10:30 AM
Business & Strategy Track
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Tom Williams, Vice President, Schurz Communications - Broadband Division Mark Trudeau, CEO and Founder, OpenVault
Description: As packages such as T-Mobile’s “Binge On” enable unlimited streaming of services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to wireless customers, the value to the streaming industry of bringing those same relationships to cable broadband providers is becoming evident. “Traffic exclusion” partnerships, in which selected streaming services are not counted against cable bandwidth consumption, offer a variety of advantages, including access to cable/telecom’s vast service footprint, potential gains in viewership, and the ability to drive viewership through co-marketing opportunities between streaming video and cable/telecom providers.
Technical & How-To Track
Length: 1 Hour
Description: Having the right tools for the job allows you to work smarter, not just harder. Developing for and supporting some of the biggest live streaming events such as the Super Bowl, Olympics, and the World Cup require beefing up and refining the arsenal of tools we bring. This session covers must-have tools for monitoring, debugging, identifying, and solving problems quickly and effectively for live and on-demand streaming content. The tools include freeware, opensource solutions, paid products, and some custom tools RealEyes will share with the community. We discuss some of the gotchas and key issues to look for when dealing with major events—how to spot them and what to do on-the-fly when you have only one shot to get it right.
OTT Leadership Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Description: Get up-to-speed on the latest OTT platforms and enabling technologies. Details announced soon!
Title: Exploring Dynamic Ad Insertion Adoption for OTT
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Description: Since nearly the beginning of television broadcast, the linear dynamic ad insertion (DAI) business model has remained fairly unchanged. This ad sales model is an inefficient and operationally expensive process, with many manual steps and room for mistakes. The quickly transitioning OTT ad insertion model is fully targeted, happens dynamically at the time of viewership and can be measured directly and accurately. So, why aren’t we seeing faster adoption of the new OTT dynamic ad insertion model in the video space, and why are people hanging on to the linear broadcast model?
Title: Fireside Chat: Transforming Broadcast News for the Digital Age—Lessons Learned from an OTT Pioneer
Time: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Description: Derek Gebler, vice president of broadcast and video at TownNews, and Susan Bell, senior product manager, share lessons learned and best practices gained from years of real-world local news OTT experience. (Fun fact: Susan was part of the team that launched the very first independent local media app—WWSB—on Roku and Amazon.) Learn how to design and deliver high-performance OTT content, present it in a way that’s easy for your users to navigate and consume, measure the performance of your channels, and develop a business model that drives real ROI from your OTT outlets.
Video Engineering Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Description: The Twitch video team has been working on adding multiple codec capabilities to Twitch’s video streaming platform, and VP9 is the first codec being added in addition to H.264. As other codecs such as AV1, HEVC, VVC, and MPEG5 are showing promising compression efficiency, we aim to be ready when the time comes to add any of these technologies and deliver better video quality at much lower bitrates. This presentation will cover the process it took Twitch engineers to change the platform from a single codec to multiple codecs. A wide range of technical topics will be covered, from codec choice to player support and validation
Live Streaming Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Taylor Busch, Sr. Director Engineering, CBS Sports Digital
Description: During this session, CBSSports Digital will share how they deliver high-quality live streamed sports coverage to viewers by building an architecture that scales for growing audiences, exacting performance requirements, and increasing redundancy.
Discovery Track
Length: 1 Hour
Title: The Future: Realtime Video Streaming
Time: 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM
Description: Chris and his team at Red5 are currently at the forefront of a new revolution in the streaming industry: the advent of real-time broadcasts at huge scale. They work with a variety of emerging use cases around live interactive video content including live sports interactions, trivia games, live auctions, IoT body cams, drone implementations and more. Chris will delve into these applications, and discuss the impact of this new medium on the near future. He will also talk about all the available options to build scalable real-time latency video experiences including the protocols needed; WebRTC, WebSockets, MSE, RTSP, RTMP, etc. He will cover current product offerings in the market such as TokBox, Wowza, and Red5 Pro. Chris will also discuss evolving distribution models like CDNs, cloud, as well as emerging distribution trends like decentralization via technologies like Blockchain. Attend this session for your chance to win: Insta360 ONE X camera ($433.95 value)
Title: Comparing Revenue Strategies for OTT - Which One Works For You?
