Sowing the seeds of Streaming

At Easel TV we have been providing end-to-end PaaS streaming solutions for companies across the globe since 2009.  As a pioneer in OTT and streaming, we are particularly looking forward to this year’s IBC 2022 between 9-12 September inAmsterdam.  

IBC is at the forefront of our industry’s innovation, bringing together the best and brightest networkers, buyers, innovators and leaders in the exciting world of technology for content creation, management and delivery. With last year’s event taking place virtually, it will be the first time we have been face to face with our IBC colleagues since 2020.

Easel TV first attended IBC in 2013, where we show cased our video on demand service. In the years since, the industry and our own story has evolved significantly.

Streaming over the decades

Streaming, as it is known today, has undergone a massive evolution.  From the late 2000s, when streaming services predominantly syndicated content that could already be found through conventional cable, satellite and broadcasting, to today, where exclusive and original content is the standard for major streaming services.

In the last decade alone, there have been significant advancements in the way streaming services work and are accessed.  Streaming media devices, mobile streaming apps and Smart TVs have proliferated the market, allowing streaming to be brought to an even wider audience – indeed in 2013, the term ‘binge-watch’ was second place for Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year.

As a pioneer in the evolution of VOD and cloud streaming, Easel TV has been involved in a series of streaming industry firsts; the first implementation of Netflix and Spotify on a Pay TV service (with TiVo & Virgin Media), the first brand TV app (with HTC), the first launch of a streaming app from a Television guide (YouTube), the first third party pay-per-view streaming service on Amazon Fire TV (Curzon), the first direct-to-consumer service for a TV production company (all3media), the first cloud-based hotel streaming service (Airwave), the first to stream films the same day they were released to the cinema (Curzon) - in short, we've been a intrepid forerunner for over a decade as streaming has emerged to take over our lives.

Today we support streaming apps on Pay TV and MSO boxes across the globe, on TiVo and Roku, Apple and Amazon TV devices, Android and Smart TVs, from Xfinity in Canada to Telstra in Australia, even on exclusive hospitality TVs for the Hotel industry - we remain a principal player in the transition from TV to multi-screen, from the living room to anywhere.

Streaming was recognised by the Emmys in 2013, the Oscars in 2014 and in 2015 it officially overtook live TV, with Deloitte reporting that 56% of American households streamed movies, 53% streamed TV, whilst only 45% watched TV shows live.  TV turned from a shared experience into one that is also increasingly personal.

The impending domination of video streaming has continued and where there was previously only a handful of streaming services, typically from big-name providers like Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, today there are hundreds of niche services from names big and small, all using the power of streaming to bring the right content to the right audience at the right time.

For content owners viewing has been democratised. Today you don’t even need to have your own streaming service to capitalise on the market opportunity. Last year we created a streaming service with PlayerPlus that allows performing arts content owners to use a shared D2C outlet (StagePlayer+) – now everyone can now get in on the streaming act, even single or independent artists, through the use of thematic hubs, such as StagePlayer+.

So, what’s next?

At Easel TV we’ve not stopped pioneering and at this year’s IBC we will be revealing our new platform. This benefits from all our previous ground-breaking innovation of the last decade and brings new perspectives, tools and functionality for a far more mature streaming market.

It is a technology platform that will empower metaverse technologies in virtual entertainment. It puts data-driven decision making at the heart of our client’s services to both scale and drive innovation. It is structured to embrace the future of virtual sound and vision, audience engagement, virtual reality and the future of virtual production.

As viewing habits evolve, this next decade is sure to be an equally exciting ride.  Viewing will continue to be redefined, but with streaming at the very heart of its future, Easel TV will be central to this ongoing evolution allowing everyone to stream ahead.

Do come and visit us at IBC 2022 on stand 5.C44, where we can give you exclusive access to our next-generation end-to-end video streaming service and carry on the discussion about the future of streaming.

We look forward to seeing you there!