What is Adaptive streaming? Or more accurately “Adaptive Bit-rate”? Sometimes we are sorry when we ask technical questions because we get our ears filled with answers like “HLS, DASH, codecs” and things that might seem to technical for us to ponder. However in this article I am going to try to steer clear of technical terms as much as possible and instead explain the benefits Adaptive streaming and how it can benefit your OTT platform.
In a nut shell adaptive bit rate is technology designed to deliver the highest quality video to your viewers with the least amount of video load time or “buffering”.
However the best way to describe what adaptive streaming is, is probably to explain what adaptive bit rate is NOT. Namely progressive streaming.
What is Progressive streaming?
Progressive streaming is when your video files are delivered to your viewers all in the same resolution no matter what device they are using. The device has to stretch or squish the video to make it display properly on the device. However no matter what device is playing the video the video remains the same. In other words if the video is a 720p at bit rate of 4Mbps no matter what device is playing it and no matter what internet connection speed your viewers has, the video remains the same.
As you can see from the picture above that the video file remains the same through the journey from the servers to your viewers.
Why progressive streaming is a problem
There are two main problems with this type of streaming. The first is video quality. A video that is 1280 by 720 will never display correctly on a screen meant for 1920 by 1080. It will be stretched to fit the screen and you will see some pixelation.
The next problem is video buffering and this is the main concern because when a video buffers viewers tune out. With progressive streaming nothing can be done to stop the buffering if the connection speed of the viewer is not fast enough to view the video. The video player will keep pausing as it tries to receive the data quick enough to display the video. This is a very common scenario.
How Adaptive Solves the Problem
Adaptive solves both problems of quality and buffering. When our CDN deploys adaptive bitrate it does so by creating a different resolution of video for each screen size. You can see from the diagram below the different videos created. In this scenario adaptive bitrate is configured with four outputs (1080,720,480,and 250)
In this example you can see video resolution is matched to screen size but when a drop in internet speed is detected adaptive bit rate will then send a lower resolution which also is a lower bitrate.
As you can see to avoid buffering a lower resolution is sent to the viewer when our servers detect a drop in internet speed.
However the real power of adaptive bit rate is that it “adapts”. Meaning that if the connection speed is to improve again it will then send to the viewer a video stream of higher resolution. This ensures that your viewer always has the best quality video with the least amount or zero buffering. In other words it always adapting to the viewers environment to ensure they can continue watching the best quality video their connection speed can handle.
If you would like to add adaptive bitrate to your Internet TV network or OTT platform you can do so from your “channel manager” account. If you do not have an account with us yet you can learn more about how to start your own OTT platform or network using our “Channel Manager” by clicking here.
First and foremost if you want your own Internet TV Channel (OTT platform) you absolutely must have a CDN. A CDN Stands for “Content Distribution Network” and it is a large geographically dispersed network of high speed servers.
There are a few different types of CDN’s. There are standard CDN’s for just delivering websites like a hosting company and then there are video CDN’s that are specifically optimized for delivery high quality video streams and video on demand content.
The Internet is nothing more than a collection of data centers connecting users to the data they want to access. When web servers are located in just one single location it makes it much harder to handle multiple requests for the same data and creates a heavy workload for those servers. To solve this CDN’s were created and load balancer’s deployed. A load balancer looks at the incoming traffic and then disperses it to an available server closest to the users location.
A video CDN has specialized servers that accelerate video delivery though a process called caching, which stores content temporary on several servers through the CDN (servers spread throughout the globe). When a viewer requests to view a video the servers nearest the viewers location delivers the video. This allows the viewer to get the least amount of buffering and the most amount of video playback.
The size of a CDN can vary greatly depending on the many factors including the content volume and the number of viewers serviced.
Without a CDN you can not deliver high quality video simultaneously to multiple (hundreds or thousands ) of viewers. A CDN benefits the viewers greatly because they expect their video to play anywhere, anytime and on any device. When a viewers views content via a CDN they get to enjoy faster streaming rates and much better reliability as well as mobile device detection.
A video CDN must be able to support both VOD and streaming as well as other features that a network owner or OTT operator might need such as: The ability to broadcasts simultaneously to social media, ability to record live broadcasts, ability to create and schedule playlists, ability to offer multiple and adaptive bit-rates, integrate dynamic add insertion and much more.
So in essence a video CDN at its core is the ability to deliver video to thousands of simultaneous viewers of your network across the globe with value added features listed above.
A CDN gives you the ability to deploy your video content in a professional manner that drives customer loyalty and dependability instead of standard hosting which could only server one or two viewers at at a time.
At TvStartup we have our CDN geographically spread in key locations throughout the globe to give your network the dependability and readability that your viewers would expect from a professional internet TV network.
We specialize is video delivery with key features that make owning and operating your own video platform easy. Our “Channel Manager” is our core product built on top of our CDN that allows you to broadcast live, schedule and create playlists, broadcast simultaneously to social media, record live broadcasts automatically and much more. Click here to learn more about our channel manager.
Although YouTube is the most popular streaming platform in the world there are some serious drawbacks to using the platform for your own network including live broadcasts. Many people don’t realize that YouTube is the 3rd most commonly blocked website in the world today. Plus YouTube does not ALLOW white labeling (using your logo and custom branding).
If you are starting your own Internet TV network you need your own powerful and flexible system that can handle all the needs of a network (like scheduling playlists, live broadcast across social platforms, VOD integration and much more). Plus you can not broadcast across platforms like Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, your mobile apps and much more.
Lets discuss some more of the drawbacks of YouTube:
Content rights: When you stream or upload a video to YouTube you give away the rights to your content. Lets review 6C terms in the YouTube terms of use agreement: “by submitting Content to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business.”
Loosing your rights to your content may not be a big deal to someone posting a non professional video, but it is a big deal to those that have time and effort into their video creation.
Ads and Monetization: Dynamic ads insertion is a huge business with more than 40.84 billion by 2022. This is an annual growth rate of 20 percent! However with YouTube your Monetization options are very limited in scope. First YouTube Monetization is tightly controlled and your only option is advertising (you can not do a Netflix subscription model). In addition YouTube advertising rates are very low and you have almost no customization options. As an example you have no control over what ads appear before, during, or after your content.
For a professional service you have several Monetization options; pay-per-view, subscriptions, and dynamic add insertion with each having its own advantages. You can even mix and match these Monetization options for revenue optimization.
Branding and Customization: To maintain a professional image for your network you need to be able to brand it with your own logos and colors. You need the ability to embed your videos anywhere with a easy to understand interface.
YouTube and other social media platforms do not allow this. They also link unrelated content alongside your content. The bottom line is a YouTube channel never has the sense of professionalism to it that it needs to represent your network.
Customer Support: Customer support is non-existent for professional content creators when it comes to free platforms like YouTube. This is completely not acceptable if you are doing a live broadcast on your network.
Conclusion: Your own online TV network is a massive opportunity for you to monetize your video content and reach new audiences from around the globe. However you need a professional platform that can help you manage your video content as well as distribute it to large audiences in a professional way with your own branding. You need the ability to create and schedule playlists, simultaneously broadcast across social media, record live broadcasts and get tech support. Our channel manager does all of this, if you would like to get your network started check it out by clicking here.
A report by Digital TV Research has indicated that Internet TV in Sub-Saharan Africa’s 35 countries will increase almost 5 fold from $223 million in 2018 to over $1 billion by 2024.
This market will continue to be lead by Nigeria and South Africa the report predicts. This means that almost two-thirds of the value of the industry will be held by these two leading countries. With 89 million internet users in sub Saharan Africa half of which are in Nigeria.
The largest contributors to the OTT (internet TV) African market will come from SVOD (subscription video on demand). This is the Netflix style business model that has proven to be so profitable when applied.
Current subscriptions numbers are right at 3 million people subscribing to SVOD content but this number is expected to rise to over 10.21 million by 2024.
This shows that OTT is growing globally and that revenues will continue to rise even as there is stiff competition from traditional TV.
We may be seeing the first signs of other patterns that have come to pass in more developed markets such as the UK and the United States; OTT devices are already outpacing traditional pay-tv services in terms of growth rate and average revenue per user are expected to grow.
This means it might still be quite some time before you see cord-cutting hitting African markets as a movement but the data is clear that eventually Africa will join the cord-cutting.
The biggest challenges for OTT players in Africa has been the lack of internet connectivity and poor internet speeds as well as data costs. However these challenges are continuing to be met daily as ISP’s are beginning to face stiffer competition.
In order to optimize the full potential of video streaming industry in Africa, the telco’s will need to drive down their data costs to match up the paying capacity of the massive user base.
What does this mean for broadcasters and video creators in Africa? This means there has never been a better time to get your own Netflix style platform or online TV network. The momentum is in your favor and you would be wise to follow the data.
We specialize in creating Internet TV platforms and our “Channel Manager” is equipped to be able to create Netflix style VOD categories as well as create and schedule playlists. We even have Netflix style templates for both the web and connected TV devices to help you get started quickly and easily.
Imagine your future: You are the owner of your own successful online network and your earning at least $10,000 a month, and all of it is passive income.
You spend your mornings cleaning up and editing your video content that you are inspired to make. You spend your afternoons interacting with your online fans and community and your highly respected in your niche. Your fans respect and cherish your opinions from countries around the world.
Sounds to good to be true?
Well I can tell you for sure its NOT.
In fact this is a reality for many video business owners (and believe me we know cause we work with them everyday).
The people who take their future into their own hands – many of them create Netflix style subscription style networks, because its based on a proven business model, and create their video business around the topic they love.
Some are entertainers, some are course-creators, inspirational speakers, and experts who have decided to start their own network or sell their videos online.
You are probably still wondering if this really can be true, but this reality can be yours….. its within your grasp.
Let me spend a little time showing you why;
There are some foundation reasons why Internet TV networks and Netflix style (subscription) business are spreading and growing like crazy.
Here are 10 of them:
It makes money; Money is the name of the game in any industry and the Netflix style business model (selling videos for a subscription) is the most profitable and recognized business model. The average income for a Netflix style business is over 10,000 a month.
The average income generating from ad insertion can vary but we have personally seen this top 10,000 even 20,000 monthly for many of our customers.
Keep in mind this does not mean you start a Netflix style business or online network and instantly become rich, but it is a foundation to start with that is tried and tested.
Your income Is Passive
Warren Buffet once said “If you can not find a way to make money while you sleep, You will work until you die”. Well thanks to the subscription business and dynamic ad insertions models you can make money while you are sleeping.
If you have subscribers they are going to pay you month in and month out, if you have ad insertion you will get advertising checks every month for those viewing your ads on your channel.
This gives you the income you need so that you can spend each day doing what you like best – creating great video content.
You are recognized as a Expert
If you are a video creator in the online course creation or inspirational speaker you will be recognized as an instant expert in that field. When people see you have a library of video content in any particular niche they look at you as an authority.
Complete Creative Control
This is a big one here…..when you have your own network no one is telling you what you can and can not create. There is no censorship and none telling you what you can’t do. You can create and promote what you want.
Work From Home or Anywhere in The World
Choose anywhere in the world you want to live because the only thing that stopping you is your own creative vision. This is the beauty that video creators that have their own network realize: they can travel anywhere to make the content they want, and their network keeps making them money day in and day out.
You Can Monetize your Social Media
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Linkedin fans and followers can all be directed to your network or Netflix style site. Your network is no longer bound by a geographical location, so it does not matter where your fans or followers are – you can still monetize them.
Unlimited Customers
There is no limit to the amount of subscribers you can have with a online network because your inventory is digital. In other words….You cant sell out! It does not go out of date or style and you wont run out of seats.
Viewers can View Your Content Anywhere
Desktop, Laptop, Smart TV’s, Roku, FireTV, your own Mobile phone TV aps, tablet etc….. You allow them to watch on whatever device suits them.
This allow you to reach much larger audiences. Roku alone has over 60 million devices sold and Amazon and Apple TV are nearing 30 million. There is a larger audience on internet TV than there is on cable and satellite combine. This means a constant new stream of new viewers and its only growing.
Video is Future Proof
If you are not making videos chances are you will eventually be left behind and your leaving money on the table especially if you are in a professional niche that would benefit from a Netflix style subscription business mode.
The best time to create a online TV network is now. If your ready to get started the first step is to check out our “channel Manager” which is the core of any online TV network. You can do so by clicking here.
Improving your YouTube performance is both key for YouTube and for your own network. Here are a few tips:
Your YouTube Click through rate determines your video performance.
YouTube’s main concern is that their viewers spend as much time as possible consuming their video content. So it is no wonder that much of your success on your video depends on your average click through rate to measure how often viewers will click to watch your video content after seeing an impression (which is tracked every time your video thumbnail is shown to a potential viewer).
YouTube uses this information to determine if it will push your video to others as a suggested video or recommended video in the search results. The better your click-through rate the better chance you have at YouTube pushing your video for you. So as a general rule a great click-through rate equals more discovery.
What does this mean for you? For you it means putting more time into the title, description and thumbnail of your video to make sure its as attractive as possible.
The Watch-Time Rule
The second most important factor in YouTubes algorithm is the average watch time of a video. YouTube wants you to watch more but click less. This is called “Audience Retention” which measures how well your videos keep people watching. The longer they watch the better….Your goal is to keep them engaged for as long as possible.
Here are a few tips:
a. Let viewers know that they made the right choice by clicking your video and put the hook in the first few seconds of the video. Get right to the point and before you even introduce yourself introduce what you will be talking about.
b. Avoid long endings; When the video is over…just end it….Do not just drag the outro on and on. This will really hurt your watch time.
c. Deliver on your Thumbnail. Make sure what you advertised in your thumbnail is what the video is actually about.
d. Suggest another video. In stead of always asking people to like and subscribe make sure you also suggest another video that the audience might be interested in. Getting more viewers to watch more of your video content keeps them more engaged and only helps your stats.
e. Don’t get caught up in video length. Its a myth that the longer videos preform better. Let your video be as long as the content dictates.
YouTube’s future is NICHE
YouTube is getting further and further away from generic entertainment and getting more focused with niche channels and audiences. No longer are the days in which you can gain thousands of subscribers with inconsistent and generic content. The more focused you are the better you will succeed.
Own Your Audience
This is by far the most important of all the tips. You have already worked hard to get an audience on YouTube so now you need to make sure you get to keep what you earned. You have to first understand that you OWN nothing on the YouTube platform…..all of your subscribers belong to YouTube.
Consider this…in 2017 PewDiePie’s (over 70 million subscribers) YouTube channel was shut down temporary over a video that broke YouTube rules. YouTube sent a vary clear message to video creators everywhere – we own your channel and can shut it down when we want.
So if your channel gets demonetized or even worse shut down by YouTube, you instantly loose your entire subscriber base and all of that hard work you did. In a blink of an eye you have no contacts, no leads, no list, not anything.
Beyond just he ability to shut your channel down we have seen how YouTube policy changes, updates and algorithm changes (like minimum watch times, click through rates etc…) can effect a channel revenue and exposure overnight.
To avoid this you need to scale up your video content creation business and start collecting your viewer data like emails and information immediately. Direct them to your website and a email magnet to get them to sign-up. This does two things, provides a safety blanket for yourself and even better provides a way to monetize your audience by contacting them directly.
The next step is to have your own Netflix style site where you can charge subscriptions for additional and more exclusive premium content. This is great for generating leads but also making more money. You may not end up with 100% of your subscribers giving you their email address but you still end up with a strong list of highly interested subscribers.
If you would like to learn how you can get your own Netflix style site check out our Internet TV page here.
The road to YouTube Success is long and hard. Although we have all heard the glamorous stories of 10 year old’s becoming millionaires and rags to riches gamer’s earning millions per year, however its a much different story for the average YouTuber.
In fact Bloomberg recently released a story which shows that 96.5% of YouTubers wont make enough money through advertising to even break past the poverty line. With all of YouTube’s content restrictions and regulations on top of their extremely low revenue sharing its no wonder why so many YouTubers are struggling. In fact YouTube has been removing content from its platform at the requests of its advertisers aggravating many creators and viewers alike.
With YouTube’s lack of earning potential, and tighter restrictions on creativity of video content, has been a very key factor in driving people away from the platform and toward companies like TvStartup.