Time: 10:55 AM - 11:15 AM
Description: Learn about different revenue strategies for OTT publishers. See which monetization opportunities have been trending and compare use cases. Explore and evaluate which revenue model works best for your business. Attend this session for your chance to win: $10,000 ConnectedTV Ad Campaign: Run your TV Commercials across hundreds of Roku, FireTV and AppleTV Channels to capture new viewers, customers and donors.
11:45 AM
Business & Strategy Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: Education video usage both inside and outside the classroom is on the rise. The process of creating, managing, and delivering live and on-demand content continues to evolve. What technologies and best practices are schools using? This session explores successful workflows schools have developed to simplify video adoption and make the technology more transparent to educators and students. Our education panelists also recommend crawl-walk-run implementation steps and share lessons learned.
Technical & How-To Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Speaker(s):
Jan Ozer, Owner, Streaming Learning Center
Description: Open source tools like FFmpeg and Bento4 are used to build massive encoding farms for high-profile premium content services, but they also serve wonderfully as simple tools for smaller developers and can deliver significant functionality with minimal programming. If you can write a batch file on Windows and have access to a Linux box, you can learn to encode and package an encoding ladder to HLS/DASH with captions and encryption and to set up a simple watch folder for drag-and-drop operation.
OTT Leadership Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Speaker(s):
Nadine Krefetz, Consultant, Reality Software Magnus Svensson, Media Solution Specialist, Eyevinn Technology, Sweden Geir Magnusson, Jr., CTO, fuboTV Jason Justman, CTO, GriOcean Tony Brown, Head, Scripps Networks
Description: Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) is a pivotal technology that unifies ad serving in broadcast and digital, as well as offers greater targeting capabilities. It makes OTT feel more like TV, it combats ad blockers, and it allows engineering to create a standardized server-side architecture to replace the older, unique client-side architecture used for each and every endpoint. A number of challenges exist, from measuring audience surges to aggregating reporting across all devices. This panel reports from the SSAI trenches, discussing these issues as well as exactly what you need to know about using SSAI to successfully deliver personalized advertisement at scale.
Video Engineering Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: Developing a video player is no small task. Many different technologies and specifications must come together to create an accessible and cohesive experience. When you are a small team this can feel overwhelming, especially if the player requires custom functionality. In this talk we will walk through getting a core video experience up and running quickly. Then we dive into making our player unique and adding additional functionality such as closed captions and HLS streaming. All the libraries being used are open source, and include React, Video.js, vtt.js, and hls.js.
Live Streaming Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: Learn how to leverage the talent and the following of a social streamer. Whether going live on their own channel or promoting a product for an agency, social streamers are their own brand and voice. The eyes they bring from their accounts are an immediate return on your ad dollars. Knowing how an influencer aligns with your message is important. This panel of social and marketing professionals teaches you how to choose the best voice for your live stream.
Discovery Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Speaker(s):
JT Taylor, Head of Product Marketing, Synamedia Matt Smith, Executive Director, Business Development & Strategy, Comcast Technology Solutions
Title: How Infinite Entertainment is Changing Everything
Time: 11:45 AM - 12:05 PM
Description: Consumer expectations for their video services have never been higher. Content owners and aggregators, whether operating a traditional video or streaming platform, must have the capability to deliver a personalized and relevant experience. This presentation will show how Synamedia helps our customers process, secure, and deliver premium experiences to any screen, any time, with a flexible UX for a compelling entertainment experience. Attend this session for your chance to win: Apple TV (value $199).
Title: Hybrid Monetization Models: Increase the Bottom Line with a Hybrid Monetization Strategy
Time: 12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Description: Using a combination of business models like SVOD/TVOD/AVOD, combined with cross-platform insights, business owners can improve the bottom line, drive higher viewer engagement, reduce churn, and make better business decisions. We will explore how content providers can deploy multiple monetization models, testing and iterating different approaches to optimize revenue. Topics include hybrid streaming services models; using existing infrastructure to manage costs and drive value; how a unified ad campaign management system improves the bottom line; using aggregated and anonymized data-sets to drive business decisions; enabling targeted advertising through an automated approach; and how to adjust for different markets. Attend this session for your chance to win: Comcast Technology Solutions FitBit ($200 value).
