Sling Media said SlingStudio, a new wireless, portable video production platform, is now available nationwide following availability at B&H Photo Video (at stores and online) and at MySlingStudio.com.

Introduced last month at the NAB Show, the pro-grade SlingStudio platform starts at $999 (for the SlingStudio hub), supports live streaming platforms from Facebook and YouTube, and allows users to record, monitor, and edit four HD video inputs from up to 10 connected cameras and smartphones.

RELATED: NAB 2017: Sling Media Bows SlingStudio

SlingStudio works in tandem with a free Console app for iPads that is needed to manage video productions, and features a mix of optional accessories including the CameraLink wireless adapter  ($349), SlingStudio Battery ($149, for up to three hours of portable power), and a USB-C Expander ($49).

Sling Media, a corporate cousin to Dish Network, is billing SlingStudio as a platform that undercuts the price of other multi-camera production systems.

“SlingStudio makes professional-quality multi-camera production and livestreaming a reality for anyone – it’s easier to use and costs thousands of dollars less than existing solutions,” Vivek Khemka, CTO of Dish, said in a statement.

Amid the technology overload at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, programming and marketing are often the forgotten step-children of the converging/diverging media world.

Although the TV ecosystems had plenty of content and advertising participants among the 103,000 people at last week's NAB Show in Las Vegas, it was CTAM, a cable TV stalwart, that produced a first-day SuperSession on April 24, which plunged into the complicated content issues at the core of the media landscape.

As Vicki Lins, president and CEO of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, explained, "marketing and content are at the 'Center of Media Transformation,'" which happened to be the title of the session she moderated. Lins characterized them as "fundamentally driving changes in how companies are engaging with consumers."

[The 55-minute panel discussion is available as a video stream HERE.]

Jamia Bigalow, senior VP, distribution marketing at Fox Networks, affirmed the necessity of thinking across platforms.

"For us it's more important than ever to build our network brands, especially because of multiple channels," Bigalow said. She explained that Fox is "busier than ever because we have more ways than ever to distribute," emphasizing that the distribution windows are "overlaying each other," thus requiring new tactics for viewer engagement.

"You have to be where the eyeballs are," Bigalow added, stressing that "Fox brands are highly social" and that current efforts are focused on "maintaining viewership after launch" of new programs. She recommended that programmers "find an organic path,” which often involves working with "a lot of partners in promotional relationships."

NAB 2017: Altice USA Peeks Over-the-Top

Bigalow also pointed out that people are "spending more time viewing and less time searching for shows, which improves monetization." She urged programmers to think about "discoverability" and "all the ways that content is being served." In particular, Bigalow said that meta-data enables "content discovery to run very deep."

Another panelist, Thomas Hughes, executive VP, Worldwide Digital Distribution for Lionsgate, affirmed the importance of content discovery as creating new ways to build interest in a show. He emphasized that in today's multitasking era, it's vital to understand how consumers engage in programs.

Hughes also described the transformation of his company (a studio) after its acquisition of the Starz pay TV network and divestiture of its share of Epix network.

NAB 2017: O'Rielly Says Pai Could Herald FCC Golden Age for Broadcasters

"We have 90 shows across 40 networks," he explained. "We are perfectly willing to sell, create and distribute content across lots of different platforms. That puts us in a unique position. We don't think of ourselves as a brand because we have so many brands," including ethnic and specialty labels.

Hughes focused on the value of program brands rather than studio or network brands. He cited Lionsgate-produced shows such as Orange Is the New Black (which a Lionsgate unit makes for Netflix), Mad Men (for AMC) and Nashville (which originated on ABC-TV broadcast network and is now carried on CMT and Hulu). Hughes called Nashville distribution "a hybrid solution," which he attributed to "the nature of windowing, which is what we do."

