Weekly online video consumption in the U.S. has risen to 9 hours and 18 minutes this year, up from 8 hours and 33 hours last year, according to a new survey by Limelight Networks.

In its State of Online Video 2020 report, Limelight Networks found that the average American binge-watches streaming content for 2 and 54 minutes per week, with 40% spending more than three hours bingeing on shows, with 6% saying they watch more than seven hours at a sitting.

In order to have content to binge, 45% of Americans have subscribed to a new streaming services in the last six months, Limelight Networks said. 

Limelight Network also noted a rise in the amount of time spent on user generated content, which is the third most popular content type with Americans watching themselves, their kids and their pets for 3 hours and 42 minute per week. 

By comparison, viewers spend 5 hours and 48 minutes watching TV shows online and 4 hours and 32 minutes watching movies.

YouTube is the top platform for user generated content, with 50% of those surveyed using it, followed by 22% for Facebook. TikTok was preferred by 13% of viewers 18 to 25 years old, but just 8% overall.

The survey was conducted Aug. 1-12 with 500 responses from consumer panels in each of 10 countries: France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. 

The U.S. Trade Representative has issued its annual report on trading partners that aren't sufficiently protecting intellectual property and one of the takeaways was the direct threat piracy poses to streaming video services.

USTR said that illicit streaming devices (ISDs) that steal video "continue to pose a direct threat to content creators, sports leagues, and live performances, as well as legitimate streaming, on-demand, and over-the-top media service providers."

The so-called Special 301 (Section 301 of the Trade Act) Report said that the same tech developments that make the internet such a successful vehicle for distributing movies, TV, and other copyrighted content make it just as efficient at distributing pirated content.

The appetite for streamed content has never been higher given the current pandemic.

The report also said that theft of cable signals (though it oddly phrases it as "signal theft by cable operators") continues to be a problem. That theft includes circumventing encryption and set-top hacking, as well as stealing "overspill" signals, which are ones from neighboring countries. Hotels are one culprit, said the report, using their own on-site facilities to steal the signal and distribute it to their guests.

The report identified 33 countries whose marketplaces--virtual and physical--lack adequate IP protections and so need to be on a Priority Watch List or Watch List. On the Priority list were Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Venezuela.

On the Watch list were Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The report also said Malaysia and Saudi Arabia will get "out-of-cycle" reviews, signaling specific IP concerns.

The popularity of online video edged up in 2019, according to a new global survey from Limelight Networks.

On average viewers surveyed said the spent 6.8 hours per week watching online video, up 0.7% from 6.75 hours in the 2018 study.

Younger viewers--in the 18 to 35 age bracket--watched the most at 8.4 hours a week, with 14% viewing for more than 20 hours per week.

Of the nine countries involved in the study, viewers in the U.S. watched the most online video, with respondents saying they watched for 8.55 hours per week.

Limelight said that online video viewing was coming at the expense of broadcast, cable and satellite TV, which was down 10% from last year.

The most popular online video content was movies, followed by TV shows, news and sports. Those types of programming were all watched more than professional produced video on social media sites, user-generated content and watching people play video games online.

This year, for the first time, smartphones were the device used most for viewing online video at 2.08 hours, eclipsing computers. The U.S. is among the countries where the smart phone is the top device for viewing online video.

Watching online video on smart TVs and devices grew to 1.64 hours per week from 1.44 hours per week a year ago. The most popular devices were Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast globally and Roku in the U.S.

Limelight said  that 70.4% of online viewers now subscribe to one or more SVOD service. The highest rate is in the U.S., with an average of 1.7 subscriptions, compared to 1.2% globally.

Not surprisingly, price is the primary reason people said they canceled an SVOD service. The second most popular reason was that the content available on that service was not interesting.

Limelight found that 60.6% of the people who watch online video also subscribe to a cable or satellite TV service. Like SVOD services, price is the top reason why people cancel cable.

As streaming increases, so does binge-watching, which was up 18% last year. Binge-watching sessions lasted on average 2 hours and 40 minutes. In the U.S. viewers binge-watch for 3 hours and 11 minutes a pop.

Pre-roll advertising, if its interesting to them, is not opposed by 74% of online viewers. Viewers are even more accepting of ads when they have the ability to skip them. The survey found that when it comes to AVOD, 87% of people are OK with short ads before a video if the content is free.

Resistance to advertising is stronger when the commercials appear in the middle of content, however.

The most frustrating part of watching video online is rebuffering, the survey found. While most viewers will keep watching after a first rebuffering, 66.3% of those surveyed said they would stop watching if it happens a second time.

Based on the survey, Limelight recommends that online video providers make content available on any devices, ensure high-quality mobile viewing experiences and deliver live content in real time.

The study was conducted for Limelight in early August by a company with access to consumer panels in France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. About 500 responses were collected from each country with a total of 5,000 global responses.

A majority (two out of three) adults stream some video over the internet and, of those, two out of three now stream more video online than they watch over traditional broadcast or MVPDs, up from 57% who did so in 2018.

That is according to a new Horowitz report, FOCUS OTT & SVOD 2019, based on a survey conducted in January/February 2019 among 1,600-1,619 viewers of TV content.

The percentage of viewers who stream content at least weekly has more than quadrupled to 65% from only 15% in 2010.

Related: Viewers Nearly as Likely to Go Online First for TV

The study found that those who still subscribe to pay TV are more likely to do their online video viewing on a variety of devices, or what Horowitz calls content omnivores. "These viewers are streaming not as a replacement of traditional TV platforms, but to complement them by expanding their viewing opportunities," the company says.

On average, streamers use 2.4 services for video streaming, with Netflix the most popular. Horowitz says it has been hearing from consumers that, not surprisingly, they would prefer to pay one price for one service to access all the content they want, when they want it, and all in one place, but on any screen, or effectively and MVPD but with the
"convenience, control, portability, flexibility, and value" they now associate with streaming.

The survey found that the TV set continues to be the screen of choice, with 73% saying they do at least some streaming to the TV (mainly via an Amazon Firestick, Roku or a smart TV app), followed by 55% for computers, 48% for smart phones, and 30% for tablets.

A majority (two out of three) adults stream some video over the internet and, of those, two out of three now stream more video online than they watch over traditional broadcast or MVPDs, up from 57% who did so in 2018.

That is according to a new Horowitz report, FOCUS OTT & SVOD 2019, based on a survey conducted in January/February 2019 among 1,600-1,619 viewers of TV content.

The percentage of viewers who stream content at least weekly has more than quadrupled to 65% from only 15% in 2010.

Related: Viewers Nearly as Likely to Go Online First for TV

The study found that those who still subscribe to pay TV are more likely to do their online video viewing on a variety of devices, or what Horowitz calls content omnivores. "These viewers are streaming not as a replacement of traditional TV platforms, but to complement them by expanding their viewing opportunities," the company says.

On average, streamers use 2.4 services for video streaming, with Netflix the most popular. Horowitz says it has been hearing from consumers that, not surprisingly, they would prefer to pay one price for one service to access all the content they want, when they want it, and all in one place, but on any screen, or effectively and MVPD but with the
"convenience, control, portability, flexibility, and value" they now associate with streaming.

The survey found that the TV set continues to be the screen of choice, with 73% saying they do at least some streaming to the TV (mainly via an Amazon Firestick, Roku or a smart TV app), followed by 55% for computers, 48% for smart phones, and 30% for tablets.

Multichannel News has partnered with social video analytics company Tubular Labs to bring you a monthly ranking of the most-viewed U.S. media creators across social video platforms. The ranking below covers November.

Although sports-related content makes a good showing with three of the top 10 spots, it’s kid-focused creator Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes that leads with an impressive 1.9 billion views, coming solely from YouTube. Second place goes to the Buzzfeed behemoth Tasty with over 1.4 billion views across social video platforms.

It’s also worth noting that Beauty Studio takes third place. Although many of its popular videos focus on health, beauty or self-care tips, November’s two most-watched clips are on the food side of things, one for fancy cake decorations and the other for cone desserts. With the holiday season (and resulting delicious treats) in full swing, it’s no surprise there’s a food focus in the top ranks of the chart. 

Online Video Deep Dive: Viewership Trends Across YouTube and Facebook

To help figure out what’s driving viewership in the online video ecosystem, we’ve partnered with social video analytics company Tubular Labs to surface insights every quarter. Below, general platform trends for YouTube and Facebook for Q2 2018 in executive-summary form. (Note: These insights draw from Tubular’s in-depth quarterly report; to obtain the full State of Online Video study, clickhere.)

One major trend: the ongoing verticalization of social video on both Facebook and Twitter, with publishers experimenting with a portfolio approach to audience-building by launching a number of related brand channels focused on specific genres.

Sports, family & parenting, food and music were among the highest growing social video verticals by views, and it’s worth noting that the growth here is largely driven by a surge of views from international creators. Specifically:

• There was 20x growth in sports media views from top global creators.
• There were over 4 billion global views of K-pop music videos in Q2.
• Spanish sporting leagues and Spanish family & parenting brands doubled views in the quarter.
• Mexican media brands across media and food verticals grew an average 50% across the board.
• Creators based in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea saw an increase in views across genres.

The major takeaway: Creative strategists would be wise to look outside their geographical and genre boundaries to uncover strategies, decipher success stories and learn from mistakes that haven’t reached your market or genre yet.

Facebook Trends

Q2 saw big growth in several verticals, with food & drink leading the way. This genre has clearly proved to be more than just a trend — it generated more Facebook video views than beauty, science & tech, gaming, fashion & style and education combined. Science & tech also stood out with 248 million views gained in Q2 despite a drop in videos uploaded.

In addition, local news saw 9.5% growth, while uplifting news stories had an average of 18.1 million for 30-day views.

Another interesting trend on Facebook is the growing popularity of long-form videos in the news & politics genre. There was a 22% growth in viewership of videos over 20 minutes long, higher than the 14% growth in videos 12-20 mins long and the 5% growth in videos 10-15 mins long.

Another trend: Viewers are increasingly using Facebook to tune into live geo-political events and long-form sports content.

Speaking of global, Spanish, LATAM (Latin America) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) creators are driving growth in sports media (+2% views), family & parenting brands (+31% views) and Influencers (+8% views) on Facebook.

YouTube Trends

International creators were key growth-drivers for YouTube, particularly with sports media (18% growth in views), food (+26%) and music & dance (+7%) genres. And despite flat growth in new videos coming online, home & DIY was a booming vertical with 38% growth in views.

