]. You could have a Game of Thrones channel. Netflix could have their own channel.”

The DVB wants a streaming equivalent to the new television boot-up and auto channel scan that consumers are used to. “The idea is that if you pulled the [DTT/satellite/cable] antenna out of the television [or buy an IP-only television], the [previously broadcast] channel would continue to appear based on a streaming equivalence, and you would even see the local version of that channel.” This capability has value before the demise of broadcast signals, too, with Howells pointing to the hybrid broadcast/streaming approach to channel delivery where, if a broadcast signal is weak or drops out, a television can fall back to a streamed version of the same channel, using broadband instead.

The company has outlined some of the ways it intends to build momentum for Paramount+, including a decision that starting in 2024, Paramount+ will become the streaming home for all new Paramount Pictures movies in the U.S. following their theatrical runs. New franchise expansions have been unveiled, with ‘A Quiet Place’, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Teen Wolf’ among the brands involved. As an example of the franchise expansions, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ will see an original live-action series, featuring the character Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba. More kids and family content has been announced, too.

Paramount+ is being pitched as a broad-reach service, with Paramount promising it “will continue to deliver the most diverse content offering in streaming across every genre at scale, including beloved franchise extensions and all-new buzzworthy originals spanning must-see movies, scripted dramas, unscripted reality TV, comedy, kids and family, sports, news, specials and events to super-serve the entire household.”

Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer, Streaming, at Paramount, declared: “On Paramount+, we have something for everyone. “We are taking our broad content offering and deepening it with more content in key categories, building on our treasure trove of IP to create lasting, hit franchises.”

On the distribution front, Paramount+ will make its debut in France as an exclusive bundle with CANAL+ Group this year. The D2C offer will still be made available directly on the French market (outside of Pay TV ‘carriage’). These details were announced this week.

“We’re continuing to leverage our global footprint and long-standing relationships to expand Paramount+ into new markets with enormous potential, quickly and economically,” observes Tom Ryan, President and CEO, Streaming at Paramount Global. Meanwhile, Paramount is going to offer an integrated bundle of Paramount+ and SHOWTIME (the streaming offer from one of its best-known network brands).

Naveen Chopra, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at Paramount, says: “In just one year, Paramount+ has outperformed all expectation. Our powerful content, marketing and distribution engines drove explosive growth as further proof of our ability to establish a sustainable, large scale streaming business with a differentiated global playbook.”

Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer at Paramount Global, adds: “We see a huge global opportunity in streaming, a much larger potential market than can be captured by linear TV and film alone. We’re excited about our ability to not just compete, but thrive, creating significant value for both consumers and shareholders. How? Because we’re broader in four key areas: our diverse content, streaming model, mix of platforms and global reach. As we look forward, the size of the opportunity we see is matched only by our ambition to seize it.”

Editor’s comment

The multi-genre nature of Paramount+ is precisely the kind of content strategy that the research company MIDiA flagged in its recent report ‘Consolidation and retention: How D2C is now driving video M&A strategy’ when it considered how direct-to-consumer services can grow subscribers in an increasingly competitive market at the same time that consumers are returning to ‘in real life’ activities.

MIDiA has summed up the approach as ‘G.O.L.F’ – meaning Genres, Originals, Library, and Formats. On Genres, the research firm advises “offering the breadth of traditional TV content, with sports and news being essential parts of this genre portfolio diversification.”

Tim Mulligan, Executive Vice President and Research Director at MIDiA Research, wrote that if you want to compete with leading international SVODs like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and also appeal to the ‘silver streamers’ who are now joining the streaming revolution, genre diversity is part of the answer. “[Silver streamers] are familiar with traditional TV content offerings and actively engaging with video as a result of the lockdown of 2020/21. Offering substitutive D2C services, which will replace their need to engage with traditional TV, is key to minimising the churn risks that are looming in 2022.”

Interested in D2C content strategies?

Connected TV World Summit 2022 takes a close look at how content and content distribution strategies are evolving, including the approach of studio D2Cs. You can learn more about the event here and register to attend here.

Justin Lebbon, Co-Director at Mediatel Events, confirms: “We are taking the digital-first focus of our fast-growing Videoscape Europe event and bringing it into Connected TV World Summit, where we still pursue a decade-long passion for Pay TV aggregation, content discovery, user experiences, customer premise equipment, operations transformation, network innovations and advanced advertising.

“For four years, thanks to Videoscape Europe, we have been expanding our relationship with streaming services, streaming content curators, streaming platforms and the solution providers that help to put them ‘on air’ and monetise their audiences. These companies will now enrich the Connected TV World Summit agenda and the networking opportunities that surround it, as we deliver more content covering the totality of our marketplace under one roof.”

