Recently, Zype has released a number of new product updates to our Video CRM, Connectors, and Marketplace Connect products to provide enhanced analytics, simplified distribution, and a seamless user experience. 

Easier Navigation and Deeper Insights on Consumer, Subscriptions, and Transactions 

iTunes Marketplace Connect Support for Subscription Modifications

Zype Video CRM: Manage Your Audience Better with Deeper Insights

Zype’s Video CRM has a new and improved look that includes updates to our Consumers, Subscriptions, and Transactions pages to help you get more useful and granular insights about your audience. 

Zype’s Video CRM gives you the ability to easily view and manage data for subscriptions, purchases, rentals, and pass plans within the dashboard.

Our latest update provides quick access to key top line metrics and trends to better understand the performance of your video business over time. Views are available in 7, 30, and 90 day options, or set a custom date range to see data for a specific timeframe.  

Visit our Help Center to learn more about the power of these pages and how to filter and export events and revenue data.

Video On-Demand Distribution to Samsung TV Plus

Zype’s industry leading suite of Connectors just got better in this recent update which allows you to distribute content more efficiently to Samsung TV Plus. We’ve developed a feed to help translate the video on-demand metadata already in your Zype library to a feed matching Samsung’s specifications. Customers can follow a simple workflow accessible through our Video Apps marketplace in the Zype Dashboard.

Before leveraging our metadata feed for distribution on Samsung TV Plus, you must have a commercial partnership with Samsung. You can learn more about generating a feed here.

iTunes Marketplace Connect Support for Subscription Upgrade/Downgrade

iTunes users are able to set their subscriptions to auto-renew, as well as seamlessly upgrade or downgrade their subscription plan. In line with this functionality, Zype has updated our Marketplace Connect service to ensure your viewers have a seamless experience when attempting to upgrade or downgrade their native iTunes subscription plans.

Here is an example of how the subscription group, price, duration, and subscription display name might appear for your viewer:

To take advantage of this updated feature, ensure you have configured your plans and groups properly for your iOS Mobile application, which you can learn more about here.

Interested in additional updates we’ve made to our products? Find past product updates here.

Zype Rolls Out Video CRM and Connectors Updates for Enhanced Analytics and Simplified Distribution

Recently, Zype has released a number of new product updates to our Video CRM, Connectors, and Marketplace Connect products to provide enhanced analytics, simplified distribution, and a seamless user experience.

When it comes to choosing the right monetization model for your video business, there isn’t always a clear cut answer. In fact, you probably won’t maximize your potential revenue if you only use one of the primary video monetization models we covered in part one of this series —Advertising (AVOD), Subscriptions (SVOD), and Transactions (TVOD).

That’s why many successful video businesses are turning to a hybrid model. This way, they can maximize revenue with a combination of two or more monetization models.

There are challenges with all of the primary models that make it difficult for content owners to rely on a single monetization model and make a sustainable amount of money. Advertising (AVOD) is only successful with a large audience that generates enough views to be profitable. There will always be viewers that unsubscribe with SVOD and it takes significant marketing efforts to continually add more subscribers. Finally, there is no guarantee of future revenue with the one-time transactions of TVOD.

With a hybrid model, these challenges are diluted with additional avenues for making money. The combinations of monetization models are endless and require some trial and error to find out what works best for your business. Here are a few examples:

If you primarily have a subscription video business, you can add TVOD to the mix and offer the option to rent or own content of your choosing. This way, viewers can get a taste for your content before committing to a subscription.

Consider adding AVOD into the mix as well, and have limited advertising on top of your subscription content. This enables you to monetize while letting viewers preview some of your content for free.

Maybe you primarily have subscription video business and use TVOD to make money on your live streams. There is no reason why you can’t have advertising or even brand sponsorships incorporated into your transactional live streams.

Think outside the box and consider all your options to make additional revenue. For example, brand sponsorships are a popular form of advertising for many podcasts and can easily be incorporated into your live stream. If your content is educational, why not take a note from PBS’ book and ask for donations—apps like Patreon can help you out with this . If you don’t have merchandise for you fans to purchase, it’s an easy way to make more money that your fans will surely appreciate.

In order for a video business to be successful, it’s important to have your content available on all the platforms and apps your fans use. If you only stream your content on YouTube using advertising to make money, you are missing out on revenue. It’s wise to avoid relying on a single distribution channel, just like it’s wise to use multiple monetization models. Have incentives for your audience to consume your content across all your channels including your website, your OTT platforms and YouTube.

