How to Balance Performance and QoE Metrics for Livestreams

When it comes to monitoring live streams, teams often divide metrics into technical categories related to streaming performance like bitrate and latency and buffering, and more subjective metrics related to quality of experience for end users. But according to Warner Bros.' Subhrendu Sarkar and NBCUniversal's Seb Emin, the two are really inseparable, as delivering satisfying experiences to viewers whether they're watching on 65" smart TVs or on a "mobile device on a train going through a tunnel" is always the end goal, and they explain how to strike that critical balance while always keeping QoE front of mind in this clip from Streaming Media Connect 2025.

New Strategies for Reaching Gen Z Fans with Niche Sports on FAST

Fubo's Pamela Duckworth and Swerve Sports' Christy Tanner say it's time to throw out the old playbook and experiment with new niche sports and new engagement and programming strategies for reaching younger fans—and it all starts on social—as they recount their experience testing and measuring combat sports engagement on their FAST channels in this discussion with Ashling Digital's Michael Nagle from May's Streaming Media Connect.

Analysis Paralysis: How to Manage the Streaming Data Deluge

When it comes to live stream monitoring and analytics, the problem is usually having too much data rather than not enough, along with identifying the key data points to pinpoint problems and optimize streams. NBCUniversal's Seb Emin and Warner Bros. Discovery's Subhrendu Sarkar explain how two major content providers keep analysis paralysis at bay in this discussion with Dillon Media Ventures' Rob Dillon at May's Streaming Media Connect.

How to Market FAST Sports Content to New Audiences

Whether it's a lesser-known niche sport or a new FAST channel at risk of getting lost in a saturated market, getting attention is an uphill climb for FAST content providers trying to make a splash with sports, as HRM International Media's Robert Muzac and Swerve Sports' Christy Tanner affirm to moderator Michael Nagle in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect. They suggest some sound content and marketing strategies for reaching new viewers and getting them to engage.

What Engages Younger Gamers and Sports Fans and How to Measure It

When it comes to engaging fans and bringing them closer to players and into the games, sports leagues like the NBA have more touchpoints than ever. But as fan engagement is distributed over more and more social platforms, it becomes harder and harder to measure. iGaming, by contrast, is uniquely measurable. What can leagues learn from sim racing and other gaming platforms that integrate with live sports action when it comes to measurement, and are gaming levels of measurement really attainable? Hub Entertainment Research's Jon Giegengack, WTFast's Darcy Lorincz, and the NBA's Michelle Auguste discuss the opportunities and challenges of increasing and tracking diversified fan engagement from sports to esports in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect.

How to Solve Common Challenges of Streaming Cloud Migration

One of the common pitfalls of streaming cloud migration involves moving to cloud encoders when streaming to multiple endpoints. LiveX's Corey Behnke, Cerberus Tech's Chris Clarke, and TV2 Denmark's Loke Dupont discuss how to address and solve this and other issues that arise in the course of lift-and-shift migration when transitioning live streaming workflows from on-prem to cloud in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect.

Searching for Synergies Between CTV and Social

Leveraging social to drive CTV engagement, enhance experience, and draw attention to their key media properties is all about finding synergies, as Zeam Media's Jack Perry, Fremantle's Laura Florence, and Estrella MediaCo's Christina Chung discuss in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect with moderator Chris Pfaff Tech Media's Chris Pfaff. Is there a secret social synergy sauce for CTV, and if so, what is it?

What Is SGAI and What Are the Benefits for Live and VOD?

Server-guided ad insertion (SGAI) has been called the "best of both worlds" in a streaming adtech world long split between client-side ad insertion (CSAI) and server-side ad insertion (SSAI), and of course it's more than squeezebacks and other frame-sharing ad formats with which it's commonly associated. But what is it exactly? And what does it offer for live and VOD streaming? Google's Sourya Roy, Paramount's Jarred Wilichinsky, Muxed's David Hassoun, and Reality Software's Nadine Krefetz discuss the answer to these questions in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect.

How Does SGAI Differ From SSAI and CSAI for Live Streaming Monetization?

As the buzz around server-guided ad insertion (SGAI) grows in the adtech and streaming worlds, what sets it apart from the more familiar server-side ad insertion (SSAI) and client-side ad insertion (CSAI), and what specifically can it do that SSAI and CSAI can't, particularly for live sports streams without period ad breaks? IAB Tech Lab's Katie Stroud, Paramount's  Jarred Wilichinsky, RealEyes Media's David Hassoun, and Google's Sourya Roy debate the differences and the potential of SGAI to enhance ad experiences in this clip from a panel at May's Streaming Media Connect.

What Is Driving the Surge in WNBA Viewership and Fan Engagement?

2023 was the breakthrough year for women's basketball, with the explosion of viewer interest in the national championship game featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and that growth has carried over to the WNBA since the two stars went pro, according NBA Global Media Insights Team Leader Michelle Auguste. But a number of other factors are driving the exponential surge in fan engagement throughout the WNBA and in other women's sports, say Auguste, Team Whistle President Joe Caporoso, and Hub Entertainment Research Joe Giegengack in this clip from Streaming Media Connect 2025.

