How broadcasters can monetize linear channels for global audiences
The world feed approach won’t cut it anymore. Whether we’re talking about full-time channels or live events, audiences demand something more. They want high-quality, customized, relevant content experiences, anywhere and everywhere. With PwC projecting pay-TV revenues will fall $15 billion annually by 2027, traditional media companies are pushing to diversify their distribution models across digital, OTT, and FAST platforms. At the same time, cost challenges and resource pressures mean that creating and managing new digital linear channels isn’t an easy or quick task. For Tier 1 media, sports, entertainment, and technology companies, the goal is to simultaneously increase global scale and customization to reach viewers across multiple platforms while managing costs. Challenge accepted.
Looking beyond satellite distribution
Satellite distribution has its advantages. It’s a tried-and-tested means of delivering high-quality video content to global destinations. Satellite distribution also has limitations. Technology shifts and consumer demand are pushing new methodologies, like IP technology, to the forefront that deliver the scale, flexibility, and cost efficiency required today. Backed by reliable global IP network architecture, fully managed, multicast-enabled IP video distribution solutions, like LTN, are proven across the biggest live events and full-time channels as a cost-effective, scalable, and intelligent alternative.
IP video distribution is transforming the way content owners approach regionalization. Some major broadcasters are accustomed to a broad, region-focused mentality when it comes to global distribution. Old-school thinking around managing uplink, space segment, and distribution infrastructure for large geographies on a country-by-country, or even continental basis, lacks the precision and hyper-regionalization capabilities enabled by IP workflows. Media companies need to be able to target unique versions of content to specific audience groups within regions to drive ad value and viewer engagement. The complexities, costs, and inherent limitations of satellite distribution make this impossible to achieve at scale with legacy broadcast infrastructure. It’s beyond time for a new, future-ready approach: IP video distribution. IP video infrastructure enables companies to take in a feed once and create infinite versions of the same content customized for target audiences and geographies, from graphics and language customization to ad enablement and the integration of new programming, all with intelligent SCTE insertion to power downstream ad targeting.
Customizing linear channels and live events at scale
Embracing IP video distribution unlocks an ecosystem of interconnected tools and technologies to create, customize, and monetize new linear channels at an unprecedented scale. Delivering multiple versions of linear channels to different platforms and audience groups increases reach and revenue potential, and now it’s a fairly straightforward task. A major European broadcast company relies on LTN to seamlessly take one of their live news channels and spin up a number of new versions with varying requirements, including custom ad profiles, advanced SCTE insertion, and content replacement capabilities. This flexibility enables the broadcaster to easily insert specialized programming across feeds, such as local weather updates, while adhering to diverse ad frequency and duration specifications, and formatting requirements across downstream digital and FAST platforms. The best part? With LTN, this particular European broadcast company is no longer just monetizing its content within localized regions, they’re reaching global audiences, even across North America, with revenue-generating linear channels and targeted advertising.
The same benefits apply to live sports content distribution. Harnessing LTN’s automated live event versioning tools and ultra-reliable IP video distribution network enables rights holders and sports broadcasters to seamlessly reach global audiences with language-tailored, platform-specific versions of live sports feeds — while supporting custom SCTE marker insertion for different takers to fuel downstream monetization. Delivering this type of customization and content versioning innovation wouldn’t be possible with fiber or satellite distribution. When operating a satellite distribution model, each new feed requires different infrastructure and bandwidth capacity. Customization at scale becomes far too expensive and inefficient to consider as a viable option. Powered by automation, IP video distribution makes content versioning feasible, affordable, and highly scalable, enabling media companies to monetize linear channels abroad. Whether you’re a European broadcaster looking to distribute customized local language feeds across neighbouring countries like France, Germany and the Netherlands, or whether you want to distribute video content across oceans, LTN offers limitless channel customization possibilities.
IP technology workflows give media companies more control over their content and their data
As broadcasters and content owners drive a greater volume of digital linear channels across platforms and geographies, control and visibility become paramount. A common misconception around migrating to IP video distribution is the concern that content owners could lose control over their content and data. Let’s debunk that one. A fully managed IP video distribution network provides customers with deeper levels of visibility, monitoring, and control than satellite, fiber, or unmanaged IP protocol-only solutions. Fiber and satellite video distribution lack the agility and flexibility to manage and monitor signals at scale across multi-platform global distribution environments. While common IP protocols, like SRT or RIST, are effective around first- and last-mile connections, the middle of the internet poses an altogether different challenge and requires more robust routing and error recovery solutions to ensure mission-critical reliability and real-time data insights.
Easy-to-use monitoring and control layers make it simple for content providers to manage and monitor signals at any point across the video chain, with transparent information sharing around internet service provider (ISP) status. Opting for a fully managed, intelligent IP video distribution solution means that even if primary ISPs are experiencing performance issues, your signal will be automatically routed via the most optimal delivery pathway to ensure rock-solid service levels. With LTN, that means 99.999% reliability and <300ms latency worldwide — SLA-backed and underpinned by always-on technical operations center (TOC) support. And you’ll have visibility every step of the way. LTN continually innovates with monitoring, alarming and control systems, and provides open interoperability with third-party platforms and hardware to drive efficiency, transparency, and proactive resolution.
Speak any technology language with an open and agnostic IP video distribution network
Interoperability is critical to efficiently expanding your global reach across new platforms and markets. Complex hybrid environments across Central and Northern Europe that comprise fiber, satellite, and, increasingly, IP distribution infrastructure can be hard to navigate. LTN understands that Tier 1 media companies want to make the most out of their existing hardware investments and work with protocols and formats that suit their specific requirements — while also modernizing and finding new efficiencies. This is the beauty of a managed, open, and agnostic IP video distribution network. You can stick with what works for you while neatly plugging into a highly reliable global transmission network that tackles all of the complexities of internet delivery and increases your monetization and reach.
Monetizing linear channels today
For many media companies hampered by legacy broadcast infrastructure and outdated satellite distribution workflows, cost efficiently creating and managing a new arsenal of revenue-driving digital linear channels is a pipe dream. Media companies today can’t afford to allocate the same amount of resources on new linear channels as they did the first time around. Rightsizing the opportunity-cost parameters of reaching untapped audiences with digital linear channels across new platforms is crucial. Increasingly, opting for fully managed IP video distribution is the only way to make it work, both from a business and technology perspective.
To expand your global reach and kickstart your transition to IP video distribution, schedule a demo.