TvStartup’s platform allow users to create entire business models around their existing video content – viewers can pay subscriptions to access their video content – just like Netflix. This allows content creators to create an entire career outside of YouTube platform. TvStartup acts as a tool to your business instead of trying to control your entire business (something YouTube is famous for).
This is why TvStartup offers video creators add-on platforms like their own Netflix style website with payment management, connected TV app creation (Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, and Smart TV’s) as well as social media broadcasting tools. This gives content creators the assets they need to take complete control of their video business. Audiences are expanding everyday outside of cable and satellite subscription and now video creators can get a piece of the pie without begging YouTube for the crumbs.
YouTube is already loosing viewers due content restrictions, leaving viewers going elsewhere to seek the content that they cant find on YouTube. However viewers are not the only people its loosing – its loosing many content creators.
New research has brought some depressing facts to light about those trying to make a living as a YouTuber. Research done by Mathias Bartl, a professor at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences in Offenburg, Germany, reveals the hardship of YouTubers;
– 96.5% of YouTubers make less than poverty
only 3% of the most-watched channels brings in ad revenue of about $16,800 a year
(and that’s despite the top 3% getting 1.4 million viewers per month on average).
The top 1% of YouTubers will get on average from 2.2 million Views to 42.1 million views.
The bottom line is millions of views does not equal lots of money, in fact for the majority, it still equals poverty. YouTuber millionaires are far and few between and the ones that did make it most got big while YouTube was growing and before YouTube’s new content restriction rules.
For those of you that want to start your own network outside of YouTube then your first step is to subscribe to TvStartup’s “Channel Manager”. Its a all-in-one control panel that allows you to upload your videos to a media library, create video categories (like netflix), charge subscriptions, create and schedule playlists, broadcast live and more. You can also choose and expand your audience with their integrated distribution platforms like Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, Smart TV, iPhone app, Android App and more. Click here to learn more about their “Channel Manager”.
Netflix has one of the most popular and familiar looks when it comes to selling video content subscriptions and is recognized around the globe.
What if you could do the same with your videos and make money doing it? You could concentrate on making content for your audience and have complete control over monetizing it.
This is not a pipe dream this is reality and by learning how to apply Netflix’s business model you can create revenue around the video content you want to make.
Netflix has created a gigantic company around a very simple business model that you can also replicate yourself.
In this blog I am going to explain how you too can start your own video service like Netflix even if you know nothing about building websites or apps.
What You’ll Learn:
The 4 components of the Netflix revenue model
Why their business model works for all video producers
How to create your own Netflix in just a few simple steps
The Netflix Business Model
Netflix is extremely successful. Their company is worth over 100 billion and they have over 100 million subscribers. They have gradually worked their way into the living rooms of millions around the world making them a part of our every day life…so what is it that makes them so successful?
1. Subscriptions
Users can easily join via their website
They get a Free Trial
They get a flat monthly rate
They keep paying as long as their satisfied
This has created a dependable income stream for Netflix that they can continue to scale up. It also allow for them to offer these services to their users at low monthly rates. Why? So Netflix can concentrate on growing instead of perusing renewals of customers and their contracts.
All of this combine equals to Netflix a low attrition rate (only about 9% a year cancel) and keeps their customers “addicted” to their platform.
2. Easy Access
Netflix can be accessed by about anyone in the world anytime. This means they don’t have to be connected to cable or satellite services that is only specific to a certain region. You can access them via the internet through their many apps in about any country. Plus their content is all on-demand so you don’t have to wait for a broadcast schedule.
3. Combination of Original Content and Acquired content
They generate a lot of buzz about their platform from the content they produce which in turn gives them ever increasing subscribers that want to check out their new content. This continuous release of new content is also what keeps their viewers addicted and coming back for more.
4. No Ads
Netflix is completely independent of advertisers which means they don’t depend on advertising dollars to keep them in business. This means advertisers don’t dictate the type of content they produce or promote. This is why many independent content creators on YouTube are failing and struggling.
Why the Netflix style Business Model is Fantastic For All Video Producers:
Because their model can be easily duplicated in any niche or industry. You can use their model to enjoy a profitable business model year in and year out.
So now the next step how do you get your own Netflix style site? And better yet how do you manage the content and the subscriptions?
Here are a few easy steps:
You need to have a subscription to our “Channel Manager”. Our Channel manager allows you to create VOD categories and dynamically name them. You can upload your video content and create a media library. From your media library you can decide all your Video Category names and assign the appropriate videos to each category. You can also create playlists to combine live streaming with VOD. Your Channel Manager subscription will give you everything necessary to manage your Netflix style site.
Next you need to pick your distribution platforms from inside our Channel Manager. For example how will your customers access your subscriptions site? iPhone or Android mobile TV app, Roku, Apple TV, Smart TV, Website??? We have an array of website templates and connected TV templates to choose that you can use for your subscription service.
Set your monthly/quarterly/annual rate you want to charge and the bank account you want your funds deposited into …then start uploading your video content!
Although the price of UHD/4k Television sets continues to drop, there is still a scarcity of available UHD/4k video content on the market today – even in 2019 – and is typically reserved for higher-profile events such as the FIFA world cup.
The only exception is when it comes to over-the-top streaming services (Internet TV). The reason is satellite and cable is far more constrained when it comes to the available bandwidth that it takes to deliver UHD content to viewers.
UHD video is double or triple the bandwidth of standards HD and this means organizations that have a fixed infrastructure can not easily adjust to 4k programming. Its like not having to much traffic and not enough lanes for the data to be piped through.
Today Netflix is probably the largest distributor of 4k video content and will continue to add more 4k to its library. In fact all of Netflix originals are shot in 4k even if only a minority of the audience views it in 4k.
However with that being said is 4k the best choice for your online network? The answer really depends. Although Internet TV leads the way in 4k content, this does not mean that the majority of viewers are viewing 4k content….AND although OTT providers do not have the confined fixed infrastructure of cable and satellite they still have to deal with two significant facts:
1. It costs MUCH more in bandwidth to deliver 4k content to their streaming viewers;
In fact Colin Dixon Chief analyst for nScreenMedia says “UHD content doesn’t represent a big cost increase to OTT services, The costs are related to the number of customers, so when you have only a few customers it really doesn’t cost much. The bad news is that the costs will go up as you gain customers.”
2. The majority of viewers do not have the available bandwidth to view UHD content.
With the average connection speed in North America less than 20Mbps and the average 4k video has an average bit rate of 35Mbps (compared to 6 – 5 Mbps for standard HD) its like trying to fit a watermelon down a small pipe….to much buffering.
Besides the two problems mentioned above there are other problems presented by some ISP’s. Most ISP’s don’t bother the average viewer viewing one or two movies a week. However some ISP’s have bandwidth limits, and this can be a serious problem for viewers that want to watch 4k content, as they will quickly reach their bandwidth limit.
On average less than 20% of the market today streams UHD content and that the ISP’s infrastructure would have to change before “Everyone” could partake of 4k content.
Dixon estimates that no more than 20 percent of the current U.S. market that regularly watches streaming services is consuming UHD content. “That market is growing, and if 100 percent of the audience suddenly embraced UHD, the broadband providers would have to build up the pipes,” he said.
So the answer to the question is – Filming all of your new content in 4k is just fine….but for the near future having your network in standard HD will server more viewers, and cost you less money (especially when it comes to live streaming/playlists).
If your looking to start your network then check out our Channel Manger by clicking here. We can easily encode your 4k content to HD automatically when you upload to your account.
Satellite and Cable TV is what is considered “Traditional TV” and also known as Linear Television. Linear TV means your TV programs run in a straight line on a schedule. Meaning the viewer must watch a scheduled TV program at the actual time of broadcast.
Although satellite and cable subscriptions have been falling off due to other media alternatives such as Netflix, HULU and other choices, the video industry as a whole has only grown. This is because there are more ways than ever to check out your favorite shows than ever before in history.
Lets first look at the 4 different types of TV:
Cable TV – TV that comes through a cable wire into your home. Common cable providers are AT&T, Comcast, Charter and so on…..
Satellite TV – TV that is beamed down to a dish from a satellite. Providers like Dish and Direct TV are some of the most popular here in the USA.
Broadcast TV – TV that comes through your antenna
Internet TV AKA OTT – TV delivered through the internet to different platforms like the web, Roku, Apple TV and more.
There is basically two ways to get video content into your living room: You can tune in through a satellite, cable or antenna, or it can be streamed through the internet.
Broadcast TV includes Satellite, cable and Antenna reception. Broadcast networks essentially operate by broadcasting video content from a central location. For cable it is broadcast and delivered to your home through a coaxial cable. Satellite it comes from radio waves that you pick up with your satellite dish attached to your home.
Cable and satellite both work by allowing you to “tune in” to specific channels within that signal. The big difference is that cable comes into your home through a wire and satellite through the air.
Internet TV
Internet TV accomplishes the same goal (to put content on your TV) but is delivered through the internet either to your Smart TV (Via a smart TV app) or connect TV device (Roku, FireTV, Apple TV etc…). Internet TV can also be delivered to your mobile phone or desktop either through a app (like YouTube) or a browser.
Pros and Cons for Consumers
For most of us as long as we know how to turn the TV on and get what we want either via internet or Satellite/cable understanding the nuts and bolts isnt as important. Hoover if you are staring your own Online TV network then its great to have an understanding of the Pro’s and Cons.
Cable TV:
Pros:
Quality: No buffering and a dedicated line for video. Video is always high quality.
Hundred of channels to choose from with a dedicated program guide.
Cons:
Only available in areas in which cable has been run.
Cost is typically high
Requires a cable box and can be a mess of wires in the home.
Satellite TV
Pros
Programming is very similar to cable.
Its available nationwide
Video quality is generally good.
Cons:
You must have a large box attached to your TV’s
You must have a dish attached to your home
storms can cause outages.
Its generally expensive.
Internet TV
Pros:
Price can be quite a bit lower.
You only pay for what you want to watch and many channels are Free.
No need for installing anything (no dish or cable wires to run)
Many choices to pick from.
You can offer VOD (does not have to be Linear)
Is available globally
Cons:
Video quality can suffer if connection speeds drop.
You may not have access to some of your favorite shows that only broadcast on cable/satellite.
So as a broadcaster the obvious choice today is starting your network via the internet. You can literally start your network for just a few hundred dollars on the internet vs millions it takes to acquire your own satellite or cable channel.
When I first started back in 2004 all we did was satellite channels. However as technology evolved we quickly adapted to helping our satellite customers get their network onto the internet. We had to “mimic” the same type of quality and system that our customers had on satellite and duplicate that onto the internet. This led us to develop our “Channel Manager” which was built from the ground up with TV distribution in mind for our satellite TV clients. Its now available to the general public and if you would like to try it you can check it out here. Our channel manager is the first step in starting your internet TV network.
Samsung has more than 32 million smart TV’s in households throughout the USA (even more globally). These smart TV’s not only allow for inputs from connected TV devices such as Roku, FireTV, Apple TV and more, but they also come built with access to Samsung TV app store. Samsung TV app store has been growing steadily over the past few years. Years ago Smart TV’s were considered a “Bust” and had very little viewership. However this has changed significantly since 2011.
In fact according to Samsung Ads research shows that since 2011 there has been a 200% growth in launching apps from the Samsung Smart TV. Tom Fochetta, VP of advertising sales at Samsung Ads, tells Video Insider. “Now we are seeing these OTT users launch these apps nearly every other day. It is becoming part of their video content mix; consumers are seamlessly going back and forth between smart TV, a gaming console, smartphone, tablets, and consuming this video through multiple touch-points.”
Samsung also coined the phrase “Total TV Watchers” – A term they call viewers who both watch cable TV and who consume content via the internet (OTT). Samsung found that “Total TV Watchers” would open TV apps on average a 140 times per month and watch on average 11% more video content through the internet than the average viewer.
“They actually are making room in their media mix for more media content,” Fochetta says. “It is not a zero-sum game.”
All of this points to the fact that the definitions of TV is changing. Users are now seamlessly switching back and forth from an array of different sources. This means that broadcasters need to transform their media plan and launch their own TV apps on as many connected TV devices and Smart TV platforms as possible. Growth is in all corners but Smart TV’s have finally caught up with users – who now turning to their Smart TV native app store more and more often.
With Smart TV’s in the living room of millions of people both nationwide and globally the audience potential is growing. Its not just a fact of “If” millions more will be tuning in to the apps on smart TV’s its “how soon”. Previously audiences were hesitant to try TV apps or felt intimidated to use them, to access video content. However as Internet TV keeps making more headway more and more people are becoming aware and adapting. Even the older generations are are adapting new viewing habits as technology becomes more accessible and easier to use.
Smart TV’s (also called Hybrid TV’s) are growing across the board (not just Samsung) with all major manufactures. In fact from year to year there is significant increase in market penetration and with each manufacture promoting their own app store its only going to get better for Internet TV network owners.
The global smart TV market is expected to register a growth rate of over 16.52% from now until 2023. With steady growth like this its no wonder your top broadcasters are placing their networks in the reach of smart TV owners.
What this all boils down to for online TV networks owners is more opportunity to reach more people exactly where they want to interact with them – in their living rooms. Many of our customers that have a TV app on Samsung see significant boost to their viewing audience and as the stats suggest this will only get better with time.
When it comes to licensing video content the holy grail is the blanket license. A one time fee, usually a once off or annual fee that covers a broadcast license for hundreds, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of video content. For some genres this is the norm and for others you have to look hard to find it.
Blanket License
In the music industry especially for Music Videos the best two places to get a blanket license is ASCAPand BMIwhich can offer blanket licenses to cover hundreds of thousands if not millions of titles. If you indicate you are a start up with no current revenue it really brings down the prices of your license to a few hundred dollars a year. This can give you an immediate start on your own Music Video channel or however you intend to use the licensing.
Keep in mind that they do not provide the music videos but just the license. You will need to obtain the videos yourself.
When it comes to other video content (TV shows, movies and documentaries) blanket licenses can become much more scarce. The main reason is because, unlike the music industry that has a common agreement to license their content through just a few organizations, the video industry has no such agreements uniting them. Because of production costs can run high and popularity from one movie or TV series to the next can vary widely so does the cost to license content.
However that does not mean that no blanket license exists, it just means they don’t exist on the organizational level (meaning one or two organization formed for such purpose). Instead they exist from one production company to another. For example a production house that produces horror movies may offer one license to cover their last 30 movies. Many deals like this exist you just have to look for them.
One of the best ways to find good deals on licensing content is to call video licensing companies (a really good one is GreenLight) or to attend events like the NAB where you can meet with hundreds of production companies and clearance companies.
Creating a License
A license is an agreement between the creator/owner of the video content and one or more distributors.
The license will detail the intended use of the video content (online, broadcast TV, promotional or corporate). The license can be exclusive to your network or non exclusive (used by more than one distributor).
Typically the license is a written consent that spells out the price and length that the distributor has for online broadcasting. There are several different licensing models that we will discuss in this article.
How much Does a License Cost?
When it comes to video content so many factors play a role and there is not one price that fits all. From TV shows to documentaries, movies, and more…the hotter the item and the larger the audience the more it will cost.
However, licensing for online broadcast is typically less expensive. This does give online TV networks owners an advantage.
When Do I Need a License?
Unless its for non-commercial or private study use then you always need permission to broadcast someone else content on your network. However there are several repositories for public domain content with thousands of movies, documentaries and video content that you can immediately insert into your channel.
Please understand the difference between public domain and royalty free. Public domain means the intellectual property rights have expired or forfeited and the general public has the right to rebroadcast with no payment what so ever. Royalty Free is the right to use copyrighted content without the needs to pay royalties or license fees for each use of the content (or per volume sold). However a upfront one time license fee may or may not be necessary.
Creative Commons License
On the other hand creative commons licensesis one of several public copyright licenses that allow the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted content or “work”. A creative commons license is generally used when a producer wants to give other people the right to share and use their content (or build upon it).
Here are a few links to some Creative Commons Licenses Repositories:
The content does not even have to be new if you know how to spin it the right way, in fact that is how the History Channel got started, tons of public domain content from WW2. They added a voice over and made a hit channel all based off old content from the 1940’s.
