36
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Evolution of Digital Video for Publishers02
Video Content Management and DeliveryCore of Every Digital Video Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
Beyond the Basics of Building Your Video Content Management and Distribution Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
05
Choosing Where to DistributeLive, Linear, On Demand: The Three
Main Types of Digital Video Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Distribution channels for digital video content. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Distribution Specifics for Every Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Key Features for Digital Video Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
14
User Experience ExpectationsOptimizing Advertising Through Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
28
Revenue Opimization
Best Practices for Publishers Optimizing Their
Digital Video User Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
30
Using Video Analytics Data to Make Strategic Decisions32
Conclusion: The Continued Diversification of Digital Video for Publishers34
02
The pivot to video changed media and publishing companies forever.
In 2017, after a yearlong roadshow highlighting the future of video, Mark Zuckerburg stated that Facebook would primarily consist of video content within five years...and everyone listened.
Statistics like “Online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic”
pushed publishers further into the deep-end of digital video. Companies were inking deals
with Facebook Watch, investing heavily in YouTube content, and live streaming on more
and more channels.
And then reality hit — Facebook’s numbers were
inflated, advertising opportunities didn’t meet
expectations, and brand safety concerns across
YouTube and other social platforms rose.
From lawsuits to job loss, the pivot to video
rocked publishers to their core.
But...many are beginning to see a new dawn
when it comes to finding digital video success.
By leaning into the data and understanding
overall consumer trends, leading publishers are
taking control by expanding and diversifying
their digital video presence.
Just read the headlines.
Introduction: The Evolution of Digital Video for Publishers
From lawsuits to job loss, the pivot to video rocked publishers to their core.
03
How are these media and publishing
companies taking these bold moves?
While content is still king, the ability to take
advantage of these opportunities while being
in control of your distribution, management
and revenue all starts with infrastructure.
However, the digital video ecosystem has
grown more fragmented as video strategies
grow more complex. In addition to social media
platforms and owned and operated websites,
there are now multiple video app marketplaces
on mobile devices and TVs, several virtual
video distributors and the need for optimized
user experiences regardless of device or
connection.
Which is much easier said than done.
Introduction: The Evolution of Digital Video for Publishers
Leading organizations
have realized they need
more control of how they
can monetize, manage, and distribute their video content.
04
VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ALLOWS TEAM TO QUICKLY DELIVER TO DOWNSTREAM SYNDICATION PARTNERS OR PLATFORMS IS CRITICAL TO SUCCEEDING IN THIS FAST-PACED, DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT
As you look to diversify your digital video strategy, regardless of your role at the organization,
understanding the infrastructure you’re going to need to deliver the high-quality, multi-channel
experiences your audiences want is pivotal to success.
Introduction: The Evolution of Digital Video for PublishersIntroduction: The Evolution of Digital Video for Publishers
04
After interviewing dozens of
publishers and digital video experts,
we’ve found 5 key themes they’re focused on in this new evolution of digital video.
05
Video Content Management and Delivery01
The evolution of digital video is about the diversification of distribution, monetization, and content creation by giving creators full control. By limiting your video distribution to platforms like Facebook or YouTube, you’re cutting off your access to viewer data, ad optimization, and easy multi-channel distribution.
Teams are now tasked with building video infrastructure to distribute their content -- whether
they build it themselves, buy video software, or use a hybrid model.
Building video infrastructure involves fully building out every pillar of your video infrastructure
using tools like AWS’ Media & Entertainment Solutions, Akamai’s Media Delivery Solutions, and,
typically, other cloud based infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This requires specific knowledge
of each tool and layer of the stack, as well as data center, cloud computing, and database
management expertise.
Buying your video infrastructure involves relying on SaaS platforms for every pillar of your
video infrastructure. Zype is the top-rated, award-winning video content management and
distribution platform with the most integrations to work the way your
teams do. Other video infrastructure software
includes Brightcove, JW Player, and Vimeo. Each
offer a different suite of features at different
price points, making due diligence a critical
piece of building out your infrastructure
when relying on external video SaaS.