The category has been dominated by the creator 5-Minute Crafts, which produces and publishes long-form listicle videos about crafts and hacks that use everyday household items. It’s the fourth most-viewed creator across platforms and the 10th most-viewed YouTube creator. 5-Minute Crafts owned 61% of the share of Q2 views generated by media publishers in the category, and 50% of its views came from “DIY hack”-themed videos. 

We’ve teamed up with social video analytics company Tubular Labs for a regular look at how various content creators are deploying video to reach audiences online. In today’s edition: the top leaderboards for U.S. creators in the cars, trucks and racing vertical during the month of May, based on total Facebook video views.

In total, 2,000 creators in this category uploaded 374,000 videos to Facebook, generating 223 million views. While multiple top creators are digital native companies, it’s worth noting that Jay Leno comes in at No. 4 with clips from his Emmy-winning CNBC series Jay Leno’s Garage, in which he talks all things auto with various celebrity guests. Also, vehicle manufacturers make a strong showing, with Infiniti, Audi and Harley-Davidson all landing in our top 10 with content that engages viewers while putting their brands front and center.

1. Donut Media

21.1 million Facebook video views

Donut Media is a digital media brand focused on reaching and engaging the “next generation of automotive and motorsports enthusiasts” through videos that have been sponsored by brands including Gumout, Hot Wheels, HyperFest, Brilliant.org and Turo. In May, Donut Media’s most-viewed Facebook video was “SUPERCHARGERS | How They Work” with 1.9 million views, 1.2 million of which occured in just the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

2. 500Plus HP For Sale

20.6 million Facebook video views

This creator looks to connect auto sellers, buyers and enthusiasts who want to keep up with the automotive news and the car marketplace. Its most popular video shows a husband surprising his wife with a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sports car. It’s racked up 9.4 million views, with 1.8 million occurring in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

3. 1320Video.com

17.9 million Facebook video views

1320Video.com shares “the best in street car videos around the US,” including street racing and user-generated videos. Its recent brand sponsors include RPM Transmissions, Thompson Motorsports of Texas, Huron Speed Products, SUMMERNATS and Ignite Racing Fuel. A super short but funny video from a fan called “WAKE UP! Sent in by Mike Winterer” was the most-viewed video with 1.9 million views, 1.6 million of which occurred in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

4. Jay Leno’s Garage

7.9 million Facebook video views

This is the Facebook presence, recently sponsored by Farmers Insurance and Michelin, of an Emmy-winning CNBC series starring Jay Leno. A video showing a Hellcat-powered Toyota PriusRT8 was the most viewed (4.5 million), with about a half of those views (2.3 million) occurring in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

5. Gas Monkey Garage

5.5 million Facebook video views

In addition to its online presence concentrated on sharing the automotive lifestyle, Gas Monkey is an actual hot rod shop and garage in Texas. Recent video sponsors include Advanced Auto Parts, TECHNET Professional Automotive Service, Havoline and Fast N’ Loud. “Who knew the Krew Kut had so many secrets!” was Gas Monkey’s most popular video with 453,000 views, 289,000 of which occurred in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

6. INFINITI

5.4 million Facebook video views

INFINITI, the luxury vehicle from Japanese automaker Nissan, recently partnered with Final Four—San Antonio, Engineering Explained, 102.7 KIIS FM, Forbes and New Jersey Devils to bring Facebook viewers its videos. INFINITI’s most popular Facebook video was an integration between the QX50 and Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. It’s generated 1.5 million views with 46,100 happening in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating.

7. MadRam11 YouTube Videos

4.5 million Facebook video views

MadRam11 shares extreme offroading videos and was recently sponsored by Spyder Off-Road & Performance. Its most popular Facebook video, “Big Block Mud Trucks Walks on Water,” with 280,000 views (132,000 in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating), shows tricked-out trucks racing through mud.

8. Audi USA

3.9 million Facebook video views

Audi, the German automobile manufacturer and member of the Volkswagen Group, recently partnered with Major League Soccer (MLS), Sporting Kansas City, SPEED, San Jose Earthquakes and David Chang. With 2.7 million views (347,000 from the first three days according to Tubular’s V3), “Audi Think Faster: Liza Koshy” was the most-watched clip.

9. Harley-Davidson

3.4 million Facebook video views

Harley-Davidson, the iconic American motorcycle manufacturer, recently partnered with Sailor Jerry, Military.com, Ride Sunday, Rolling Stone and Rolling Stone Video. “Tracking: Buddy Suttle & Unknown Industries” was Harley-Davidson’s most popular video with 140,000 views and a Tubular V3 rating of 136,000 views.

10. Speed Society

2.9 million Facebook video views

Speed Society is an automotive network and publisher that shares content with car enthusiasts daily. It was recently sponsored by BFGoodrich Tires and Michelin. Speed Society’s most-watched video was “When the Mclaren 720s goes full Mustang,” with 811,000 Facebook video views (596,000 of which occurred in the first three days according to Tubular’s V3 rating)

Viewing hours of over-the-top, internet-delivered video grew by 114% in the first quarter from a year ago, according to a new report from Conviva.

Total viewing of movies, episodic TV shows, live linear TV and live sports on mobile, connected TV and desktop screens reached nearly five billion hours, .

Conviva uses an all-screen census measurement approach that captures data about streams played, viewing hours, devices and regions. It also gauges video start times, buffering time and bit rates.

“Because the complexity and viewership of our customers’ services are growing so fast, they can no longer rely on a sample-set of thousands when they are dealing with billions,” said Dr. Hui Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Conviva said, in a statement. “Things have changed quite a bit since Nielsen assembled a panel of viewers to analyze television. Conviva’s all-screen census measurement approach provides a unique perspective for understanding the dynamic landscape of viewership, content consumption and user experience across internet streaming services.”

In North America, streaming viewing hours increased 174%.

Conviva found that Apple TV saw 709% growth in viewing hours over the first quarter, based on the dynamic nature of the market and Conviva’s customer base, outpacing all other devices by almost two times. During the same period, while total viewing hours on Roku devices saw a rise of 87%, its overall share of total viewing hours dropped by 3%.

Quality of the streaming experience improved in the quarter. There was a drop in the number of videos that failed to start. The bit rate of video rose 29%.

Online video publishing specialist Brightcove said its board has appointed Hugh Jefferson (Jeff) Ray III as CEO, effective immediately.  

Ray succeeds acting CEO Andy Feinberg, who has served in that role since 2017 as Brightcove sought a permanent replacement. Feinberg will continue as president and COO. 

Brightcove also announced that Ray has joined the company’s board, along with two other new additions -- Tom Wheeler, former chairman of the FCC; Kristin Frank, a former Viacom exec. Tied in, David Orfao, managing partner at General Catalyst and an early investor in Brightcove, will be stepping down from his position as a director. With the latest changes, Brightcove said its board now consists of eight members, including six who are independent. 

Ray is late of enterprise technology companies that include Ellucian, Ventyx (acquired by ABB), DS SolidWorks, Progress Software, and Compuware. He started at IBM after graduating from Texas A&M.  

“The Board was impressed with Jeff’s decades-long track record of accomplishments as a CEO and senior executive. That, combined with his extensive technology leadership experience made him the ideal candidate to serve as Brightcove’s CEO,” Gary Haroian, Brightcove’s chairman of the board, said in a statement. 

“I am incredibly optimistic about the opportunity in front of Brightcove,” Ray added. Internet video traffic will grow fourfold from 2016 to 2021, reaching 82% of all global consumer internet traffic. This explosion in video consumption is creating tremendous opportunities – and challenges – for companies around the world.”  

Brightcove will announced Q1 2018 results on April 26. For Q4 2017, it posted revenues of $40.1 million, up 4%, versus the year-ago period, and a net loss of $1.4 million, or 4 cents per diluted share.  

Telstra said it will recognize an impairment charge as it writes down its investment in Ooyala, the struggling online video firm that the Australia-based company acquired in 2014.

Telstra, in an announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange on February 2, noted that the non-cash impairment and write-down will carry the value of Ooyala, which has been serving as its U.S.-based video tech business, to “zero.” As a result Telstra said it expects to recognize an impairment charge of A$272 million (US$215 million).

Telstra acquired 9% of Ooyala in 2012, and raised it to 98% in 2014 as it tried to take advantage of the surging online video trend.

Telstra said it identified “challenges” in that business 18 months ago and impaired the Ooyala business at the time of its 2016 financial results, but continued to make efforts to turn around Ooyala’s business.

Last April, Ooyala tapped Jonathan Huberman as CEO, a move that came about five months after former CEO Ramesh Srinivasan left the company. Huberman also came on board a couple months after Ooyala had reportedly laid off 14% of its workforce amid a restructuring that, it hoped, would lead to new jobs and product areas.

Ooyala’s business has been focused on three areas: ad tech, online video players and a workflow management system.

Ad tech, “has not performed well and we will therefore seek ways to exit that part of the business,” Stephen Elop, the group executive, technology, innovation and strategy at Telstra, and the chairman of the Ooyala board, said in a statement.

RELATED: Vudu Taps Ooyala for New Ad-VOD Service 

He added that Telstra does “see a future in other core parts of the Ooyala business,” namely the video player and workflow management components, but later stressed that the company “will remain alert for broader strategic options for Ooyala in a market fragmented across multiple providers.”

That market is made up of a mix of different sized tech players that focus on different parts of the multiscreen video ecosystem, including Comcast Technology Solutions, Amazon, Brightcove, IBM, NeuLion, Disney-backed BAMTech, Zype, and Kaltura, among several others.

RELATED: Ooyala Sues Brightcove

Telstra, Elop noted, acquired Ooyala “when the market dynamics were very different…When we announced the initial impairment 18 months ago we indicated that we would be working closely with the team to turn around the performance. We believed Ooyala remained a young and exciting company with leading offerings in intelligent video which were continuing to evolve and scale. While some of these initiatives have been successful, the market has continued to change.”

Machinima, the digital programmer focused on gamer and “fandom” fare, has launched a new 24/7 channel on Twitch, the gaming-focused streaming service that Amazon acquired in 2014.

RELATED: Amazon Puts Up $970 Million For Twitch

The channel, called Machinima 24/7, runs a curated mix of gaming/fandom content along with two hours of live programming each week day.