Fair Use
US copyright law that brief excerpts of copyrighted material may under certain conditions, without the need of payment or permission from the copyright holder, be broadcast by third parties. Typical uses is for NEWS reporting, teaching an research.
Licensing Models: Below are some of the most common forms of licensing you will experience.
Fixed License Fee
The organization can distribute the content for fixed time period within a specific territory. If the content is being broadcast online as a VOD then the licensee is not required to report back to the license granter the success of the program or share any revenue they have received. This is the method Netflix uses to license content.
Revenue Share
The licenses holder shares revenue with the distributor (typically a VOD platform). This is typically a Pay Per View system where a user pays to watch a individual or a series of TV shows, movies or documentaries.
Minimum Guarantee Revenue Share
The licensee agrees to pay a minimum payment (usually upfront) and additional payments should the content perform well or over perform the a set standard in the licensing agreement.
Fixed Pay Per View
This is common to VOD platforms like Hulu – The licensee pays a fixed amount to the owner of the content but on a per view basis – but can offset that expense by making income from advertising.
Stock Videos
Stock video is the perfect choice for documentary-style videos or any other content that features a voiceover. It’s incredibly budget friendly compared to hiring for your own footage and offers an abundance of options from which you can pick. Stock library collections contain professionally shot material taken all over the world, so finding visuals that encapsulate what you have in mind has never been easier!
With high-resolution visuals, stock videos can sometimes be even better than you could produce yourself! So if you’re looking for a creative way to save money, look no further than stock videos to make your next piece of content.
When searching for stock videos, it is essential to be aware of any restrictions or requirements imposed by their video licensing agreement. To ensure that you are adhering to these conditions correctly and avoiding potential problems in the future, pay close attention to each one before using a video.
Licensing video content can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The first step is to identify the content you wish to license and determine what kind of licensing agreement you need. Depending on how the content will be used, different licenses may be applicable, such as public domain works or exclusive use rights under copyright law.
Once you know which type of license applies to your situation, research sources or copyright owner for obtaining the material in question. For example, if you plan on using pre-existing footage, you should explore stock video libraries or other online resources where this type of material can be licensed. If you intend to create new video footage for your own.
You can also look for content aggregators or licensing agencies like VideoElephant, a great company with millions of short-form content you can use for your AVOD platforms or FAST channel.
What happens if I don’t license the content?
Typically if you are a smaller organization nothing happens….however you can get removed from platforms like Roku, FireTV and others for not having the proper license documentation. So its always best to keep your content licensed.
You can brand your own box with your own logo with your own channel lineups. In essence you can have your own Roku or FireTV box branded for your company. Seems like something that would cost millions, right? Well it does not.
This is the power of the Android TV OS. Android TV is a operating system designed for Smart TV’s and digital media players. It replaces Google TV and features are build with content discovery in mind allowing voice searches and content aggregated from various other media apps and services.
Since Android TV is an operating system that can be licensed it means you can brand your own box build and brand your own menus and splash screens. Meaning your box is completely white labeled and only has the content you want preloaded on it. When a customer turns on the box they see only your logo and content.
You can also add your own channel lineups so that you create in essence your own “cable box” but instead of cable its internet based. The best part is you can do this anywhere in the world with no geographical restrictions like Roku has. When you begin to think international the possibilities really start to open up; You could sell your own cable service anywhere in the world or just your own branded TV channel.
How does it work?
Well in an nutshell there are hundreds of manufactures that make the hardware box (streaming box) that can run the android TV OS. Each manufacture has its own hardware configurations with different processor speeds and memory. Picking the right manufacture will depend on the features you want your branded streaming box to include and how much hard drive space you would like (in case you want to include your own DVR ).
Once your hardware has been selected then you need to have your software created with the menu style you like and the content you would like preloaded on each box. This will give each box the look and feel you want. The manufacture can brand each box with your logo on the outside to give you a complete white-labeled look and feel.
There are several different profit models you can choose to monetize your box. For example you can choose to charge monthly subscriptions, charge local advertisers, sell the box at a profit and several other different strategies.
The bottom line is you can become the cable operator and monetize opportunity that others can’t see. This of course is the beauty of technology.
Our development staff specializes in android TV OS and can help you craft the perfect box. We have also worked with several manufactures and can help you get your streaming box with all the features needed for a cheap as possible. To manage your streaming box we can adapt a special version of our Channel Manager specifically to your needs and even have different tiers (For example Silver, Gold and Platinum subscriber levels)
If you would like your own custom quote then fill out our contact form here.
Although FireTV leads the pack for active subscriber growth, Apple TV leads in another category; Increase in streaming hours. Apple TV saw a 709% growth in viewing hours in 2018. This is roughly 5 billion hours of video watching. These numbers are tall tale signs that consumers are adopting new viewing habits as they ditch the old traditional cable and satellite TV and learn towards OTT.
Although this is exceptional growth rate Apple TV still lags behind ROKU for total amount of streaming hours (as stated apple leads in percentage of growth rate for streaming hours). However this could change as competition heats up between connected TV companies. Apple TV is considering building an Apple TV streaming stick which would be a cheaper version of their box. This would definitely fuel Apple connected TV growth rate and make apple TV available to consumers who are not willing to spend the 150 dollars for the Apple TV box.
According to Apple they are considering making a sub $100 stick to compete with the cheaper Roku and Firetv devices on the market today. Apple has long struggled in fourth place behind Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon FireTV. With Apple TV price tag of a $149 dollars and their competitors at $30 and $40 dollars you can see why Apple is shifting gears to make a cheaper version of their Apple TV. This is of course all based on early reports that Apple is considering a dongle-style streaming player. As with all new product planning, it may never come to fruition even if Apple aggressively works on creating the device. However just the fact that it is being talked about shows how serious Apple is about competing with the other connected TV devices.
Apple TV represents yet another opportunity for Internet TV network owners. Apple TV has a loyal fan base and having your network available to their viewing audiences could boost your network viewing audience and ad revenues.
There’s a reason that top OTT companies like Netflix, and Hulu are on every distribution platform available – simply because it increases their subscription base. For them this formula is not rocket science; The more platforms – the more audience potential – which equals higher revenue potential. For online network owners (OTT operators) its the same formula to follow in their footsteps. No need to reinvent the wheel here – we know it already works.
As competition heats up between streaming devices, one things can be sure – more and more people will be canceling their satellite and cable subscriptions and adopting new viewing habits. No matter what genre Religious, Entertainment, Ethnic, business etc… connected TV is benefiting both broadcasters and audiences by connecting people to what their most interested in.
However when analyzing social data around Roku and Apple TV, something becomes very clear: younger users are attracted to the lower price of the Roku devices, and although this is something Apple TV wants to enter the market to compete with, older users over the age of 35 seem to be loyal to Apple TV. This gives Apple TV an edge for those wanting to reach a more affluent and older audience.
All of our customers who have networks on Apple TV has seen consistent growth in audience and viewing hours. Its a fantastic distribution outlet for stable growth especially for those wanting tor each an audience over the age of 35.
If your looking to get your own online TV network then check out our channel Manager by clicking here. Its the easiest way to get started with your own internet TV/OTT platform. Its the easiest way to both start and expand your network.
Just when you thought Roku was breaking all the records FireTV comes out of no where to take the lead. FireTV users are growing faster than Roku users according to Amazons fourth quarter results. Amazons success is a great example of how its ecosystem drives customer loyalty. Because of the size of Amazon its no wonder they are starting to outpace all other streaming TV devices.
To be honest there really is not many reasons for a consumer to choose a Fire TV device over a Roku. Roku actually has the edge here because their platform-agnostic approach means it supports a larger array of services and doesn’t play favoritism with any of them.
However for online broadcasters this competition between FireTV, Roku and other streaming devices is nothing but good news. As these giant compete for market space the in-direct result is more and more consumers are canceling their cable and satellite subscriptions and turning to connected TV devices such as FireTV, Roku and Apple TV.
So for the record, YES Amazon FireTV is growing at a faster rate than Roku and other devices….However that does not mean Roku is shrinking. On the other hand that is just a testament to the times we live in. In fact all connected TV platforms are growing with no signs of letting up any time soon. According to Convivas customer base Apple TV saw a 709% growth in viewing hours in 2018.
Overall viewing hours of internet-delivered video across mobile, connected TV’s and desktop screens grew by 114% in 2018 with android being the leader for viewing hours in mobile devices. The future for broadcasters and content producers is clearly internet TV delivered through various connected TV devices and Smart TV’s.
IT makes sense that if you want to distribute your channel to as many viewers as possible then your network needs to be on as many distribution platforms as you can (with FireTV and Roku leading the pack).
If your new to internet TV then it can be a challenge to figuring out how to actually accomplish getting on all these different platforms. Our customers use our Channel Manager to both manage their online TV network (create and schedule playlists, broadcast live, VOD , Social Media broadcasting and more) and add distribution platforms such as FireTV, Roku, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and mobile devices.
Although FireTV is growing in active viewers they still lag behind Roku and Apple TV for average time per user spent streaming video content. In other words Roku with less users still has more viewing hours – probably mainly due to the fact that most of the content on Roku is Free non-subscription based (although there are plenty of subscription channels as well).
Amazons FireTV active user growth seems mainly because of their Prime Video service in which 95 million Americans have access too. If your a prime member and want to watch Prime Video the user experience is much better. So users that want to access and pay for premium content typically turn to FireTV.
However FireTV (unlike Roku) is one of the very few connected TV devices that is both supported international as well as has a international following/viewership. With more than 100 countries including United States, Canada, United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Austria, Japan, India, and many many more. This is why so many international broadcasters that want to reach audiences outside of the UK and USA pick the FireTV as their platform.
If you are thinking about owning….or already own a online TV network then your strategy for audience and viewership growth should be in line with viewer trends. Today FireTV is a platform that you just can’t be without or your missing a large piece of the growing connected TV market/audience.
If you would like to get a subscription to our channel manager click here to learn more about it and start your own online TV network.
Traditional TV is dying and the devices that are putting the nail in the coffin are small little boxes that connect to your living room TV set. Roku is a fiercely competitive little device that connects through wifi to the internet and allows you to view video content on you TV including content from YouTube and Netflix.
Besides the usual Netflix and YouTube there are a few thousand other channels to choose from and with a viewing audience that is constantly expanding (well over 60 million ) it has more viewers than most cable operators combined. Roku provides your network with great potential and opportunity to reach new audiences. The possibilities of reaching new audiences with your new Roku channel is not only exciting but easier to do than ever before in history.
Roku’s most important metrics indicate a growing and healthy viewership. In fact streaming hours increased 68% in the fourth quarter of 2018 to over 7.3 billion. However Roku has moved past just promoting its streaming device that connects to your TV.
More viewers are now coming from licenses sources; Specifically Roku’s operating system that is one of the most popular among Smart TV operating systems among consumers. Roku estimated that 25% of smart TV’s sold in the first three quarters of 2018 came with ROKU operating system preinstalled.
Roku’s expansion in the Smart TV world is fantastic for broadcasters because Roku’s continuous exposure and growth is also growing online broadcasters audience base. Roku’s broad audience gives broadcasters in any niche an opportunity to get a large audience and following. This is far more valuable for online network owners because advertisers are wiling to pay a much higher rate for content viewed on the living room TV set verses watching on a mobile device.
The only Smart TV operating system with a greater market share is Samsung however even Roku is perusing deals with them as well. Last year Roku partnered with Samsung to enable Samsung Smart TV viewers to connect and stream content from their Roku Channel.
The ever constant expansion of Roku is exactly why many of our customers choose to expand to Roku as one of their distribution platforms. When our broadcasters choose to expand to Roku we simply integrate it into their Channel Manager account.
Our Channel Manager is the core of any online TV network that we deploy for our customers. It allows our broadcasters to create and schedule playlists, create VOD categories and assign videos to each category (like Netflix) as well as broadcast live and automatically record your live broadcast for inclusion into your playlist or VOD library.
Expanding onto Roku is pretty easy if you have our channel manager and you can broadcast simultaneously not only to your Roku channel but any distribution platform that you have (Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, your website and Android). We also provide a tool so you can re-stream your live broadcast (or playlist) to social media simultaneously.
Many broadcasters are hesitant to embrace social media due to ignorance of its huge potential. For these broadcasters social media visibility is limited to random FaceBook or Twitter posts announcing their upcoming programs. However there are many other broadcasters that see its strength as a broadcasting power house and a medium for audience engagement.
Broadcasters using Social Media for Finding New Voices and Expanding Their Audience:
In certain fields social media broadcasts will outpace more traditional media sources. For example traditional news broadcasting may be overrun by live streams on social media platforms with the average person replacing the journalist with breaking news.
For example, Al Jazeera English has published its own online community named “The Stream”, which exploits the strength of social media to broadcast news in compelling ways. The Stream accumulates discussions, opinions and social media posts from various platforms, to reassemble significant stories of the day for better viewership.
Social media today is no longer here just for building personal relationships, it is used to influence the decisions of millions, build brands and expand a broadcasters reach. Engaging your audience is now just as important as reaching your audience and social media provides both.
Savy broadcasters know the power of a live broadcast is not only in achieving a larger audience and more engagement but also to expose their brand and promote audience to engage their network on other platforms (Roku, FireTV etc…).
According to Richard Weaver, Principal at Weaver Injury Law Firm, “Branding yourself with a logo and a few articles is a good idea, but people want to see something more from you, and this is where live streams can help. They offer rich, tangible content that’s highly desirable and a lot of fun to peruse, not to mention very informative.”
2. Live Streaming Gives a Sense of Urgency
With a live stream you can nudge people to act more swiftly than if they were watching something that was prerecorded. For businesses it can convert viewers into paid customers….For those with their own online TV network a Live broadcast can be the preview and you can urge them to join you on your other platforms which can be monetized with ads.
3. Getting Creative – Combining Social Media and Your Online Network
Some of our customers combined the power of Social Media broadcasts with their own network. For example Creekbox a small town online TV network that specializes in broadcasting high-school sports. They were already successful in their own niche, but got a powerful boost when they began broadcasting their live high-school football games on social media. Not only did their social media fans increase but their Roku, FireTV, and mobile apps saw a significant audience increase as well due to their FaceBook fans download their apps.
They use a tool in our Channel Manager called “re-streamer” which allows our customers to broadcast simultaneously to their own website/network, and Facebook, YouTube and Periscope. Even though they are in a rural community with slower internet connection speeds they only have to send one live feed uploaded to our Channel Manager and we duplicate it automatically to their social media accounts reducing the need for video upload speeds.
Then when they are done with their live broadcast our auto-live recorder places the previous live video into their media library for use as a VOD or to be included in a scheduled playlist at a later time.
No matter which way you look at it, broadcasting live to social media has nothing but upsides with no real downsides. As broadcasters get more and more creative with ways to expand and engage their audiences through live broadcasts its clear social media will be a part of their expansion for years to come.
If you would like to get a subscription to our Channel Manager so that you too can broadcast across social media, create and schedule playlists and much much more then click here to check it out.
When it comes to Internet TV 3 questions are common for beginners:
Can I make money with my network?
How do I make money?
How much can I make?
Answers:
Q1 – Yes
Q2. I am going to assume you are already familiar with “Monetization techniques” for internet TV (OTT)…if not clickhere to read about it. .
Q3. Well that’s what this article is about…read on;
The most common way to make monetize your online network is through DAI which stand for Dynamic Ad Insertion (and for the sake of this article I will mainly concentrate on this method). DAI allows advertisers to swap out creative ads in both linear, live or video-on-demand, content. This is done instead of servicing the same ad to each consumer (like in traditional TV). With online video we can understand more about our audiences and their interests and only serve particular ads to our audience based on those interests.
This means we can have viewers in different locations watching the same stream, but serve them with different ads.
However the rule of thumb for internet advertising remains; channel owners are paid on a CPM basis. CPM which means “cost per metric” really translates to “Cost per thousand”.
Cost Per Thousand means how much is paid per 1000 impressions of an advertisement. This means your viewers have seen an ad 1000 times. This could mean 100 viewers watch an ad 10 times in an evening or that 200 viewers watched the ad 5 times… and for most cases it does not mean that 1000 people had to see the ad. Its impressions or better yet, its views, not viewers.