Mediatel Events is predicting a “stand-out year” for Connected TV World Summit as this wider remit coincides with the return to physical, in-person events. “We are opening the doors even wider to the thriving D2C, SVOD, AVOD, connected TV, streaming content, sports streaming and premium video adtech markets,” the conference organiser explains.

Connected TV World Summit is now in its 12^th year. It was the first event globally to recognise and seriously investigate the opportunities and challenges presented by streaming to television sets, showcasing Smart TV and connected TV device and content ecosystems as they emerged. The migration of the ‘incumbent’ Pay TV and broadcasting industry to multiscreen streaming and, increasingly connected TV, was tracked across a decade, spanning subjects from apps lifecycle management to super-aggregation.

In recent years the thought-leadership conference has reflected the increasing influence of streaming across both distribution and advertising, including the digital growth strategies at ‘born-broadcast’ media owners. Videoscape Europe launched as a place for ‘born-digital’ challenger media companies, and the digital teams at broadcasters and Pay TV operators, to share their business, marketing and technology strategies for digital growth, including the migration from broadcast TV.

The combination of Connected TV World Summit and Videoscape Europe is a natural progression, according to the event organisers. Themes for 2022 include the future of content distribution, how Pay TV stays relevant as content exclusivity becomes more elusive (because subscription channel content can be found in D2C apps and streamers are competing for sports rights), how content owners and distributors maximise viewer attention (including content discovery), how we make streaming ‘broadcast-ready’, and the future of free-to-view content (including why we need free-to-air broadcast platforms in a world of apps, and how connected TV audiences can be fully monetised).

You can read all the Connected TV World Summit themes here.

Connected TV World Summit registration is here.

Videonet is part of Mediatel Events, which organises Connected TV World Summit.

The organiser continues: “TV is changing at breakneck speed and much of what we took for granted is being challenged or reimagined. Studio groups are now their own distributors. Broadcasters are becoming digital-first. Sports leagues are going direct-to-consumer. Streamers are winning domestic sports rights. Pay TV has lost its exclusivity on premium networks. Movies are premiered in SVOD…

“…Box-sets precede linear release. Aggregation is morphing into super-aggregation. Pay TV operators make their own Smart TVs. Television makers aggregate channels and sell advertising. ‘Library channels’ produce Originals. Advertising can be individually targeted. Streaming can look as good as broadcast…”

In short, everything has been thrown in the air “and what we are witnessing is ‘The Great Recalibration’ of television, as the forces of convergence create new media companies, business models, partnerships, audiences and user experiences – all backed by technology innovation.”

Connected TV World Summit 2022 is held at The Royal College of Physicians in London on May 24-25 and, for the first time, will incorporate Mediatel Events’ streaming-focused conference, Videoscape Europe. You can read more about the merger of these events under the CTV World Summit banner here.

The agenda will include:

• The latest thinking on Pay TV content aggregation and curation, with a special focus on super-aggregation and the new platform/app relationship.
• The future of free-to-view, including the role of free-to-air broadcast platforms in a world filled with free streaming, and the evolution of BVOD.
• Next-generation entertainment ‘platforms’, spanning RDK and Android to Smart TV operating systems, direct-to-TV (operator as an app) and even operator-owned television sets.
• Connected TV distribution and advertising (including how we fully monetise CTV audiences)
• Next-generation content discovery and UI/UX innovations
• The evolution of content and content distribution strategies, including D2C and sports rights.
• Addressable TV advertising (and especially how media owners can create value for themselves and advertisers through targeting that harnesses their first-party data.
• Cross-platform audience measurement and its role in enabling successful Total TV (broadcast+streaming) advertising.
• Autonomous vehicle entertainment (nascent ecosystem opportunities for platforms through to content owners) and the entertainment metaverse: the scope for content owners and aggregators to provide our virtual-life programming and advertising.
• Streaming delivery networks – preparing for a world where World Cup finals are streamed to half the population, including across rural areas.
• Beyond-TV revenue opportunities for service providers, from smart Wi-Fi and smart assistants to home cybersecurity.

You can read the detailed themes at the Connected TV World Summit website here.

Connected TV World Summit registration is here.

Steve Scaffardi, Head of Mediatel Events, declares: “The emphasis at Connected TV World Summit is on puzzle solving and real-world implementation, and the event never fails to attract the biggest names in Pay TV, broadcasting, streaming, studios and TV tech. You can expect an outpouring of new thinking and best practice with global relevance. And of course, this is an important and long-awaited opportunity to network with international delegates and speakers.”