Update: Like other Twitch channels, Machinima's new offering on the service is free. The new Machinima channel is ad-free to Twitch users who subscribe to the feed (and get other perks), and ad-supported if they do not. 

Machinima, now part of Warner Bros. Digital Networks, said it is emphasizing “best of” gaming and animation content at launch, including videos from Body Count Fighting and Mega Man Dies At The End, among others.

New live content on Machinima’s 24/7 offering includes VR Power Hour (a show focused on VR and mixed reality games and other content); ETC Party Time (ETC’s Ricky and Elion play a combo of top video and table games with a rotating supporting cast); Spacebar (“nerd talk for nerds, not noobs”); and Games With Shibby (a show with internet personality Shibby2142 playing top gaming titles).  

RELATED Warner Bros. Deals for Machinima

“Twitch is home to one of the largest and most loyal communities of fandom and gamer content in the world,” Machinima SVP/GM Russell Arons said, in a statement. “This new initiative with Twitch shows the power and appeal of the Machinima brand and is another important step as we continue to expand our programming service to an increasingly significant number of digital video platforms, providing them with high quality, millennial-targeted video content for today’s mobile, social media world.”

The Twitch launch expands on Machinima’s digital distribution outlets, which also include go90, Amazon Video, Xumo, Comcast’s Watchable, Sky Q, Sohu (China) and AMC (Mexico, Portugal, Spain), as well as an SVOD service that is offered on Sony’s PlayStation Vue. VRV, Ellation’s SVOD aggregation service, launched with Machinima, but has since dropped Machinima, as well as RiffTrax and Ginx, and replaced them with other services. 

Machinima doesn’t break out subscribers, but the company said the service attracts 144 million monthly uniques from around the world.

MSG Network is kicking off its "MSG Shorts" programming block tonight (Oct. 27) with an episode of the Complex Networks online series Sneaker Shopping, featuring Logic (pictured), after the postgame show that follows the New York Knicks game against the Brooklyn Nets. The hourlong block of short-form programming (2 to 20 minute segments) is new and will feature original and acquired content, such as this licensing deal with Complex Networks, along with player interviews and behind-scenes footage.

Other Sneaker Shopping episodes slated to air after certain Knicks and New York Rangers' coverage include ones with Allen Iverson, Jimmy Butler, Deion Sanders and the Ball Family, the networks said. Tonight's launch episode is scheduled to start at approximately 10:30, MSG said. (An earlier version of this item had the incorrect time.)

Complex Networks, whose other programming includes Hot Ones, is owned by Verizon and Hearst and provides shows for sites such as Rated Red and Verizon's Go90 mobile service. It recently struck a deal with Fuse Media that will see a 90-minute programming block start on the Fuse TV channel in November.  

The sneaker-centric profile show is hosted by Complex Networks' VP of content strategy Joe La Puma and averages "nearly 2 million views per episode on Complex.com and YouTube."

Qello, a streaming platform that also owns and operates the Qello Concerts SVOD service, has merged with 8sian Media, a company that specializes in video publishing technologies and video content syndication services.

The combined company will retain the Qello name and support an A.I.-powered content exchange that uses machine learning and big data to tag, monetize and distribute content, they said.

Their combined product suite also includes advertising systems and a platform that supports multiple VOD models, including those based on advertising and subscriptions, as well as live streaming capabilities.

Gary Winnick, whose Winnick & Co. was the majority shareholder in Qello, will serve as chairman of the combined company. Winnick is also a founder of Global Crossing, which was acquired by Level 3 Communications in 2011.

Rex Wong, a “serial entrepreneur” who was a founding investor in Applied Semantics, a company that developed AdSense, will serve as CEO of the Los Angeles-based company.

Roku, the maker of popular streaming players and a software apps and advertising platform, priced its IPO of 15.66 million shares at $14 per share, pricing it at the high end of an earlier announced range of $12 to $14 per share.

RELATED: Roku Bumps IPO Target to $252M

The IPO values Roku at about $1.32 billion. Roku shares, offered under the “ROKU” ticker, will debut on the Nasdaq market today (Sept. 28).

Roku said it’s issuing and selling 9 million shares of Class A common stock while selling stockholders are selling an additional 6.66 million shares. Roku and the selling stockholders have also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2.35 million shares.

Roku is going public as competition continues to heat up in the streaming device and software sector. Rival Amazon just launched a new Fire TV dongle device that supports 4K and HDR for $69.99, and Apple recently introduced a pricier 4K version of the Apple TV. Google, meanwhile, continues to make inroads with its Chromecast platform (for separate streaming adapters and TVs) as well as Android TV.

Roku has fared well so far in the streaming battle, as its lead in the sector in the U.S. rose to  37%  in Q1 2017, from 30% a year ago, according to Parks Associates. Amazon, meanwhile, saw Fire TV market share jump to 24%, from 16%, while Chromecast and Apple TV both suffered declines.

RELATED: Roku’s Share of Streaming Market Rising

Heading into the IPO, Roku filed documents showing that the company generated revenues of $199.7 million for the first six months of 2017, up 23% from the prior year period. For all of 2016, it generated $398.6 million, up 25% from the $319.9 million brought in during 2015. Roku also posted a net loss of $24.2 million in 2017 through June 30.

The bulk of Roku’s revenue comes way of sales of streaming players, with the balance from its Platforms business, which includes advertising, subscription revenue sharing, and licensing fees from TV makers that have integrated Roku’s OS (its TV partners include RCA, TCL, Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Haier America, Sharp, and Insignia/Best Buy).  

Morgan Stanley & Co. and Citigroup Global Markets are the lead bookrunners for the offering. Allen & Company and RBC Capital Markets are acting as book-running managers, and Needham & Company, Oppenheimer & Co. and William Blair & Company are acting as co-managers for the offering.

Vimeo, the online video specialist owned by IAC, said it has acquired Livestream and followed with the launch of Vimeo Live, a product that adds live streaming to its platform.

After Livestream is integrated, Vimeo’s platform will enable partners to capture, edit, stream and archive live vents, and host and distribute videos, via a unified workflow, the company said.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but Vimeo said Livestream powers more than 10 million events a year, with nearly 50 million viewers tuning in per month, for clients that include Dow Jones, the Philadelphia Eagles, Tough Mudder and Spotify.

RELATED: Vimeo Drops Plan for Subscription Video Service

The resulting Vimeo Live platform will be capable of OTT live broadcasts in 1080p, and support built-in cloud and adaptive streaming, Vimeo said, adding that archives can be replaced with files in 4K resolution.

Vimeo will also look to support live distribution on several social platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Twitter, and will create a path to enable live content in branded apps across platforms such as iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung connected TVs.

“Live streaming is the #1 request from our creator community this year, and we’re focused on bringing a new level of quality, convenience and craft to this evolving medium,” Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo, said in a statement.

RELATED: Vimeo Appoints Anjali Sud as CEO

Vimeo expects to complete the acquisition of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Livestream by early Q4 2017. It said Citi acted as exclusive financial advisor to Livestream and Cooley LLP as legal counsel. Williams Mullen acted as legal counsel for IAC.

Yahoo’s free live stream of Sunday’s NFL matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars proved to be a less-than-perfect experience for some consumers who were trying to watch the game on various platforms.

Yahoo carried the game, which kicked off at 9:30 a.m. ET from Wembley Stadium in London, on a wide range of platforms, including web browsers, TV-connected devices (Apple TV, Roku players and Roku TVs, Fire TV devices, Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles, Android TV devices, and Vizio and Samsung smart TVs. It’s also being carried on iOS and Android mobile devices via several apps, including Yahoo Sports, Tumblr, AOL and go90, among others, and has been optimized for the Google Chromecast streaming adapter.

Jacksonville blew out the Ravens, 44-7.

Streaming issues didn’t appear to be widespread (the author was able to view it with no problem on a laptop as well as mobile web on an iPad), but several users were logging complaints about problems on Sunday morning via Twitter – another indication that live streaming of big events at scale remains a key struggle.

Among complaints, Andy Ross, an NFL agent, said the stream was “very blurry” for him, and urged Yahoo to make a half-time adjustment:

Hey @Yahoo this stream of the @NFL game is very blurry. Looks like u need 2 make a 2nd half adjustment as well #JaguarsvsRavens

— Andy Ross (@adross77) September 24, 2017

Phillip Swan, publisher of TVAnswerman.com and a regular critic of live TV streaming, was following along and retweeting issues that other consumers were posting on Twitter, and offered this conclusion:

When you sit down for an NFL game, you shouldn't have to worry if the picture will go awry. #nflstream

— Swanni (@SwanniOnTV) September 24, 2017

Meanwhile, the Yahoo Fantasy Care (@YahooFantasyCC) Twitter handle, was busy responding to customer issues on Sunday morning. Here’s a sampling of those complaints:

@YahooFantasyCC Why can’t I use chromecast to watch the game? Using the iOS app.

— Lucas Wiseman (@Lucas_Wiseman) September 24, 2017

Yahoo Fantasy Care suggested that the viewer might need to close the app and reload it, or reset Chromecast to reestablish the connection.

So why can't I watch the @Jaguars/@Ravens game on my @YahooSports app?? And don't tell me it's because I need an updated version...

— Mike Walpole (@walpeezy) September 24, 2017

In response, Yahoo Fantasy Care asked if the viewer had closed the app entirely and cleared the app cache.

Other complaints that cropped up on Twitter:

@YahooFantasyCC streaming issues on Fios. Constant pauses and buffering.

— Richard Repas (@RichRepas) September 24, 2017

Both on safari and on the roku app ! Still having issues. Commentary was talking about River Thames, video was still on the punt.

— Frank mcgill (@fm___) September 24, 2017

@YahooSports app not working well on Apple TV. Interruptions in the stream, window keeps shrinking to small size in large screen tv. Awful.

— Robert Brosseau (@Bob_Brosseau) September 24, 2017

Leadership changes are afoot at Comcast Technology Solutions, a division focused on multiscreen video distribution and advertising technologies and services.

Comcast confirmed that Matt McConnell, formerly SVP and GM of Comcast Technology Solutions, recently left CTS. Ken Klaer, now SVP, strategic infrastructure at Comcast, is heading up CTS on an interim basis.  Klaer, a former Cisco Systems exec, joined Comcast in 2014 as SVP, premises technology.