06
Video Content Management and Delivery
Every digital video
infrastructure starts with
five main pillars.
Many companies, especially larger ones who have their own cloud infrastructure, often look at utilizing a hybrid-model of building their video infrastructure. This means mixing a variety of self-built, cloud-based, or off-the-shelf hosted products into a complete service. An example of a hybrid video infrastructure is using your own storage, a cloud-based vCMS, and a third party CDN like Verizon Media or Akamai.
By bringing your infrastructure in-house through building, buying, or using a hybrid model, your
ability to control your digital video destiny is in your hands. This decision is often based on your
organization’s needs, budget, available resources, and, maybe more critically, your timing. In this
all out war for video viewing eyeballs, getting your digital video infrastructure up and operating
quickly is often one of the biggest priorities.
Every digital video infrastructure starts with five pillars that should be your initial focus.
ORIGIN ENCODINGPIPELINE
VIDEOCONTENT
MANAGEMENT
CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK
(CDN)
CLIENTS ANDPLAYERS
07
Video Content Management and Delivery
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
1
Highly scalable
Multi-Region
Efficiently Optimized for Costs
Located Near CDN
OriginOrigin is a term is used to identify where the actual video content is
kept or hosted. Since there is no physical difference between a digital
original and a digital copy, the term implies that the origin server is the
one that is maintained and updated by the enterprise.
An origin server for storing video needs to be:
Able to handle a large volume of origin
requests. This is particularly true for live
streaming events
Localizing an origin as close to the majority of
the users that consume the content as possible
All cloud providers charge fees for data leaving
their networks. As such, optimizing efficiency
in terms of cost, between origin and CDNs, is
paramount to maintaining a healthy margin
An origin and CDN should be close to each
other. In terms of geographic proximity to each
other, this reduces latency and overall quality
of service for content distribution. We’ll talk
more about this in a moment
08
Video Content Management and Delivery
2
Encoding PipelineA video encoding (sometimes called “transcoding”) pipeline comprises
of systems, hardware or software that compresses and optimizes
digital video for distribution. This ensures proper formatting for end-
user experiences. For example, it is a best practice to ensure that the
video is encoded into various bitrates (think of as “sizes”) so that users
on varying qualities of connection can watch without interruption.
At a minimum, encoding pipelines for digital publishers need to
support:
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
Encoding Industry Standards
Bitrate and Formatting
Multi-File Formatting
Detection of Advertising Breaks
Multi-Channel Encoding
Encode content using widely supported
industry standard codecs
Encode to different bitrates and formats to
support streaming to viewers with varying
quality of connection and bandwidth
Encode to multiple file formats for delivery to
multiple end players and/or downloadable use
cases
Detect and preserve advertising signaling
metadata so that ads can be stitched in later on
Encode for live, video on demand, and linear
playout use cases
09
Video Content Management and Delivery
3
Video Content ManagementBefore your videos can be streamed, you need to ensure metadata
has been set and is available to end viewers to make it easy to find and
provide context to your viewers.
Video content management systems should feature the ability to:
09
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
Edit Content
Organize Content
This includes titles, descriptions, keywords,
tags, and thumbnails
Through Categories, Playlists, and self-defined
classifications
The ability to add structured and unstructured
metadata, video, images, media, and files,
and relate them to video and playlists
without having to deploy or maintain a
separate database
Extensibility
10
Video Content Management and Delivery
Content Delivery Network (CDN)a content delivery network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers
that deliver video and other content as quickly as possible to end-
users and consumers. They are typically priced in a way so that
publishers do not have to incur prohibitive network and computing
costs to deliver content to end-users at scale. The goal of a CDN
is to provide end-users with the same quality viewing experience
regardless of where they are in the world.
A CDN should be:
Global
Able to Optimize for Different Types of Content
Scalable
Make sure your CDN partners can deliver
high-quality video playback to where
your users are with as many edge nodes
geographically near your consumer base as
possible
A CDN should support all types of content
like VOD, progressive media, and live streams
along with a high cache hit ratio
As your audience and overall success grows,
your CDN partner(s) should be able to expand
service alongside your organization
4
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
11
Video Content Management and Delivery
Clients & PlayersA client or player is a software application that allows your viewers to
actually watch your video content.