In the internet TV world CPM’s can vary on a sliding scale:
Smart TV and connected TV”s CPM can be between $8 and $20.
Mobile apps between $6 and $10
Desktop between $2 and $6
As you can see depending on what platform your viewers are watching your content makes a big difference in how much add revenue you can make.
You will want to use DAI for your streams and your VOD’s.
To determine your potential monthly ad revenue of your online network you must predict how many views your content will receive and then calculate that with your CPM. To do this examine your current fan base and understand your average view count for each video on your network and then multiply that by the amount of videos you intend to release each month (to give you an idea of total views).
Once you have that number then use the formula below to calculate revenue:
(CPM(# of views))/1000=Total revenue
Now lets just make a simple scenario;
Lets say your network had 30,000 viewers that each tuned in 10 times during the month, giving you a total view count of 300,000 views for the month…and lets say your getting a $15 CPM cause your on smart TV’s.
So that would be 300,000 X 15 divide by a 1000 = $4,500 in DAI revenue.
However this is not the whole picture….because you must also account for how many impressions you have in an hour instead of accounting for 1 impression per session.
Let me give you another example using the same CPM.
1000 people watching your 1 hour live event (or live stream) with 4 ad avails of 2 mins each per hour.
This means in one hour you have 8 minutes of possible ad time. That would be 4 thirty second ads for each avail. This equals 16 impression per viewer for the hour.
So now your impressions for the hour is 16,000 (impressions multiplied by how many viewers).
So now if you had a CPM of 15 dollars you could figure out what you made for that hour:
16,000 X CPM (15) / 1000 = $240 for that one hour.
This of course varies depending on your fill rate of your avails but should give you an idea of the possibilities.
The bottom line is this: The more people watch, the longer people watch, and the longer your avail times for ad insertion = the more money you make in DAI.
Keep in mind that this was referring to add insertion into a streaming channel (linear) but the same principal applies to VOD. Having pre-rolls and mid-roll ads inserted dynamically into your VOD’s will increase your ad revenue greatly.
Now back to our first example of 30,000 viewers tuning in for the month. Depending on how many impressions each viewer saw (how much time they spent watching your VOD’s and streaming channel) will indicate the actual revenue received. 30,000 viewers could equal $4,500 or it could equal $45,000 depending on all of those variables.
The longer each viewer watches and the more ad avails that are filled (per hour)then your math starts to ad up because now your impressions are much larger.
Now lets talk about subscription verses DAI.
Charging a monthly subscription is a common way to monetize your content. Netflix is an example of how subscription services can really be a viable option.
Typical questions we get is “how much should I charge for my subscription network” ? The best answer I can give you is this; The more niche your network, the more you can charge.
In other words the more targeted your audience the higher you can price your monthly subscription.
Other questions such as; Are there other competitors competing for that same audience? Look at other niche networks,…what are they charging?
Let me give you some make believe samples of “extremer niche”:
A ball room dancing channel
A golf channel that focuses just on teaching golf techniques
Channels that cater to languages not commonly spoken in your home country
It can’t just be a standard channel targeting standard entertainment if you want to charge a subscription. The only exception to this is of course Netflix with has thousands of video titles to choose from.
You have to know your audience and as a channel owner/operator you are the best to know what you can charge and what you can not.
To give you an idea I see our customers charging their viewers between 1.99/month on the low end and as high as $29.99/month on the high end.
Whats great about subscriptions is you are monetizing all of your views the same….no matter if they spend one hour a month watching or 50 hours a month. You can predict your revenue and
growth easily.
You can mix and match by providing a paid/premium version with out advertising and a free version of your channel with ads.
There is not “one answer fits all” when it comes to monetizing your online network…but you should have some idea by now.
Want to take the next step and start your network? Read about our Channel Manager Here.
Credibility and Status = Unmeasurable Monetization
I will start with the least known Monetization benefits of having your own Internet TV network.
Lets talk about the most hidden Monetization effect. The fact that you have a Internet TV network on platforms such as ROKU, Amazon FireTV, iPhone, Apple TV etc… give you and your organization “credibility” and “status”. Few people on this planet can boast they have their own network. This benefit of this alone is hard to be measured because its not always obvious that was the reason someone decided to do business with your company. Whenever people are deciding to do business with your business, decide if your church is the right church for them, decide to list their house with your real estate company……many things weigh into that decisions including how they feel about the credibility and status of your organization. So keep in mind that just having your Online Network alone can generate in-direct revenue.
Digital Add Injection
AKA Dynamic Ad Insertion is something that is new to the digital landscape. When I say “new” I do not mean that it started yesterday, but that the technology is not yet perfected. It is ongoing process to evolve and perfect. However it is far enough a long that we can do two critical steps;
Inject paying advertisers adverts
Track the amount of viewers per add
Both of these steps allow a total to be calculated monthly so that your channel can get a check every month.
This makes your goal obvious; Create or obtain great content people want to see and promote it. In other words build your content and viewership. That is of course the name of the game for any TV network but this is definitely the core concept of success when it comes to getting big advertising checks.
To thrive in the Internet TV world you the Content Owner, TV Broadcaster and/or OTT Operator need to optimize ad revenues and make the most of the latest shifts in technology that are available today in order to increase monetization potential. This is why you should require a platform that can precisely target the right audience and accurately insert relevant ads across connected TV channels and multiple screens.
The components of add injection:
Dynamic Ad insertion – Our solutions make sure that the right ad is ready to play every time there is an ad break and can seamlessly scale to television-sized audiences. Multiple Triggers – you the broadcaster can trigger the ads, or you can pick one of our algorithms that automatically inserts them for maximum revenue potential (example 16 mins of ad breaks per hour) Guaranteed Ad views – Even if the stream is paused the Ad is not skipped when the stream resumes.
All of these components work together to create a nice revenue stream for your channel.
Subscription Model
The obvious money maker for online TV is charging a subscription fee. This is a big money maker especially if you have a lot of content. Netflix is making BILLIONS (not millions) from this subscription based method. However of course they have a ton of content so this subscription model makes since for them.
You can charge for a day, month, quarterly or annually. You can give free trials and a host of other options to make revenue easier to generate. For smaller broadcasters subscriptions make a lot sense if your audience is a niche. For example if you specialize in a particular content geared to a language besides English or other small niches like ball room dancing etc…. Subscriptions excel in these type of situations because the audience is eager to obtain content that is not catered to in today’s mass media.
Other models that work well is charge a subscription fee for an ad free version of your network. This is a common “up-sell” for many networks. This allows you to leverage both ads and subscriptions.
YouTube Monetization – First and foremost the #1 reason our customers want to acquire their own Internet TV network is so that it can be “self branded”. In other words it has nothing to do with YouTube (facebook or any other 3rd party) and when promoting your channel this keeps your network looking professional. However there are more critical reasons why its important to have your own network and not rely on 3rd parties such as “YouTube”.
1. For the most part it is difficult to make money off of your YouTube videos. That does NOT mean that there are no YouTubers making good money. There are some, but for the majority it is a known fact that channel creators (even those with hundreds of thousands even millions of views) struggle to make even a hundred dollars in a month. YouTube is not in the business for the benefit of the content creators but for the benefit of themselves.
2. Youtube now “censors” content they don’t like. This means you are no longer in control of your network. This is important to understand because they censor content they deem “controversial”. However they define what “controversial” is. They are now changing algorithms hiding videos and NOT notifying your subscribers (on new video posts and live broadcast) for groups that have opposing political positions of you tube (owned by google) shareholders.
3. YouTube has new rules that makes it difficult for new channels to monetize any content.
The fact is, you have absolutely no control over your subscriber base when you’re on YouTube. You don’t have their names, you don’t have their email addresses, you can’t take them to another platform. That’s a huge issue. This means you can not run email campaigns, promos, and that YouTube could shut your channel down (as they are known to do without giving a reason) without a given notice. YouTube is built to make YouTube money and not to make the broadcaster money. In fact its built to enslave you to their system. Building a YouTube audience is a waste of time and money, unless it is to promote your other platforms which is where you make your real money. YouTube may have some professional videos on their platform, but it is NOT a professional platform. When you have your own online network you can make hundreds even thousands of times more money than you can on Youtube controlling your own advertising or subscriptions. I am not saying YouTube does not have its place, but it is built with the idea for sharing videos and not monetizing them.
YouTube has its place and like I said before, there are some earning money on the platform. However the majority of serious YouTubers earn next to nothing. Plus at a moments notice YouTube can cancel, censor or demonetize your channel (or videos) so that your viewers can not find it in a search or a related video. Same thing is occurring with Facebook live broadcasts….You can NOT monetize them and you can be shut off for breaking one of many many rules they have. Facebook and YouTube should only be used in order to support your main Independence channel. That is the purpose of using these social platforms, to SUPPORT your business not to use them AS YOUR business. Insuring against a Facebook or YouTube decision they know longer like you, if your channel is independent they cant SHUT you down.
Tvstartup allows you to broadcast your content to the world in the same way a Traditional TV station does but on STEROID’S.
– Your playlist(s) will play on time because you can create and schedule your playlists based on your local time zone.
– Its easy to run your station cause you can schedule playlists months in advance.
– Increase your audience size by broadcasting simultaneously your channel to your network, plus Facebook, YouTube, and Periscope
– Display archived live events by using our “Live Record” feature which records your Live Stream for archiving
– Give Viewers with slower internet connection speeds the access to you channel using adaptive bit-rates and give viewers with faster connection the best possible video quality their connection can handle.
– Handle thousands of simultaneous viewers without buffering and fast video load times because we are our own CDN
– Receive monthly checks from advertisers using our digital “add inject” technology.
What is Internet TV?
Years ago Internet Tv was considered a website with a video player. Today it encompasses so much more. Today internet TV/OTT/Live Streaming Services encompass not just the standard world wide web but also many different platforms each with its own unique audience.
To name a few:
Roku, Amazon FireTV, xBox, iPhone, Android TV, Apple TV, Smart Tv’s and more…
Each platform has its own unique audience. This is because certain people get accustomed to certain devices. Those that consume internet Television each have their preferred device to consume it. Not one device will represent the entire spectrum of viewers. This is why you will see large internet TV corporations with a app on each platform. They understand to reach the max amount of people they need to have their app (aka internet TV channel) on as many platforms/devices as possible.
Basic Components of Internet TV:
CDN
If you been in the OTT world for long then you are familiar with what a CDN is and bandwidth. A CDN is a connected network of high powered computers in a data center that specializes in video delivery.
A CDN does two things; first it stores your video content and second it delivers the video to your viewers seamlessly without buffering or shutting down. A CDN has the proper server set up and configuration for video play out and delivery to tens of thousands simultaneously.
Your bandwidth is what people are using to see your videos. For example if you have 100 viewers viewing your Internet TV station at the same time and your video is let’s say 500 MB long each of those viewers is watching that video at a certain bit-rate. For example let’s say 500 kB a second; Then there is a certain amount of bandwidth that has to be used in order for that video to display properly to all 100 customers at the same time. People naturally think that the bandwidth is coming from the viewers Internet service provider. Well that’s true but the video also must be delivered to the Internet service provider. In other words there is specialized video server providing the heavy lifting to create a constant video upload to the viewer who is downloading the stream. So if you do not have a proper CDN and server configuration then the upload of the video content to those 100 simultaneous viewers will not take place, or if it does take place it will cause most of the viewers player to buffer continuously until they just close your site/app.
Playlist Creation is the ability to take your videos and create a playlist where it will play one video after the next. These lists can then be “scheduled” to create the look and feel of a real TV channel. With our control panel we allow you to drag and drop the videos in the order you want them to play, name your palylist and then schedule your list. The beauty of this is that while one list is playing you can create and schedule multiple lists allowing you to set your schedule weeks in advance.
Most of our customers create a media library inside their account by uploading all of their video content to their control panel and then using the media library to create playlists.
Encoding is one of the most important aspect of a Internet TV network although it is the least understood by beginners. There are many tools these days to do your encoding but you need to understand two critical point of encoding:
Point 1. Trans-coding
Trans-coding sometimes referred to as Trans-sizing is the process in which we change the frame size. For example you have a 1920 x 1080 and you transcode it to 1280 x 720. Or vice versa. Why is this necessary?
Although there are many examples let me give you a common one:
Lets say you are trying to broadcast a live stream or a playlist both on to your website (or your ROKU, Firetv etc…) and Facebook Live at the same time. Well FB Live only allows 720 and does not allow 1080. So if you are broadcasting at a 1080 Facebook will not re-stream this. Instead you will get an error. You either need to make sure your source stream is 720 or you need to have your 1080 stream Trans-coded on the fly (in real time) so that you have two outputs (streams) one for 1080 and a second stream for Facebook at 720. The transcoding on the fly is taking your original source stream of 1080 and creating a duplicate stream but at a lower frame size and bit rate that matches Facebook Live requirements.
Point 2. Encoding/Compressing Bitrate also known as Trans-rating:
Lets first define what a Bitrate is: Bit rates is a very misunderstood topic. Many people confuse a bit rate with a “resolution” of a video. They hear the term “HD” and they think that describes it, however HD is a “video dimension” and not a indication of video quality. Put very simply the bit rate is the amount of data dedicated to a second of video. So, the higher the bit rate, the better the video quality. The higher the bit rate, the more bandwidth is needed to play back the video. And the higher the bit rate, the more data storage is required per second of video.
Bitrate is the rate in which bits are transferred from one location to another. It is the measurement for how much data is transferred at a given time. The higher the bitrate of a video the faster the internet connection needs to be to both transmit and receive that video.
Encoding is really the compression of the bit rate. Meaning taking a higher bitrate that is not suitable for the internet and compressing it to a lower bitrate that is more suitable. This can be done on the fly (while broadcasting a live stream) or when preparing a video for upload to use on a VOD platform. Video coming out of a camera is anywhere from 10Mbps to 100Mbps. These files are much to large for standard internet connections. The average connection speed in the USA is 18.7 Mbps (and much lower in other countries). So your videos need to be much lower than this or you will get buffering. Encoding compresses the video bit rate to a much lower bit rate (usually between 1.5 Mbps and 6Mbps) that is much more suitable for the internet. This makes it possible for viewers to see your videos.
Multiple Bit Rate and Adaptive Bit-rate
Multi Bitrate – With MBR, a few different streams, all with different bit-rates, are made available to the user. As the user clicks Play, the system performs a test to determine which bitrate is best suited for their situation. Once selected, however, the system will keep using that bit-rate even if the internet connection or bandwidth fluctuates. So in essence the system has several streams available, some for slower connections others for faster connections, the system does a quick speed test and provides the best stream/bit rate for the job.
Adaptive Bit-rates: With YouTube or Netflix, as opposed to pay-per-view, you select a video and watch
it right away. Upon initial viewing, you may get one bit-rate and as the internet connection fluctuates (kids, friends, other YouTube videos), the quality changes and usually becomes worse if the internet connection is heavily used. It will then change again minutes later once the internet connection is freed up (kids, friends have left the house). The streaming service detects the bandwidth fluctuations and automatically changes the bit-rate for you so the movie continues without buffering. This is called ABR
Many times companies will advertise they have multi bit-rate included in their service, preying upon the ignorance of consumers, however mutli bit-rate is NOT ADAPTIVE bit rate that can fluctuate on the fly based on your viewers connection speed.
Live streaming: Your “live stream” can come from a “playlist” or a “live” event. Either way it is still considered a “live stream” because it is NOT a VOD. This is important to understand because many people associate the word “live” meaning that it is happening now. However the term “live stream” refers to the fact that the stream is coming live either from a playlist of videos or a live event and not a VOD.
Streaming live is a service we specialize in. In fact you can have a playlist running and then interrupt that playlist with a live event stream, then when your live event has finished our servers will detect this and continue the playlist. This allows you to interrupt your playlist with a live event any time you please.
Live Record – This tool is great for live broadcasts. This allows you to record the live broadcast in real time as you are broadcasting your even live. The recording of the live event will then appear in your online control panel. From there you can add it to a playlist or make it available via VOD. Great for archiving past events.