Hybrid monetization is how most large entertainment brands make the most of their content including Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV. However you don’t have the numbers of these three brands- hybrid models are just as applicable for smaller entertainment brands with more niche content.

For example, StarTalk Radio offers science-based content and they use a hybrid model to make money. They leverage all the models— AVOD, SVOD, TVOD and donation on a variety of different channels including their website, YouTube, iTunes and more. Not only are they making money on their content, they also sell branded merchandise for fans.

The hybrid model is one of the most effective ways for video businesses to maximize their revenue. Start thinking creatively about additional ways to monetize your content to help your video business grow!

Hybrid - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 2 [2021 Update]

Hybrid - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 2

In order to decide which video monetization model will be best for you, you must have a very strong understanding of your audience and your content library.

So let's dive into the three primary video monetization models and review a few examples of content and audience profiles matched with their best-fit monetization model.

** Note that “VOD” stands for “Video on Demand”, which essentially means viewers are able to choose what, where, and when to watch.

Subscription-based VOD, or SVOD, is a subscription agreement between you as the video provider and the viewer who subscribes to watch your content without viewing or access limits. Think Netflix. Subscribers make a monthly payment in order to have access to all of your content, and this monthly payment automatically renews unless otherwise cancelled.

This type of monetization model provides a recurring revenue stream but the focus needs to be not only on subscriber acquisition but also retention. Businesses that choose to pursue the SVOD model have to regularly update their content at specific intervals to justify a continued subscription from their audience in order to retain their subscribers.

A great way of understanding if subscription based monetization is right for you is forecasting your revenue. We've developed a powerful SVOD Revenue Forecast Spreadsheet based on new subscribers, monthly churn, costs and other important variables. Just copy the spreadsheet, and plug in your own numbers.

Download the SVOD Revenue Forecast Spreadsheet to understand how much money you can make with a subscription based video business.

Transactional VOD, or TVOD, involves a free sign up for the service but with an a la carte payment, such as purchase or rental, to watch specific content. This is similar to services that have a collection of movies, series, or sports offerings, like Apple iTunes or pay-per-view events.

This type of monetization model offers content at various prices with the goal of keeping users as repeat purchasers on their platform. Whereas SVOD is like an all-you-can-eat buffet, TVOD is more like a traditional restaurant. The TVOD pricing strategy is contingent upon the content you are offering and the amount your viewer are willing to pay.

While TVOD businesses may earn a higher revenue per view, they don’t have the same retention and revenue security built into their service as an SVOD service

Advertising-based VOD, or AVOD, provides free to watch content for viewers that is monetized through video advertising. Instead of having your viewers pay, it’s now the advertisers or ad networks who pay, typically on a per-thousand basis.

AVOD can be a popular form of monetization because it is easy to get up and running but requires audience scale to generate significant revenues.

While the other monetization models involve a retention-based sales component, AVOD requires getting as many eyes as possible. Instead of retaining paying subscribers, AVOD retention involves volume with the goal of having a consistent stream of people watching your videos (and thereby seeing the advertisements). When it comes to premium content, the AVOD model isn’t as easily justified unless that premium content is being viewed by millions.

 Which Monetization Model Is Right for Your Business? 

If executed correctly, any of these monetization models could yield significant revenue for your business. Each business model comes with its own type of maintenance or curation requirements, as well as its own strategy for growth. There are even hybrid models where customers can watch videos with advertisements for free and then upgrade to a paid subscription for full catalog access. Read more about Hybrid models in part 2 of this series.

Here is an outline of content and audience profiles that align best with specific monetization models to help you decide which might be a good fit for your video business:

Vertical networks that have focused content and either create or publish videos on a frequent basis are excellent candidates to use an SVOD model. The format is usually longer format content; greater than 20 minutes and usually closer to an hour or more in length. Live streaming on a frequent schedule with archive VOD library also lends itself to providing access to subscribers.

Content libraries where publishing is less often or static and where the content is longer, premium content can look to leverage a TVOD model. This can either be PPV (purchase) or be providing access to videos by a time limited rental. The content focus can be either focused or broad and consist of multiple genres. TVOD can be used for libraries which are smaller but still consists of longer format premium content.

Learn more about the Hybrid model and effectively maximizing revenue in Part 2 of this series.

SVOD, AVOD, TVOD - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 1 [2021 Update]

SVOD, AVOD, TVOD - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 1

We are thrilled to announce that Zype has received the Bronze Stevie Award from the American Business Awards for Support Department of the Year. At Zype, our customers are our most important asset and at the core of all of our decisions, and our support team is committed to providing expert product knowledge and unparalleled personalized support.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

More than 3,800 nominations – a record number - from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. We are honored to be chosen among the likes of IBM, Microsoft, and many other prestigious companies recognized in the American Business Awards. 