1:45 PM
Business & Strategy Track
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Andy Howard, Founder & Managing Director, Howard & Associates Lisa Figura, Vice President Customer Experience Support, Harte Hanks Dan Sokolow, Principal, Dan Sokolow Consulting Simon Ball, Independent Digital Communications Consultant and Program Manager
Description: To date, most corporate implementations of streaming media in the enterprise have focused on corporate communications and training. Now, organizations are starting to use streaming media in customerfacing environments and in revenue-generating opportunities, and this will be the next breakthrough in streaming media in the enterprise and education. This can’t-miss session gets you thinking about ways to take your streaming implementation to the next level with real-world scenarios of how streaming media has been used to improve customer service, gain new customers, and provide additional services.
Technical & How-To Track
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
James Rawsthorne, Telepresence Coordinator, NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Description: The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is the United States’ only federal organization dedicated to exploring the global ocean. Our main research ship, the Okeanos Explorer, live-streams its deep-sea explorations via satellite for scientists and the general public to participate in our explorations of the unknown. Learn how the NOAA is dealing with low-latency live streaming in a post-Flash world, and how it delivers its streams to YouTube Live.
OTT Leadership Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Dom Robinson, Chief Business Development Officer, Norsk by id3as Sujana Sooreddy, Senior Software Engineer, Netflix Mark Myslinski, Senior Product Manager - Targeted Delivery Solutions, Imagine Communications Paul MacDougall, Principal Sales Engineer, Bitmovin Rob Colantuoni, Principal Advanced Service Architect, Limelight Networks
Description: Even companies that are not yet actively operating on a microservices architecture are looking for vendors who at least have a strategy to cater to it for the future. This session examines the core benefits (including redundancy, dev ops, scalability, and self-healing), the different approaches (including containerization and orchestration via Docker, Kubernetes, and Mesos, as well as native microservices models like Erlang), and the complexities of migrating a generic architecture to a microservices architecture.
Video Engineering Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Description: The details and scope of analytics can be daunting and unexplored for many online video deployments. In this session, learn how to gather critical audience participation data from your live webcasts. Both open source and commercial services are explored and demonstrated.
Live Streaming Summit
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Kevin McCarthy, Director of Production, VideoLink Mark Adams, SVP Sales and Business Development, Brandlive Jon Landman, Vice President of Sales, Teradek Megan Wagoner, Vice President of Media & Entertainment, Endeavor Streaming
Description: Does your client have a limited budget for an on-location show? It is now easier than ever to take the feed and switch it in your home studio. This means no travel time wasted and no flights expensed. The increase of video over IP is allowing for more streaming control rooms to be offsite. Big companies have been using remote systems for years, but now these technologies are attainable on a streaming scale. Learn how to make live streaming easier and more costeffective, by leveraging today’s remote solutions.
Discovery Track
Length: 1 Hour
Speaker(s):
Andy Warman, Director, Playout Solutions, Harmonic Scott Apgar, Senior Director of Product Management and Advanced Advertising, SeaChange International, Inc.
Title: Adapting to Fast Changing Market Conditions with Cloud Technologies
Time: 1:45 PM - 2:05 PM
Description: Launching and operating linear and on demand channels is significantly easier with the arrival cloud solutions for video delivery. For content distribution, broadcast, OTT, VOD or a combination, cloud technologies let you jump on new market opportunities and allow you to monetize your content with dynamic and targeted ad insertion. Attend this session for your change to win: DJI Osmo 2 Mobile Handheld Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer Videographer Bundle with Case, Flex Tripod, Base and Lens Maintenance Kit ($150 value).
Title: Linear OTT Channel Ad Sales Model – Phased Approach for Ad Sales Teams
Time: 2:10 AM - 2:30 AM
Description: Although the Linear Ad Insertion Sales model is well understood in industry today, the approach for OTT is different and requires Ad Sales teams to ramp up on different techniques and tools. Using a segmented targeting approach to Linear OTT DAI while keeping the same Ad Sales model for your teams is possible and doesn’t require new tools. Join Scott Apgar as he discusses a case of SeaChange’s approach to Ad Sales for the Linear OTT DAI offerings, using existing tools and Ad Sales techniques while allowing a flexible, segmented targeting approach. Attend this session for your chance to win: Potensic T25 GPS Drone: FPV RC drone with camera, 1080P HD, WiFi, live video, dual GPS, return home, quadcopter with adjustable wide-angle camera, follow me, altitude hold, long control range ($166 value).