Push Publish – This tool very few have but its very powerful. This allows you to broadcast simultaneously to your own online TV network (your website, Roku, FireTV etc..) and to Facebook, YouTube and Periscope. You can either broadcast your playlist or your live event. Either way this allow the MAXIMUM amount of exposure for a your channel and allows you to promote it across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Add injection – We have partnered with ad agencies to create a digital injection of ads based on your viewing audience statistics. Meaning that we only show relevant ads based on viewer demographics. The more people watching your ads the more you get paid. This lets you concentrate on just making great content without having to find advertisers.
Once you are a customer of Tvstartup you will have access to your own online control panel. You will have access to all of the features listed above and more. Our control panel is your 1st step
toward your own online TV network. In fact your control panel is where your journey begins by building your online library of video content. From there you can create playlists and begin
broadcasting on your website, and/or build your own online TV network using our Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, iPhone Tv app, Android mobile apps and Smart TV aps.
The more platforms you are on the larger the audience you can reach and the better opportunities to monetize your content.
Internet TV Is taking off like a rocket! There’s no stopping it and for some that means big profits! 10 Years ago the thought of internet TV overtaking satellite and cable combined was a far fetched idea; Today its is reality. The industry calls it “Cord cutting” – that is when a cable or satellite subscriber decides they no longer want to pay the monthly fees associated with their cable subscription.
Major pay-TV providers are reporting dramatic declines in subscriptions services and some of the losses were more than double what Wall Street analysts expected (according to Fo
rtune.com). Stocks for major TV providers have also taken a nose dive.
The news may be bleak for Pay-TV services but for streaming services times couldn’t be better. Netflix, Hulu and many smaller internet based streaming services have seen incredible gains.
In fact millions of Americans have already scrapped and pulled the plug on cable TV making it look as if it is a mass exodus. In 2018 more than 33 million Americans are now considered cord cutters. This is a huge revenue loss for cable and satellite TV.
In fact the trend is even stronger among young adults as 6 in 10 young adults use online streaming as their primary way to watch and consume television (as of 2017).
For years many believed that live sports would prevent many subscribers from canceling their cable subscription, but this has proven false. Now with ESPN and other sports services online there is little to hold subscribers loyalties.
What does this mean? This means the power now lays with those that can create content. No longer do large corporations dictate what the masses will watch. Anyone with a creative mind, a camera, and their own online TV network can compete with the big boys. As the cable market crumbles there will be small business and video entrepreneurs to pick up the pieces and build profitable streaming models.
Here’s the big picture, when you have a mass decline in one area of a business then it is only logical you will have a large increase in another. In other words the undoing of the cable and satellite industry is a HUGE potential for those that can capitalize on it NOW. Today is more like the wild west of Internet TV and when the dust settles those that fought for viewership will be the next leaders in content and viewership.
In fact Internet TV also called OTT is expected to climb to a 30.6 Billion dollar revenue by 2022 (study done by PricewaterhouseCoopers ). Internationally similar growth is expected as high speed internet becomes more available in developing countries. Overall internet TV is one of the fastest growing segments on the planet and making an investment into Internet TV is not only a wise decision but a logical one.
More and more baby boomers are following in the foot steps of millennial’s and transitioning to a subscription video service via the internet. And to be fair there are more viewers than the statistics show; that’s because most stats don’t account for shared accounts.
In the past older adults might of watched one or two of these video services occasionally with a friend or relative, but today its becoming a part of their ruglar entertainment diets” said Chris Bendsten, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer.
With more than 250 million smart TVs sold monthly around the world, and connected TV devices (With just Roku and Firetv alone accounting for more than 90 million viewers) its becoming easier to watch both live TV and on demand video.
The online video landscape is growing as a whole because of the availability of so much original content from an array of producers who in times past would not of had the opportunity to distribute their original video content.
“Consumers don’t seem to be price sensitive to adding multiple services because they don’t want to be the only one in their family or friends group that hasn’t seen the latest hit original show, now matter which platform it’s on,” Bendtsen said.
Overall you have more younger and older adults tuning in to internet TV with the newer generation almost completely detached from cable, You have a crumbling infrastructure of traditional cable and satellite TV operators, and a growing revenue for internet TV operators. All of these factors blowing in the wind only SPELLS one thing for content creators; OPPORTUNITY.
If you are in the broadcasting business or want to get into the broadcasting business then creating your own Roku channel is paramount. Creating a Roku channel is the quickest way to get your content in front of millions of people. Roku has sold over 50 million boxes and the number rises daily. Roku also makes their own branded TV with Roku built into it which makes them a real player in the Smart TV sector.
Lets first talk about the different aspects of owning and operating your own Roku channel. Even if you have created your own ROKU channel you still need a way to manage it. This includes creating video playlists, scheduling video playlists, managing VOD content and more. Obviously you also need a reliable CDN to allow seamless delivery of your video to your audience without buffering. In other words you need a Video Platform that can do all your behind the scenes work so that your channel has a professional look and feel.
Once you have your video platform in place then you need to decide on what you want your ROKU channel to look like and function. There are different styles of Roku apps. You have Roku apps that can deliver a “Netflix” type of feel and look. These apps typically order your content into categories and you assign videos to each category. Categories like Action, Comedy, Adventure, etc…. can help you organize content in a presentable way for your viewers.
You can create Roku channels that also deliver the look and feel of a “traditional” TV channel. In other words everything runs on a schedule. This means only what is scheduled is available for viewing just like watching real TV (of course your video platform will need to have this ability). You create lists of videos then schedule them for playing. Next you have apps that is a combination of the two. These roku apps that you create can do both VOD and your traditional TV channel (playlists). Typically these Roku channels will have the TV channels at the top of the app and the VOD content down below it. This allows your viewers to both watch live/pre-recorded (scheduled) content or browse your VOD content.
Last but not least is a custom Roku channel. This is where you design both the look and the functionality of your Roku channel. Roku uses a computer language called BrightScript. This language is unique only to Roku. This means that unlike other computer languages that can be used to write programs for multiple industries, BrightScript is only for Roku devices. This means that the cost of custom development is higher because less developers understand and can write using the BrightScript language.
How much does it cost to create a Roku channel? Typically you have your upfront cost for “development” and then you have the monthly cost for your video platform. If you are using a Roku app that has already been created by a video platform and used for existing customers (a template app) you can have your development costs significantly reduced (Less than $3000) and submitted to the Roku store. However custom apps can start at 7500 and go up to tens of thousands depending on what your requirements. Your monthly cost will typically be 200 to 500 a month no matter if you have a custom app or not.
If you are looking for a turnkey solution that will provide Roku channel creation as well as the video platform then check out tvstartup.com
If you are reading this, you already know that Roku is one of the most popular internet TV streaming devices, with over 70 million monthly active users worldwide (as of January 2023 per Rokus press release). Tens of millions of people tune in daily on their Roku devices or Smart TVs, and having your own Roku app there can lift your brand significantly.
Roku is a robust platform that allows you to easily access thousands of streaming channels, including paid and free options. In addition, you can find live sports, news, movies, music, TV shows, and more on the device. With so much content available for viewers, it’s no wonder that Roku has become the leading streaming platform.
Roku offers users access to programs, films, and series in various languages. With up to 20,000 channels available, Roku users have more opportunities than ever to find the perfect programs for them. While this leaves many options for viewers, this also makes for a great opportunity for channel owners. Compare this to YouTube’s 50 million channels….that means there is a lot less competition in your space. This makes Roku a device of choice for those looking to take advantage of the platform’s visibility and be seen by many viewers.
As you look to establish your channel and monetize video content, having a Roku channel on its platform should be at the top of your list of places to be to reach your intended audience.
What does a Roku developer do?
With Roku, developers have various options to set up their channels. The Development Application Installation Software allows them to install or “sideload” the channel’s software onto Roku devices for testing and validation before they submit it for publishing. This is invaluable in ensuring that all necessary checks are completed before releasing the application into the public domain.
Roku developers also have access to a wide range of tools and resources, including SDKs, APIs, and programming languages, allowing them to develop their channel’s features. They can use the Roku Development Kit (RDK) to create complex user interfaces with graphics capabilities and powerful audio/video streaming technologies.
Additionally, Roku provides comprehensive documentation and support to help developers create the best possible experience for their viewers. When developing a Roku channel, developers need to ensure it is secure and compliant with Roku’s guidelines. This is important to ensure the safety of viewers who use the channel and maintain a high quality of service.
What programming language does Roku use?
The Roku SDK streamlines the development process and simplifies it using BrightScript, its proprietary software. This enables the platform to offer a comprehensive set of services for users.
Roku App Development
With the help of Roku’s built-in Developer Program—Roku Direct Publisher—you can easily create your channel. You don’t need any coding knowledge or special software; just create an account in Roku’s Developer Portal and fill out some simple information about your channel (like name, description, logo etc.) to publish it.
Although this may be considered a DIY option, its features could be more comprehensive, and you might need additional solutions for your streaming, such as hosting services, Content Delivery Network (CDN), live streaming solutions, and dashboard tools with the playlist-building capability to broadcast successfully. Plus, that is just to publish your video content to just Roku devices; if you want to be on other platforms, you will need other services.
Before diving right into the development costs of a Roku app when creating your channel, we first have to understand the different channels available on Roku. First, you have the standard linear channel that acts just like a traditional TV channel. This Roku channel is usually broadcast according to a schedule and has no VOD content. These are the least expensive Roku channels to make, with fewer costs than more advanced apps. However, remember that if you are broadcasting a schedule on Roku, you still need a video playout machine or service to schedule and play your videos onto your Roku app.
Next, you have Netflix-style Roku apps that are centered for Video On Demand content. These apps usually contain categories of VOD content that displays to your viewers. The viewers then select the category and the video they want to play. These apps are great for displaying archived content as well. These apps are a little more expensive but still not too hefty. Keep in mind that your monthly cost for your Roku app is going to depend on the video platform company you choose to manage it. You can not be on Roku without a video platform to manage VOD categories (dynamic categories), create playlists, and schedule video playlists.
As a professional Roku development service, TvStartup has produced turn-key app templates for Roku which come with built-in support for all the common features most channel owners are looking for. These include built-in integrations for live streaming and 24/7 scheduled programming across multiple channels, as well as Video On Demand (VOD) categories, subscriptions, and pay-per-view for charging viewers to access your content and are ready-made to accept automatic ad insertion so you can earn money from ad revenue on your channel. This helps your viewers get access to everything they’re looking for on your channel, with your live channels right at the top and your video-on-demand library below.
TvStartup’s service also combines storage to host the videos, a CDN to deliver the videos smoothly to viewers, and an easy-to-use online dashboard for channel owners to manage their channels from one spot. So how much do these apps cost? For a turn-key app template branded for your channel, the cost is usually less than $2000 upfront. Anywhere from $200 to $500 per month for the video platform, you will use to manage it, which will include built-in coverage for supporting the uptime of your channel and fixing any issues or making updates to your channel over time. Suppose you’re building a do-it-yourself channel style with direct publisher and several third-party services to host, deliver and manage your videos. In that case, you might encounter costs of $500 to $3000 per month in combined service charges from these third-party providers, along with a fair bit of manual maintenance to keep your channel running properly, publish new content, and fix any issues arise.
Finally, we have what you consider “custom” Roku app development. This is where you have a custom design
with custom functionalities. These apps are the most expensive because they have not been created yet. A custom app can cost you anywhere from $7500 and go up considerably depending on your requirements. Roku app development costs depend on you and what your vision for your channel is. Roku has a programming language called BrightScript. This has given Roku devices some unique abilities however, having its language has a drawback in that developers have to learn new skills when creating Roku channels. So this has caused the price to go up a bit.
The cost for maintenance and hosting of your app also has to be factored in. Depending on the complexity, you will have to pay a developer or team of developers to maintain your channel on an ongoing basis. Also, you should consider other expenses related to streaming, such as media encoding and storage costs. Finally, as with any streaming service, the price for content delivery and advertisement insertion can add up if not managed correctly.
Make sure that when pricing out a channel development project, you factor in all these additional costs so that you can budget accordingly. Finally, working with experienced Roku developers who specialize in creating Roku channels is essential as they understand how best to build an immersive experience on devices like the TV while staying within your budget.
Final Thoughts
Starting a Roku channel can be intimidating due to all of the technical requirements and costs. However, there is a much simpler way to expand your brand and reach a broader audience than ever. Partnering with the right OTT service provider allows you to make your original content available through the world’s largest streaming device in one integration. Integration simplifies the process and can improve your Pay Per View (PPV), VOD, FAST, and AVOD offerings by eliminating the middleman for greater potential revenue gains. Roku development has never been easier!
If you are looking for a company that can both create and manage your Roku apps, you should check out tvstartup.com, as they are an OTT Provider that provides a done-for-you solution vs. a DIY one. Plus, with their dashboard, you are not stuck with one platform like you would be with Roku direct publisher; you can simultaneously publish to Fire TV, Apple TV, your website, and mobile app platforms. You will have all the tools you need to get back to what you do best, creating great video content. They have turnkey packages that can get you started right away. You can often get started for much less than the prices stated above.
Making sure your live video is of high quality is critical to your success. Thankfully the increase of internet speed and better encoding techniques and technology is making broadcasting live video simpler.
Here we will cover some of the primary concerns that you will encounter when trying to broadcast your live stream. We will look at the top 4 challenges you will face when broadcasting live HD video.
Each year the number of internet audiences grows. Last year 81 % of viewers viewed more live video content than the year before. So making sure that your business has high quality video is crucial to get them hooked onto your content.
Why is broadcasting in high quality challenging?
Four reasons for why your video quality can suffer and buffering can interfere with your broadcast.
Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of everything that can go wrong but these are the most common reasons.
Slow connection – slow upload speed
This reason speaks for itself. If your upload speed is to slow then obviously you can not get your content to the CDN in a smooth manner. This can cause all kinds of issues including the video dropping, buffering and many more problems.
Viewer’s connection is to slow – not enough download speed
You need to keep in mind your viewers connection speed. For example if you are serving a rural community you can expect your viewers connection speed to be slower. Although this is becoming more rare in today’s world it can still occur. Or if your viewer is on a mobile device with a poor connection. So even if you are doing everything right does not guarantee your viewer will still be able to view it.
Encoder is overloading your computer
Many people do not realize that encoding can put a strain on your computer. The more demanding the encoding is the more your live broadcast can suffer. You need to make sure you computer has enough processing power and RAM to handle video processing. Also if you are doing a multibitrate or adaptive bit rate stream you will place heavier burdens on your computer. Some broadcasters want to broadcast live, record the stream, and do a multi bit rate stream all at the same time. The bottom line is the more you do the more your machine may overload.
VBR may cause you to go over the max bitrate
This does not occur as often as some people do not use VBR (Variable Bit Rate). Variable bitrate is a technique that increase and decrease video size (bitrate) depending on how much action is going on in each frame. This can allow for higher quality video at lower bitrates. However it can also have the opposite effect and cause you to exceed your connection speed for short burst of time causing dropped frames. You may be better off keeping a constant lower bitrate.
5 Steps for Streaming Live HD Video
Your Internet Speed
Make sure you know your upload speed. This is critical because a slow upload speed can ruin your broadcast. Take into account all of your audio and video stream (including multi-bitrate) and add them up. Make sure your internet speed is at-least double your sum total of all your audio and video streams.
A couple of techniques to boost your speed:
Using Ethernet is faster than WIFI
Turn off all devices connected to the same internet connection
Turn off any applications on your computer that are connected to the internet.
Choose the right encoder
Choose an encoder that meets your needs. Make sure you encoder is compatible with your CDN (your video platform provider). If you are using tvstartup.com to broadcast then any encoder that supports RTMP will work. In fact tvstartup.com has turnkey solutions to get you started including turk key solutions for TV apps on iPhone, Roku, Android, Android TV and more.
Best encoder settings for Live Broadcast in HD
Video Settings
codec: h.264
Key-frame: 2 Seconds
Video Resolutions Settings
426 x 240 pixels (240p)
640 x 360 (360p, Low Definition)
854 x 480 (480p, Standard Definition)
1280 x 720 (720p HD)
1920 x 1080 (1080p, or Full HD)
3840 x 2160 (4K or Ultra HD)
Bitrate settings
Bitrates of all different ranges are quite fine for live broadcast.
