Over-the-top video still doesn’t scale to the lofty levels of traditional broadcast television, but online video’s ability to support major live sporting events continues to evolve and improve.

The latest example stems from the recently concluded NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. TV coverage of the tourney was complemented by “NCAA March Madness Live,” a live-streaming product developed by Turner Sports in partnership with CBS and the NCAA. That product, underpinned by iStreamPlanet (the online video infrastructure company Turner acquired in 2015), streamed games to more than a dozen platforms, including smartphones, tablets and Web browsers, as well as TV-connected Roku players, and Apple TV and Fire TV devices.

RECORD AUDIENCES
NCAA March Madness Live netted a record 98 million live video streams during the tournament, while the national championship game drew a record 4.4 million live streams, and a 29% increase from last year.

Traditional TV still dominates the viewing landscape, as the tournament averaged 10.82 million viewers, up 16% from last year’s average of 9.37 million. The championship game, won by North Carolina, netted an average of 22.99 million viewers, up about 30%.

While those OTT numbers still have a ways to go before reaching TV-like viewing levels, the partners involved in the streaming project tied together disparate systems to pull it off.

A big difference this year was the shift from the legacy world of SDI/baseband video distribution to IP.

That move “gave us a lot more flexibility on how we structured the workflow” while also optimizing ad insertion and ensuring the associated metadata was supported, Mio Babic, founder of iStreamPlanet, said.

When pulled together, the shift “connected the dots as video flowed from the actual arenas down to the consumer devices,” Babic explained.

Using an IP-based workflow also gave iStreamPlanet and its partners clearer visibility into the video streams themselves and a way to better monitor and understand their performance, so adjustments could be made as needed. That helped all parties involved to deal with traffic spikes in a specific region, for example, Babic said.

The overall aim was to deliver an HD-quality signal regardless of device, whether a smartphone or a 60-inch TV. Multiple streaming profiles were created for each type of supported device, Babic said.

iStreamPlanet and its partners delivered tournament video via unicast streaming delivery. Multicast streaming — the delivery of a stream that is accessible by multiple users — might eventually provide a way to reduce bandwidth requirements.

(STILL) GOING MOBILE
As for surprises during the tournament, Babic said viewing on mobile devices continues to strengthen. “The growth [for mobile] is not stopping … it’s accelerating,” he said. “These devices are now part of our lives. It’s almost like an extension of our hands.”

OTT will continue facing challenges as more viewers veer away from traditional TV and more devices enter the mix. “You don’t build it once,” Babic said. “You have to keep up with the changes … changes in features, changes in requirements, changes in security, changes in monetization.”

Looking ahead, Babic said he expects machine learning to take on a greater role not just in helping to personalize content, but to tap into the workflow in a way that can quickly spot anomalies and trends and make adjustments before they manifest into larger issues.

Two online video units of NBC Sports Group and Turner have come together on an expanded  “long-term” partnership to use OTT to deliver live and VOD solutions for major sports leagues, pro team franchises, “emerging leagues,” regional and national sports networks, and others holders of premium sports rights.

The agreement, which also factors in Olympics streaming, teams Playmaker Media, the live and VOD streaming service launched last year by NBC Sports Digital (while naming the International Olympic Committee as its first client, and iStreamPlanet, the OTT company acquired by Turner in 2015.

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iStreamPlanet, along with Adobe, Akamai and Microsoft, were among the partners Playmaker Media identified when the unit was introduced.

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The expanded partnership, which will seemingly compete with companies such as Disney-backed Bam Tech and Neulion, will provide tech and services for and “end-to-end” consumer experience, touching areas such as signal acquisition, content management, rights enforcement, advertising and analytics.

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Playmaker Media and IStreamPlanet have previously collaborated on events such as the Olympics, including the 2016 summer games in Rio, and the Super Bowl. Playmaker Media streams several events  from the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, the Premiere League and Triple Crown horse racing, while iStreamPlanet’s technology is used, for example, for NBA League Pass, Eleague, and the coming NCAA March Madness and PGA Championship.

