The Broad Picture: Optimizing OTT Video Delivery for Content Providers

Improve the Quality of Your OTT Video Service by Increasing Control Over the Delivery Chain

Leveraging OTT technologies, such as adaptive bitrate streaming and DRM protection, content providers, TV channels, and global pay-TV operators are successfully launching multiscreen video offerings and addressing their viewers directly. But as video content consumption increases, new questions arise: How can content providers gain more control over the delivery of their video content? How can they optimize video content to provide a better quality of experience (QoE) to customers? How can they do so while controlling their costs, especially those related to CDN services?

 

Broadpeak has developed a set of solutions to help content providers answer these questions, with an adaptive approach tailored to each case

1. CONTROL THE ORIGIN SERVER

The origin server is a key component in the OTT delivery chain. By packaging encoded content in multiple adaptive bitrate formats (e.g., HLS, HSS, MPEG-DASH, HDS), it makes it easy for operators to address any player or device. Processing the content on-the-fly, upon user requests, also reduces the need for storage space. In addition, the origin server can include recording capabilities for cloud-PVR, catch-up TV, and network time-shifting applications that can be monetized further with end-users.

Benefits:

  • Control the quality of their content
  • Protect content with the DRM solution of their choice
  • Work with several CDNs as a service providers
  • Offer popular nonlinear TV services
Broadpeak’s new BkS350 Origin Packager has been especially designed to ease the creation of live, VOD, and nonlinear content in all ABR formats on-the-fly.

 

2. USE A CDN SELECTOR

Implementing a multi-CDN strategy is highly beneficial for OTT multiscreen delivery compared with relying on a single CDN. Oftentimes, the best CDN for delivering video content in one location may not be the same for another region. Additionally, some CDNs perform better with certain subscribers, and some are more expensive than others but provide a better Quality of Service (QoS), which is critical for delivering premium content. Enabling operators and content providers to balance traffic between multiple CDNs ultimately makes sense from a QoE and cost standpoint.

A CDN selector allows content providers to allocate a CDN based on various criteria such as geolocation, timeframe, NSP, and QoS. It can be used to balance the load of traffic among several CDNs. It also provides centralized analytics and geoblocking features.

Benefits: 

Using a CDN selector allows content providers to

  • Maximize the QoS by using various CDNs where they are the best
  • Better negotiate with CDN service providers
  • Simplify the management process with centralized services (e.g., geoblocking, content replacement) and monitoring
  • Benefit from unified analytics
  • Get quality feedback from players to adapt their operational and marketing strategies.
Available both as a service and as a product, Broadpeak’s umbrellaCDN CDN selector is capable of displaying analytics information from the major players available in the market.

 

3. DEPLOYING CACHE SERVERS

Launching their own video delivery solution is not an optimization path reserved to the top three content providers! By judiciously placing their caching servers in operators’ datacenters, content providers can achieve an increased control of the delivery chain. This is a key way to differentiate from the competition in terms of QoS and ensuring that the value of content is preserved.

Benefits: 

  • By deploying local cache servers, content providers benefit from
  • Controlled CDN service providers costs
  • An improved QoE for end-users since streaming is handled from a closer location
  • A direct relationship with operators to reduce transit agreement costs
  • In-depth analytics from both the server side and player side

As a specialist in operator video delivery networks, Broadpeak has successfully deployed video servers in the datacenters of more than 50 telco and cable operators for their own usage. We are now making this technology available to content providers who can expect huge benefits from deploying local cache servers within operators’ datacenters serving the regions where most of their customers are located. In addition, Broadpeak provides a fully integrated CDN as a service offering that can be used to address delivery in less prioritized regions.

 

A combination of these three methods is the ideal approach for an optimized and cost-effective video delivery solution. A well-configured CDN selector can elect the local cache of an operator when the content is available for subscribers and the best CDN as a service for users that are outside this footprint. A unified packager, hosted by the content provider, guarantees that different CDNs can be used seamlessly.

 

For more information about Content Providers, download the brochure or visit the webpage.

DOWNLOAD OUR BROCHURE

 

 

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