In an unrelated move, Barry Tishgart, a former vice president of Comcast Technology Solutions, left CTS a few weeks ago and has joined BAMTech as senior vice president and general management, tech services. BAMTech, a competitor to CTS, is the Disney-owned tech services and video streaming operation originally spun off by MLB Advanced Media.  

RELATED: Disney Set to Launch Direct to Consumer Services

Comcast launched Comcast Technology Solutions last fall as a division that combined three of its media and tech businesses – Comcast Wholesale, thePlatform and This Technology. In January, Comcast Technology Solutions introduced a direct-to-consumer platform for content providers, and has tapped two vendors – Accedo and You.i TV – as user interface/experience partners.

RELATED: Comcast Launches New Tech Unit

Comcast said it’s 100% committed to Comcast Technology Solutions and continues to grow the business.

Online video specialist NeuLion said it has forged an extended partnership with the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) through the 2021/2022  season for the conference's subscription streaming package.  

Under the new deal, NeuLion will deliver several new features and extend support for more devices for NCHC.tv, the live and on-demand digital network for the NCAA Division I men’s hockey conference, which includes Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University.

In addition to support for the web and for Apple TV and Roku devices, NeuLion will also support NCHC.tv apps for iOS and Android mobile devices prior to the 2017/2018 season.

Also new to the service will be “timeline markers” that allow viewers to re-watch and navigate live and on-demand events, and drill down to view specific plays, goals and saves.

NCHC.tv is set to offer more than 140 live games featuring the conference’s schools, complemented by post-game highlights, press conferences, and condensed games.

Ahead of the new season, NCHC is offering an “early bird” price of $94.95 through September 15, before rising to $109.95. Starting September 16, NCHC will also offer a School Annual Subscriptions that grant access to all available home and road games for one team in the conference for $94.95.

Additionally, NCHC will sell Conference Monthly Subscriptions for $26.95, and School Monthly Subscriptions for $19.95.

The new season is slated to start on September 30 with five exhibition games. The regular season starts Friday, Oct. 6.

Last season, NCHC.tv said it delivered more than 1,000 hours of video content, with a 35% increase in hours of live streams from the previous season. Live streams last season were up 84% from the 2015/2016 campaign, and subscriptions have increased by more than 50% from the 2014/2015 season to the 2016/2017 season, they said.

The Walt Disney Co. said it plans to begin launching Disney and ESPN branded direct to consumer products.

Disney said it acquired a majority ownership in BAMTech LLC to serve as the technology backbone for the new products.

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

The announcements came as the company announced lower profits in its third quarter.

RELATED: Michael Paull Named CEO of BAMTech

Disney said it will pay $1.58 billion to acquire an additional 42% stake in BAMTech, the technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).

RELATED: BAMTech CTO: OTT Providers 'Have to Produce Every Day'

The first direct to consumer products will be an ESPN-Branded multi-sport video streaming service that will launch in early 2018. It will be followed by a Disney braded streaming service in 2019.

Read more at B&C.

Eyeballs continue to migrate to smartphones and tablets in greater numbers, but the TV screen still remains a key conduit in the over-the-top video era.

Roku players, Apple TV boxes and other TV-connected OTT devices now lead the way in terms of online ad view share, according to a new report from FreeWheel, the Comcast-owned multiscreen advertising company.

RELATED: Comcast Wraps FreeWheel Deal

FreeWheel’s Video Monetization Report for Q1 2017, noted that OTT has ballooned from 2% to 32% in a four-year period amid heavier investment by publishers and programmers on the TV.

Ad views on smartphones and tablets were steady during that span as they declined on desktops.

In Q1, nearly all the device growth came way of OTT devices and set-top VOD, which FreeWheel dubs as the “new living room” platforms. Ad view composition and growth on OTT devices surged 45% year-on-year, and 33% for set-top VOD, and while dropping 5% on desktops/PCs.

FreeWheel, which based its report on 200 billion video starts in 2016 and 59 billion video starts during Q1 2017, also found that 29% of all programmer ad views originated from “syndicated” platforms, which include “long-tail” web sites and multichannel video programming distributor platforms (TV Everywhere and virtual MVPD services).

 A deeper dive into FreeWheel’s latest study will be featured in the Next TV section of the June 19 edition of Multichannel News.

Ooyala, the Telstra-owned multiscreen OTT specialist, has filed a federal lawsuit against rival Brightcove over allegations that the company and certain employees of Brightcove “engaged in deliberate and willful misappropriation of proprietary trade secrets.”

Per the suit, Ooyala claims that those trade secrets and proprietary info spans customer contact lists, confidential sales pitches and pricing, marketing plans and corporate strategies.

Ooyala held that the alleged misappropriation was being used to undermine and exploit Ooyala’s business dealings and sales efforts for Brightcove’s benefit throughout Latin America.  

Ooyala said it is seeking a court trial and an injunction against Brightcove in federal court in Boston, and is asking the company and its employees to return all proprietary materials and to destroy all customer information stemming from the allegations.

The six-count filing also includes allegations of deceptive business practices, tortious interference and breach of contract, Ooyala said, noting that it gave Brightcove notice once it uncovered the evidence tied to those allegations and that it believes that Brightcove continued to use that information after notice was given.

Brightcove said it reviewed the assertions made by Ooyala in good faith, but that Ooyala “disengaged” from those discussion and pushed ahead with the lawsuit. Brightcove’s full statement is as follows:

"We are aware of Ooyala's assertions concerning the alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. When first alerted to these assertions by Ooyala, we reviewed them in good faith and reached out to Ooyala in an effort to address its concerns. Ooyala disengaged from that conversation and then filed this suit. Brightcove believes that this lawsuit is entirely without merit. We are working to resolve the matter, which is narrowly focused on a particular region and does not concern our products, services or technology."

Ooyala said it has made “significant investments in Latin America,” including an R&D office in Guadalajara, and sales, marketing and channel efforts in Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Update: The complaint, filed May 22 in the U.S. District Court for the  District of Massachusetts by Ooyala, identifies Brightcove and two Brightcove employees, Darío Pérez Real and Raúl Francisco García Domínguez, who were formerly with Ooyala, as defendants.

Per the compliant, Ooyala alleges that Perez “surreptitiously sent to Brightcove a wealth of Ooyala’s confidential and trade secret information” in his final three months of employment as a senior sales exec at Ooyala and while he was being courted to join Brightcove.

Ooyala further claims that Garcia, a former vice president of Ooyala and current head of Brightcove’s Latin America division, coordinated the alleged misappropriation of trade secrets.

The complaint alleges that Perez, prior to resigning from Ooyala on Feb. 23, 2017, had already signed an employment contract with Brightcove and was working with Garcia to send confidential client data to Brightcove and to solicit Ooyala’s current and prospective customers on Brightcove’s behalf.

Ooyala also holds that it has already lost one account to Brightcove and others that were required to be renewed at a lower average contract value “to counteract Brightcove’s misappropriation of Ooyala’s confidential and trade secret information.”

Ooyala didn’t name which of its current and prospective clients were impacted by those allegations, but did point to an April 19 press release from Brightcove announcing “key customer wins,” including Grupo Televisa, Expansión, and Grupo Nación Paraguay, and plans to open an office in Mexico City. Garcia, GM, Latin America at Brightcove at the time of the announcement, is one of the execs quoted in the release.

Pure-play over-the-top video services and authenticated TVE Everywhere offerings share a lot technologies, but they are, at their core, very different animals, especially related to the links between performance and churn mitigation, according to Joe Inzerillo, executive VP and chief technology officer of BAM Tech, the Disney-backed technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).

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

Inzerillo, speaking Wednesday at the Streaming Media East conference in New York, said OTT services must be more wary about exposure to churn if the service runs into technical issues.

If a TVE app runs into problems, it’s possible that the customer would cancel the pay TV service it’s attached to, “but it’s probably not super likely,” he said.

By comparison, an OTT service is the product that people are buying. “If you have problems, if you have issues…then it leads to churn immediately,” Inzerillo said. “Churn is one of the most important things…Churn mitigation is really important.”

RELATED: Data a Key Driver for OTT Services, BAM Tech CEO Says

He said that difference also allows TVE services to take more risks with things like advertising or other features that could create a defect in the stream.

“OTT products  tend to be cared for more than TVE products,” he said. “That's not to say there aren’t great TVE products out there...but, I think, in general, [with] OTT you have to produce every day. The friction of un-subscription is very low.”

As for next-gen video quality platforms, Inzerillo believes High Dynamic Range (HDR), with its deeper blacks and color depths, is more important than 4K at this juncture, and that the two must be thought of separately.

“4K is not all that impactful from the customer standpoint to me, relative to HDR,” he said, noting that, with 4K, consumers need a large display, and don’t get much benefit from it when watching on a tablet or a smartphone.

On those smaller screens, “4K doesn’t buy you anything. HDR does immediately…In our minds, better pixels wins.”

As for platforms, about BAMTech is seeing about 25% to 30% of viewing occurring on the web, though TV-connected devices represents the fastest growing segment. “It makes sense; it’s a high quality experience,” Inzerillo said.

Inzerillo was also asked if he is concerned about data caps and other usage-based broadband policies that service providers are employing. He’s not a fan of them.

"Certainly data caps are not good from a content provider standpoint,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a healthy thing for the industry. There are real hurdles out there.”

But those policies have influenced the product, leading to settings, such as resolution and frame rates, that empower the consumer to manage the bandwidth themselves.

Though BAMTech, which counts MLB.tv, PlayStation Vue and HBO Now among its clients, is known as a leader in linear, live OTT streaming, VOD is also a key part of the business.

“You have to get very good at both,” Inzerillo said, but acknowledged that “our DNA has been wired for live.”

People place more trust in their friends to make movie and TV recommendations than they do in their partners or significant others, according to a study commissioned by Roku that is being released ahead of National Streaming Day (May 20).

Per the survey, conducted by Macro Inc. from April 24 to May 1 involving 1,068 U.S. adults, about 44% placed that trust in friends, versus 19% in partners and significant others.

The study, which focused on how consumers make streaming decisions, also found that 60% sought recommendations from people with a similar sense of humor, versus 31% of those with the same political and social views, 18% of the same gender, or 17% from those who live in the same town.

Commercials still hold significant influence, as 60% of those surveyed said commercials suggesting TV content helped to determine what they watch, followed by Facebook posts (43%), Twitter (20%) and Snapchat (13%).