3840 x 2160 — 4K, recommended bitrate = 25 Mbps (not recommended for live streaming)
1920 x 1080 — 1080p, recommended bitrate = 4-6 Mbps
1280 x 720 — 720p, recommended bitrate = 3 – 5 Mbps
854 x 480 — 480p, recommended bitrate = 1.5 – 3 Mbps
640 x 360 — AKA 360p, recommended bitrate = 500Kbps – 1 Mbps
426 x 240 pixels — Also known as 240p, recommended bitrate = 256 Kbps
Audio
Audio should be the AAC codec. This may not seem as familiar as MP3 but it gives better quality at lower bitrates.
Your sample rate should be 44100Khz and the audio bitrate should match the video resolution:
360p or lower 64Kbp mono
480p and 720p 128 kbps stereo.
1080p and better 256 Kbps stereo
Final Step is to make sure you have the right CDN
A “CDN” also known as a “Content Delivery Network” also known as a “Video Platform” is critical to the success of your live broadcast or IPTV channel. A CDN allows for hundreds, even thousands of viewers to watch your live broadcast simultaneously. Without a CDN you could only serve a few simultaneous viewers before your server would crash. A great CD N will have fantastic DNS load balancing (Balancing the request for your channel efficiently making video load times faster) and will be able to accommodat e large audiences with ease. You also want a CDN that can understand the client side of things. A CDN that knows TV apps like ROKU, iPhone, Android, Amazon FireTV, Android TV, Smart TV’s and more. Tvstartup.com offers turnkey packages including Internet TV channels and apps as well as their large CDN.
Live streaming is exploding in popularity and as it explodes businesses like yours can take advantage of increasing their brand awareness and engaging with audiences around the globe. However if your video does not look good then your company does not look good. This is why its is important to understand the best encoding settings and practices. In fact there was a study that shows 62 percent of viewers will have a more negative opinion of a company if the video is poor quality (https://tech.co/rise-live-streaming-impacts-digital-marketing-2017-10).
This makes it extremely important that you learn to utilize the best encoding settings and practices. IN this article we will focus more on improving the video quality through encoding.
Broadcasting Live is Critical to Businesses
Today businesses are broadcasting live for quite an array of different uses. A great example is how Over The Top broadcasting is replacing traditional cable TV with online Video content. This content is accessible anywhere to viewers with laptops, tablets and phones. Today broadcasters are no longer confined to geographical limitations set by cable and satellite companies that can not reach outside certain geographical limitations. Many broadcasters are now monetizing their content through charging subscriptions or inserting digital advertising.
Businesses use live streaming for marketing, training, product launches, concerts, live events as well as schools, universities and many education facilities world wide. The sector is experiencing a growth rate of more than 20 percent per year and in 2017 more people watched video content online than satellite and cable TV combined.
So now that we understand the many uses of live broadcasting lets proceed to understanding some tof the best encoding settings.
Video Quality is Determined by your Encoding Settings
First we have to understand the job of an encoder which is really in all reality to compress video. The video stream coming out the back of your camera may be 25 Mbps or higher. However your internet connection upload speed may be only 5 Mbps. So you have to compress the video or it wont fit through the internet. It will simple skip and buffer with horrible results. However the more you “compress” a streaming video the worse it will look. So the encoding dance is trying to maximize bandwidth while at the same time not destroying its quality.
Your bitrate controls the quality. The higher the bit rate the better the quality. Bitrate is usually measure id Kbps or Mbps. Although bitrate and resolution are not the same settings they are intertwined. That is because the higher the resolution the more bitrate it requires to display it correctly with out distortion. So if you choose a high resolution but a low bitrate then your video quality will suffer.
3840 x 2160 — 4K, recommended bitrate = 25 Mbps (not recomended for live streaming)
1920 x 1080 — 1080p, recommended bitrate = 4-6 Mbps
1280 x 720 — 720p, recommended bitrate = 3 – 5 Mbps
854 x 480 — 480p, recommended bitrate = 1.5 – 3 Mbps
640 x 360 — AKA 360p, recommended bitrate = 500Kbps – 1 Mbps
426 x 240 pixels — Also known as 240p, recommended bitrate = 256 Kbps
Please also understand that even if your upload speed is high and that you can accommodate those broadcast (upload) speeds does not mean your viewers internet speed can view it. So take into consideration your audience. If your audience is mostly in developed countries then you should be fine. However if your broadcasting to say African countries then you should take into account their lower speeds.
Multi-Bitrate vs Single
Multi bitrate can adjust to a viewers connection speed. This is done by encoding two different versions of the stream, a lower quality and a higher quality. Your encoder then sends both the streams to your video streaming platform (CDN) simultaneously. The video player will adjust accordingly by detecting the internet speed of the viewer and giving them the best quality stream for their connection speed.
To use this your encoder software must be able to encode different versions of your stream. These different versions of the stream are sent to the video streaming platform at the same time.
When the viewer is viewing the stream the video player (if it is a adaptive bitrate video player) the player will select the stream that best suites the viewers internet speed.
Miscellaneous Video and Audio Settings for Encoding
Several other settings you need to know about will help give you a smooth broadcast.
Video Codec
Your Video codec should be H.264 and it can also be labeled as X264.
Audio
Audio should be the AAC codec. This may not seem as familiar as MP3 but it gives better quality at lower bitrates.
Your sample rate should be 44100Khz and the audio bitrate should match the video resolution:
360p or lower 64Kbp mono
480p and 720p 128 kbps stereo.
1080p and better 256 Kbps stereo
Your keyframes interval should be 2 seconds.
How Fast of a Internet Upload Speed do I need for Live Broadcast?
Internet speed also known as “Bandwidth” is both determined by the download speed and the upload speed. Obviously the more multi bitrate or adaptive streams you have the more bandwidth you need. As you should know most upload speed are slower than download. Also the “advertised” upload speed is usually much faster than the “average” upload speed that you will experience. So keep this in mind.
To figure out how fast your upload speed should be use this formula:
Total required bandwidth = (The total of your video bitrates) + (The total of all your audio bitrates)
For example lets say you have:
854 x 480 resolution running at 500 Kbps and the audio at 64Kbps
1280 x 720 at 3 Mbps and audio at 128Kbps
1980 x 1080 at 5 Mbps and audio at 128 Kbps
So for this you r total bitrate is 8.5 Mbps and your sum of audio is 320 Kbps. When we add these numbers together means we have a total bitrate of 8.83 Mbps. You will want your upload speed to be at-least double this.
In conclusion you should be able to take this information and stream efficiently and effectively and give your company name the reputation it deserves.
We provide the software and the video platform (plus turn key TV apps for Roku, Iphone, Android, Amazon Firetv, Smart TV and more) if you would like to sign up for our service click here.
So you got a website and you want to broadcast live or stream live video to your site. Well then you are ready to proceed! In this article I will give you the pieces you need to setup a live video on your website.
There is three pieces to this procedure: live streaming (broadcasting), your streaming software, and embedding your live video on your site. Lets look at each piece.
Broadcasting Live Video
Before you begin you may need a few pieces of equipment to get your video on your website.
Camera
The first is the most obvious, your camera or recording/capture device. This can be as basic as a webcam or a high tech as a 4k Ultra HD. Whats going to be important is that you have there right device for the right job. Also keep in mind that most cameras are made with the intention of recording, so you want to make sure your cameras has the capability of streaming as well. Also its a great idea to have a camera with a HDMI connection as these produce the best looking streams.
You may also want to look into whatever audio equipment you are going to use as some people do not like the quality of the built in mics on their cameras.
Encoding
Probably one of the least understood piece to the puzzle is encoding. There are two ways to encode; Software or hardware (like a standalone encoder but these can be much more expensive). Software is probably going to be your best bet as it not only effective it is less very cheap.
Encoding simply compresses the video or changes the format to one that is optimized for broadcast over the internet. Your camera output might put out something like 25 Mbps and obviously if your upload speed is less then you wont be able to broadcast live. This is what encoding does, it will compress that video down to a streaming size that is manageable (something like 3 Mbps ) so that you have a smooth broadcast without interruption.
Internet Connection
You must have a internet connection that is steady and reliable with a decent upload speed. You want to make sure that your upload speed is much faster than your encoding speed. For example if you upload speed averages 5Mbps and your encoder is set to encode the video at 2.5 Mbps then you should be all set. You have to make sure that your upload speed is quite a bit faster than your video encoding speed because your connection may vary up and down throughout the broadcast.
You can not broadcast live without a video platform or service. Youtube is an example of a popular video platform, however it is quite difficult to utilize for live streaming video and is not a professional service in which you can brand you own company. The best option is to use a dedicated white label video platform also known as a CDN (one that specializes in video). In fact without a professional video platform you can not serve hundreds or thousands of simultaneous viewers. That is one of the features of a professional video platforms is that your stream can be watched by thousands without buffering. If you simply only have a hosting account no more than two or three at at time could watch it before the server and bandwidth crashed.
There are several out there but if your looking for someone that gives you the software you need, the white labeled video platform, viewer stats and even video TV apps all in one then tvstartup.com is probably your best bet.
Embedding
Last but not least you need to embed your code onto your website. If you are a tvstartup.com customer this will be easy as the embed code is listed in your account. Just login and go to the “documentation” tab and you can copy the embed code right out of your account. You will have several options for both an iframe, javascript or what ever you need.
Okay so now you got the code you can simply embed it by accessing the HTML code view. For a wordpress site this is not hard at all. Go to edit a post or a page and then click the tab for the “text” editor so you can then paste the embed code where you want it in your page. Simple save and now you are ready to go.
If you need help and you are a tvstartup customer we can do this for you.
Broadcasting your live event or live stream to the world is now done through an array of platforms. You have your own platforms (your apps, ROKU channel, Firetv, and your website) plus you have a growing array of video audiences through your social media platforms, YouTube and more. This can cause quite a problem if your broadcasting a live event or live stream and want to publish your video to all your platforms simultaneously.
Before push publish you would need to have a software that could handle multiple publishing points but more specifically you would need to have bandwidth to accommodate all of those live broadcasts. Lets say your live stream is 4Mbps and you publishing to your own apps plus your YouTube and Facebook. You can see that would take 12 Mbps of upload speed at the minimum. Not a big deal if you are on fiber, but if you add more platforms you can see you will begin to eat up your upload bandwidth.
The solution obviously is if your CDN can do a Push-Publish. Simply meaning you send your video feed up once and then your CDN takes that feed and sends it to all of your publishing points. Simply meaning you have one upload that delivers to all your platforms. This makes is simpler for you technically on your end and much less bandwidth. Now that 12 – 20 Mbps upload only needs to be a 4Mbps upload. However that is just one aspect of push publishing the other aspect is Transcoding for all the different devices and screen sizes. You need the ability to transcode both to 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p and deliver at different bit rates best for each device.
Depending on your level of service needs we can help you do all of your publishing needs. We create, develop video apps for Roku, Amazon FireTV, iOS, Apple TV, Android and Android TV. We can Push Publish your stream up to our CDN and deliver out to all of your social media platforms, your apps and website. We give you an easy to use control panel that you can use for push publish or to use any of our other services such as creating and scheduling playlists, managing VOD content and much more.
To be in the world of OTT (what I call Internet TV) you need an array of tools at your belt. Push publish is one of those tools that will make your job much easier. Its not easy because the world of video and Internet TV is rapidly changing and your constantly trying to hit a moving target. It is more and more difficulty to handle on your own. We have turn key packages and templates we have created for ROKU, Firetv, iPhone, Android and more. We can develop your own custom apps or use our already existing templates to get your project up and going. Use as much or as little of our services as you need.
Okay so you have a popular YouTube channel and now you want to monetize it? Or more likely you have a YouTube channel that you monetized and it ain’t paying JACK SQUAT! You are already aware that YouTube monetizing pays worse than a manufacture laborer working in a third world country! With this in mind you need to take things into your own hands, and as long as you keep playing the YouTube game your going to get horrible results when it comes to payday. Videos with views into the hundreds of thousands on YouTube only net a few dollars in ad revenue. That is absolutely horrible! So what do you do?
Well there are several things you can do like get sponsor’s to sponsor your program on YouTube and sell your own products, but hey, you already know this! And that is so time consuming! Come on we don’t have time to make videos and run a marketing department! So what can you do? Having your own self branded platform on the internet is 100 x better. I am not just pulling that number out of my hat, I mean it. You will make hundreds times more money for your viewers having your own platform than you would on YouTube. This means even if you only get a fraction of your audience to follow you over to your new channels you will still make enough money to actually justify being a video content producer!
Today there are so many platforms that can be monetized. Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, iPhone TV apps, Android TV aps, Amazon Firetv and more. These platforms are available to everyone watching your YouTube content and asking them to check you out on your other channels will gain immediate viewers. Plus you will control the push notifications and subscriber list yourself, and not a third party like YouTube who can cancel your channel or pull the rug out from under you at any given moment.
So how exactly do you monetize these channels? Assuming you have made the jump off YouTube to create your own apps and channels (We can give you turnkey packages to create your own online network) you can monetize using a third party advertising company. We have partnered with digital advertisers that will inject advertising into your video stream or VOD videos and get you paid every time someone sees it. Plus instead of receiving only a tiny percentage of this revenue from youtube you now get the majority of it yourself. The technical details can be a little much to write, BUT the basics are these digital add companies already have inventories of sold advertising ready to be inserted into your stream. The larger your audience the bigger your monthly checks. You only have to concentrate on getting viewers and the money will be there! This is a huge help for those that just don’t have the personnel to go out selling their own ads and managing their own marketing team.
Whats great about this method is that it not only works for your streams but it also works for your VOD content. Your content will then be injected with pre-roll ads and mid roll ads. So even while your sleeping and people are watching your videos, its generating income for you. If you want to make the jump from YouTube to your own online TV network and start earning then contact us and we can set you up with one of our turn key packages.
For the past several decades Satellite and cable TV have dominated TV distribution, and just 20 years ago the thought of cable and satellite being challenged was science fiction. However today things are changing and as of 2017 more people watch entertainment through Internet TV than Satellite and cable TV combined. However that does not mean Satellite and cable have faded away, it just means internet TV is going to continue to grow stronger.
If your are thinking of starting a TV channel then here is some pros and cons to the different platforms:
Satellite TV for those inside the USA is not even a feasible choice for starting a TV station UNLESS you are trying to reach an audience that exists on Galaxy 19 satellite (mainly ethnic backgrounds) and even that can be a little shady these days as the cost does not justify the audience. So where does starting a Satellite TV channel make sense? It makes sense in those countries that do not have low cost internet and the prices of bandwidth are still expensive for consumers. Some countries in Africa for example may be a great fit for satellite TV because they have expensive internet fees and on satellite they have an existing audience for FTA beams. This means that as soon as you are on that satellite platform you have millions of existing receiving dishes already pointing at that satellite. Obviously the more people watching that particular satellite the more it cost to have your own channel. In these scenarios satellite is still supreme as long as you can afford the monthly fees.
However there are several companies now that have internet TV in Africa that are doing a better job at their encoding so they can still target consumers who have less data available due to higher costs. On a mobile device you can get away with a nice picture even at a lower data rate of lets say 384 Kbps. This means that you can still make it work in countries that are more internet challenged due to higher cost. Of course in some countries Satellite is the number one choice to start your channel, but you can only do what your budget allows, and if you budget only allows for internet TV then you can still use some encoding techniques that allows for your slower internet consumers to still be able to view it.
So the pros of satellite are obvious if you know what your doing:
Instant audience
No internet needed to watch it.
Cons:
Expensive to start and maintain
Not a feasible option in more developed countries.
Bound by geography ( you only have so big of a footprint that can receive your channel)
Now lets talk about the pros of Internet TV in which there is so many:
For the most part it is not geographically bound. Meaning that if you start a subscription channel for people that like skateboarding then anyone in the developed world can access that channel. Compared to cable and satellite that is a huge advantage because your audience can be anywhere and does not have to be within a geographical foot print or have a cable attached to their house. This means you can literally advertise your channel anywhere in the developed world that speaks the same language as your channel.
Other advantages is now there are more people watching entertainment online than cable or satellite. Although you do have to advertise your channel to make them aware of its existence. Other advantages is you can style your channel anyhow you want, you can have VOD (Video on Demand) menus, multiple channels, and much more. Really the sky is the limit because you do not need expensive decoder boxes that have limited capabilities.