“We have a long history of working with iStreamPlanet and have collaborated with them to successfully stream some of the biggest events in sports, including multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, to massive audiences,”  Eric Black, CTO, NBC Sports Group Digital, said in a statement. “This is a natural fit as the assets of each company complement the other, providing the most robust offering for customers. We look forward to better serving the growing marketplace through this partnership.”

iSteamPlanet founder and CEO Mio Babic added: “This deal delivers on a shared core value – that end users should be delighted, and premium sports content should be complemented with compelling, innovative viewing experiences. We are just beginning to scratch the surface on the types of innovative solutions we can provide to our customers, and we will continue to expand the amazing work we are doing across the sports industry.”

Turner CTO Jeremy Legg said the partnership reflects "another step in Turner’s strategy for iStreamPlanet to commercialize solutions and bring them to market in ways that are valuable for consumers and customers."

"We’re excited iStreamPlanet’s industry-leading cloud video streaming platform joined with NBC Sports Digital’s capabilities and success in digital sports streaming business," Legg said. "This will bring a new level of excellence to the market.” 

iStreamPlanet, the over-the-top video services company acquired by Turner Broadcasting, said it launched a new Atlas Digital Rights Management cloud service.

Atlas allows iStreamPlanet customers to deliver media to millions of users on multiple devices and provides content encoding and security.

“We listened carefully to our customers to ensure we prioritized the right features for their business needs, and we’re excited to bring more capabilities to the iStreamPlanet product portfolio with the launch of Atlas DRM,” said Tim Davis, VP of Product Management at iStreamPlanet.

Turner will be Atlas’ first client.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Turner Broadcasting System has acquired a majority stake in live video streaming company iStream Planet.

Traditional media companies are showing more interest in the digital companies that are gaining viewers and are increasingly creating their own over-the-top direct to consumer video products.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Turner, part of Time Warner, says it will use iStreamPlanet’s technology to deliver OTT programming. With iStreamPlanet, Turner will also move its infrastructure to the cloud, allowing it to develop new products and services.

“We’ve worked with iStreamPlanet in the past during the PGA Championship and they have also delivered world-class events such as the Super Bowl and Olympics to millions of viewers,” Turner CEO John Martin said in a statement. “There is no one better in the business. This partnership will expand our capabilities to offer live events within and outside of the traditional ecosystem and, by bringing iStreamPlanet’s innovative technology in-house, allow us to cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms.”

Read more at B&C.

Looking to scale up its ability to support linear video services on a range of connected devices, Clearleap has inked an integration deal with iStreamPlanet, a provider of live streaming services, and one that teamed with Microsoft and other partners on the delivery of NBC’s coverage of the Sochi Games.

The deal paves the way for the integration of Aventus, iStreamPlanet’s cloud-based live video streaming platform, with Clearleap’s multiscreen video logistics and workflow system. They claim the tie up will help premium content owners – from sports leagues, TV networks and broadcasters – rapidly spool up multiscreen strategies.

Clearleap has supported live video streaming on its platform before, complementing its delivery of on-demand assets. But the integration with iStreamPlanet will lend expertise in the area and help Clearleap scale up that capability without having to procure and provision that those dedicated systems, explained Jennifer Baisch, senior director of product marketing at iStreamPlanet.

“Customers want a holistic solution” that can handle live events, linear channels and short-form and long-form VOD, added Clearleap VP of product management Dave Mowrey, noting that the initial mix of content supported by Clearleap and iStreamPlanet will include a mix of live cable channels and live PPV events.

Mowrey said Clearleap and iStreamPlanet are working with joint customers around the world, but wasn’t in a position yet to reveal them.  Clearleap’s stable of partners includes Food Network, HBO, InDemand, Verizon Communications, Travel Channel, and Time Warner Cable, among others. iStreamPlanet’s client base includes NBC, Turner Broadcasting, Notre Dame Athletics, AMC Networks, AT&T and Microsoft.

In addition to supporting traditional MVPDs, the partnership would also put Clearleap in position to help out so-called “virtual” MSOs, particularly in international markets. “The line between programmers and service providers is really blending,” Mowrey said.

Clearleap and iStreamPlanet will be showing off their integrated handiwork at the NAB show, which runs April 5-10 in Las Vegas.