James "JB" Brown, executive VP, Content Distribution, Talent and Marketing at Revolt Media and TV, emphasized the challenge of launching a new network - especially one aimed at millennials and Generation Z audiences. He stressed that young viewers "look at shows differently because they get programs somewhere else, not necessarily on the linear network.

Brown acknowledged that Revolt's goal, which he credited to the vision of its co-founder Sean Combs (aka Diddy, Puff Daddy, etc.), is to reach young viewers who instinctively know "what music is coming next or who will perform."

"They may access us through streaming, through our network or through YouTube," Brown said. But the network always seeks to push its brand. "We always say something about Revolt and our distributors to remind them [the viewers] how to get the full network."

Image Caption: (From left) NAB Content panel: Vicki Lins, CTAM; JB Brown, Revolt Media;  and Jamia Bigalow, Fox Networks.

Taking a page from former Cablevision CEO James Dolan, Altice USA chief Dexter Goei told an audience of broadcasters at the NAB Show in Las Vegas that he is talking to programmers about possibly adding access to non-linear OTT content to the cable company’s lineup.

The move is reminiscent of Dolan, who sold his Cablevision Systems to Altice in June for $17.7 billion, when he began offering easier access to SVOD services and online programming through its Optimum set-tops in an effort to lure cord-cutters and cord-nevers to pay TV.

While it appears that Goei and Altice would offer any non-linear shows in concert with its traditional line-up instead of as a replacement or in a separate package, it still shows that the Altice USA CEO is ready and willing to think outside the box.

In a keynote session moderated by Multichannel News and B&C editorial director Mark Robichaux, Goei said that integrating some OTT content is the logical next step.

Though short on specifics, he did make a clear distinction between OTT services that are direct competitors and those that provide content that are more like pay TV channels. The latter seem to be the best candidates for integration into the Altice USA programming package.

“Clearly there are certain providers that are unique to the non-linear world that makes sense to integrate into the user experience,” Goei said, adding that the company is working with several companies.

Watch a clip of Goei's keynote below:

A post shared by VixenRedCarpetLTD (@vixenredcarpetltd) on Apr 25, 2017 at 12:53pm PDT

Altice USA, a unit of European telecom giant Altice N.V., burst on the U.S. cable scene in 2015 with the $9.1 billion purchase of Suddenlink Communications and in the next year bought Cablevision Systems for $17.7 billion. With about 4.3 million residential customers in the New York metropolitan area and the Midwest, Altice USA quickly established itself as the sixth largest cable operator in the country.

“This is a starting point for us in the U.S.,” Goei said, adding that in the market Altice saw an opportunity to bring its knowhow, innovation and technical savvy to a growing sector.

Goei was reluctant to say whether Altice USA plans to add to its cable portfolio, but said that part of the reason for its upcoming initial public offering is to ready itself for any opportunities that arise.

Goei kept any expansion plans close to the vest, citing the quiet period surrounding its IPO – Altice filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,  but has yet to disclose when the offering will take place or how much it hopes to raise. And while he said newly issued stock could help the company should any acquisition opportunities arise, it also could lay fallow. “Maybe we never have to use it,’ he said.

In the meantime Altice USA will stick to growing its existing business, which includes an aggressive fiber buildout – it plans to go full-fiber in the U.S. over time – and the introduction of a communications hub in every customer home that will be a combination set-top box, DVR and 1 Gbps WiFi router. Altice N.V. has already introduced a similar product in France – called La Box, a name that will be changed for the U.S. rollout, Goei shared – to great success. 

The communications hub, Goei said, will bring cost efficiencies for both user and provider, adding that its increased reliability and functionality will enhance the customer experience.

It was remarked before and during Goei's session that he was the highest-profile cable-TV executive to keynote an NAB convention, a sign of the times after the demise of the cable industry's annual convention (lately called INTX). Goei said he enjoyed being at the convention and said Altice gets along well with program suppliers, including broadcasters. 