What Drives Streaming Codec Choices at Meta and Norsk

As debates over codec choices in the streaming world range from H.264 to AV1 and HEVC and beyond, what drives decision-making when it comes to codec choices for solution and service providers helping creators and customers get video online for live and VOD consumption? According to Meta's Hassene Tmar and Norsk's Steve Strong, key factors include software and hardware support and compatibility, bitrate reductions, latency constraints, and more, as the two explain in this discussion with Alchemy Creations' Andy Beach from May's Streaming Media Connect.

How Norsk Approaches Emerging Streaming Codecs and Protocols

With its focus on helping customers build effective live-streaming workflows and meeting streamers where they are in terms of prevalent codecs and protocols—which, Norsk's Steve Strong acknowledged at the conference, usually still means H.264—how does it anticipate where users might be going when it comes to supporting new codecs like VVC, whatever the current or near-future playback challenges might be? Strong explains his company's considerations in conversation with Andy Beach in this clip from May's Streaming Media Connect.

How Biddable CTV Advertising Leverages AI and Boosts ROI

What are the key strategies, partnerships, and tech stack elements that make biddable advertising profitable in FAST and other ad-supported CTV platforms in 2025? Fremantle's Laura Florence, Future Today's Tim Ware, and Chris Pfaff Tech Media's Chris Pfaff break down how each of their companies approach biddable CTV sales in a conversation at the latest Streaming Media Connect 2025.

How Contextual Targeting Impacts Programmatic and Indirect Sales

The buzz around contextual targeting is ramping up in the online advertising world, with the promise that it will solve issues surrounding privacy, transparency, and more. But where is its impact registering in the ad-supported streaming ecosystem? TVREV's Alan Wolk, Fremantle's Laura Florence, Philo's Aulden Kaye Yi, Roku's Charlie Goodman, and Vevo's Melissa Sofo offer their perspectives in a clip from the latest Streaming Media Connect 2025.

Is Programmatic Still Problematic for Ad Addressability?

Historically, the prevailing assessment of programmatic advertising in the agency world has been that it doesn't provide the desired transparency in terms of where an ad ran or a clear picture of the audience the ad is addressing. Is this still a problem in the streaming ad ecosystem, or are these concerns overblown? Roku's Charlie Goodman, Philo's Aulden Kaye Yi, Vevo‘s Melissa Sofo, and TVREV's Alan Wolk discuss the answer to this question in a clip from the latest Streaming Media Connect.

Are Streaming RSNs and Local OTA Channels the Ticket for Local Sports Fans?

As live sports streaming rights continue to complicate the viewing experiences of fans who need to subscribe to more and more channels to watch the games they want to see, is making regional sports available through team-owned streaming networks and local OTA channels the best of both worlds? Or is this approach just another barrier to watching for out-of-region fans and a throwback to blackout rules? Tata Communications' Corey Smith, SVTA's Jason Thibeault, evision's Sunil Joy, and Omdia's Michael Frank debate the issue in a conversation from Streaming Media Connect 2025.

Are Premium Streaming Sports Rights Bets Paying Off?

Sports on TV and ads have always gone hand-in-hand. But what happens when streamers enter the picture and invest in premium sports rights? A half-decade ago, most premium streaming platforms thrived primarily on subscription revenue—but now, selling ads might be the only way to make sports streaming profitable, especially given the skyrocketing cost of premium sports licensing. DAZN's Joe Caporoso, SVTA's Jason Thibeault, Omdia's Michael Frank, and Tata Communications' Corey Smith weigh in during a winner-take-all debate from Streaming Media Connect 2025.

Implementing a New Codec in 2025: Key Factors to Consider

Transitioning to new codecs in the streaming industry is never an undertaking to be taken lightly, and bandwidth savings, encoding efficiency, and quality enhancements must be carefully considered and balanced against the challenges of ensuring playback capability for the broadest range of viewers who may be operating a motley assortment of legacy devices. Radiant Media Player's Arnaud Leyder and United Cloud's Boban Kasalovic offer their own deployment decision trees for implementing new codecs in this excerpt from a panel discussion with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer at Streaming Media Connect 2025.

How Meta Deploys and Benchmarks AV1 on Android

In the benchmarking processes for Android platforms to assess their capabilities for decoding and playing streaming video codecs, the primary challenge is the fragmentation of Android specifications. Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer speaks to Meta's Hassene Tmar about his team's experience deploying, ramping up reach, and contending with device diversity when delivering AV1 video to its vast array of Android customers. Tmar explains the exhaustive benchmarking work the team members did to test compatibility and how they came to develop their own benchmarking solution in this clip from Streaming Media Connect 2025.

Tech Challenges of AI-Driven Streaming Content Localization and Captioning

The buzz around AI for subbing and dubbing and localizing streaming content is that it makes it far easier than it's ever been before. But that doesn't mean it's without significant technical challenges-particularly for companies like Interra Systems who develop the enabling tech-as Interra Engineering Manager Sana Asfar explains as she enumerates the key challenges and how to overcome them in this conversation with IntelliVid's Steve Vonder Haar at Streaming Media Connect 2025.