Obviously the other advantages is that its more cost effective to start and much less money monthly to maintain.
Pros
Cost less to start
Cost less to maintain
Can give it the look and style you want
Not bound by geographical limits
Every company has their different goals and their targeted audience so there is not one “shoe that fits all” per say. However if I was trying to mimic the “look and feel” of a satellite channel internationally using internet then I would choose the Android TV platform. I am not speaking of the mobile phone version (although I would also have my channel on the phone as well) I am speaking of their TV box that connects to any TV. These boxes are extremely popular and you can even customize your box to have your name branded on it both on the box and when the box is started on the TV screen. This means you can customize the entire box to give the exact user experience you want….kind of just like your own satellite decoder box except its for Internet TV. What does this mean for your viewers? This means if you are packing just one channel or 1,000 channels you can self brand it so that they only get your channels on the box. Kind of like having a Directv, Dish, or Multichoice box where the viewers can only get what you want them to see.
So altogether which is better Internet TV or Satellite? Well of course the overall winner would be internet, but given your goals and budget satellite still may be viable option for you.
For more information on how to monetize your internet TV channels check out our video on https://tvstartup.com/internet-tv/ or contact us if you looking to start your own Satellite TV or Internet TV network.
Want to start your own Internet TV station but are a little clueless on how to do it? Do you have a few ideas that you really want to build your station from? Or maybe you are a YouTuber with your subscribers that you want to bring to your own branded TV site. Well this article is for you. For years now it has been difficult to break into the main stream media because it has been guarded by conglomerate corporations that decide with board of directors what shows to produce and what not. They stick to their inner circle and people with real ideas like yourself get ignored.
But Ohhhh how the times are changing and the table is turning towards people like yourself. What use to be impossible the internet has made likely and now you have a chance to really break in and create your own niche audience. In fact did you know as of 2017 more people are watching television through the internet than they are through cable and satellite subscriptions combine! That’s amazing!
Lets first define what internet TV is. The obvious is the ability to deliver your video feed through websites to potential viewers, but that is just part of the picture. Devices such as Roku, Firetv Android TV, and Apple TV sit in tens of millions of homes world wide. These devices sit on their living room television and millions watch them instead of watching cable TV. Let us not forget Internet TV apps that can be found on iPhone and Android and other mobile devices. Right now the audience is huge and the potential even bigger.
So what do I do to get started? The first thing you need to understand is how Internet TV works. Many programmers and web developer think they understand this process. However the truth is they are far from it. Even programmers with extensive background are under false impressions. Many believe that just simply adding videos to a “shared hosting” account is great enough to start a Internet TV channel.
The components to internet TV channel are as follows. You have a front end that your viewers engages your content. This front end can be a Roku channel, a Firetv Channel, iPhone app, website, android app and so on. However this is what your viewer sees and how they perceive your channel. You then have a back-end that can either be hardware in your office or a control panel online where you upload your video content and schedule your playlists and create Video on Demand categories (like Netflix). However one component that is often overlooked and the most essential is called a CDN or Content Delivery Network. This is typically a data center with hundreds of specially configured computers for video that can deliver your video to hundreds of thousands simultaneously. Without a CDN only one or two people could watch your video at the same time without it crashing and buffering. Just imagine 20 people connected to your own personal computer to watch a video. Your computer would struggle to deliver them all the video. Your computer only has so much processing power. Now imagine on top of that you had those same 20 people trying to connect to your personal computer using your home internet connection. You could not upload that same video to all 20 people at the same time because your computer does not have enough power and your internet connection is not fast enough. This is where a CDN comes in.
So all in all you need the power to both server hundreds of thousands at the same time as well as have professional that can develop your back-end and frond end TV channel for your viewers. This is what we do here at Tvstartup (we have our own CDN). We have packages and templates that can get you up and running right away. This is the best kept secrete because your competition will literally spend hundreds of thousand of dollars to get the same thing we give you in a package deal for just a fraction of what it would take you to develop it yourself. Check out our Internet TV page and look at our packages or checkout our ebook or contact us through our contact page.
In this article we will talk about where to go to get your own Firetv TV channel and some of the pros of being on Amazon Firetv.
Today there are so many devices that are out there on the market today when it comes to choosing what platform you want to have your internet TV channel on. Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, Android, Android TV and last but not least Amazon Firetv. However with so many devices it can be difficult to choose which one is the best to get your channel on to expand your viewing audience.
So the advantages of being on Firetv is obvious; you have access to a large international audience and viewership. I really do not see a downside of getting on FIRETV except just managing the technical ends of it which can be difficult because the firestick is known for video stuttering and freezing in some cases. Other than that its a great platform. When we talk about international FIRETV beats out the ROKU because it has a much larger European audience (as well as a large US audience) than does the ROKU.
So what does it take to have your own channel on the Amazon Firestick platform? Well there are several pieces to this. If you have read our other articles then you know that you have to have a CDN (Content Delivery Network) because Amazon does not provide that. They will provide the platform but not the CDN. You also need some dedicated hosting to hold your networks cosmetic files (the files the viewers sees like logo and the way the app looks). You will also need a professional developer that understands video playback and encoding as well as memory configuration for apps that render streaming and VOD video solution. So several pieces that need to fit together to make your channel come alive.
So what does all of this cost and how do I get started? You can check out our prices on our internet TV page that will give you an idea of the cost of getting started with your own Amazon internet TV channel. However if you want to do it yourself it can cost a bundle of money hiring CDN’s, programers and dedicated servers, that is why we offer this services all bundled in turn key packages. We give you the platfrom the control panel (for broadcasting your videos) as well as submit your app to the amazon App store (where Firetv Devices get their channels) so that your ready to go right out the box.
If you have video content that you want to distribute and maximize viewership then Firetv is the way to go. Its not only available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, but also in Japan. Not to many devices can boast that!
If you need any advice setting up your firetv network don’t hesitate to contact us and get the process rolling I can assure you it is well worth your effort. Hope to see you on firetv!
Roku is one of the fastest growing platforms in the market today. With over 15 million devices sold and counting its no wonder why broadcasters want their own channel on ROKU. Its quite a better alternative to paying a satellite or cable TV subscription as well. Overall if you want to compete in the Internet TV world having a channel on ROKU is critical.
Roku development can be tricky and its always better to leave it to an expert. Your Roku developer would be familiar with the languages used to develop on its robust platform. However in the world of ROKU development just having the written code is not enough. There are many pieces of the puzzle that you need for your ROKU channel. Besides the actual physical channel you will also need a CDN (content delivery network) to delivery your channel to ROKU’s platform. A CDN is a network of specialized video servers that are tailored to video delivery through the internet. In other words they are configured specifically for the task of thousand of people watching your channel at the same time without the buffering or the crashing. Without a CDN you can not possible have a ROKU channel or any internet TV channel for that matter.
Is there a cost to be on ROKU? There is obviously a charge from your CDN and a charge for your ROKU development but to be listed on their system there is no charge for them to carry your channel. As an example there is no charge to be on the internet….but if you want to be on the internet you need to pay a hosting service to host your website, and a internet provider to access the internet…so in essence there is no charge to be on the internet yet there is a charge. Just like ROKU there are requirements that must be met for you to be included on their platform and that includes having a ROKU developer develop an app that will meet their quality standards and a CDN that will be able to deliver the video efficiently and effectively to their platform.
Roku development can run into the tens of thousands and that’s why here at tvstartup.com we developed templates that we can re-brand for your company. This means that you can get started for very little overhead verses spending thousands. You can simply pick your template send us your logo and company information, and then we can publish it onto the ROKU platform quickly. We also have our own data center and CDN so that your channel runs smoothly and tens of thousands can watch it simultaneously. You can learn more about our roku channel by clicking on our internet TV page. We can also develop customized Roku apps for far less than most because our developers are in house verses most companies who have to freelance their development.
So the bottom line is if you want to save thousands and thousand of dollars on your ROKU project use a company that can provide you templates to choose from instead of custom development. You can not go wrong with your own ROKU channel!
Large media companies, TV networks, cable and satellite Conglomerates are beginning to crumble because of the internet. Its both been a blessing and a curse for these large corporations, but as internet speeds continue to increase and production costs continue to fall, their empire begins to crumble. There are many at the bottom picking up the pieces and making their own entertainment channels.
What Does OTT Stand For?
It stands for “Over the Top” which means you do not have to go through a cable or satellite network to reach your audience (as you did in times past). You can bypass them and go directly to your audience via the internet. So maybe the proper term is “OTT Solutions” but many still refer to it simply as “Internet TV”. Well in fact that’s exactly what it is; delivering your channel through the internet to your audience.
So now that we know OTT is Internet TV now what? If you are looking to start your own OTT service then I think its important to first make a few choices upfront. First you have to decide what platform(s) you will want to use to reach your audience. In today’s world there are many choices however the most popular is ROKU, Amazon FIRETV, iPhone, Android, and Apple TV. In fact if you have an app on all these devices then the better off you are because almost everyone has access to at-least one of those devices.
IPTV Vs OTT
You may have also heard of IPTV, which stands for internet protocol television. IPTV is a broader term that describes the greater picture of internet video distrubition methods.
There are also a number of Live video streaming services which focus specifically on Live video broadcasts on the web and social media.
The key difference between these and full-service internet TV providers like www.tvstartup.com is these service providers offer the full spectrum of live streaming, VOD, monetization, ad, and subscription options, and more, distributed on all of the popular platforms, not just the web and social.
After you choose your platform(s) then you need to decide how you will get on those platforms. Unless you are hiring the service of a turnkey OTT provider such as www.tvstartup.com (one of the oldest companies in the business) then you must start from scratch. This is easier said than done because many components go into making your internet TV Network. You need several developers that can develop both on iPhone, Android, Roku, Firetv, Apple TV and more. Then you will need to decide on who will be your CDN. If it is subscription based you will need to decide on how you will secure your streams and VOD content. You will need either cloud hosting or dedicated servers to serve up your files for your apps and website. As you can see the pieces are quite a few and it can be quite expensive if you are doing it all yourself.
My suggestion is to use a services that already has all of the pieces fit together for you. Literally this will save you tens of thousands of dollars in development and hundreds of hours in “know how”. It is important that your OTT Solution fit the needs of our audience and working with professionals that have done this in the past will certainly help improve your bottom line over the long run.
So whether you call it a OTT solution or Internet TV its all the same, and if you are looking at getting into the market for the first time and want to make sure your video content reaches the right audiences it sure helps to know the different terms.
Okay so you got a Internet TV channel or maybe you just have an idea for one? Either way you want to broadcast your channel on Roku and have no idea how. Or maybe you are familiar with Roku and may know a little about the process but you dont know the ins and out. Well the wonderful thing is that no matter what your situation there is a very economical solution to getting on Roku. However before I get into the ins and outs of having a channel on Roku lets first discuss some basics.
For some of you reading this article you may already be familiar with some of this content. However this article is written for those that really have no idea how to proceed with starting a Internet TV channel and getting their channel on Roku. With that said lets start with the fundamental basics. Obviously if you are starting a channel you need content. I am going to assume that you already have a library of content, or you are planning on obtaining your video content and you already are moving in that direction. No video content then no channel. This may seem elementary to most but none the less it must be said.
Next you need to decide if your new channel will only be on Roku or will it also be on the internet? In other words will you have a Internet TV channel that will also broadcast on Roku. Many people do this because they also want to self brand their channel. They do not want to “only be on Roku”. In other words you can also have your own domain name and Internet TV channel that you can schedule your video content on and make your playlists. This is a great promotional and marketing tool. I do highly suggest you do both. This will give you more visibility and credibility when it comes to future opportunities.
So what type of equipment is needed? First of all if you use one of our packages you will not need any equipment. We have a built in scheduler so that you can upload and schedule video to play like a real TV channel. This is also interfaced with Roku so that once we create your Roku channel you can use our scheduler. You may also choose to use your own equipment if you are wanting graphic overlays such as stock quotes and so forth. At the moment it is not possible to overlay graphics on a live internet stream without some actual physical hardware to do so. So if you plan to do this then you need to have the budget for it.
Typically to broadcast on Roku you would need a CDN, a playout server, playout software to schedule your videos and a delivery method to send your channels to Roku. However we have combined all of this into one product called our Channel Manager. In fact if your looking to start your own Roku channel (or for that matter any connected TV device such as FireTV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, and more) then check out our article on “3 Easy steps to start your online TV Network” and you can get started quickly.
In this article I want to clear up the differences between what a CDN does, what bandwidth is and why you need it for your Internet TV site, and the difference in what web hosting is.
When you have a Internet TV station it is not just a website. Many people are under the impression that any shared hosting account will be able to handle their Internet TV site. If you look at most hosting companies for example, Go Daddy, host gator, and many others they offer what they call shared hosting. This is a hosting package in which one server is shared by hundreds of paying customers. They offer what they call “unlimited bandwidth” Which is not so unlimited when it comes to video. Compare it to your phone company who gives you unlimited long distance, but if you were to run a telemarketing company out of your home they would call that an abuse of service and shut your unlimited long distance down. When it comes to video there is no unlimited bandwidth for hosting. Bandwidth costs money.
There are three key ingredients for the backend of an Internet TV station. First your shared web hosting only holds your website files. For example your graphics your HTML code or contact us form those are the only things that your web hosting account holds. Your video files are going to be very large. It is common for many Internet TV stations to have hundreds or thousands of gigabytes of video and these videos are not stored on your shared web hosting account. Instead you must have a CDN.
A CDN does two things first it stores your video content and second it delivers the video to your viewers seamlessly without buffering or shutting down. A CDN has the proper server set up and configuration for video play out and delivery.
Your bandwidth is what people are using to see your videos. For example if you have 100 viewers viewing your Internet TV station at the same time and your video is let’s say 500 MB long each of those viewers is watching that video at a certain bit rat. For example let’s say 256 kB a second; Then there is a certain amount of bandwidth that has to be used in order for that video to display properly to all 100 customers at the same time. People naturally think that the bandwidth is coming from the viewers Internet service provider. Well that’s true but the video also must be delivered to the Internet service provider. In other words there is a server doing the upload providing the video upload and then the viewer who is downloading the stream. So if you do not have a proper CDN and server configuration then the upload of the video content to those 100 simultaneous viewers will not take place, or if it does take place it will cause most of the viewers player to buffer continuously until they just close your site.
So not only do you have to have a proper Internet TV site with proper Internet TV features to build playlists, you also need a CDN. Now if you are a little bit intimidated don’t be. We have complete turnkey packages that provide you everything you need. We are not only a CDN but we also provide you your own Internet TV site with your own custom design. This means that you can market your own name, your own domain name and self brand yourself. Your viewers will have no idea that in the background we are there providing the service.
Check out our Internet TV packages by clicking on our Internet TV link in our navigation menu.
So you want to start your own web TV channel? You have an idea that you just know will work if you can get it out there. Well that is great you have come to the right place. As with most people you want to learn more of how to do this and get your project off the ground. You have an idea you just need to know where to go with it. In this article I will help you understand more about web TV and how it works.
The first thing you need to understand is your own web TV channel is going to work similar to any typical website. You have a front end and you have a back end (also known as a CMS or admin panel). The front end acts as your store front. It give your site or Internet TV channel the look and feel you want. This is what your viewers sees when they type in your domain name and visit your web TV channel. The back end (CMS or Admin Panel) is what you use to control the front end of your web TV site. This is where you can control the text on the about us page or the home page. You can upload new graphics, banner ads and so forth. It is the “behind the scenes” aspect of running your website. In the world of web TV this admin panel is also where you would upload your videos and arrange them in the order you want to create a “play list”. This play list is very important because this is what your viewers will see and the order of the videos that will play when they go to your site. There are also several different configurations for a play list. You can have a play list that starts with video one, and plays through a complete list of videos. Or you can have more advanced features such a “scheduled play list”. This type of play list will play videos on a schedule so that anyone visiting your site they are all watching the same thing similar to a real TV channel.