Consumers are also more apt to share recommendations on TV shows (29%) and movies (25%) than they are for restaurants (16%) and travel (7%), the study found.

In celebration of Streaming Day, Roku said it is offering $10 discounts on several models (the Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Premiere, Roku Premiere+ and Roku Ultra, at retail stores and at Roku.com through midnight PT on May 20.

Roku is also unlocking some content during that span, including Twin Peaks season 1 on Showtime, select episodes of Riverdale from The CW, three documentaries from Smithsonian Earth, and select programs via Fox Now. 

Orange is the New Black saw a sharp increase in demand around the world in the wake of a hack that spread the fifth season of the Netflix original series ahead of its scheduled premiere on the OTT SVOD service, according to data culled by Parrot Analytics.

Over a seven-day period, there was a rise in demand for the series following the breach, with demand in the U.S. up as much as 40% compared to that during the series’ fourth season, the company said.

A group of internet hackers that refers to itself as The Dark Overlord hacked into a production company that produced episodes of season five of the popular Netflix series and released 10 episodes from the new season after its demands for money were not met.

RELATED: Netflix Series Hacked, Other Programmers Could Follow

The leak of those episodes could cause demand to droop when Netflix releases season five of Orange is the New Black on June 9, Parrot Analytics predicted.

“The fact that stolen and leaked episodes are able to generate this much demand is significant,” Wared Seger, CEO of Parrot Analytics, said in a statement. “[A]lthough we don’t believe they [Netflix] will lose any subscribers, we do believe it is likely that when Season 5 launches in June, it may not generate as much demand as did the prior seasons.”

“For digital original series where the entire season is released at once, we observe that they are hugely popular for two or three days before demand begins to decay exponentially. We have seen this phenomenon for every SVOD platform, be it Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or elsewhere,” added Kayla Heeds, the firm’s industry data scientist.

According to Parrot Analytics’s 2016 global Digital Originals Report, Orange is the New Black was the fourth-most popular digital original series last year, ahead Stranger Things, but behind Fuller House, Gilmore Girls and Marvel’s Luke Cage.

Parrot Analytics tracks cross-platform usage via a mix of A.I. and global data, and analyzes petabytes of content demand data from consumers in 249 countries.

Ooyala, the online video publisher owned by Telstra, said it has hired Jonathan Huberman as CEO, effective April 18.

Former CEO Ramesh Srinivasan left Ooyala last November, with Issac Vaughn, Ooyala’s SVP, corporate development and general counsel, stepping in as acting CEO as the company conducted its search for a successor.

RELATED: Telstra To Acquire Ooyala

Huberman also comes aboard a couple months after Ooyala reportedly laid off 14% of its total workforce tied to a restructuring that would eventually create new job openings focused on new product areas.

Prior to Ooyala, Huberman was the CEO of Syncplicity, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company for enterprise file collaboration that was acquired in February by Axway. Before that, he was CEO of Tiburon, a public safety software provider (acquired by TriTech in 2015), and was president of EMC’s Consumer and Small Business Division.

Though some of Huberman's recent exec slots have resulted in M&A activity, Ooyala talked up his track record in driving growth. 

“Mr. Huberman has a standout record of delivering profound growth for cloud-based technologies in complex industries and is a well-suited leader for Ooyala,” Stephen Elop, said Ooyala’s chairman, said in a statement. His dedication to customer satisfaction and keen attention to matching the right solutions to the right challenges in the industry will help drive Ooyala’s next phase of growth.”

Ooyala is in a highly competitive market that is also becoming increasingly commoditized. Competitors include a mix of large media companies and startups such as Comcast Technology Solutions, Brightcove, IBM, NeuLion, BAMTech, Zype, and Kaltura, among others.

Joe Inzerillo, executive vice president and CTO for BAMTech and a special advisor to Major League Baseball, has joined the board of Qwilt, a company that specializes in open caching systems for over-the-top and IP video apps and services.

BAMTech is the recently formed, Disney-backed technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).

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

Qwilt and MLBAM are founding members of the Streaming Video Alliance, a group that focuses on standards and best practices for online video. The SVA formed in the fall of 2014, and counts Comcast and Liberty Global among its members.

RELATED: Perchance to Stream (subscription required)

As an SVA member, Qwilt is also involved in a new open caching architecture that’s designed to drive more quality and scale into live and on-demand streaming.

RELATED: Charter, Verizon Among Group to Trial New ‘Open Caching’ Architecture

“Streaming video continues to grow and has become an unstoppable force of nature,” Inzerillo said, in a statement. “ Alon [Maor, Qwilt’s CEO] and I share a common vision to define and enable the new architecture for streaming which relies more on the reach, scale and quality of Internet service provider network infrastructure for content and application delivery. This new architecture, the Edge Cloud in service provider networks, is essential to the long-term scaling of content and application delivery.”

Comcast Cable said it has appointed former Amazon video exec Euan McLeod to the post of vice president, IP video engineering.

McLeod most recently served as global head of video of video at Amazon, where he headed strategy and development for projects and initiatives that included Amazon Video, Amazon Prime and Amazon Music. McLeod reports to Jason Press, SVP, video engineering and operations for Comcast Cable.

In his new role, McLeod will lead Comcast VIPER (Video IP Engineering & Research), the Denver-based engineering team that designs, develops and deploys the software Comcast uses to deliver IP video to TVs, smartphones and connected devices. McLeod will also guide Comcast’s ongoing migration to IP-based video delivery across all devices and platforms, the company said.

RELATED: Comcast Prepping Q3 Launch of ‘Xfinity Instant TV’

VIPER is also part of the Technology and Product Organization led by Tony Werner, who was promoted last year to president, technology and product at Comcast Cable.

RELATED:  Comcast Promotes Werner, Kotay

“Euan is a brilliant technologist with a proven track record of delivering world-class video experiences to customers,” Press said, in a statement. “His unique combination of experience, passion and technological prowess makes him the perfect fit to accomplish Comcast VIPER’s ambitious mission of building and deploying a next-generation IP video platform.”

Prior to Amazon, McLeod was VP of content platforms with Turner, where he oversaw development and operations for digital video content for networks such as CNN and TNT. He also McLeod founded Mobile Platform, a mobile video company that counted  customers such as BBC, Turner and Sky.

RELATED: Comcast to Launch ‘Xfinity Stream’ App on Feb. 28

McLeod earned his bachelor of engineering degree from Edinburgh Napier University and his MBA from Heriot-Watt University. He also studied marketing innovative technologies through Harvard Business School’s executive education program.

Video streaming and advanced advertising specialist Roku is in talks to raise at least $200 million in a new round of funding at a valuation of about $1.5 billion, Fortune reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Fortune said Roku received a term sheet this week and that the round will be led by U.S.-based investors not named, but cited a source indicating that they won’t be “standard Silicon Valley firms.”

Roku declined to comment on the report.

RELATED: Roku Raises $45.5M More

Roku has already raised about $210 million, according to CrunchBase. Its investors include Fidelity, 21st Century Fox, Netflix, Menlo Ventures, Hearst, Sky, Menlo Ventures, and Viacom, among others.

RELATED: Roku, Comcast Kick Off Xfinity TV App Beta Trial

Roku, the subject of IPO rumors in recent years, is a top provider of streaming platforms via its array of standalone devices that compete with OTT products from  Google, Apple and Amazon. Roku has complemented that that with platform integrations on smart TVs from companies such as Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Haier America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense, as well as a Roku Powered strategy focused on partnerships with MVPDs and other service providers.

Ooyala, the Telstra-owned online video company, has laid off about 70 people, or 14% of its total workforce, amid a restructuring that will open up jobs focused on new product areas, Dan Rayburn, EVP of StreamingMedia.com and principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan, reported Tuesday, citing a memo to employees that announced the changes.

Ooyala, acquired by Australia-based telco Telstra in 2014, did not confirm the headcount figures, but did confirm that it had “reduced part of its workforce” as it looks to create headroom, reinvest in the business, and hire in new areas of expertise tied to its media logistics and ad-tech products that are “above and beyond its continued investment in its OVP [Online Video Platform] business.”

RELATED: Telstra To Acquire Ooyala

The restructuring of its global software and services organization also aims to place more sales and support resources in the field “to streamline customer adoption and deployments of its comprehensive suite of video software and services,” a company official told Multichannel News via email.

Ooyala issued this statement from acting CEO Issac Vaughn:

“We are fortunate in that over the last two years we've made significant headway across all of our product lines. The next phase must be about realizing the potential of our R&D investments. The restructure we announced today will put more specialized product, sales and channel resources in the field, and significantly grow our technical support staff to improve customer enablement and long-term customer success."

Rayburn reported that Ooyala plans to rehire about 7% new employees in pursuit of its plan to focus on areas outside of its OVP product line. A major focus, he said, be on selling a suite that includes the Ooyala Flex (workforce automation) and Ooyala Pulse (advanced/programmatic advertising) products.

Citing the memo, Rayburn said Ooyala’s decision comes as the online video market is “becoming more commoditized by the number of competitors and large enterprises entering the business.”  

Ooyala’s online video competition includes companies such as Comcast Technology Solutions, Brightcove, IBM (which recently acquired Clearleap and Ustream), BAMTech, and Kaltura, among others.  Notably, Telstra’s BigPondTV service tapped thePlatform (now part of Comcast Technology Solutions) a few years ago to serve as its central video management system.

Update: Ooyala said BigPond has since migrated back to Ooyala's technology platform.  

RELATED: Michael Paull Named CEO of BAMTech

Michael Paull, the industry vet who most recently ran the Amazon Channels SVOD business, has been named CEO of BAMTech, the Disney-backed technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).

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

Paull, who will start in March and report to the BAMTech board of directors, will set the vision for the venture and lead “its transformation into an independent company driving sustainable high growth,” the company noted.

BAMTech said it OTT platform currently serves 7.5 million global paid subs via a roster of partners that includes HBO Now, the NHL, MLB, the PGA Tour, WWE Network, Riot Games/League of Legends, and Ice Network. Discovery and BAMTech have also jointly formed BAMTech Europe.

The appointment of Paull comes amid a CEO search at BAMTech that got underway late last year after MLBAM confirmed that Bob Bowman would step back his day-to-day running of BAMTech as he returned full time to his position as president of business media at Major League Baseball, where he oversees MLBAM, MLB Network, and the league’s sponsorship and consumer product businesses.