Zype's customer-centric approach and the way we prioritize customer feedback has set our business apart and helped us earn a reputation for amazing service. Our video infrastructure is a collaborative effort with our users and we credit some of our best product innovations to this collaboration. 

Thank you to our customers and partners for making this recognition possible. We look forward to continuing to provide the highest level of support and watching our customers succeed!

Zype Wins Third Stevie Award for Customer Service and Support

Zype wins American Business Awards Stevie Award for Support Department of the Year.

Video accounted for over 60% of downstream web traffic in 2019. ISPs have seen downstream video traffic grow, since March 2020, by double digits.  Cisco predicts that video data will hit 82% of internet traffic by 2023. 

Bandwidth is growing globally – particularly with the arrival of mobile 5G – and streaming demand is keeping pace. Television and film are becoming stream-first forms of entertainment. Cord shaving and satellite-dish ditching for FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) and subscription video services have accelerated over the past year with no dissipation in the foreseeable future. How can content providers guarantee the best user experience irrespective of which CTV (Connected TV), STB (Set-top Box), or mobile device consumers have at their disposal?  

The solution is simple and affordable: adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR). Read on to learn more about harnessing the power of ABR.

Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) is a method of streaming video over HTTP.  The source content is encoded at multiple bitrates (renditions), which are small segments or chunks of the overall video content.  Segment size can vary anywhere from 2-10 seconds.  The streaming client is alerted to the available renditions by a manifest file - .m3u8 playlist for HLS and MPD (Media Presentation Description) for DASH.  The client requests a segment rendition based on the available bandwidth of the end-user device on a scaling ladder, starting with the lowest bitrate.  As bandwidth increases, a higher bitrate segment will be requested, and conversely, as bandwidth decreases, a lower bitrate segment will be requested.  To the end-user, content plays back smoothly without interruption, and bitrate changes may even go unnoticed. 

Progressive video streaming preceded ABR and is essentially a one-size-fits-all form of internet video delivery. It uses HTTP-based technology via servers to push downloads (i.e., streams) to devices – without optimizing the stream for client capability and bandwidth. The client makes an HTTP request, and an HTTP response comes back from the server.  Playback starts only after several seconds of content is stored in the playback buffer.  Content continues to be fetched by the client as bandwidth allows, and smooth, uninterrupted playback is dependent on bandwidth, allowing buffer to outpace playback.  The end-user could only fast forward through the previously fetched content.

Progressive streaming ignored user bandwidth, processing power, frame rate, and resolution. There is only one version of the video file, at whatever quality it is encoded in.  That video file is simply scaled (stretched or squeezed) to fit the output display. For example, if a video is 1280 x 720, it will be stretched to fill a 1920 x 1080 raster.

How ABR Streaming Solved Progressive Streaming Issues

Adaptive bitrate streaming solved all of these progressive streaming issues. It transcodes video content into different streams. Content providers encode multiple versions of the same video at different bitrates and resolutions, each optimized for other devices’ needs. 

Device players automatically adapt to the current operational conditions with respect to the end-user network speed and display capability. This all happens in real-time, facilitating the optimal end-user experience. 

ABR allows content providers to deliver a better Quality of Experience, which naturally leads to a more satisfied audience for their service. It is ABR that allows live television programming to be streamed concurrently to large-screen televisions and mobile phones – with, hopefully, minimal issues. 

The Difference between Adaptive Bitrate and Multi-Bitrate Streaming

Multi-bitrate video streaming is another standard method of streaming. It allows video distributors to create multiple versions of a video stream tailored to different devices, similar to adaptive bitrate videos. However, multi-bitrate streaming does not respond to a user’s changing playback environment. 

Multi-bitrate puts the onus on consumers to manually select which of the streaming options is the highest or most efficient that their devices can handle. This means the player will continue to attempt to play the file, even though conditions may not be the most ideal for that selection.

The process of ABR streaming begins with the transcoding of an original stream.

Transcoding is a critical step in delivering content that can adapt to fit the screen sizes and internet speed of viewers.  This is a multistep process that begins with a compressed and encoded video file. The first step is to decompress and decode the video file. The next is to manipulate the video file. There are two subcategories of transcoding.

Transrating: The transcoding process by which the bitrate is manipulated without changing the video format. Transrating might also alter a video’s frame rate or resolution. 

Transizing: Altering the resolution or video frame to fit different types of screens. 