Besides just your from end and your back end admin panel you also need a CDN. A CDN is simply a content Delivery Network. It is not possible to run a web TV channel on a shared hosting account. Video requires large amount of bandwidth that any shared hosting account will not allow even if they advertise unlimited bandwidth (it will never include unlimited for a video channel). A CDN will store your videos on their servers and stream it to your site. So that multiple people from anywhere in the world can see the video without buffering. Without a CDN if more than one or two people tried to view your video simultaneously it would buffer and buffer or would crash. This is why a CDN is key to making it all work perfectly.
So how do you begin? Well you should browse our site because we are a one stop solution for web TV. We are our own CDN and we have complete turn-key packages that allow you to begin your Internet TV site quickly. Our packages will come with a custom design and the CMS and the CDN necessary to make your web TV channel come alive. All you need to provide is a domain name. If you want us to get the domain name for you we can also do that. Feel free to browse our site( www.tvstartup.com). Click on “Internet TV packages” to see what we offer.
If you or your company are thinking of making your own TV station then there are some preliminary steps you need to take to get started. You will need to begin by asking yourself some basic questions.
What type of station will this be? Entertainment, NEWS, religious?
What will be my distribution platform? Satellite, Cable, or Internet?
Will you make your own video content? or will you purchase content? Maybe you will do some of both.
Will this be a 24/7 channel?
Will you need the ability to broadcast live? If you need the ability to broadcast live will this be from inside your studio or outside your studio? This is important because if you are a NEWS team and you want the ability to broadcast live then you would need to plan in advance for a way to deliver your live feed from the field. Then once the signal is delivered live to your studio it must still be put through a video server to add on screen graphics overlays and sent out live to your satellite or cable operator.
All of these above steps may seem elementary but you still need to take the time to write them down and discuss them with your team or board of directors. As the saying goes “the devil is in the details” and your planning stages should be comprehensive.
Next you need to decide on a studio location. Or decide where you will be setting up your equipment. There is no need to get an extravagant office down town. That is the beauty of TV is you only show what you want your viewers to see. Many of my clients have setup studios in their basement or in their own homes to save money and time. If you are just re-broadcasting prerecorded content then really you do not need a very large space at all. In fact you could do it from a closet.
Develop your work flow. Once you have the space you need then it is time to contemplate what type of equipment you will need. For example if you are starting a NEWS station then you need to take into consideration several elements. One your filming element. What type of cameras you need, how many cameras for multiple angles, the type of video server and graphics overlay you need (for stock quotes, scrolling headlines and so forth), virtual studio equipment and so on. Two you need to consider the sets you will be filming on. You need to decide how many sets what type of news desks, lighting and background. You will also need to decide the type of image you want your channel to portray and choose the right sets to do so. Three you need to configure a live feed from the field and a live feed from your studio to the satellite up link or cable operator.
As you can see putting together a TV station is a combination of several elements to many to be listed in just this short article. Another element you will need to face obtaining a carriage agreement with a satellite operator or cable operator. This in itself can be a task that can take up time and resources.
Our company offers an array of services to help you to make your own TV station. We offer services from consulting all the way up to full service turn key packages for your own TV station. You can also buy our ebook to learn more of how the process works. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding your new project. You can click here for our ebook on “How to make my own TV station” Or you can feel free to click here to contact us
I get this question I think more than any other question. “What is needed to start my Internet TV Station”?. Of course this can vary greatly from one project to another but in most cases you would be surprised how easy it is to start your own Internet TV station. In most cases nothing is needed except your computer. For the sake of this article however lets ignore the “production” side of things. It is generally understood you will be producing video or acquiring the rights to video content for your internet TV channel.
A traditional TV channel has what they call a “video server”. This is where you can house your hundreds of hours of programing and schedule it for broadcasting. This is where your play list is generated and played. The video stream goes out the output of your video server and into an encoder and sent via satellite or high speed private network to your cable operator. Now for a traditional TV channel this is a necessary piece of equipment. The video server is also what would display onscreen graphics like sports scores, stock quotes, and other on screen graphics. This process is what gives a channel its look and feel.
So what does this have to do with Internet TV? Well for one a Internet TV channel can have this built into their site to where the play list is automated using a database and PHP. A real TV station is far more demanding than a Internet station. So the process of managing video content and developing your play list can now be done with software built into your Internet TV site. This process is controlled from the admin panel. Your admin panel or your “CMS” is where you can upload and manage your video content. Scheduling videos hours, days, or months in advance to play at specific times or in a specific order.
The notion that many people have that you need thousands of dollars of equipment is an outdated thought process. Now do not misunderstand me. There are some Internet TV station that need a traditional video server. Especially for those that may be broadcasting sports online and need a real time application to overlay dynamically changing graphics (like sports scores, or stock quotes). In these cases it would be advantageous to invest in such a server. However for the average company broadcasting online such equipment is not needed.
So what equipment is really absolutely necessary to have your own Internet TV station? Well surprisingly the answer is NOTHING!. Yes everything these days can be controlled using web applications and this is great news for people and companies with much smaller budgets that want to start their own Internet TV station.
All of our Internet TV packages already come with everything programmed into your Internet TV site and there is no need for additional equipment. Our packages are turn key and come with the TV website (you use your own domain) the admin panel, and the bandwidth needed. Feel free to check out our Channel Manager by clicking here.
If you are looking to start a TV station online you have come to the right place. Many people have un answered questions when it comes to starting an online station. Many people just have no idea where to begin or how much money to budget for such a project. In this article I will give you a few tips to help you understand the process so that you can begin.
The first thing you have to understand is what is a online TV station. It is a hyped up website with a video player and a play list. For a online TV station to work you have to have a front end and a back end. Your front end is what the customer sees. It is the the look and feel that you want your online station to have. This is where your viewer and customer will experience your channel and the features you have programmed into it. The back end is called “CMS” or “content management system”. This is where you manage the front end of your website. This is where you can upload and schedule your videos for playout. This is a very important part of your Internet TV website. In fact it is so important that your online station does not function without it. The management of your online station is done from this CMS (admin panel). Typically it acts as a back door to your website and you log in with your user name and password.
It is important that before you start a TV station online that you write down how you want the site to function and all the capabilities you want it to have. All of these things need to be discussed before your site is built. For example if you want to charge a subscription fee, have a video on demand page for archived videos or whatever it is you want to do these features must be built into the admin panel. Your CMS or admin panel will give you the power to build play lists, upload archived videos, manage your written content and much more.
So how much does it cost to begin. Well we specialize in these services. We have turn key packages starting at just $199/month. Our packages are complete with a complete Internet TV site with a custom design tailored just to your needs. The site come complete with the CMS that you require to run your station. You can use your own domain name as our sites are white labeled so that your viewers have no idea we are the ones that provided the site. We also act as your CDN and can handle all of your bandwidth needs. This way you can still keep your shared hosting account to run your station but the videos will play pulling the bandwidth from our servers. You can feel free to view all of our packages by clicking here or feel free to browse our site for our other services.
Start a online TV station now instead of later. We have already done all the work for you! Yes you can also broadcast live!
Okay so now you and your team have decided that you want to start your own TV station. Maybe you are thinking “What do we do next”? How do we proceed? Well starting a TV channel is a general term. In this article I am just going to focus on the basics. However feel free to browse our site to learn more. We specialize in this field and have helped companies from around the world start their own channels. You may browse our site by clicking here.
So now that you decided to start your TV channel what are your goals. What is your targeted geographical area. I commonly ask this question; Where do you want to broadcast from? and Where do you want to broadcast too? Do you want the ability to broadcast live? Seems like simple questions but the answers help get the ball rolling. You need solid answers to this. If you are considering starting in London, or lets say Ghana you have a serious decisions to make. Many of our clients have been undecided on choosing between two locations to set up their channel. So if you want to start making your plans solid start making some solid decisions so that you can have the foundation for your channel.
For this article I am going to discuss satellite TV. Although we help setup Internet TV, Terrestrial broadcast, and Cable Television Satellite TV seems to be the most popular choice as it reaches a large area for a much cheaper price. So I am sure you are thinking what are the next steps? You have decided on your location, you have decided where you want to broadcast from and broadcast too. You have decided you want to broadcast live. Next you need to decide if you are need the ability to produce your own video content or if you are going to purchase the rights. Most channels do a combination of both. If you are going to produce your own content this is an entirely separate subject that can be a lengthy discussion. However in short you need to know what type of content you want to produce so that you can effectively decide on the type of production studio you need. For example if you are only wanting to produce cartoons then it is obvious that you do not need a NEWS studio set or ANY set. Instead you would need a graphics and animation team. However if you are doing talk shows, sport shows, or NEWS you would need a production studio with sets, and maybe even a solid tricaster for virtual sets. Next you need to decide on the type of look and feel that you want your channel to have. If you really want a Professional American look and feel to your channel then you need to be careful to select the right equipment and the right people to run the equipment.
If you decided you want the ability to broadcast LIVE then you have several options. A satellite up link ( I believe is to expensive and outdated), point to point fiber, and smart cloud internet technology (which I plan to discuss in another article, as I feel this is the best method to deliver a Live feed). Assembling a TV channel is a methodical process of combining several factors. As you can see from this article the process starts by making solid decisions and then building upon those decisions to build your channel. I always suggest using a professional and you can feel free to contact us if you would like our team to set up your channel the way you envision it. We can save you a lot of time and money because we know what short cuts can be taken an which to avoid.Click here to contact us.
With millions of people tuning in to watch TV through satellite it is easy to understand why many companies and individuals are trying to start their own Satellite TV channel. It is an exciting opportunity for start up channels because they have instant access to millions of potential viewers already tuned in to satellite. So what are the steps involved? Well there are many different aspects; from choosing the right satellite (check out our blog article on how to choose the right satellite), choosing a production studio, choosing the correct video servers, and choosing the equipment to deliver your live feed from your studio to the satellite up-link. However in this article we are going to focus on choosing a video server and the equipment to deliver your live feed.
Let’s first discuss your video server (AKA playout). A video server is what schedules your videos. In other words you may load your video server with 500 hours of prerecorded content to broadcast on satellite. You then arrange the content in the order you want them to play. This is what is knows as a playlist. This playlist could be scheduled months in advance and contains your commercial inserts. Things that need to be considered when building and choosing a video server are; Will I need the ability to switch to a live broadcast from my studio? Will I need the ability to layer graphics over a live or prerecorded broadcast (example: Stock quotes, sports scores, scrolling marques and more). Do I want my channel to look as professional as possible? All of these factors need to be determined in order to choose the correct video server. The more features you want the more powerful it needs to be. Consider the video server the “core” of your satellite TV channel.
So what other equipment do you need to consider to start your satellite TV channel? Well for one you need to decide how are you going to get your live feed from your studio to the up link station. There are several methods; Build a satellite up link (in excess of 100,000 USD), Install private fiber between two locations, or use high speed internet with a video over internet box. Although many channels around the world are still building up links I consider it out-dated and to expensive. The method I prefer the most is a 2Mb dedicated (upload) internet connection and video over internet box. This method is the same method that FOX NEWS , the NFL channel, and others around the world are beginning to use. There are companies that specialize in this method. Let me give you an example of how it works. Your live or prerecorded video feed is coming out the output of your video server and into the input of a encoder, and out the encoder into the input of a one of these little internet Video boxes. There is a box on the sending end and a box on the receiving end. These little boxes manage the video signal in real time and find the least congested internet path to deliver the live video feed. It uses smart cloud technology that allow the recovery of lost data packages to be recovered immediately. This ensures a clean, clear, and professional delivery of your video signal. The cost is much cheaper than spending hundreds of thousands on a satellite up link.
I would suggestion using professionals to set up your channel to avoid pitfalls. You can waste tens of thousands of dollars on using the wrong techniques if you are not familiar with what you are doing. Our services can help you start a satellite TV channel and avoid loosing money and wasting time. We have setup channels around the world on just about every major satellite. Feel free to browse our site or view our information on a satellite TV channel by clicking here.You may also fill our our contact form.
Starting an Internet TV station can be both fun and exciting. With millions of people online looking for videos it is easy to see why Internet TV is exploding and is the video distribution platform of the future. However what is important to keep in mind is your Internet TV station is not a station without content. It is just a platform to distribute your videos or your content.
So let’s talk about the different broadcasting aspects of your Internet TV station. You have prerecorded video (streaming), Video on Demand , and live broadcasting. Lets us first talk about streaming. This is where many people get confused because they really do not know what streaming means. When referring to streaming we are speaking of the ability to stream several “prerecorded” videos together to make a “stream” or a TV channel if you will. In satellite and cable they call this a “linear” channel. It is a internet TV channel that has a schedule and resembles a standard TV channel that you might receive on a satellite or cable subscription.
So how is your streaming channel setup? Well if you purchased a Internet TV channel from us then you have a few options. However it all boils down to one simple concept. You need to upload your videos to your site (or our server) and then arrange them in the order you want them to play. This is called a “Play list”. Once you create your play list your videos will then play in the order you arranged them on your Internet TV site. Once the play list is finished it then automatically “loops” and begins to play again. This way you always have your streaming channel playing. You can always add or take away videos or re arrange your play list.
Lets now talk about “live” broadcasting onto your site. This is by far one of the questions I get asked the most. However let us discuss the particulars. For example if you want to broadcast live onto your site then you have to decide if you will take down your steaming feed (your prerecorded play list) and then broadcast your live feed into your main video player. You could also decide to have a separate page for live broadcasts and when broadcasting live you could indicate it on your home page with something like “Live broadcast in progress click here to join”. Either way the live broadcasts are configured in your admin panel. If you bought a Internet TV package through us then this is already available in your admin panel and was configured the way you wanted it when it was purchased.
Video on Demand is what I refer to as “archived videos”. YouTube is a great example of video on demand because none of the videos are “live”. In other words these are videos that are not streaming on your main page and they are not live. These could be old videos that you streamed in the past but are now storing on your site as a archived video. You could have a separate page for video on demand or you could have your archived videos under your main player or on the left or right hand side of your home page (with thumbnail icons). Video on demand videos are also uploaded through your admin panel where you can add a description and place it where you want in your video on demand list.
Interested in starting your own internet TV station? Do you have unanswered questions and have no clue how to go about doing it? Well it is understandable to have questions. Starting a Internet TV station can be confusing if you do not know how it works. I am going to try to break it down as simple as possible to help you understand it.
Lets talk about the many different components of Internet TV. We will first begin by discussing the actual site itself. Like most websites there is a front end and a back end. A front end is what your visitors see when they go to your website. This includes your design your text and information and whatever links and navigation bar you have. The back end is your admin panel in which you can control what content, pictures and articles that are listed on your website. This is also called a CMS or “Content Management System”. You have probably heard of CMS before. Example of widely used CMS systems would be Word-press or Joomla.
So now that we have laid the foundation for a standard website lets talk about a internet TV site. Like any website you have a back-end and a front end. On a internet TV site you also need the ability upload prerecorded videos, and schedule them for play out onto your website. This is what I call a scheduling module. This can be programmed to be added to your CMS or back-end admin panel. This will now allow you to upload videos and create a play-list in the order that you want each video to play. You can then insert commercials or do whatever you need. This play-list is what will play-out onto your Internet TV site. It can also be tailored to allow live broadcast onto your website.
Next lets talk about archived videos or “video on demand” as many people call it. There are several options for video on demand such as to have your own video on demand page or to place the videos under the main streaming video player as thumbnails. This can be where you display past videos. Again it is important to have your CMS setup to handle these features.
Now lets talk about bandwidth. If you have your own shared hosting account and you have several hundred or even thousands of viewers your shared hosting company will probably cancel your account. The reason is because even if they claim “unlimited bandwidth” they really don’t mean “unlimited”. Video takes quite a bit of bandwidth and they will be quick to cancel you once your video begins to slow down their servers. The answer? Either have your own server (which you can rent from a hosting company usually for about $50-100/month) or use a CDN (contend delivery network). A CDN will allow you to upload and create play lists on their server and then give you a embed code to place in your CMS. What does this do? Well now when your viewers go to your website and watch your video they bandwidth will come from your CDN and not your hosting company. This allows you to stay in full control of your website without your viewers sucking down your bandwidth from your shared hosting account.
If you are not a programmer or a professional web designer we can help you get started. We have set up turn-key packages with low monthly fees. Feel free to take a look at our packages that we have available that should fit most any budget. You can check them out by clicking here .