RELATED: Search for BAMTech CEO Underway

Paull, who will be relocating to New York, most recently was vice president, digital video at Amazon. Of recent note, he spearheaded Amazon Channels, an SVOD aggregation service for Amazon Prime that offers about 100 services from partners that include HBO, Showtime and Starz. Paull has also held exec slots at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Fox Entertainment Group and Time Warner. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and also received his BS from the University of California, Riverside.

RELATED: SVOD Surge (subscription required)

“Michael is a talented and accomplished executive who shares our collective vision for BAMTech as it aggressively explores new means to acquire and distribute video content,” said Robert D. Manfred, Jr., commissioner of Baseball. “We are confident Michael will deliver on the incredible potential and promise this venture has for building powerful viewing experiences for its clients and their customers.”

The team at BAMTech has created a best in class Over-The-Top video streaming platform allowing them to develop innovative solutions for their customers,” Paull added. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with this highly accomplished team and want to thank Major League Baseball and The Walt Disney Company for this exciting opportunity.”

Amid a sea of product choices from Google, Roku, Amazon and Apple alongside a surge in available OTT content, about 43% of U.S. Internet homes will own at least one streaming media player by the end of 2019, NPD Connected Intelligence predicted in its new Connected Home Forecast.

By that time, NPD expects there to be 238 million installed Internet-connected TV devices, representing a 59% rate of growth from 2015 to 2019.

NPD said connected TVs will drive 45% of the growth in the next four years, while less expensive, streaming media players will drive 35% of that growth.

“With an ever-increasing number of connectable devices expected to be connected to the Internet, viewers will have the ability to choose their preferred option instead of using the only device they have attached to their TV,” John Buffone, executive director, industry analyst at NPD Connected Intelligence, said in a statement. “This shift will inevitably result in diminished usage for some devices.”

This year and through 2019, NPD also expects streaming media devices to be found in more homes than any other connected TV devices, pointing to products from companies such as Google, Roku, Amazon and Apple.  Likewise, NPD expects a consolidation and shakeout of operating systems to occur, as more TV makers opt to partner with the likes of Roku and Google and step away from managing their own app ecosystems.

NPD based its forecast and research on a consumer panel of more than 5,000 U.S. consumers, aged 18-plus. 

Though viewing trends continue to shift to mobile and specialized OTT devices, the set-top box is experiencing a bit of a renaissance with respect to VOD ad views, according to a new study from FreeWheel, the Comcast-owned online ad-tech company.

RELATED: Comcast Wraps FreeWheel Deal

Growth in set-top VOD ad views, for programmers that have enabled dynamic ad insertion, rocketed 103% year-over-year, and a share of 16%, per FreeWheel’s Q3 Video Monetization Report, which based its findings on more than 47 billion video views in the period.

RELATED: Canoe Pumps Out 4.84B Ad Impressions in Q2

Desktop/laptops held the largest share of online VOD ad views, at 36% and up 11% YoY, while showing more signs of leveling out,  followed by OTT devices (22%, up 63% YoY), set-top VOD, smartphones (17%, up 39%), and tablets (9%, up 15% YoY).

Overall, ad views rose 28% YoY, while video views climbed 37%, driven by greater consumption of short-form video, FreeWheel said.  Short-form content rose 31% in the period due in part to news clip viewing tied to the U.S. election

Driven by news coverage and the Rio Olympics, live content  rose 60% YoY, versus a rise of 18% for long-form VOD (20 minutes or more), and 31% for short-form VOD (less than five minutes).

The Summer Games also helped the share of ad views from authenticated (TV Everywhere) viewing for long-form and live content to again reach a peak of 72%, the same high-water mark achieved in Q1 2016. 

The search for a CEO of BAMTech, the Disney-backed technology services and video streaming spin-off of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), is underway.

An MLBAM official confirmed a report from Bloomberg that Bob Bowman will step back his day-to-day running of BAMTech as he returns full time to his position as president of business and media at Major League Baseball, where he oversees MLBAM, MLB Network, and the league’s sponsorship and consumer product businesses. Bloomberg said Bowman will remain on the BAMTech board.

The official added that it’s always been part of the plan for BAMTech, a $3.5 billion company, to have its own dedicated CEO and management team.

RELATED: HBO 'Very Happy' with BAMTech Partnership 

MLBAM also confirmed that it has retained search firm Egon Zehnder lead the pursuit of a new CEO. MLBAM is overseeing the process with help from The Walt Disney company, which recently inked a deal to acquire 33% of BAMTech, with an option to acquire a majority stake in the coming years.

RELATED: Discovery Forms Venture With BAMTech in Europe

WurlTV Network said it forged deals with Bonnier, Busca, Splash News, Sportskool and Zoomin.TV for an platform that will enable its MVPD partners to deliver over-the-top content on Internet-connected set-top boxes.

Wurl has previously said that more than 50 operators have signed on to distribute a mix of ad-supported, over-the-top streaming channels that will appear in set-top guides alongside traditional, linear TV services.  A good portion of those include MVPDs that use the Arris Whole Home Solution (a product/platform sold recently to Espial) or a TiVo-powered platform.

Wurl’s announced MVPD partners include WideOpenWest,  Fidelity Communications and TDS.

RELATED: Wurl, IGN Launch Streaming TV Channel 

Among the new content partners, Bonnier  Corp. works with brands such as Popular Science, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Saveur; Busca features content for Spanish-speaking audiences, with digital properties that include LevelUp, Tomatazos (Rotten Tomatoes in Spanish), Qore, SanDiegoRed, and Tarreo, and Splash News specializes in celebrity-focused and breaking news. Sportskool is dedicated to sports lifestyle and entertainment programming, and Zoomin.TV offers human interest and light news stories gathered from a global network of video journalists.

Wurl has previously announced that its platform will feature a mix of its own aggregated/curated streaming channels -- The Alt Channel (“millennial-targeted” content), Streaming News Network, and The Sports Feed – and content sourced from other partners, including Popcornflix Channel and Baeble Music TV.

Tech titans such as Amazon, Facebook and Google are redefining the digital video market. They are putting pressure on the future of the traditional media and entertainment (M&E) industry by pushing a new content aggregation and distribution model – “super platforms” - that deliver a wide array of digital services, backed by large user communities and large amounts of cash. 

Fueling this market disruption is the huge demand for digital video. The popularity of over-the-top (OTT) cannot be denied. More than 35% of North America Internet traffic during prime hours comes from Netflix. Nearly every week there is an announcement about a new service trying to carve out its own piece of the digital video pie. Just recently the NFL made a deal with Twitter to stream Thursday night NFL games online.

While these developments are great for consumers—less cost, more choice and convenience, and no iron-clad pay TV contacts—they threaten traditional content providers (TV and cable networks) and aggregators (cable and telco companies) who lack the infrastructure of a super platform. Without a viable digital play, these parties risk diluting their prominence and relevance to the modern viewer.

What can these providers and aggregators do? There is no one solution that fits all. It’s about applying the methodology that bests helps them leverage their strengths. A successful digital business model should have scale, monetization and personalization. That can mean building a direct business-to-consumer digital service from the ground up, or working with affiliate partners who are already have those digital and customer credentials in place, enhancing the editorial, quality of experience, and packaging capabilities of traditional M&E companies. The clock is ticking though.

Battle Plans

Despite the pressure from these new competitors, traditional M&E companies have some distinct advantages in editorial voice and market penetration that can serve them well in the digital realm. For content providers looking to go digital, there are four key strategies they can employ:

1. Work Across Digital Content Aggregators While Maintaining Affiliate Relationships

Content providers need to work with digital content aggregators to have some influence on how consumers experience their content on those platforms while benefiting from their scale and consumer relationships. It will be important to strike mutually beneficial relationships to target digital audiences while being flexible to diversify across a number of platforms to better match where the market is going.   This requires adding capabilities to provide marketing and advertising initiatives across multiple channels and the ability to quickly pivot based on which platforms provide the most value.

2. Move Fast

Speed of service is everything in digital. Turn to digital platforms that can handle multiple customer loads at scale and at a cost advantage, and agile, continuous delivery-based product engineering to allow new services to be rolled quickly.

3. Stay Close to the Consumer

Where possible, strike one-on-one relationships with consumers by leveraging available analytics tools to better cater to their needs while embedding those insights into every touchpoint the consumer engages with, even if provided by a digital platform. This is difficult for some M&E companies who have traditionally transacted over B2B relationships in the value chain – but a required capability for any B2C digital business.

4. Support Multiple Digital Models

No one digital business model will suffice. Be able to quickly launch, test and adjust multiple models that cover the wide variety of old and new customers coming aboard digital platforms of content aggregators and your own.

The strategies for aggregators that support the content distribution channel are somewhat different but still hit on the major themes of scalability, personalization and monetization; leveraging some advantages unique to them:

1. New Packaging Models

Content is the draw so repackage traditional content into appropriately priced bundles that offer targeted programming at affordable prices with optimized margins. Digital gives aggregators the luxury to test and adjust bundles to find the one that works the best.

2. Scaling Up

Aggregators need to maintain parity with super platforms that offer significant scale and service agility. They can do this by launching streaming services alongside their traditional distribution channels, or bundling different services from across their business, similar to a triple-play offer.

3. Leverage Consumer Insight, Maintain their Trust

Aggregators have a unique advantage in understanding customer behavior and preferences across numerous providers. They can use this insight to build stronger consumer relationships in the digital realm and use it as a draw to enable content providers to be profitable on their platforms. The key to maintaining this advantage is to put safeguards in place that protect privacy and security, two key concerns for digital consumers.

4. Leverage their Advantage in the Living Room

The living room is still a prized space to own in media. Aggregators have an advantage through consumer premise equipment – especially if it can provides numerous services, not just entertainment. Future opportunities lie in the Internet of Things and smart home initiatives. Aggregators should promote development tools and interfaces that produce innovations in these growth areas, creating relationships across numerous digital services providers, starting of course with media.

The battle for the digital content consumer continues to escalate, but traditional M&E brands are not down for the count. They can still compete or partner with newer, digital entrants if they invest in the appropriate capabilities that take advantage of and extend their current strengths and use those advantages to carve out their place in the digital market, capturing growth while driving profitability in their traditional business.

Youssef Tuma is a Managing Director and Global Lead for the Accenture Digital Video Business. He can be reached at  youssef.d.tuma@accenture.com.