Las Vegas – Gathering and analyzing viewership data increasingly is becoming a key tool for over-the-top video and TV services, Michael Paull, the recently named CEO of BAM Tech, said here Tuesday.

Having access to consumption data gives distributors and their content partners a way to “super-serve” their customers, Paull said in his first public appearance since taking the helm of BAM Tech, the Disney-backed technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).

RELATED: Michael Paull Named CEO of BAM Tech

Paull, an industry vet who previously ran Amazon Channels, Amazon’s curated subscription VOD platform, said streaming data shows how long viewers are watching and if they are coming back, and also provides other critical information that can help to drive programming and scheduling decisions and a clearer view on where to focus infrastructure spending.

“You have real data, as opposed to sample data,” he said, later noting that the flexibility  OTT allows content providers the ability to “micro-program” because they have access to “an infinite number of slots, even in primetime.”

“It’s about building scalable data analysis capabilities,” Paull explained.

BAM Tech’s other clients (and financial backers, in some cases) include Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, HBO and World Wresting Entertainment. Competitors include a wide range of multiscreen specialists such as Verizon Digital Media Services, Comcast Technology Solutions, and NeuLion.

RELATED: Disney Buys One-Third of BAMTech for $1 Billion

He said it’s the mandate of BAM Tech to build a “best-in-class” platform that delivers live entertainment and technology services to other content owners and providers, doing it through a scalable system that handles and manages elements such as real-time encoding, blackout restrictions, and a flexible capacity system that can support “significant concurrent usage.”

“I see a huge opportunity in over-the-top distribution of live entertainment,” Paull said in his keynote conversation with Will Richmond, editor and publisher of VideoNuze.

He said BAM Tech is also positioned well as consumer viewing behavior continues to shift toward a wide array of devices whether they are in the home or on the go.

“Consumers expect, not just want, to watch anything at any time,” he said, adding that supporting multiple mobile and TV-connected devices has become a prime requirement. When they are paying for programing they want to watch when it’s convenient to them, not when it’s convenient to broadcast.”

Under Paull, BAM Tech is also exploring new OTT opportunities around the world. Last year, for example, BAM Tech secured a multi-year deal with Riot Games to distribute “League of Legends” eSports content.

And though OTT services are helping to drive the cord-cutting trend for pay TV, Paull noted that MLB’s out-of-market subscription service is “complementary” to traditional TV.

“I don’t view my job to disrupt anything” but to provide a platform that supports how consumers want to access their content,  he said.

BAM Tech is also keeping an eye on emerging platforms, such as virtual reality and augmented realty.

“We are looking at a variety of things in the VR and AR space,” Paull said. “We’re excited a about the potential opportunities for people to become more immersed.”

BAM Tech, he said, is also exploring the addition of data-driven dynamic ad insertion systems that can work in tandem with a broader range of business models.

Roku is broadening its push into the smart TV market after inking a licensing deal with RCA.

The deal, in conjunction with Display-Vu Group, an affiliate of Curtis International, will see RCA start to offer Roku-powered HDTV models sometime this summer in the U.S. and Canada.

Outfitted with Roku’s operating system, those TVs will provide access to Roku’s array of more than 5,000 streaming “channels,” and a library of about 450,000 movies and TV shows, they said. RCA TVs are manufactured and distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Display-Vu Corp.

The deal also marks a shift of allegiance for RCA, which has also been working with Android TV.

RELATED: Roku Rolls New OS

RCA, a brand now owned by Technicolor, joins a growing roster or Roku TV partners. Others TV makers with Roku licensing deals include Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Haier America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense. Of that group, Haier is pivoting to a platform powered by Google’s “Chromecast built-in” platform, but Roku has pledged to continue supporting and providing software updates to Haier smart TVs that use Roku’s OS.

RELATED: CES 2017: Roku Adds Another TV Partner

Citing shipment data from IHS, Roku has previously held that Roku TVs accounted for 13% of all U.S. smart TV sales, or one out of eight smart TV purchases, citing new TV shipment data from IHS.