The final step is to re-encode and re-compress the new version of the video file created from transrating and transizing. This can be a lossy process that minimally degrades the video quality.  This new file becomes part of a streaming profile.  

Streaming profiles are organized into a profile ladder – ranging from the lowest quality to the highest quality. Many broadcasters use a standardized ladder system – Apple and Netflix proposed several popular ones. These profiles represent the entire array of adaptive bitrate streams that will be served to viewers. 

The power of ABR is to adapt based on multiple playback environment variables. At this point in the process, however, we merely have profiles for a multi-rate stream. 

The streaming profiles are broken down into two- to 10-second video chunks – often referred to as packages. 

The chunks are labeled and organized in a manifest. The player uses the manifest to determine how the video is to be downloaded and rendered.

When streaming commences, the user device provides information to the server about its bitrate, screen resolution, hardware capabilities, player type, and other information. The media server then begins delivering the highest quality video stream the device is capable of displaying. 

What makes ABR powerful is that the device and server continue to communicate. As the server delivers more packages to the device, the device provides updated information about its state. Perhaps the bandwidth suddenly switched from LTE to 5G, for example. The server will see this and seamlessly deliver a profile with a higher bitrate still optimized for the exact screen resolution. 

It is the constant feedback and on-the-fly adapting that lets you deliver high-quality ABR video to numerous device types at the same time. 

Why ABR Streaming and ABR Encoding Provide the Best UX 

ABR streaming and encoding are no longer the exceptions with the online viewing experience – they are expected. 

The advantages of ABR streaming are innumerable, but its power comes from what your customers will soon take for granted: 

Better viewing experience on mobile and connected TV devices

The ABR advantage is that the user experience is so fluid and painless, your subscribers won’t notice the technology at all. 

Your streaming business depends on a satisfactory user experience. You can’t afford to alienate viewers with buffering, low-quality video, slow loading, and bad latency – not when they have innumerable streaming options available to them. 

Adaptive bitrate streaming is inherently technical, but it’s easily implemented with the right tools. 

Zype offers companies and content creators a full-stack suite of video editing and streaming software, including world-class ABR encoding and streaming capabilities. 

Why Adaptive Bitrate Streaming & ABR Encoding Provide the Best UX

How can content providers guarantee the best user experience irrespective of which CTV (Connected TV), STB (Set-top Box), or mobile device consumers have at their disposal? The solution is simple and affordable: adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR).

In the U.S. alone, TV advertisements are a $71 billion industry. But for cable TV, that revenue is shrinking.

Americans are increasingly cutting the cord, leaving traditional ad-supported broadcasts and cable to plummet. Whether this is due to the overwhelming sentiment that TV advertisements are not relevant, or to the convenience offered by OTT services, fewer Americans have cable TV in their homes than ever before.

In response, advertising dollars are increasingly shifting away from cable TV and toward digital streaming to meet customers in their preferred settings – but that’s not the only challenge to overcome in regaining revenue.

Americans still consume an average of four hours of TV per day, but they’re now doing it in an environment where each player device can deliver ad personalization (given the user identification methodologies unique to the web). For broadcasters still using hard-coded advertisements in their streams, they run the risk of showcasing dated or irrelevant ads that need to be replaced.

For broadcasters looking to offer advertisers -- and viewers -- personalized ads using dynamic ad insertion best practices, the broadcast standard SCTE 35 signals are a modern solution to this problem. 

Here’s everything you should know about how OTT content distributors can use the cue tones built for analog broadcasting to power ad-supported linear streams across platforms such as Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV, Plex, and Xumo. 

SCTE 35 is a standard created by ANSI and the Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers that lays out guidelines for inline cue tone insertion in streams. Also referred to as markers, these signals indicate where content distributors could insert or splice content into a stream.

For example, if a local news station received a stream from a national news broadcaster, the stream might be marked in areas where the station could replace national ads with others that were more relevant to the community.

Cue tones originated as a means to signal commands to equipment, particularly when to start or stop. This was especially useful with cartridge tapes, as the tape would otherwise play in a loop. Originally, cue tones occurred as DTMF tones, or subaudible tones that could not be heard by normal listeners. As broadcasting shifted to digital means via IPTV, cue tones likewise became digital. Now, the markers are read by computers and no actual subaudible tone exists.

Applied to QAMP/IP, Title VI/TVE, and live or time-shifted delivery, SCTE 35 is the core signal standard for advertising, programming, and content distribution control. It was originally designed for ad insertion, but the digital nature of SCTE 35 markers brings greater flexibility to their use.