Amazon is in talks with several leagues, including the National Basketball Association, National Football League, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball, as well as programmers as it considers adding a premium live sports package to its subscription-based Prime offering, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The paper said Amazon is interested in securing rights to drive more consumers to its $99 per year Prime offering, as well as a skinny bundle of pay TV channels. Amazon said back in 2014 that it was not planning to license television channels or to offer a pay-TV service, but that stance might have changed.

Amazon’s purported interest in adding live sports would come as several major sports leagues continue to open up OTT distribution deals with outlets such as Twitter.

RELATED: Twitter Nabs Thursday Night NFL Streaming Deal

RELATED: Twitter To Stream Live MLB, NHL Games

The WSJ said Amazon have also approached traditional TV networks, including Univision, about sports rights they aren’t using, as well as ESPN, One World Sports, Campus Insiders, and the World Surf League, among others.

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

In the meantime, Amazon has put a heavy emphasis on SVOD as it gears up for an anticipated global expansion. In addition to selling its own Prime offering, Amazon has also attracted several programmers and media companies to its Streaming Partners Program.

RELATED: Amazon’s Streaming Partners Program Clicking With Content Makers, Consumers

Live video streaming traffic tied to Tuesday’s U.S. Presidential Election set a record for a single news event on Akamai's platform, the content delivery network company said.

Akamai said live video streaming traffic specific to the election peaked at 7.5 Tbps on its platform shortly before midnight ET on Tuesday.

By way of comparison, Akamai noted that Election Day traffic on Akamai in 2004 peaked at just 21 Gbps, and hit 1.1 Tbps during the 2009 Obama inauguration, and 1.3 Tbps for the Royal Wedding in 2011.

Of more recent note, first 2016 Presidential debate peaked at 4.4 Tbps in September, the company said.

Akamai also estimated a streaming audience size during last night’s election of 3.35 million, up from 1.8 million during the first 2016 Presidential debate on Sept. 26.

"Not only are more people watching online in general, they're watching at higher quality, which contributes to the increasingly higher peaks in traffic that we're observing,” Bill Wheaton, EVP and GM of media at Akamai, said in a statement, pointing out that 2016 has already been a record-setter for streaming thanks to the European soccer finals and the Summer Games in Rio.

Starz is nearing 1 million OTT subs, a milestone achieved roughly six months after the premium programmer introduced a new app that supports a new direct-to-consumer subscription offering as well as TV Everywhere, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht revealed last Thursday (Oct. 27) on the company’s Q3 earnings call.

RELATED: Starz Launches OTT Subscription App

Update: The story originally reported that Starz had surpassed 1 million OTT subscribers, but has been changed to note that the premium programmer is approaching that milestone. 

Albrecht said Starz is also seeing OTT gains from a digital distribution deal with Amazon that was announced in December 2015 through the e-tailing giant’s new Streaming Partners Program

“Our success in this area is buttressing our core Starz Network business, which continues to perform very well,” Albrecht said. “Our digital distribution initiatives are performing well, complementing the way we work with traditional distributors and providing consumers with additional ways to access our highly rated content.”

Later in the call, Albrecht said he was contractually prohibited from saying how much of Starz’s OTT subscription mix was coming way of Amazon or its own efforts with the new app.  

However, Amazon has “been marketing it very well,” Albrecht said, adding that Starz has taken a “less aggressive approach in the marketing” of its own app by comparison.

He also said that there’s a “fair amount” of broadband-only and mobile customers who are adding Starz via the Amazon option.

“The response has been quite good,” Albrecht said, noting that, historically, “new distributors [like Amazon] have always paid a higher rate than the incumbent.”

The Starz CEO also said the programmer’s new multiyear affiliation deal with AT&T-DirecTV will include participation in the new DirecTV Now OTT service.

Elsewhere on the digital front, Starz is also offering originals such as Ash vs Evil Dead, Black Sails and The Girlfriend Experience via Vimeo’s recently launched global television store/EST offering.

Starz, which is in the process of merging with Lionsgate, added 1.2 million subs year-on-year, ending the quarter with 56 million combined Starz and Starz Encore subs.

Starz Networks posted Q3 revenues of $348.6 million, up 6% year-on-year, with operating income of $80.4 million. Consolidated revenues were $407.8 million, with operating income of $74 million.

Albrecht said it is too early to understand the full impact of the proposed AT&T-Time Warner Inc. merger.

“It's at the beginning of the process. It's going to be a long process and it's anyone's guess what happens,” Albrecht said. “We're excited about it from the point of view that we think it highlights the value of content and companies that create their own content and have the platforms to distribute their own content, and Starz is right there.”

RELATED: Lionsgate: No Pressure From Malone on Starz Deal

He also pointed out that Starz, which is merging with Lionsgate, will “still be an independent company capable of partnering and making unique kind of deals to grow our company, to monetize that content.” 

Apple will soon launch a new “TV” app for the Apple TV, iPhone and iPad that aims to provide “unified” access to the TV shows and movies that are offered via the various individual video apps that a user has installed on those devices.

The TV app, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised, will change how consumers watch TV across those devices because they won’t need to toggle between those individual apps.

RELATED: Apple’s New TV Pursuit Is An All-Seeing, All-Knowing Guide: Report

The TV app’s “Watch Now” component takes viewers straight into the app tied to a show or movie (or acquired via iTunes) and automatically starts the video stream, and, when a viewer pauses, a program, enables them to pick up where they left off on another compatible Apple device.

The TV app’s “Up Next” feature presents shows and movies they are most likely to watch first. When a viewer finishes an episode, for example, the next one in a series will automatically appear in the up Next queue. The new app also includes recommendations, including programs picked by Apple’s own curators, and “Library” view that shows the movies and TV shows rented or bought on iTunes.

While Hulu, Showtime, HBO, and Starz are among the apps that appear to be supported by Apple’s TV app, per today’s demo, content from Netflix is not supported, at least not yet, Recode reported on Wednesday.

This apparent lack of support for all video apps was not lost on those who were streaming the Apple event: 

"There's really no reason for anyone to watch TV anywhere else" unless you're outside the US, or watch Netflix or Amazon Prime #appleevent

— Joe Cox (@JosephCox) October 27, 2016

Apple is also adding a click-to-install component that will automatically download a specific app to all the user’s Apple devices, and supports a new single sign-on feature that aims to reduce the friction of toggling between pay TV/TV Everywhere apps. Starting in December, this capability will be extended to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers, Apple said.

RELATED; Adobe, Synacor Back Apple’s Single Sign-On Effort

Cook said the TV app will be offered for free with a software update for tvOS and iOS starting in the U.S. by the end of the year.  Cook noted that Apple TV currently supports more than 8,000 apps, including 1,600 video apps.

Earlier, Twitter demonstrated a new version of its app that more tightly integrates the social networking platform with the Apple TV. By way of example, Twitter showed its app streaming a Thursday Night Football game alongside Twitter conversation that is tied to the live matchup. Tweets on the platform also include video replays and Periscope feeds from different vantage-points from the game.

More to come…

Recent updates to the Web site for DirecTV Now show that AT&T’s coming OTT-TV service will support live local streams of ABC and NBC in “select markets” and will initially support a handful of streaming platforms, including the Amazon Fire TV box, fourth-gen Apple TV, Google Cast, as well as Web browsers and Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. 

That update, spotted today by TV Predictions among others, also says DirecTV Now will be “coming soon” to the Google Chromecast streaming adapter and Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Updates:

-The DirecTV Now Web site, as of about 12:30 p.m. ET, appears to be down. 

-As of 1 p.m. ET, the DirecTV Now Web site was back online, though the new material about content and platform support has been removed. At last check, the site has reverted back to an original teaser version that lets prospective customers input their contact information and receive future updates. 

RELATED:DirecTV Now Coming in November

DirecTV Now will start at $35 per month with 100-plus channels and launch sometime next month.

RELATED: DirecTV Now to Cost $35 Per Month

DirecTV Now’s initial lineup has not been announced, but the site does note that live streams from ABC and NBC will be “available in select markets,” that customers will be able to add-on HBO and Cinemax, and that the service will feature more than 10,000 on-demand movies and TV shows. The site did not spell out which markets will get those local live feeds, but it's likely that they will initially include those in the ABC and NBC owned-and-operated markets. 

Per the DirecTV Now site, customers will also be able to try the service for free for seven days.

Viacom, NBCU,  Discovery Communications, Scripps Networks, A+E Networks and Turner are among the programmers that have announced distribution deals for DirecTV Now.

RELATED: Next TV Summit 2016: Goncalves: No Skinny Bundles for DirecTV Now

On the backend, AT&T is reserving enough capacity to support about 1 million simultaneous DirecTV Now customers, according to a report from Dan Rayburn, EVP for StreamingMedia.com and principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

RELATED: NBCU’s Burke: ‘Healthy Degree of Skepticism’ That OTT TV Will Draw Subs by the Millions

Rayburn said AT&T will be using “at least three CDN partners” for DirecTV Now, including Akamai, Level 3 Communications and Limelight Networks.

The analyst also estimated that if AT&T did sign up 1 million subs and each sub watched 90 hours of video a month, or about three hours per day, the total volume of traffic per user would be 85 gigabytes, using an average bit rate of 2.1 Mbps.

If that traffic was to be divided by three CDN partners equally, Rayburn further estimated that the value of the contract to each would be about $850,000 per month.

“But AT&T won’t have 1M subscribers from day one and most users probably won’t watch 90 hours a month, or will watch some on mobile, which takes up far fewer bits,” Rayburn wrote. “For the first few quarters the delivery business would only be worth about $250,000 to each CDN per month, as AT&T ramps.” 

Wochit, a startup that curates, licenses and syndicates video news footage for a range of Web video platforms, said it has raised another $13 million in a round that included ProSieben, SPH Media Fund, Carlo de Benedetti and existing investors Redpoint, Marker LLC and Cedar Fund.

Wochit said it will use the funds to expand its business with publishers and content creators worldwide.

Wochit, who’s co-founders include BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz (Arris acquired BigBand in 2011), raised a $4.75 million A round in 2013. Wochit, headquartered in New York with offices in Tel Aviv  and London, was founded in 2012.

Brands and media companies such as Time Inc., Daily News, USA Today, Gannett, AOL, The Week, ProSieben, Singapore Straits Times, Die Welt and Der Spiegel use Wochit’s platform to produce short-form videos around trending topics.