“RCA is an iconic brand with deep roots in the living room. Consumers love the brand and as we combine that with today’s modern streaming approach, RCA Roku TVs are sure to be a favorite this year,” Chas Smith GM of Roku TV and players, said in a statement.

Roku said recently it had 14 million “active accounts” as of March 31, 2017. The privately held companypulled in nearly $400 million in revenues for 2016, with $100 million coming from its media and licensing division.

Canadian service provider Telus has soft-launched a slimmed-down IPTV service/package called Pik TV that runs on smartphones, tablets and an Android TV-powered box.

That service, which relies on Ericsson’s cloud-based MediaFirst interface/experience, complements Optik TV, Telus’s full-freight, managed IPTV service that currently uses Mediaroom, the IP video platform that Ericsson acquired from Microsoft in 2013.

Update:  The original version of this story characterized Pik TV as an “over-the-top” service. Telus stressed that Pik TV is not OTT, and that the new offering “fully complies will all Canadian CRTC Broadcast Distribution Undertaking licensing requirements and qualifies fully as a pay-tv service the same as our existing Optik TV service… or any other CRTC licensed pay-TV service.” An official also stated that Pik TV is also “onside of all of our content licensing deals.”

The Pik TV FAQ also notes that watching the service live or on-demand using the Pik TV media box at home does not count against the customer’s monthly Internet data allowance. However, use of apps such as Netflix on the Pik TV media box will count toward the user’s Internet data plans. Likewise, usage of the service away from home will be subject to data usage charges, Telus noted.

Pik TV appears to have debuted last week, as apps for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets went live on April 19. A web site dedicated to the Pik TV service notes that Telus customers can purchase the associated 4K-capable Android TV box for C$100.

Pik TV has some a la carte-like aspects. The core $20 service includes 23 basic local and regional channels and a VOD library, and gives customers the ability to add five more channels from a selection that includes AMC, Comedy Network, Space, Food Network, A&E, Discovery Channel, Bravo, TLC, Much HGTV, CBC News Network, CTV News Channel, E!, CNN, and Slice.

Pik TV subs can add other channels for $4 each, and can also add several premium-level options, including Sportsnet ($15 per month), Crave TV ($7 per month), TSN ($15 per month), or a bundle of Crave TV, HBO Canada and The Movie Network for $20 per month.

Ericsson was showing off Pik TV at this week’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, and people familiar with the product expect Telus to follow with a full-launch of Pik TV in May.

Customers can buy and self-install the Android TV box for Pik TV, and also use the device to load apps such as Netflix. It’s not clear yet when or if Telus will extend access to retail devices under a bring-your-own-device model.

According to the FAQ, Pik TV is for Telus Internet customers and currently available in limited areas, including Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie, Victoria, Saanich and Prince George, and not have a subscription to Telus’s Optik TV service

Though Pik TV is not an over-the-top service, subscribers are required to have an IP broadband connection that delivers at least 15 Mbps and a Google email address. Notably, Pik TV customers can bring the box to another house to watch their subscriptions, though access to some channels are geo-restricted.  

Those customers can remove and add channels once every 30 days. To prime the pump, Pik TV’s first 30 days of service is free.

Telus has also outlined how Pik TV and Optik TV are tailored to fit the needs of different customers. Pik TV, for example, is for customers who want to pick their own channels, are comfortable “self-managing” their technology, watch TV on one screen at a time, and don’t record shows. The higher-end Optik TV offering has a bigger bundle of channels, supports multiple outlets and has DVR options.

The National Association of Broadcasters’ annual confab is getting underway this week in Las Vegas. Here’s a snapshot of tech-oriented announcements from the event.

