August 2016 X-PLATFORM 29
EBU calls for open and interoperable 5G technology platform
The rise of mobile video ? The Ooyala Q1 2016 Global Video Index report finds mobile viewing now representing 48 % of all online view starts , up 14 % from 2015 , and up 129 % from 2014 .
Understanding consumer behaviour key in mapping out successful OTT strategies
There is a strong correlation between content length and engagement engagement in both subscription-video-on-demand ( SVoD ) and advertising-video-ondemand ( AVoD ) business models , the Ooyala Q1 2016 Global Video Index report has found .
For SVoD services , which are almost exclusively composed of long-form content such as episodic series and full-length feature films , nearly 100 % of viewing across devices is with long-form video , or content running 20 minutes or longer .
Short-form content finds favour with smartphone and PC viewers , at 66 % and 55 % respectively , while tablet viewers split their attention almost evenly between longform ( 43 %) and short-form ( 44 %) content . Connected TV viewers , meanwhile , watch long-form content 92 % of the time with AVoD services .
Ooyala found that the consumption of AVoD and SVoD assets differ by device and content length . AVoD viewers spend 55 % of their time on PCs , while SVoD viewers do the opposite , spending 55 % of their time on mobile devices . This , says Ooyala , suggests that SVoD services are more personal experiences and , therefore , are consumed more frequently on personal devices .
Where video drop-off rates are concerned , short- , mid- and longform video viewers tend to drop off anywhere between 70 % and 95 % of completion , depending upon device and content length .
Short-form video sees the highest completion rate of 90 % -95 % and PC viewers drop off sooner than on mobile devices , regardless of content length .
Operators should also pay heed to quality-of-experience ( QoE ), which is both a cause and a solution for drop-off rates . A 0.2 % or less buffer ratio , or the amount of time spent buffering versus watching , is the most successful benchmark to keep viewers engaged , Ooyala reported . Half of viewers drop from video when the buffer ratio is 1 %, and 43 % drop when it is 0.4 %.
In order to retain viewers , content recommendations have a key role to play . Pulling data from Ooyala Discovery , a content recommendation technology , the report found that viewers will , on average , watch 40 % of all content recommended to them , thus driving more views .
Jim O ’ Neill , principal analyst at Ooyala , said : “ The TV revolution has reached an inflection point as already-complex issues now compound upon one another , causing even more perplexing challenges for premium content providers . Everything from the QoE to buffer rations , business model strategies and how to keep viewers engaged — success in today ’ s TV landscape requires big solutions to big questions .
“ Having a data-driven and analytics-informed business is key in reducing the complexities and building a healthy and lucrative business .”
Next month , the European Union ( EU ) is expected to adopt a 5G action plan , which intends to build on EU investments already planned in 5G research and innovations . The aim is to ensure that European companies are ready to start offering 5G products and services in 2020 .
5G could potentially offer many opportunities for public service media and their audiences , said Jean-Paul Philippot , president of the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ). Speaking last month at a roundtable discussion with European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther Oettinger in Brussels , Philippot announced : “ Our ambition is to enhance our relationship with EU citizens and enrich viewer experience . At the same time , we strive to improve the efficiency and agility of our production processes .
“ With this aim in mind , the EBU is willing to contribute to the development of an open and interoperable 5G technology platform .”
He stressed that audiences should be able to benefit from 5G with quality of service and easy universal access to content of public value without having to pay recurrent charges . EU 5G policy , thus , should support the development of an open and interoperable technology platform , and should be a vehicle towards cooperative use of broadcast and broadband infrastructures .
“ As for all distribution networks , it is crucial for costs to be transparent , predictable and affordable to ensure that funds are mainly devoted to content ,” Philippot added .
In other 5G developments , Ericsson , in collaboration with Germany ’ s Deutsche Telekom and South Korea ’ s SK Telecom , is deploying the “ world ’ s first ” transcontinental 5G trial network .
The three companies will deploy a trial network in South Korea and Germany that uses key 5G technologies such as Network Functions Virtualisation ( NFV ), software-defined infrastructure , as well as distributed cloud and network slicing . The principal aim , according to the companies , is to enable global reach for advanced 5G use cases by optimising user roaming experiences . Additionally , 5G ecosystem development , global marketing promotions and potential standardisation activities will be closely collaborated .
Bruno Jacobfeuerborn , CTO of Deutsche Telekom , said : “ Many of the customer scenarios envisaged for the 5G era will require excellent quality of service globally . From our point of view , network slicing roaming will be a key enabler to support customers ’ international operations with an optimised experience .”
Ericsson and SK Telecom conducted a successful demonstration of network slicing technology last October , while the latter signed a strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom at the Mobile World Congress ( MWC ) 2016 in February .
Alex Jinsung Choi , CTO and head of corporate R & D centre , SK Telecom , added : “ 5G is very different from its predecessors in that the system is built as a platform to provide tailored services optimised for individual customer ’ s needs , at a global scale .
“ Through this three-party collaboration , we will be able to better understand and build a 5G system that can provide consistent and enhanced user experience across the globe .”
New alliance to step up deployment of advanced media services worldwide
European media services provider Arkena has entered into a strategic partnership with Akamai that will see the latter ’ s global CDN ( content delivery network ) combined with Arkena ’ s live and ondemand media management services .
This , according to Arkena , will enable the company to offer clients a complete solution to deliver high-quality video across networks and connected devices .
Arkena is also integrating Akamai ’ s global CDN services with its cloud-based over-the-top ( OTT ) platform , which is designed to support broadcasters ,
As the European Union prepares to adopt a 5G action plan next month , the European Broadcasting Union has called for the development of an open and interoperable 5G technology platform .
content owners and telecom operators . The integration will allow Arkena to facilitate the fast and easy deployment of multi-screen OTT services , prioritise video quality and ensure customer satisfaction with Arkena ’ s full end-to-end services , said the company .
Ivan Dulguerian , chief marketing officer , Arkena , added : “ Since the beginning , video quality and customer experience have been at the heart of Arkena . The OTT video market is growing rapidly worldwide and our partnership with Akamai will allow us to reach new territories and extend our footprint with best-of-breed quality for end-users .”