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CTV/OTT

CTV and Over-the-top (OTT) have changed how people watch television, and in some regions is on track to overtake broadcast, cable, and satellite. Look below for the latest news in OTT technology and programming, as well as insights and analysis into where the OTT market is headed.

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Features

The Perks and the Perils of Pop-Up FAST Channels

The flexibility of FAST channels has led to the emergence of FAST channel pop-ups, which can be created to cover niche content, test formats, and even react to specific events, such as an iconic celebrity's passing, to showcase their work. This vitality has generated a growing demand for pop-up FAST channels, and while the technology to launch them continues to improve, there are still technical, marketing, discoverability, and other logistical issues to overcome. In this article, several industry experts weigh in on both the various benefits and challenges of FAST channel pop-ups and what their continued development means for the industry.

Q&A: Tennis Channel SVP Direct-to-Consumer Matthew Graham Talks Launching, Programming, and Scaling the Tennis Channel App

In late 2023, Tennis Channel brought in AMC Networks and PBS Digital veteran Matthew Graham to spearhead the development of the network's DTC app. In this Q&A, Graham delves into the app's content, monetization, partnership, and growth strategy, as well as how Tennis Channel positions the app in relation to its other platforms and leverages data and audience insights to measure customer lifetime value, personalize content, and inform future strategic decisions.

Agentic AI Workflows and the Future of Streaming Ad Tech

AI makes it possible to model delivery across live, VOD, and FAST together and to update forecasts as signals come in, instead of planning channel by channel.

Multiview’s Vendor Landscape: How Streaming Architectures Determine Success

Multiview isn't a feature you bolt on. It's an architecture decision that shapes which devices you can reach, how much you pay to operate at scale, and how much control your product team has over the viewer experience. Server-side, packager-side, and client-side each represent a genuinely different set of tradeoffs across those dimensions. The right choice depends on your device footprint, customization requirements, existing infrastructure, and cost model. This article is meant to give you a solid framework for making that call.

Spotlights

Stream It in IMAX Enhanced: A Gamechanger for Live Sports Streaming

With its new ‘Stream it in IMAX Enhanced' program, IMAX is bringing its world-renowned brand, expertise, cutting-edge VisionScience™ technology, and proprietary digital source enhancement workflows to live-streamed sports and events.

View From the Top: Bitcentral

Bitcentral, a trailblazer in media software solutions, presents ViewNexa®, a game-changing streaming platform designed to meet the evolving demands of the digital video era. Bitcentral's commitment to innovation is exemplified in ViewNexa, a solution that redefines how broadcasters, content creators, and publishers connect with their audiences.

Boosting Streaming Profitability with IMAX StreamSmart

Streaming organizations must be able to accurately measure and swiftly assess the impact of workflow changes to validate their effectiveness. Therefore, they must have access to the right metrics that can reliably predict viewer perceptions of quality for achieving bitrate savings without compromising the viewing experience.

Fireside Chat: IMAX's Vikram Arumilli and ESHAP's Evan Shapiro Talk Optimizing Streaming Content Delivery and User Experiences

In this fireside chat at Streaming Media Connect 2024, Media Universe Cartographer Evan Shapiro, spoke with IMAX SVP and GM Vikram Arumilli about IMAX's transition from a traditionally consumer-facing brand known for high-end cinematic experiences to a brand that also focuses on in-home and on-device entertainment.

Columns

CTV Is Defining the Future of Streaming Ads

While advertising has long been a unidirectional experience, there have been forays into making it bidirectional for a long time. The value proposition is pretty clear. If people are watching a show and an advertisement comes on showcasing a product that interests them, wouldn't it be great if they could grab the remote, push a couple of buttons, and have it delivered to their doorstep?

AI Meets Adtech

During an "AI Meets Adtech" panel at Streaming Media 2025 in Santa Monica in October, I did my best to stir things up with a group of industry thought leaders that included Google's Inderpreet Sandhu, Tavant's Filiz Bahmanpour, FOX's Amit Shetty, IAB Tech Lab's Shailley Singh, and former Disney tech ops expert Sarge Sargent.

Farm to Table

One of the overarching themes of Streaming Media 2025, which took place October 6-8 in Santa Monica, Calif., was the rise of the creator economy. Discussions centered around the changing economics of content creation, delivery, distribution, and curation (with AI playing an ever-larger role in leveling the playing field to varying degrees at all stages); evolving business models for creators looking to leverage and grow their brands and survive and thrive; and the ongoing, unignorable convergence of creator channels and "traditional" streaming platforms. The last topic seems like a particularly noteworthy sign of the times—how many conversations carried on just down the 405 in Huntington Beach in the heyday of Streaming Media West concerned the convergence (or divergence) of streaming upstarts and traditional linear broadcast?

Streaming and the Success of Our Hopeless Cause

Rely on streaming platforms as free-speech safe spaces while you can, but keep your typewriter and onion-skin paper handy. You may need them sooner than you think.

CTV/OTT Companies and Suppliers