Two years since global rollout, Facebook Live’s product manager shares a look back at the way Live has brought people and communities together via key innovations, and how the interactivity of Live is inspiring new video experiences for people and publishers on Facebook.

Combining the world’s biggest watch party with the natural fear of missing out, and social live video is today’s must-see TV. The new normal is the ability to watch everything everywhere, just as it happens and in real time. As more audiences cut the cord and viewing habits gravitate toward social media, the question to ask is: Are social platforms becoming the new cable? This panel looks beyond the white noise to talk social live programming and the media partnerships that shape how video is consumed.

With OTT viewership set to surpass cable in the next few years, it has never been more important to learn to navigate the challenges of delivering live linear programming. With the headaches of automation, ingest, encoding, metadata, and ad insertion, linear content strategy must also include a conversation of getting it there and keeping it running around the clock. This discussion centers around how to properly package and integrate live linear content for OTT distribution.

Streaming to multiple destinations has become the rule more than the exception. The increased availability of hardware encoders and cloud distribution solutions has made it easier than ever to stream to multiple viewing points and platforms. From white label websites and apps to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch, getting your content to appear all over the web has never been easier. This session discusses current technologies and the costs associated with the multidistribution of live video.

Packets, cache, edge, GO! How live is your live stream? Being behind is no fun. Live blogs, Twitter feeds, and the speed of television delivery can ruin the live experience for everyone online. From live events and entertainment to esports and online gaming, nearly every live stream can benefit from reducing latency. But with so many contributing factors, there’s only so much you can control. Don’t let roundtrip time keep you up at night. Learn why latency matters, from the masters of low-latency streaming.

Leaders in live streaming present case studies that take you behind the scenes of some of the industry’s biggest success stories. 

Every piece of content tells two stories. There’s the story that’s told when a viewer presses “play,” and there’s the story that each piece of content tells about where it can be played. That second story is told within its metadata. This presentation will examine the myriad factors that must be addressed to deliver the right programing with associated information from machine to machine, and a mature content delivery strategy to account for each factor. It’s a critical, increasingly complex function, and today there are more factors to consider than ever before. Content providers must perform a flawless balancing act to optimize content monetization in an ocean of mobile screens, contractual limitations, live events, and targeted regional programming.

Discussion topics include:

- Alternate content feeds—not just for sports anymore

- Solving the complexity of terrestrial linear delivery

- SCTE 224: Modern metadata management

- Normalizing and automating linear metadata workflows

- Auditing and validating using SCTE 224

In the course of Chris Fetner’s 25 year media career he has been a cameraman, editor, producer and technology leader for some of the world’s most influential entertainment companies. In his role at Netflix he led the transformation of their 4K and HDR production pipelines. For this keynote, Chris has assembled a panel of creative & technology professionals to discuss bridging the technical divide between creative storytelling and innovations in consumer consumption on streaming platforms. It will be an exciting session covering hot production topics like HDR, 4K, immersive audio, and wider color gamut. Don’t miss this in-depth discussion about the challenges of bringing new technologies to the creative ecosystem.

Leaders in live streaming present case studies that take you behind the scenes of some of the industry’s biggest success stories. Details announced soon!

For years, broadcasters and content distributors have searched for fully proven methods of streaming live events and video on demand content globally at the highest quality over commodity Internet. However, existing solutions are not reliable (or possible!) on challenging and unpredictable network conditions; latency and distance dramatically impaired performance. Until now. Come learn how IBM Aspera Streaming for Video solutions, powered by FASPStream, can deliver the high quality transmission experience of satellite and fiber, but over more affordable and widely available standard IP networks, and with "zero-delay." As a result, many are seeing benefits of always on bidirectional circuits, significantly lower distribution costs, and enabling more flexible workflow integrations.

You know it, I know it, we all know it: Live streaming to multiple destinations facilitates great audience engagement. But have you evaluated the value of simulcasting beyond the surface level of “likes,” “thumbs-up,” and “shares?" They generate more value than one may think. Let’s dig deeper and discuss the power simulcasting has in creating a more inclusive online environment, as well as curating stronger external and internal relationships. By examining diverse use cases, we earn a better understanding of why this phenomenon continues to take various industries by storm.

Kludgy design and implementation is the enemy of good content. No matter how much your audience wants to watch your OTT content, it’s the interactive tools and easy-to-use players that keep them coming back. Getting users to download an app or visit your website is only half the battle. What will they see and feel once they get there? Building a compelling user experience can be a huge challenge. This panel explores digital platform and player design proven to drive viewer engagement and brand loyalty.

Social platforms are constantly combatting low-quality experiences for their users. But in their efforts to fight fake news, spam, and less meaningful content, their algorithm changes can have unintended consequences. With the unpredictability and viral nature of live video, it can be difficult to find the balance between what to block, protect, or let pass through to their network of viewers. Too much text on screen, the wrong keyword, or the painfully slow review process to boost a post—all can set you back when trying to engage with your audience. This panel discusses ways in which shifting social algorithms, ranking systems, and quality evaluations have an impact on live video.

Social media may have won the day, but new capture-and-display technologies are bringing forward new live experiences. The idea of dedicated streaming apps may seem old-fashioned, but that hasn’t stopped media companies and publishers from investing lots of time and resources into developing the next generation of destination viewing. Being everywhere at once doesn’t hurt, but will social networks continue to dominate and replace traditional viewing habits? Or will people get lost in content overload and move back to a more premium and focused environment? Join this panel as they try to predict the future of live streaming.

People are increasingly consuming content in new formats via new channels. Join Google’s Rachel Berk to learn more about Google’s efforts in providing new experiences in entertainment and to gain insights on where video is headed next. 

ATTENTION ALL ATTENDEES: Attend the Closing Keynote Session for your chance to win a LiveU Solo and SlingStudio Prize Package valued at over $3,500, courtesy of LiveU. Must be present to win! Learn more.