At a minimum, every digital video player should support:
5
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
Latest Video Codecs
Content Entitlement and Paywall Security
Analytics
Support Adaptive Bitrate Playback
Casting to Chromecast and Apple Airplay
Multiple Language Closed Captioning and Subtitles
This includes for both audio and video including
h265, VP9, VP10/AV1, AAC, OGG
Ensure whoever is watching has full permission
to watch by location and paywalls
A player should at least come with basic analy-
tics into what is being watched and for how long
Your video player should work for different
bandwidth and connection scenarios
Being able to play video on Chromecast and
Apple Airplay is not a default feature so make
sure your player features this option
Whether it’s a focus to include multi-language
captions and subtitles right now or not, you’ll
find this a critical piece of growth later on
12
Video Content Management and Delivery
CORE OF EVERY DIGITAL VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE (CONTINUED)
Clients & PlayersA client or player is a software application that allows your viewers to
actually watch your video content.
At a minimum, every digital video player should support:
5
Open Javascript API Framework
Advertising Support
HTML5 Support
Support for Multi-Screen Playbacks
Allows organizations can manipulate the player
visuals for their own implementations
Through industry standard VAST tags, your
video player should be able to support
advertising whether you’re actively using it or not
Don’t get stuck with outdated technology — your
video player should support HTML5 features for
desktop and mobile web
Ideally, your player will allow you to broadcast
across channels and platforms including on mobile
and OTT/Connected TV apps and marketplaces
Video players are constantly evolving and changing, such as a video player
on a closed-system like Apple TV is completely different than an open
HTML5 player optimized for desktop viewing. Managing the variety of
players in the wild can become daunting once a publisher moves beyond
their website. Dynamic Player Technology (DPT) allows teams to scale
their video without being limited by a particular video player.
13
Building a modern video infrastructure that scales with your organization is more than just
solving for the main pillars we discussed -- especially when you’re looking at multi-channel
distribution.
In today’s fragmented video technology landscape, videos are stored on different systems
based on how they’re being published on the web, native mobile applications, connected TV
applications, or 3rd party and social media channels.
This distributed environment has left product and engineering team working overtime to
manage content and delivery across these channels. As your video strategy evolves, your digital
infrastructure, especially your video content management and distribution systems, should be
thoroughly reviewed to address potential use cases and needs.
Video Content Management and Delivery
BEYOND THE BASICS OF BUILDING YOUR VIDEO CONTENT MANAGEMENT AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
Complete backend CMS with content library, metadata management, thumbnail optimization & more
Content Security & Digital Rights Management
Multi-Channel Playout & Social Publishing
Live & Linear Streaming capabilities
Ad Server & SSP integrations, ad pod support
Viewer registration & subscription monetization
Analytics (built-in as well as 3rd party integrations)
Non-technical content curation and video publishing
Paywall Support
3rd party video content ingestion via quasi-standards like MRSS
3rd party video delivery & syndication control
Other video infrastructure considerations include:
14
Choosing Where to Distribute02
Whatever type of content your organization decides on producing, the next big question is where it’s going to be published.
While the pivot-to-video days were all about short-form, social video on Facebook Watch
or YouTube, this new era of digital video is about diversifying the types of content you’re
producing and where it’s being distributed.
The demands of a digital publishing company are ever-evolving due to a dynamic environment,
abundant opportunities, and an unrelenting and highly competitive focus on video. This has put
the pressure on product and engineering teams to deliver high-quality video experiences across
channels as quickly as possible.
Today’s diverified digital video landscape is full of opportunities for digital publishers and
media companies.
15
While you can share video across
distribution endpoints like onsite, social,
and OTT, there are really only three types
of digital video distribution: live, linear,
and on demand.
You might be familiar with these terms, but
what do they actually mean for your
infrastructure and business?
