-->
Save your FREE seat for Streaming Media Connect in November. Register Now!

What Is the ‘Streamverse’?

Article Featured Image

Over my career in the streaming media industry, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of companies and even more people at all levels: chairmen, CEOs, engineers, sales and product managers, and of course, all manner of marketing folks. If there’s one thing that I think we can all agree on, it’s that you can very quickly assess a company by its people. Are they happy? Are they informed, but still inquisitive? Are they passionate, or are they just punching a clock? The way a company ensures its health is most certainly not nature; it’s nurture, and it comes from the top down.

Through the years you’ve likely noticed a common theme in my articles about the degree of smoke and mirrors and push marketing that has gotten in the way of real business in our space. Yes, companies looking to sell into this industry must build a trust bridge. Yes, our industry is maturing and innovating one deal at a time. There are ways to do that, like using data and facts and through needs assessment to start a sales cycle. And while due diligence should be the heart of the process, I always like to remind everyone how important it is to meet the people in a company that you may be considering doing business with.

Let’s face it: The industry has been never doing bigger things, but the “streamverse” (patent pending) isn’t getting bigger. It’s getting smaller. By “streamverse,” I mean the number of companies that are really building the industry. Our editor Eric’s intro to the Streaming Media 50 list covers that already, so I won’t be redundant, except to point out that in 2009 I had almost 100 OVPS (Online Video Platforms) in my database, and now have only a handful. I have a database of approximately 1,500 companies operating in and around our space, so changing our list from 100 to 50 this year is really quite the statement.

Our job here has always been to create transparency in a very foggy space. This year, Streaming Media is setting the bar for excellence higher than ever before. And you should too, whether you’re buying or selling. And if there’s one recommendation I can make, it’s to always get to know the people behind the technology. You’ll be able to make your decisions much better. That’s where the “View From the Top” comes in—only companies that made the list of excellence are offered an opportunity to participate in this section to give you their thoughts. Clearly they want you to get to know them, and I can’t recommend enough that you reciprocate, and find out why these companies are successful. Contact them, and I know you won’t be disappointed; they’re all positive and innovative people with something genuine to offer to help your business. To that end, I’m always honored to introduce the “Captains of our Industry” in this annual “View From the Top.”

Please look to the "Related Articles" below or download the PDF as it appeared in the October 2018 Issue of Streaming Media magazine.

This article is Sponsored Content

Streaming Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues
Related Articles

Reimagining Content Distribution via the Cloud

It's no secret that the growing complexity of the global media and entertainment industry has made it harder to deliver content in the traditional way and maintain direct control over rights negotiation, quality levels and delivery formats.

Why Streaming Viewers Hold All The Cards

Streaming viewers expect to access content at any time, in any place and on any platform. At the same time, research indicates that consumers do not have much more incremental time that they can spend watching video. There is a battle raging where the prize is the attention of consumers.

Why Test and Measurement Must Move Into The Spotlight

Consistently streaming superior video quality over the internet is hard. Hard for on-demand titles and even harder for low latency live. A big enough problem for the industry's biggest players to pre-pay a group of Emmy Award researchers to build a platform that didn't exist 22 months ago. Today, it is affecting the streams of tens of millions of US subscribers.

Unleash OTT: SeaChange Advocates For Open, Multi-Vendor Solutions

Today's OTT content delivery ecosystem has changed the industry drastically, perhaps most significantly by presenting broader opportunities to build powerful and lasting relationships with viewers.

It’s Time to Stop Accepting Problems With Streaming Video

While cord-cutting is on the rise, traditional broadcast still has some advantages over streaming. First and foremost: it ... works.

Successful Multi-Platform Publishing Requires a Solid Media Management System

Another exciting year in the most exciting industry of all. At Lightcast.com we simply love what we do, and still, nothing excites us more than the media projects of our clients. 

The Topic Of Security Can Seem To Be Complicated

To some extent, the security technologists have muddied the waters with generations of product that demanded proprietary formats, esoteric interfaces and a tendency to hide topics in a veil of secrecy that obscures the key logic and principles.

OTT Streaming - It’s All About the Viewer Experience For Digital Video Content

When video content became available for streaming on a variety of devices, viewers were simply excited to have access and to consume programming even if the quality was lower than traditional broadcast.

Celebrating 10 Years Migrating Complex VOD Pipelines to the Cloud

When Encoding.com launched in October 2008, no one in the video space was even using the word "cloud" let alone deploying large-scale content operations on cloud infrastructure.

What is Consumer DRM?

As 2018 nears to a close and with the largest IBC ever just wrapped last week, three key movements in the Digital Rights Management market have come to light. In the first scenario we see a massive movement towards standardized containers like FMP4 in HLS and CMAF for the deployment of "Consumer DRM" including Apple FairPlay, Google Widevine and Microsoft PlayReady.

The Viewer Is in Control

Today's video consumers want it all. High-quality content on their preferred devices. Watch-on-your-own-time functionality. Access so easy they don't have to think twice. Content personalized just for them.

The List of the 50 Companies That Matter Most in Online Video in 2018

Presenting our 2018 list of the 50 companies doing the most interesting and innovative work in streaming video. We're shining a spotlight on the companies that enable the creation and delivery of today's video revolution.

The 2018 Streaming Media 50: The 50 Companies That Matter Most in Online Video in 2018

Our industry-defining list takes a slightly new format for 2018. Here are the 50 most important companies in the online video industry, the ones leading us into the future. Making it onto the list is now even more of a challenge, as it should be.