magazine - Connect-World

Over-the-top content
In May 2012, Nielsen’s Global Survey of
Multi-Screen Media Usage reported that
more than 28,000 internet respondents in
56 countries indicated that watching video
content on computers has become just
as popular as watching video content on
television among online consumers. Over
80 per cent reported watching video content
at home on a computer (84 per cent) or on
TV (83 per cent) at least once a month. By
contrast, in 2010, more online consumers
reported watching video content on TV (90
per cent) than on a computer (86 per cent)
in a month-long period. Since the report
was published these figures are likely to
have swung further with the trend for tablet
and mobile applications growing rapidly.
In the Europe the Orange Exposure
2012/2013 annual independent study
by TNS published in November 2012,
examined mobile media habits across
UK, France and Spain for the advertising
industry. It showed mobile as the primary
screen of choice for 11-18 year olds with a
very high penetration of smartphones and
highlighted the power of social networking
and social TV in this demographic. The
study also showed that adults are using
screens more interchangeably than ever
before with less preference for one over
another. The trend doesn’t just apply
to adults and teenagers. Many young
children wake up to find a tablet amongst
their Christmas or birthday presents these
days. These figures are being mirrored
in countries across the world and as such
operators need to be able to provide a
combined service offering that’s simple to
navigate with high quality services.
There are three parties involved in the
delivery of content to consumers: network
owners/operators, service providers and
third-party content aggregators (Hulu/
Netflix etc). The development of Overthe-Top
delivery (OTT) means that service
provision can be separated from network
ownership/operation allowing a much
faster rate of service deployment and
growth helping to satisfy the demands
of the modern consumer. As we can see
from the reports, audiences don’t just
want the freedom to view content anytime,
anywhere; they now expect it - they are
truly network-agnostic.
For ISPs, along with cable, mobile and
hospitality TV service providers to survive
in this highly competitive market they need
a complimentary mechanism to deliver
value-add additional features including:
non-linear TV, VoD, triple- screen, hybrid
boxes and mobile applications. That
mechanism is OTT. OTT delivery - where
the service provided is separated from
the network - allows consumers to access
the same content on their mobile, tablet
and TV provided that they have a good
enough internet connection and a service
provider(s) that understands the pitfalls and
the quality that’s expected. Not all OTT
delivery is created equally as many of us
know: video drop-out and buffering are
common problems. Sometimes a complete
loss of service is the result.
The key to the success of OTT is the
quality of delivery and this is where
the wheat is separated from the chaff.
Adaptive streaming technology is the
driver in this arena. Adaptive streaming
frequently checks the connection type and
strength for both linear and non-linear
content and adapts accordingly for quality
optimisation. Therefore it allows service
providers/content aggregators to deliver all
their services to all devices (multi-screen
delivery) via a single platform reducing
resources and operational costs and
providing a pay-as-you-grow model.
With the integration of apps on mobile,
tablet and smart TVs, watching OTT
content across multi-screen devices has
never been easier. Users simply purchase
the application via the App Store or
Google Play and access content on their
platform using the pin number provided
by their operator. The high level search
functionality technology on smart phones
and tablet devices provided by the delivery
platform allows users to select and view
content quickly and easily. The operator
can also offer universal recommendations,
increasing social TV interaction and
advertising revenues.
Recommendation technology is an
important addition for viewers. There’s so
much content available it can be frustrating
to sift through the content that you’re not
interested in to find content that’s relevant.
Finding the right key words that describe
what the user is looking for so that they get
to the correct information is challenging.
Having to fine tune those words and then
filter through the content takes time and
patience. Television continues to be a leanback
experience and as such the process
of searching for content that will satisfy
should not be a struggle - in fact it should
be the exact opposite if operators and
content owners want to drive loyalty and
therefore revenues. The key for content
owners is how best to present content to the
user in an orderly fashion.
Remote viewing capability is also
important as well having the ability
to use the smartphone or tablet as a
remote control for the television with
significantly increased search capability.
Remote applications enable simple browse
capability whilst pop-up push notifications
on the second screen alert the user that
content is starting and a single click plays
it on the TV via the set-top box. Search
optimisation is highly advanced, enabling
filtering based on chosen criteria. Users can
search, record, bookmark or play content
on the TV then freeing up the second
device.
Unlimited devices can be connected to the
server allowing operators to set their own
parameters. High-level security settings
mean that subscribers can put in place strict
parental control where necessary. Users can
check which devices are connected to the
platform and are able to disable or switch
devices without having to purchase another
application or connection.
The multi-screen revolution is being driven
by the consumer and is developing quickly.
It offers huge potential and a bright future
for operators adopting OTT across multiple
devices. By delivering quality television
services operators are expanding their
market potential and thereby significantly
increasing revenue and meeting the ever
increasing demands of their customer base.
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32 • EMEA 2013