Choosing Where to Distribute
LIVE, LINEAR, ON DEMAND: THE THREE MAIN TYPES OF DIGITAL VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
LIVELINEAR
ONDEMAND
Understanding where and how you plan to distribute your digital video will help dictate the tools and technology you use to get you there versus continually cobbling together more and more disparate technology.
Many publishers today have supplemented their digital and print content with in-person events and experiential engagements. From Forbes’ long list of events to Condé Nast’s foray into events including two Teen Vogue Summits this year, it’s clear that live events are becoming a pillar for publishers.
While the primary focus is on getting readers or viewers to attend events
in-person, live streaming these events opens up an additional revenue
opportunity. Monetization can occur through ads or ticket sales to gain access
to the live stream. On demand recordings can be added as a benefit to premium
ticket holders as well.
LIVE
16
Choosing Where to Distribute
Events aren’t the only game in town when it comes to live streaming. Part of
the pivot to video was live streaming on social — especially Facebook. While
many of the publishers we talked to in the creation of this guide pulled out of
live streaming due to lack of monetization opportunities, some publishers are finding immense success — especially on platforms like Twitch and Instagram.
When deciding to invest in live streaming, teams
should be cognizant of the costs to get
started. First, it highly depends on what
your distribution endpoint is for live
streaming. If you only plan to live
stream on a single social channel like
YouTube or Facebook, they provide
the basic infrastructure you need.
However, if you plan on live
streaming content across channels or
on your own site, you’re going to need
some in-house infrastructure. This
be bought or built — depending on your
needs and overall investment into live streaming (i.e.
are you live streaming one event or creating a
live series, etc). Beyond this, think about your
format for live streaming; while major events
are appealing, they can be very costly. A low
cost option might be to provide some daily
commentary that can drive engagement to
your primary video endpoints (eg. “a morning
show”) using low cost tools and in-house talent.
LIVE
If you plan on live
streaming content across
channels or on your own
site, you’re going to need some in-house infrastructure.
17
Choosing Where to Distribute
Linear, live linear, and playout all represent a fast growing opportunity in the OTT streaming landscape. Today, publishers can leverage new software-based technologies to construct “simulated” live linear streams based on their existing video content. Linear is essentially like creating a television channel where a stream of content is played 24/7 and the user can not select content on demand but can simply lean back and watch what’s on. This is where old school broadcasting and new school OTT are coming together to create familiar experiences for the viewer.
Linear channels are an excellent engagement and discovery
opportunity for publishers, and offer a flexible range
of monetization options, from server-side ad
insertion, to subscription paywalls — all powered
by the distributors, not the publishers.
This means getting your content on linear distributors
like Xumo, PlutoTV, and The Roku Channel, has a lower
barrier to entry. All monetization is typically taken care
of by the distributor and you’ll get a cut of the ad revenue
generated from your video content.
Technology for constructing linear live streams on the 3rd party
channels mentioned above can be as simple as uploading your video
content which provides a feed directly to the platform. In some cases, the
platforms will provide tools where you can manually upload as well. This is typically
because these distributors don’t require you to set up “App Store” marketplace
accounts, build custom software code, or provide the rest of the video plumbing.
If you plan to create your own live linear channels, whether on your
own website, social media, or vMVPDs (like SlingTV for example), you’ll
need a more robust technology stack that can offer solutions like automated
programming, ad marker generation, and encoding and broadcasting technology.
LINEAR
18
Choosing Where to Distribute
Since the dawn of the internet, the way we’ve watched video online has typically been on demand.
But it’s not quite that simple, especially because consumers aren’t just going to
your site or YouTube to watch your video content.
While video on demand (VOD) will remain the
cornerstone of digital video, it is growing
more and more complex.
While many early stage publishers rely
on YouTube to host their on demand
content and embed players across
their owned and operated channels
and social, this solution doesn’t scale —
especially when you want more control
of your monetization, management, and
distribution endpoints.