According to the Wochit, it published 15,348 videos last month and has more than 350 publishers on board.

"The proliferation of content platforms has resulted in an incredible demand for video. With Wochit, ProSiebenSat.1 is able to produce video content at the scale needed to address this growing need, even providing tools to help deliver that content in the right format for each distribution channel, Jens Doka, chief product officer at ProSiebenSat1 Digital, said in a statement. 

Watchable, the free, ad-based OTT service from Comcast introduced in beta form last fall, has launched two exclusive Web series – Awesome Pet Thoughts from Jukin Media, and 100 Years of Beauty-How To from Cut.com.

Watchable has ordered 20 episodes of Awesome Pet Thoughts, a short-form comedy offering that takes viewers through a narrative story arc using user-generated video of pets and animals from the Jukin library. The first five episodes debuted on Watchable today, with the other 15 to be released in the coming weeks.

The 100 Years of Beauty: How-To series, meanwhile, is an exclusive spin off of the YouTube series that provides step-by-step hair and makeup instructions for “modern interpretations” of historical figures and icons such as Frida Kahlo, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, and Imelda Marcos.

Comcast kicked off its Watchable exclusives initiative in August, announcing content deals with Refinery29, mitú, Cut.com, CollegeHumor, PopSugar, Studio71 and BuzzFeed Motion Pictures.

At the time, Craig Parks, VP of programming for Watchable, said Comcast was pitched on more than 400 concepts and ideas for its new exclusives initiative.

Other exclusive Watchable series already on offer or in the works include Ballin’ on a Budget(Refinery29); Cholos Try (mitú),  How to Human (Cut.com), Knock Knock (PopSugar), I Want My Phone Back (CollegeHumor), Logan Paul VS (Studio71), Would You Rather (Cut.com), and Am I Doing This Right? (BuzzFeed).

Watchable is currently available to all via mobile apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Web browsers, as well as via X1 set-tops.

Looking to fill what it views as a content gap, a startup called Recursor has booted up over-the-top video service, Recursor.TV, that is focused on short-form, “hard” science fiction fare developed by an array of independent filmmakers and content creators.

The first phase of Recursor’s business centers on a free, ad-supported model tied to the launch of its first original series alongside a mix of curated content. Early on, it will offer a blend of series and shows in subgenres such as military sci-fi, augmented reality, time travel, A.I., post-apocalyptic worlds, alien encounters and cyberpunk noir, that will generally fixate on series that follow a general "ten-by-ten model" -- ten 10-minute episodes.

Recursor’s first original Web series is Nina_Unlocked, billed as a “character-driven interview series” featuring actor, singer and YouTube personality Lana McKissack. She plays an android and “former robotic assassin who lost most of her memory after somehow rebooting herself.” The first three episodes are premiering this fall. The first episode of Nina_Unlocked can be viewed here. 

The site is already populated by several other short-form titles, including The Raven, a thriller set in an alternate and futuristic Los Angeles; Sputnik, the story about “the evolution of an extraterrestrial mind from Maxim Zhestkov; and Noon, a scene from a completed feature screenplay that takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting.

While free and ad-focused is the initial aim (modop is Recursor’s media/advertising partner), it also plans to expand on that business.

“As we evolve and continue to acquire more content and create more content, our roadmap is to become an SVOD [service],” E.J. Kavounas, Recursor’s CEO, said.

Further out, Recursor will also look at developing longer-form sci-fi content that follows more closely to a TV-like format, Kavounas added.

Recursor, he said, is looking to bridge a gap in the sci-fi genre and focus on modern, independently produced sci-fi content, in the vein of shows and series such as The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.

“There’s a lot of excellent sci-fi on TV, and it’s very fragmented,” Kavounas said, citing examples such Syfy, HBO’s Westworld, and series from OTT giants like Netflix and Amazon.

“But it’s not all aggregated in any one place. We think there’s a real need for that, and a really large audience [for it],” he said. In that sense, he’s hopeful that Recursor can do for sci-fi what FunnyOrDie does for comedy, or Crunchyroll is doing for anime.

Recursor is starting off with a Web site, plus presences on other OTT and social platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The site will also allow for easy sharing across those platforms, and will also try to tie into the audience bases of its filmmaking partners. Recursor also plans to support TV-connected devices as well as mobile apps.

Though digital in nature, Kavounas likens Recursor to a “grass-roots” effort, as it will focus on working with “champions in our community.”

Founded last year, Recursor is self-funded by Kavounas  and his two partners on the venture, Edouard de Lachomette and Steve Tao. Recursor might also pursue an angel round in 2017.

“Sci-fi is a personal passion of mine,” Kavounas said. 

Premium video distribution and content discovery specialist Vemba has acquired Epoxy, a startup that has developed a platform that enables OTT and digital video creators to share their fare across multiple social platforms.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Epoxy, which helps partners manage and distribute content across services such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine, will be integrated into the Vemba platform, they said.

Toronto-based Vemba said it will continue to service the 87 MCNs and 70,000 creators Epoxy has acquired. They said Epoxy surpassed 5 million monthly YouTube views earlier this year.  Its partners include Fullscreen, Awesomeness TV, Studio 71, Whistle Sports, and GT Channel, among others.  

Vemba said it has more than 95 media partners, including Vice, Conde Nast, and Tronc.

Epoxy “offers the missing social link that our customers need,” Vemba CEO Garrick Tiplady, said in a statement.

Here’s a promo video that explains Epoxy’s role in a bit more detail:

In a move that unifies how pay TV subs can access content on supported connected devices, Comcast has redesigned its Xfinity TV app and Web portal to enable access to TV Everywhere content, DVR recordings, as well as live TV and on-demand fare that’s accessible when a subscriber is on the home network.

“Because we’ve merged some of the best parts of our Xfinity TV Go app and website into the redesigned Xfinity TV app and portal, customers now have a single destination where they can access everything included in their Xfinity TV subscription, whether at home or on-the-go,” Vito Forlenza, senior director of TV Everywhere content and product strategy at Comcast, noted in this blog post.

He noted that the app’s TVE-facing, out-of-home component now supports more than 125 live channels, and that the updated Xfinity TV app has also been optimized to deliver improved video quality and accessibility features that enable customers to find content with Closed Captioning (CC), Secondary Audio Programming (SAP), or Descriptive Video Services (DVS). 

Forlenza added that Comcast is also working on an enhanced Watchlist for the app and portal.

The Xfinity TV app is currently supported on iOS, Android and  Amazon mobile devices, and via a Web portal.

A version of the app is also in the works for Samsung smart TVs and the Roku platform. Comcast introduced its Xfinity TV Partner Program in April.

Hulu has dropped the introductory price of its subscription service with limited ads from $7.99 to $5.99 per month for a period of 12 months in a move that might help it gain some ground on OTT rivals such as Netflix and Amazon. 

The limited-time offer, spotted by TV Predictions and seemingly tied to the new fall TV season, is limited to new Hulu customers. That promotional price will rise to $7.99 per month after a year.

Hulu is not offering a similar discount on its commercial-free offering, which was launched last fall and sells for $11.99 per month.

The promotional price keeps Hulu below Netflix’s primary two-stream plan ($9.99 per month), and also undercuts Netflix’s single-stream, SD-only plan, which goes for $7.99 per month. Amazon Prime costs $99 per year (equating to $8.25 per month), while a newer streaming-only option runs $8.99 per month.

Hulu announced in May it was nearing 12 million U.S. subs. Netflix ended Q2 with 47.13 million U.S. streaming subs.

Hulu is also working on a virtual MVPD service that’s expected to launch in Q1 2017.

The Streaming Video Alliance, a group that counts Comcast and Charter Communications among its backers, and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said they are collaborating to develop industry-wide guidelines that will formalize metrics and terminologies related to streaming media Quality of Experience (QoE).

The CTA R4 Video Systems Committee has also established the QoE working group, WG 20, to bring visibility and accuracy to over-the-top (OTT) video metrics, they said. That working group will be chaired by Conviva, CTA said.

RELATED: Streaming Video Alliance Names Officers

“With the rapid growth of video streaming, on everything from mobile devices to 4K Ultra HD TVs, the importance of this initiative has never been greater,” said Brian Markwalter, CTA’s SVP, research and standards, in a statement. “Businesses rely on measurements to improve their services, and standardization will help enormously with the interoperability of analytics for improved visibility and accuracy of OTT video metrics. These measurement metrics will help everyone in the streaming video ecosystem move towards a more responsive, high-quality and seamless experience.”

“The Alliance has made great strides in solving important industry issues such as QoE to help advance the future of OTT video. We remain focused on fostering deeper ecosystem collaboration and promoting best practices across the streaming video industry,” added Jason Thibeault, SVA’s executive director. “We look forward to extending our collaboration with the CTA and other industry leaders to formalize guidelines for a uniform methodology every streaming video publisher can use for QoE.”

The SVA was formed in 2014.

BitTorrent is also teaming with One World Sports to live-stream ten Ivy League football games this season for free via the recently launched BitTorrent Live service, starting with Saturday’s game between Yale and Colgate that kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET.

One World Sports and millennial-focused sports fan service Whistle Sports announced a similar deal to offer those games this season via Facebook Live.

BitTorrent launched its virtual MVPD service in May. Using a peer-to-peer platform that it claims is more efficient than other streaming technologies, BitTorrent Live is initially featuring programing from partners that include BitTorrent News, France 24, FightBox, FilmBox Arthouse, Nasa  TV, Clubbing TV, AWE, QVC, One World Sports, and Newsmax, among others, but has plans to add subscription pay TV tiers, ad-supported content and PPV premium tiers

BitTorrent Live is currently offered on Apple TV and Fire TV boxes, and Macs, and is working on versions that run on iOS, Android and Windows devices.

Following tomorrow’s game, here’s the remaining schedule for the live streams on BitTorrent Live and Whistle Sports:

-September 24 at 2 p.m.: Harvard at Brown

-October 1 at 1:30 p.m.: Lehigh at Yale

-October 8 at 1 p.m.: Cornell at Harvard

-October 15 at 3 p.m.: Columbia at Penn

-October 22 at 1:30 p.m.: Dartmouth at Columbia

-October 29 at 12:30 p.m.: Princeton at Cornell

-November 5 at 1:00 p.m.: Columbia at Harvard

-November 12 at noon: Brown at Princeton

-November 19 at 1:30 p.m.: Dartmouth at Princeton