Full Coverage of NAB 2017

-Verimatrix said Cincinnati Bell has broadened its deployment of the vendor’s Video Content Authority System (VCAS) to support over-the-top video of its streaming app, Watch Fioptics. The app, a complementary offering to Cincinnati Bell Fioptics subs, delivers video to multiple devices, starting with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Roku players and Roku TVs and other streaming platforms are on the roadmap. Verimatrix said VCAS for Internet TV enhances the basic HLS security model, with capabilities that support subscription and transaction-based pay-TV services, and provides and upgrade path to MPEG-DASH delivery.

-Ericsson has introduced a content discovery ecosystem that involves a handful of partners with access to a data and imagery, including poster art, clips, trailers, ratings, cast and crew info, and episodic information. The ecosystem, preintegrated with Ericsson’s cloud-based MediaFirst multiscreen video platform, includes ColorTV (universal search and deep linking), the Internet Video Archive (has a video library integrated with images and metadata from more than 1,000 rights holders), and XroadMedia (data enrichment, content discovery, recommendation and targeting services). Ericsson said it’s also adding enhanced caption data via its Access Services business.

-Separately, Ericsson and Inspur Software Group have announced a multi-year strategic deal to bring next-gen TV services to China that will feature Ericsson’s MediaFirst solution. Shandong Cable Network is on board with the program and is setting plans to offer a new live and on-demand multiscreen service to 20 million subscribers in 17 cities across the Shandong Province.

-Verizon Digital Media Services, Verizon’s cloud video unit, and Dolby Laboratories said encoding and playback of Dolby Audio will now be integrated into the VDMS platform. They said Dolby Audio will be available as an additional feature of the Uplynk Video Streaming service, paving the way for enhanced stereo and multichannel audio. The integration also allows for compatibility with several streaming platforms, including the Roku 4, PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows 10 OS, and devices using Apple iOS, tvOS and MacOS.

-IBM introduced a cloud-based Content Enrichment service for media and entertainment companies that taps into the cognitive capabilities of Watson, the company’s A.I. platform, to offer a deep analysis of video and extract metadata such as keywords, concepts, visual imagery and emotional context. IBM said the offering enables more personalized and engaging consumer experiences amid fast-changing viewer habits. IBM said its new Content Enrichment service will become available later this year, and follows recent work with the U.S. Open to convert commentary to text and the Tribeca Film Festival, whereby a competition is letting participants submit ideas on how they would apply Watson to storytelling mediums that include film, video, Web content, gaming and virtual reality.

-Imagine Communications said it will unveil a suite of products targeted at ATSC 3.0, a next-gen transmission standard that will enable broadcasters to support a variety of devices and to introduce an array of next-gen capabilities, including advanced advertising. In partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG), Imagine said it will showcase its ability to offer broadcasters a comprehensive ATSC 3.0-optimized solution portfolio. Imagine said it has been a “close contributor” to Sinclair’s NextGen TV project, its ATSC 3.0-focused initiative.

-The University of Oklahoma, AT&T and The Weather Channel have collaborated to equip several of OU’s Advanced Radar Research Center’s mobile research trucks with enhanced severe weather technology. These enhanced trucks will soon have cameras capable of streaming live video and near real-time radar data during severe weather events, they said. The project will support near real-time data from the field to the National Weather Center and forecasters nationwide, offer live streaming of video during severe storms, and aim to supply deeper understanding of severe storms.

-Triveni Digital has partnered with Verance Corporation to integrate Verance Aspect, an audio watermarking solution for the ATSC 3.0 television standard, with Triveni’s StreamScope MT-50 video, audio, and metadata monitoring and analysis system. Fox's WOFL in Orlando becomes the first station to conduct a test of StreamScope integrated with Aspect, they said.

-Ericsson, Sony Electronics, and Triveni Digital will team up to demonstrate an end-to-end ATSC 3.0 workflow for individualized ad insertion using ATSC 3.0 signaling, The demo will take place at the "NextGen TV Hub" during the 2017 NAB Show in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center. During the demo, the companies will present a mix of live and pre-recorded content encoded and packaged in real time in HEVC and ROUTE/DASH transport by Ericsson's MediaFirst Encoding Live and MediaFirst Packaging platforms, and Triveni Digital's ROUTE server.