That’s why companies are investing in digital video infrastructure beyond the
basics. Rather than cobbling together players, analytics, and other tools for
specific channels like onsite or OTT,
publishers are finding success with all-
in-one video solutions that allow them
to scale across channels, distribution
opportunities, and types of content from
video on demand to live streaming.
ONDEMAND
Rather than cobbling
together players, analytics,
and other tools for specific
channels like onsite or OTT,
publishers are finding success with all-in-one video solutions.
19
Choosing Where to Distribute
All three main types of distribution described above can be utilized across channels. For example, you might live stream a daily video on Facebook that is later available on demand.
Below, we highlight the main types of distribution channels utilized by publishers with concrete examples of each.
Owned & Operated
Social
Owned and Operated (O&O) is a term used to describe a
company’s branded digital endpoints, presence and experiences
that are solely owned and operated by the brand, and are not
subsidiaries of a larger conglomerate and or licensing structure.
Social media was the epicenter of the first round of digital
video and are often a great resource for acquisition and
long-term engagement for owned and operated services.
Web (desktop and mobile)
Native Mobile Applications
Native Connected Smart TVs
Native Connected
OTT Devices
vMVPDs A vMVPD is a Virtual Multichannel Video Programming
Distributor and is a fancy phrase for a typically over-the-top
internet television service provider that publishers can partner
with to distribute long-form video content.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR DIGITAL VIDEO CONTENT
20
Choosing Where to Distribute
Cable/Satellite Television Network
Rather than fighting these giants, many publishers are working
together with top cable and satellite TV networks to create full
linear channels.
Getting your content on OTT channels is highly dependent on
the individual content provider and their process with some
incredibly open while others are closed doors
OTT Platform Deals
Subscription Video Service Deals
Subscription Channel
Distribution
FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) Deals
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR DIGITAL VIDEO CONTENT
21
Choosing Where to Distribute
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR DIGITAL VIDEO CONTENT
We’ve created the landscape below to help teams understand the different distribution
channels and the infrastructure investments needed to launch on each. The horizontal axis
represents complexity of infrastructure needed. The vertical axis highlights the openness of
the platforms. For example, nearly any publisher can push their content to YouTube today, but
partnering with Netflix is a much more curated business arrangement.
22
When creating partnerships with other media brands or platforms, there are things every organization needs to consider when it comes to your own infrastructure.
There tends to be some confusion as to “who does what” when it comes to partnerships. Often
times, a publisher is expected to bring the full technology stack.
From encoding, storage, metadata management, player, ad server, and server or client side
ad insertion tech, publishers should be prepared to work whatever way their partner needs
them to.
To succeed in this digital video evolution, it’s about being proactive rather than reactive in
building your video infrastructure by starting with something that can scale with new partners,
platforms, and channels.
Choosing Where to Distribute
DISTRIBUTION SPECIFICS FOR EVERY CHANNEL
It’s about being proactive rather than reactive in building your video infrastructure.
22
23
Here’s what you typically need to bring to the table when it comes to distributing your content
on these channels:
Choosing Where to Distribute
DISTRIBUTION SPECIFICS FOR EVERY CHANNEL
VOD Live Linear
Owned & Operated
(O&O)
You provide the full infrastructure stack
“The Roku Channel” You provide a feed pointing to hosted, encoded videos & metadata
You bring a stream + ad serving tech including SSAI. Have to serve their tags with yours.
You bring a stream + ad serving tech
Social Media
(Facebook, Youtube,etc)
You upload or have automation to push video to these platforms. Metadata is managed directly on these platforms.
You bring a source stream, no ad tech (ad serving deals done between publisher and platform to the extent they have them)
You bring a stream + ad serving tech
Tier 1 vMVPDs
(YouTube TV,
SlingTV, etc)
You upload or have automation (usually with MRSS feeds)
You bring a stream with SCTE-35 or similar ad tag timings (ad serving deals done between publisher and platform). Playout/programming done by publisher. Sometimes you can sell through or with the distribution partner.
Same as live, except you will usually also have to provide Electronic Program Guide (EPG) data to accompany your linear stream.
