Towards the democratisation of video content delivery

This is far from extraordinary or unexpected. Actually, it’s only the regular by-the-numbers progress of technology. Even so, it has profoundly changed how video is delivered via IP and, consequently, the relationships that both providers and users establish with video content.

In a sense, we may call this phenomenon the ‘democratisation of video content delivery’. It has never been easier for content producers, providers, owners or aggregators to make their video catalogue available for a worldwide audience and, most importantly, monetise those assets.

Considering today’s technological advances and available tools, smaller players can set up their own content distribution service without going through the once-inevitable agglutination into the traditional multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD) offerings.

This new context opens the door for new disruptive players to enter and offer innovative solutions within the very competitive IPTV/OTT arena with the ability to distribute and deliver audiovisual content via fibre or 4G networks.

Empowering smaller players

All things considered, and even though it’s easier than ever to serve content to large audiences, small Tier 2 and Tier 3 operators need to survive in a dynamic market where the big dominating players have the most effective weapons – aggressive low prices, linear TV offerings, ISP capabilities, and telephone and smartphones as commodities.

“Tier 2 and 3 operators need to survive in a dynamic market where the dominating big operators have the most effective weapons”

The actual circumstances lead to the necessity of empowering smaller players by offering them the right tools to compete with Tier 1 companies while keeping the expenses in check. In that sense, WeCast offers an affordable, state of the art turn-key online video platform, addressing all aspects concerning the audiovisual business.

We help operations with small workforces by simplifying and bundling all tools under the same backend making it easy and, most importantly, intuitive to manage assets, whether VOP or Live TV, from injection to delivery over a unified multi-screen experience comprising environments such as iOS, Android, Roku, and more. By doing so and allowing us to grow alongside our partners, we believe we are helping to bring balance to the IPTV/OTT the arena.

The looming danger of piracy

From an operational standpoint, it is crucial to unshackle smaller audiovisual businesses from the constraints that naturally bind massive operations ruled by stricter bureaucracy. Smaller businesses should be able to move with agility and use that trait as an advantage against bigger competitors.

With that in mind, we’re focused on dramatically shortening the traditional ‘go to market’ speed while offering a low-CapEx one-stop solution.

Accompanying this wave of progress and deep changes within the video distribution fabric, there is looming danger evolving alongside – piracy. When it comes to security, you better keep your guard up at all times whether you have 1 million subscribers or one hundred.

That’s why WeCast established strategic partnerships with the major security vendors and popular DRM vendors such as Google Widevine or Microsoft Playready for protecting live TV and VOD. It is crucial to operate within a reliable infrastructure that ensures the integrity of both content and revenue, for that’s the essence of the whole content distribution business.

At IBC 2017, attendees will be able to assess WeCast’s latest developments including its new Business Intelligence module that empowers operators with data, analytical tools and means of interpretation that will ultimately lead to smart revenue generation and happy customers.