3:15 PM
Business & Strategy Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: As video streaming has grown, so too has piracy. Industry sources estimate that as many as 10% of broadband subscribers pirate live streams through technologies like Kodi boxes that are sold online from countries where it is difficult to litigate or police copyright violations. So how can you protect live-streaming content? This session explores various methods and technologies in use by some of today’s biggest streaming companies to mitigate stream piracy and protect live content.
Technical & How-To Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: The era of black boxes and closed software is over; operating a streaming video service in 2019 requires a modular video workflow. This is more than moving video operations to the cloud, as services must optimize for the broadest coverage on the widest range of devices, which means using the latest codecs, packaging, and DRM technologies. Codec SDKs, microservices, and docker containers are now critical components of the modern video workflow. Attendees hear what Microsoft and Beamr are doing to facilitate and accelerate modular video workflows that are ideally suited for video encoding, processing, and packaging functionality to facilitate scalability in any video service.
OTT Leadership Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: The growth of OTT has created opportunities for distributors and marketers seeking to extend their audience reach. What do we know about OTT audiences and the various ways consumers are connecting with the content across platforms and devices? In this session, Marissa McArdle, VP of Product Leadership at Nielsen will share data on OTT viewing patterns and discuss recent advancements in cross-platform ad measurement that has given brands new insights into connecting audiences beyond the screen.
Video Engineering Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: HLS and MPEG-DASH are the current standards for HTTP-based live streaming, but these designs are inherently slow and add delays to live feeds. Sub-second latency is critical for scenarios such as gambling, auctions, interactive communications, VR, sports, and gaming. WebRTC is touted for its sub-second latency but couldn’t scale to the volume needed by CDNs and couldn’t reach Apple devices. In this session, learn about a novel WebRTC-based solution that would match current CDNs in terms of reach (all devices), quality, cost, and scale, while providing sub-500 milliseconds latency.
Live Streaming Summit
Length: 45 Minutes
Description: You can teach an old dog new tricks. Many producers are putting a fresh face on traditional shows, and major platforms have released players that support 360° video and spurred its resurgence. Gaming tournaments now happen in completely virtual environments. Augmented reality is an opportunity for the audience to see the unexpected and heighten their experience. With 360°, virtual reality, and augmented reality, the viewers are a part of a new story that they help create. Find out how building a stream with these elements can increase viewership and extend view time.
Discovery Track
Length: 45 Minutes
Title: Going OTT: The Changing Face of Sports Consumption
Time: 3:15 PM - 3:35 PM
Description: As sport continues to go from strength to strength, going direct to consumers is increasingly becoming the norm for rights holders. This will have a knock-on effect on the traditional rights market and the broadcast model. In this session, we’ll explore what this could mean for sports consumption and the overall user experience. Attend this session to win: Free UX audit (limited to 1.5 days of work) ($2,000 retail value).
Title: Making Login Easier While Cracking Down on Password Sharing
Time: 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM
Description: The TV industry’s losses from password sharing are expected to rise to nearly $10 billion by 2021, and one-third of all viewers already admit to using someone else’s login for TV viewing. Learn how to curb password sharing while keeping login easy for viewers. Attend this session for your chance to win: Home Theater Projector (value $85).
4:15 PM
Closing Session
Length: 45 Minutes
Speaker(s):
Andy Schuler, Manager, Video Engineering, Netflix
Description: Looking to experiment with non-linear storytelling, Netflix launched its first interactive episodes in 2017 with two children's adventures that encouraged even the youngest of viewers to control the trajectory of the story. “Bandersnatch" took interactive storytelling to another level with complex interactions, seamless segment transitions, and states that allow early decisions to impact the story much later. This presentation delves into how we overcame some of the more interesting technical challenges of the project (i.e., mastering, encoding, streaming), how we utilized SMPTE IMF to streamline the process, and why we need more formalized mastering practices f o r future projects.