Aggregators
(Tier 2 vMVPDs (PlutoTV, Xumo, etc)
You upload or have automation (usually with MRSS feeds)
If supported, you provide a source stream.
If supported, typically your content will be curated directly by the vMVPD.
24
Choosing Where to Distribute
Whether you’re expanding into VOD, Live, or Linear, there are a few key features every digital video team should consider when building out their video distribution infrastructure:
Consumer authentication should leverage Oauth2 or equivalent
schema
OAuth token expiration intervals should be customizable
Each consumer should have a unique hashed identifier
Emails should be unique across your service
Passwords should always be stored at rest
Consumer login
Consumer sign up & registration
Consumer subscription plan purchase
Consumer TVOD transaction purchase
Consumer subscription management
Overall the paywall is there to protect entitled content and provide
a method for purchase and/or access
Identity And Consumer AuthenticationConsumer identification and authentication is paramount to being able
to maintain security, entitlement consistency, and discrete analytics.
PaywallsA paywall is an interface that allows for the easy login, sign up, purchase
and management of subscriptions and/or transactions to a service.
Paywalls can be utilized across web, mobile, and OTT. The basic features
of a paywall include:
1
2
KEY FEATURES FOR DIGITAL VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
25
Choosing Where to Distribute
KEY FEATURES FOR DIGITAL VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
Payment processor selection - there are many different payment
processor vendors out there (Stripe, Braintree, Recurly, Authorize.net,
etc) that all have API’s that allow for integration into almost
any workflow
Support all payment types possible
Metadata management should be customizable based on the
information you want to include like actors, series, directors,
producers, and more
Subscription, Transaction And Payment Processor Management These functions are a necessary component of entitled content access and
subscription management. In general, you want to consider the following.
MetadataMetadata includes the title, descriptions, tags, and other details about
your video content that enables search, organization, and internal content
management
3
4
MRSS feeds means you host the video on your own server and
reference the media files in your feed towards distribution endpoints
MRSS Feed ManagementA MRSS or media RSS feed is where you host the video on your own server
and reference the media files in your feed. Often times, partners who have
their own distribution platforms will request a MRSS feed of the video
content
5
You’ll want video infrastructure that can easily deliver your video to
every marketplace quickly and efficiently
Marketplace ConnectivityMarketplaces are wherever your video content can live amongst other
content. A marketplace could be the Roku Marketplace where your OTT app
lives or the Apple App Store if you’re distributing video content on mobile
6
26
Choosing Where to Distribute
KEY FEATURES FOR DIGITAL VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
Linear channels mean continually streaming content versus video on
demand (VOD) which means users can watch what they want, when
they want. Think of Linear like a regular television channel
PlayoutPlayout solutions offer easy-to-use workflows for transforming playlists
of videos into IP-delivered linear live streams. This includes workflows
for selecting and ordering a playlists of videos to create a linear channel
schedules, slate and ad timing management, and scheduling and packaging
linear channels for distribution.
7
From vertical video to casting on a television, your infrastructure must
be optimized to play out content on the various player sizes
Player ManagementAs discussed, HTML5 players work for typical web-based video delivery on
mobile and desktop, but other distribution endpoints require specific type of
video players. Video player management takes care of playing your content
regardless of where it’s being distributed.
8
Typical geo-fencing is done by blocking IP addresses from
certain countries
Geo-FencingOften times, video content has restrictions on where it can be viewed such
as restrictions on specific countries. Your video infrastructure should be
able to block access based on contract requirements.
9
27
Choosing Where to Distribute
KEY FEATURES FOR DIGITAL VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
Often times, publishers use a combination of Google Analytics and
digital video specific analytic providers or built-in analytics through
CDNs and SaaS platforms like Zype
Video AnalyticsVideo analytics can contain both engagement and business analytics.
There are specific video analytics tools to measure both including
subscription churn and OTT channel analytics
10
As your source videos are encoded to different delivery formats,
you need a robust distribution management platform to determine
which format and rendition should be delivered to different players
and syndication partners based on situational needs
In audience playback scenarios, viewers should be provided with
streamable formats like HLS or DASH. In content syndication or
progressive download scenarios, you may need to deliver mp4.
