Propelling Online Video Forward, Fast

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The online video revolution is rolling on, unabated and gaining momentum. Spurred by advances in streaming platforms, large file transfer and storage technologies, cloud-based video continues to disrupt the media & entertainment industry, while driving powerful new communications capabilities throughout the business world.

These advances have led to an inflection point in the media & entertainment industry and created seismic shifts that will forever change the way media is distributed and consumed. For a small, yet profound example, consider our current viewing habits. For the last 10 years, we’ve enjoyed a brand new reality of customized viewing. Through over-the-top (OTT) programming from the likes of Netflix, Hulu and others, viewing control is now firmly in the hands of the consumer, complete with pause, rewind, repeat, and more.

Compare that to life before 2007 (the year Netflix began streaming) when viewers planned their television experience around the schedule of the broadcaster (think: Must-See TV). It can’t be understated just how disruptive this has been to the M&E industry.

But the disruption isn’t stopping there. New innovations are enabling companies to use platforms in new and exciting ways to create unique formats that give even more control not only to consumers, but to content producers, media companies and non-media companies for the first time.

For example, a new innovation from IBM will eliminate the need for media companies and content producers to rely on satellite trucks and “back haul” systems to distribute video content to customers. The fast file transfer technology will let production companies send video content directly over the Internet to “central playout” systems which will then distribute to consumers – sparing the producer the incredible expense and time tied to securing and managing satellite hookups.

Media & entertainment powerhouse, Lionsgate has partnered with the wildly popular Comic-Con organization to create a brand new subscription-based video on-demand service called Comic-Con HQ that will go live next month. At the core of this channel is our Clearleap platform.

These platforms are starting to permeate non-media companies, as well, who are exploiting new streaming and on-demand technologies for everything from employee engagement and education to advertising.

Car maker, Mazda, just last month leveraged live streaming video capabilities from our Ustream group to unveil its new Miata MX-5 live from the NYC Auto Show March 22. By doing so it reached a global audience of car enthusiasts and prospective buyers, helping expand the conversation to a broader audience than ever before and increasing the reach and ROI of their marketing efforts. At the same time it was able to exercise greater control over the way that audience experienced their first look at the MX-5 Miata RF.

There’s a lot going on in the background to make all of that happen, for Mazda and countless others, and there’s a massive amount of data streaming through the lines, through the cloud and moving from production to distribution, being stored and retrieved. It’s one of the prime reasons that IBM jumped head first into this arena earlier this year, acquiring Clearleap, the company for which I was CEO, and Ustream, a leader in live streaming video. In the three short months since establishing the IBM Cloud Video unit, innovations have abound and the industry has only sped up.

This week at the National Association of Broadcaster’s annual conference in Las Vegas, 2016 NABShow IBM’s commitment to this space will be on display as we announce new technologies and exciting clients like Lionsgate.

But it is only the beginning. We are actively innovating in all facets of this area, from production to distribution, and leveraging other areas of the company to bring never-before capabilities to the medium.

For example, we’re actively integrating our Watson technologies within the Cloud Video unit to develop exciting new image analytics capabilities that will give customers the ability to index and search video for the first time. When used in industries that work with video surveillance or law enforcement, such capabilities could dramatically speed and improve their research.

We are at an inflection point in the M&E industry and a turning point in human communication. Gartner estimates that more than 80% of all Internet traffic will be video by 2019. It’s a projection that drives home a bigger point: video is not a trend. From the platform to the data, cloud-based, online video is reshaping how we connect, share, educate and communicate.

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Related Coverage:

THINK Blog: A Revolution in Streaming Video, Braxton Jarratt