SCTE 104 and SCTE 35 work together to help with personalized ad placement, but many people are still confused about their relationship and differences.

In short: SCTE 35 cues exist within the MPEG transport stream. In contrast, SCTE 104 messages are sent between systems via TCP/IP.

SCTE 104 markers are inserted by an automation or playout system prior to sending the baseband video feed to the inserter. Once the feed reaches the encoder, those markers get translated into compressed stream markers to be transmitted with the content. The compressed markers are what SCTE 35 defines.

Think of it this way: the markers inserted under SCTE 104 are requests for content insertion. The markers inserted by SCTE 35 are what helps to fulfill those requests.

When an SCTE 35 marker appears in the program, it signals to broadcasters where they may splice other content into the feed. Typically, these spaces are predefined in 15-, 30-, or 45-second chunks  (though they don’t have to be). Broadcasters then decide what to do with that slot. Some options include:

Replacing low priority national ads with more relevant local ads

The diagram below illustrates a SCTE-35 embedded programmed HLS stream.

Besides ad insertion, SCTE 35 lends itself well to program segmentation. In program segmentation, content distributors split up content into different chunks for management purposes. The most common and readily visible example of this is chapters in recorded TV shows or movies.

Once segmented like this, a content distributor can add, change, or remove different parts of the program depending on their needs. For example, legal reasons might require a local station to black out a chapter of a movie. 

A content distributor could make a segment of content unavailable for web delivery. Likewise, another chapter might be replaced with a provider ad or local content that’s more relevant. 

These segments are unnoticed by the end viewer but give stations and content distributors significantly more control over the content they show.

OTT has some natural advantages for ad insertion. Specifically:

Unicasting means that each device connects to the server independently. It’s possible to leverage this to deliver more personalized ads because the device can read the SCTE 35 marker and reach out to the server for an ad.

Sequences of fragments are individually decodable – they don’t require the segment before or after it. That simplifies splicing and increases flexibility with how the ads are inserted.

Ad insertion with SCTE 104/35 works with SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD – it’s not server-dependent because the actual marker insertion happens before the server receives profiles and constructs manifests.

Likewise, OTT feeds are able to carry SCTE 35 markers that they receive from the transcoder. In other words, you’ll still handle SCTE 35 markers on the programmer side. 

When profiles get created, the transcoder will need to create segments that align with these markers. However, once compiled into the manifest, you’ll simply determine whether the playback device requests an ad (client-side insertion), or whether to manipulate the manifest itself to insert the ad (server-side insertion).

And since splicing is so simple, testing your ad insertion for live streams becomes a breeze. Any good live streaming platform available out there will have the ability to read markers, let you insert ads, and test beforehand what the final playback will look like.

It doesn’t take a well-funded research study to tell us what we already know: people hate ads. However, the data can support two very important considerations surrounding viewer behavior:

On-demand viewers are more averse to ads: 56% of on-demand viewers say they tend to mute ads on the TV versus 48% of live TV watchers. 54% of on-demand viewers say they don’t trust ads on TV, while only 48% of the live TV watchers share a similar view.

Despite consumer disdain for ads, Americans still tolerate them: 47% of Americans now subscribe to free ad-supported streaming TV services, or “FASTs.”

On one hand, we have on-demand viewers reporting their anti-ad viewing habits. On the other, we have almost 50% of Americans tolerating ads if it means they get access to free TV. Both of these points can lead us to the same conclusion: the better or more targeted the ads, the more engagement and money broadcasters can make off them.

SCTE 35 can help with that. If you have the power to serve up personalized ads to viewers, then SCTE 35 markers make it easy to identify where in the stream you can put them.

Personalized, On-Demand Content Just Became Realistic

With the rise of OTT streaming, content distributors have a new set of tools for easily delivering on-demand content. And SCTE 35 has found new relevance, promising the means to serve up personalized, on-demand ads to the viewer. Say goodbye to irrelevant or hard-coded ads in your OTT stream. Say hello to a new way to insert content and grow your revenue.

If you want to learn more about Zype's video platform and how our monetization solutions can help you leverage technologies like SCTE 35 to send targetable data back to your ad server for pinpoint ad targeting, click here. 

A Complete Guide to SCTE 35 for OTT Ad Insertion [2021 Edition]

Want to deliver targeted, personalized ads? With SCTE 35 personalized ads are a reality in streaming. Learn how to leverage SCTE 35 in this guide.

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Hybrid - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 2 [2021 Update]

SVOD, AVOD, TVOD - How to Choose the Monetization Model That’s Right for Your Business: Part 1 [2021 Update]

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