With a complex ecosystem of distribution needs, you’ll need to
make sure the right format type is provided every time your content
is being delivered.
Encoding and Distribution ManagementEncoding typically entails taking your high-quality source video content
and converting it into a format appropriate for IP-based streaming or
distribution. This usually includes transcoding videos to into multiple
streamable renditions of different qualities to provide viewers with a
better continuous streaming experience, regardless of their bandwidth
11
28
Revenue Optimization03
Nearly all publishers are driven by advertising revenue, but with small margins that only work at scale, today’s digital video world is all about understanding how to get more juice from the squeeze.
Publishers producing video have opened up a whole new world of video advertising dollars, and
the landscape is only growing more complicated. Optimizing your digital video advertising is its
own behemoth that must be tackled in tandem with your digital video expansion strategy.
Digital video advertising opportunities include:
Pre and post-roll ads
Mid-Roll Ads
Ad Pods
Overlay Ads
Companion Ads
Table Reads and Product Placement Drops (for live / interview / podcast formats)
Subscription and Subscribe to Watch Ad Free
28
29
Revenue Optimization
OPTIMIZING ADVERTISING THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE
Ad Timing & PlacementThe scheduling of your ad cue points
within videos, including setting preroll,
midroll, and postroll cue points.
Frequency Capping Limiting the number of times ads are
served to your audience based on their
viewing behavior. Typically you will cap
ad playback to limit ads every N minutes
of viewing, or every number of videos
watched.
Ad Tag Management
The process of managing multiple ad
tags from different direct sale and SSP
sources, including setting up rules around
ad waterfalls in the event your primary
ad tag does not fill.
While the business team is busy figuring out ways to get more juice from the squeeze, product and engineering teams are tasked with a whole different subset of problems when it comes to monetization.
When building your video advertising technology stack, teams will likely need to consider:
If you rely on outside infrastructure like Youtube, Vimeo, or other uncontrollable video
management systems, your ability to control the advertising experiences on your video content is limited. Having in-house video infrastructure, whether built or bought, allows
organizations to set up their own advertising parameters and monetization methods that they
can optimize over time.
Ad Server ImplementationSetting up an ad server capable of
managing your ad inventory and
ad serving rules. This can include
implementing rules based on dynamic
ad macro values to specify which
creatives or SSPs should be returned
to specific users based on the content
being watched, viewing device,
location, and more.
Sponsorship OverlaysSponsorship overlays are often static
image assets rendered on the page or
screen that supplement inline linear
video ads.
Interactive Advertising
As opposed to passive advertising,
interactive advertising encourages the
viewer to engage with the ad being
shown to them.
30
User Experience Expectations04
In the creation of this guide, we took a look at over 70 publisher video experiences across web, mobile, social, Youtube, and OTT.
Every experience was different.
Which is somewhat expected...except when the experience was incredibly different within the
same brand.
For example, some publishers feature digital video heavily on their website but have none in
their mobile app. Others are a bit more consistent but lack expected features in user’s minds
like recommendations, continuous play, or search.
Because of disparate technology platforms like Wordpress for your website and another
software for your mobile app, user experiences are incredibly different. This often occurs
with and overreliance on Youtube and legacy infrastructure that prevents marketplace
playout and optimization.
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Continuous Play
Deep linking
Relevant, context-appropriate metadata
Content Carousels
Content Recommendations
Favoriting videos
Playlists/Series/Content Categories
Native Search
Offline Viewing
Closed Captioning
Some of the deeper user experiences to think about with digital video include:
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BEST PRACTICES FOR PUBLISHERS OPTIMIZING THEIR DIGITAL VIDEO USER EXPERIENCES
User Experience Expectations
Publishers today face more competition than ever in terms of engaging and retaining audiences. It’s
critical that publishers not only have a focused video content strategy that tailors to their viewers’
tastes, but also leverage the right toolkit for building awesome video experiences. By combining
amazing content with intuitive, easy-to-use browsing interfaces and optimized playback experiences,
publishers have an opportunity to create enduring video streaming services.