Connected TV World Summit is organised by Mediatel Events, which publishes Videonet.

The virtual conference, featuring video presentations and panels, will be streamed on June 11. The organisers – Mediatel Events, which owns Videonet – report that over 1,200 people have pre-registered already.

“The world’s media companies – new and old – are in a race for market share as the slow-burning transition to IP viewing accelerates. The potential for value-chain disruption has increased; the danger posed by anaemic digital strategies is heightened,” say the event organisers. “For every digital service, it is time to double-down on efforts to gain homes, viewing hours, fans, subscriptions and advertising dollars.

“Videoscape Europe is focused on how media companies can triumph in this fast-moving, premium video streaming marketplace. We want to know how all digital entertainment stakeholders guarantee their slice of a market that, today, partly complements, partly substitutes, and partly mirrors broadcast TV programming.”

Full conference details are available at the Videoscape Europe website, including the full agenda and confirmed speakers. You can register to watch the conference stream here (it is free).

The conference themes are:

Aggregators in a digital world – why anyone needs them

What is the point of aggregators in the digital video universe, when you can reach favourite SVOD and D2C (direct-to-consumer) services directly via apps? We consider what an aggregator must do to remain relevant, and whether their No.1 contribution to the ‘beyond broadcast’ world must be super intelligent, universal content discovery – or whether discounted bundling will grow in importance as the economics of streaming video mature. What does a digital entertainment aggregator look like, what tools do they need, and who can fulfil this function?

Studios and curators – securing their place in the ‘stack’

This conference explores the rapid expansion of super-premium D2C studio services, the continued growth of global SVODs and their emergence as super-studios, and the anticipated acceleration in global and specialist AVODs – and wonders whether they can all grow simultaneously. Content, distribution (including partnerships), differentiation and customer acquisition strategies are on the agenda. How do streamers become indispensable to consumers who have built a ‘stack’ of digital entertainment services?

Digital broadcasters – converting linear market share to digital

Broadcast TV viewing is dominated by a relatively small number of channel groups, but the digital landscape is more diverse, having grown, to some extent, precisely because it offered something different. We want to know how broadcasters of every size can increase their share of streamed viewing, attracting digital-centric viewers to their programming and ensuring that as broadcast viewers – and especially older demos – become heavier digital users, they are not ‘lost’ to these media companies.

The road to all-streaming – the technology roadmap

The DVB has unveiled a standards-based, best-of-breed streaming showcase that enables the delivery of something that looks like broadcast TV, only via IP. This is where we start our exploration of what the post-broadcast world could look like, including how content and channels will be presented. We look for the next-gen technologies that will make it viable for satellite TV to go dish-less and ‘terrestrial’ to ditch the aerials. Multicast ABR, low-latency streaming and CDN upgrades will be among the talking points.

Videonet is a key media partner for Videoscape Europe and will be running related content including analysis, reports and contributed opinion through June 1-12. If you would like to contribute to this premium streaming video thought-leadership fortnight, please contact john.moulding@mediatelevents.com

Disney+ is due to launch in the US on November 12, 2019 priced at US$6.99 per-month – a competitive rate that will undercut rivals like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Following its home market debut, Disney+ will “rapidly expand globally” and Disney said it plans for the service to be in “nearly all major regions of the world within the next two years”.

In terms of content, the service will offer more than 7,500 TV episodes and 500 films and Disney has pledged to release more than 25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries and specials on Disney+ in its first year.

Viewers will be able to navigate to dedicated pages for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic content and access popular Fox series like The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle.

Disney+ will also be home to films released by The Walt Disney Studios from 2019 onwards – including Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX.

New original titles for Disney+ announced at the Investor Day included two live-action and one animated series form Marvel Studios; a documentary series about the making of Frozen 2; two Toy-Story based projects; two National Geographic documentary series; and a new animated Phineas and Ferb movie.

Disney+ will be available on a range of mobile and connected devices, including games consoles, streaming media players and smart TVs. It will also support 4K and High Dynamic Range playback.

“Disney+ marks a bold step forward in an exciting new era for our company – one in which consumers will have a direct connection to the incredible array of creative content that is The Walt Disney Company’s hallmark,” said Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Iger.

“We are confident that the combination of our unrivaled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace, and deliver significant value for consumers and shareholders alike.”

Disney’s Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International, Kevin Mayer, added: “We’re extremely excited about our growing portfolio of direct-to-consumer offerings. As we demonstrated today, with Disney+ we will deliver extraordinary entertainment in innovative ways to audiences around the world.”

Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy also includes existing US streaming services Hulu and ESPN+ and India’s Hotstar platform.