-Harmonic said it will demo a mix of solutions for OTT delivery that enables optimization for bandwidth and delivers low latencies for SD, HD and UHD video that is offered live, on-demand, or in a time-shifted fashion. Harmonic said its demo will show a streaming workflow that matches the latency of live broadcast, noting that OTT live TV is usually delayed 30 to 60 seconds behind a traditional live TV feed. Harmonic said its low-latency streaming workflow is made possible by a combination of packaging content in the new Common Media Application Format (CMAF) and HTTP chunked transfer encoding.

Luring subscribers with free trials is paying off for OTT providers, a new study from Parks Associates found.

About 32% of free OTT trials result in a paid subscription, Parks Associates found in its latest OTT Video Market Tracker.

That’s a good bit of news for many SVOD and virtual MVPD services that let consumers try before they buy.

Full Coverage of NAB 2017

“Free OTT trials are effective in converting a sizeable portion of trial users into subscribers,” Glenn Hower, senior analyst at Parks Associates, said, in a statement. “There is a potential for free trial abuse, but only roughly 1% of consumers are ‘serial trialers’ who abuse free trials to avoid paying for services. Most consumers use trials for their intended purpose of trying out a service before deciding whether or not to continue as a paid subscriber.”

The firm said more than one-fourth of U.S. broadband households trialed at least one OTT service in the previous six months. Of that group, 47% subscribed to at least one trial service after the free period expired. 

Hower, who will be sharing his findings at this week's NAB Show in Las Vegas, said spending on transactional services has dropped, but that the research also shows that  average monthly spending on subscription OTT video rose to $7.95 per U.S. broadband household in 2016, with most homes building that foundation with at least one of the top three subscription-focused OTT services -- Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, which also happen to have the most effective trial conversion rates.

Given the amount of spend available for other, more niche-focused services, he suggested that some might need to implement tiered services or hybrid business models that can diversify their bases and bring in incremental revenue.

The Ultra HD Forum, a group that sets best practices for the pixel-packed video format, said it will support more than a dozen 4K and High Dynamic Range demos at NAB 2017 in Las Vegas.

The demos, at booth N1131FP, will include “Deployable Phase A” technologies that represent current challenges, including broadcaster HDR video delivery, SDR and HDR mixing and delivering quality HDR video.

Full Coverage of NAB 2017

For a glimpse future implementations, the “Phase B” tech demos will be comprised of three stations dedicated to dynamic HDR metadata; HDR and SDR improvements; and High Frame Rate Video.

Ultra HD Forum members that are on tap for the demos include BBright, Beamr, DirecTV, Dolby, Harmonic, Huawei, LG Electronics, NeuLion, PBS, Sigma Designs, Sony and Technicolor.

“The 2017 NAB Show sees the Forum’s most ambitious initiative to date of demonstrating UHD capabilities in public. It’s been an exciting challenge to work with our active members to get so many demonstrations up and running for NAB,” Thierry Fautier, a Harmonic exec and the Forum’s recently reelected president, said in a statement. “The Phase A demonstrations show what is really operationally ready today, while our phase B demonstrations show what UHD still has in store.”

Separately, the Ultra HD Forum said it has released the 1.3 version of the UHD Forum Guidelines, which include the additions dedicated to forensic watermarking.

It said several member companies initiated the creation of those security guidelines, including ContentArmor, Irdeto, MarkAny, NexGuard, and Verimatrix. Those guidelines, the Forum added, take the MovieLabs specification for Enhanced Content Protection “to the next level”, and have been vetted or reviewed by orgs such as MovieLabs, the Digital Watermarking Alliance, and the Streaming Video Alliance.