“ “
Chris Smith, SVP Product at Zype
Publishers looking to expand into OTT, whether with their own channels or in partnership with
vMVPDs, should focus on eliminating friction and making the experience engaging. Teams must look
at the holistic vision that lets you see the big picture of what matters most to your viewers, how they
interact with you and similar brands, use technology, and spend their time, money, and attention.“ “
Kirby Grines, Founder of 43Twenty.TV
In today’s competitive landscape, investing in infrastructure is the best way to have full control of user
experience across your site, social, mobile, and OTT. Publishers, and all content creators, should be
looking to diversify their distribution with new channels, partnerships, and licensing opportunities“ “
Thomas Lucas of MagellanTV
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The video landscape is growing more interactive through the introduction of 5G-reliant technologies
including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). While not here today, people will be
consuming video in a more involved and personal way in just a few short years. Invest in infrastructure
and hardware that allows you to scale with changing and advancing consumer behavior.“ “
Chris Stasiuk, Founder and Creative Director of Signature Video Group
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Using Video Analytics Data to Make Strategic Decisions05
In the first wave of digital video, the data was filtered down to us through platforms...and the data was often completely opaque and unavailable for the publisher to use or get value from.
Today’s world of video analytics is about empowering publishers to truly understand viewing habits and make long-term strategic decisions through first and second party data.
When you’re distributing digital video across YouTube, your site, apps, social, and/or OTT —
understanding viewers and their cross-channel viewing habits is critical yet complex.
An advanced video analytics solution should allow you to track individual viewer behavior across
devices and platforms to make strategic decisions.
Collecting these user viewing habits allows
you to enhance and customize cross-
channel user experiences with improved
features and better targeted
programming, to attract new
customers and increase viewer
satisfaction.
By enabling you to understand how content is discovered and accessed, your team can understand which devices
and platforms to focus your
video optimization efforts on including how to optimize monetization, what distribution channels to attack, pricing structures
and overall video performance.
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The table stakes video analytics that will help you optimize your strategy include:
Using Video Analytics Data to Make Strategic Decisions
Video analytics solutions
should enable you to make long-term infrastructure and strategy decisions.
But, it’s not just about user experience — video
analytics must also focus on quality assurance
through the assessment of performance
metrics including bitrate, rebuffering, dropped
frames, and startup time. Implementing
quality assurance video analytics allows you to
understand any issues that are occurring so you
can optimize your infrastructure to continuously
deliver high-quality viewing experiences.
Video analytics solutions should offer in-depth,
multidimensional insights into your viewers
and the quality of your video experiences to
enable you to make long-term infrastructure and
strategy decisions.
Viewership across your library
Viewership across devices
Video View-through Rates
Average Number of Views Per Session
Average Watch time
Most Watched Content
User Segmentation
New vs. Returning
Paid vs. Organic
Viewer Segmentation and Cohort Analysis
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The Continued Diversification of Digital Video for PublishersThis new evolution of digital video is focused on building the infrastructure publishers need to deliver high-quality digital video experiences across channels through analyzing new and existing trends.
Whether you’ve already started diving deep into long-form video content or are looking to
diversify distribution of current video series, the number one dilemma facing publishers is
their video infrastructure and how it can handle the many new asks and demands of digital
video teams like:
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Can I distribute videos across every channel through a single platform?
What happens if I want to test live streaming without investing too many resources?
Can I choose where and how many ads play within my content?
How can I collect video analytics data without implementing another platform?
How do I create cohesive video viewing experiences across my site, mobile app,
and OTT?
While the digital video landscape is more complex than ever, the video infrastructure that
powers your strategy doesn’t have to be. There are platforms, processes, and protocols
that can optimize and speed up your ability to deliver high-quality video experiences across
channels.
By focusing on how your infrastructure empowers video content management, distribution,
monetization while delivering a high-quality user experience based on analyzing your
viewers, the new era of digital video is in your hands.
CONCLUSION
