Starting An Online Television Network Is Easy With TikiLIVE

With the help of TikiLIVE, you can now create your own online TV network and broadcast not only locally and nationally, but to international regions as well. Did we mention that it’s easy to do and hassle free?

With our International OTT services, our clients–from operators and publishers alike–will have the ability to successfully monetize their customer base while providing their viewers with new, premium USA content. From video streaming solutions, white label TV services, to mobile app integration and more, our features will not only allow you to create a television network with ease and mastery but one that will go above and beyond customary cable and satellite TV.

Starting a TV Network

One of the first steps towards starting a TV network is creating your own, customized identity that will make you stand out amongst competing networks. White label TV services allow operators and publishers to do just that.

At TikiLIVE, we offer services like white label TV that are entirely integrated and ready-made, allowing you to create your own logo, brand, and identity without the hassle of spending time and money on research and development.

Our white label TV services allow for:

Effective audience measurements
100% control over viewer engagement once your network is published
The ability monitor the type of content your audience is connecting with and captivated by the most.
Authorization of operators to track viewing time versus join time, length of engagement, video streaming solutions, buffering ratios, and the viewing time versus the total bit rate of connection.

Careful monitoring of these trends will enable operators to determine the type of content that engages and engrosses their audience most frequently, further allowing them to use that information to improve their network.

Also available with our white label TV service is cloud based transcoding. Cloud based transcoding assists with tailored streaming playback that has the capability to reach significant market shares.

We Provide Superior Support

Once you have successfully set up and published your network, TikiLIVE will help you to expand your OTT business nationally and internationally.

Now, we can help our clients stream FCC approved premium content to regional and international communities with our TikiLIVE International OTT solution.

We also offer Mobile App Integration for our clients to reach audiences who are always on the go.

Technology is ever changing and evolving; at TikiLIVE we acknowledge this notion by creating solutions to keep up with trends of the 21st century. Viewers having the opportunity to view their favorite shows from their smartphone is such an important concept in this digital age.

To our clients, we offer our Mobile Application Module for White-Label TikiLIVE Broadcast Networks; this allows our client’s audience the ability to connect to their content on their phones at any given time. On our Mobile Application Module, viewers can view your network live and even through Video On Demand.

Broadcasting To Smart Devices

If you want to broadcast your network to Android devices and the Roku, TikiLIVE offers our clients the opportunity for their own custom branded Set Top Box. The Set Top Box is used within a viewer’s home to stream your network via TV for a more traditional OTT viewing experience. If your brand of work falls into the music and radio genre, fear not because TikiLIVE has an array of services such as Virtual DJ, Winamp, SAM, and Mixxx that fall under our Better than Radio services. These services allow our clients to create an audio/music network that listeners can stream from their smartphones–both Apple and Android compatible–desktops and tablets.

With the help of TikiLIVE, starting an online television network is a task that can be easily achieved without the feelings of stress or frustration. Your OTT business will offer up-to-date, high-quality services that can reach to millions of ready viewers.

OTT Has An Advantage When It Comes to Advertisements

OTT has taken the world of media by storm ever since a variety of OTT providers offered viewers an opportunity to stream their favorite movies and shows for a more affordable price than most cable TV companies. OTT content’s increasing popularity, contribution to the cord-cutting trend, and substantial growth rate in the market something to admire.

Now, OTT is displaying dominance supremacy in video ad-completion rates.

OTT and Video Advertisements

In a recent study conducted by FreeWheel to determine the ad-completion rates according to device platform, research showed that viewers who own OTT streaming platforms that are connected via TV, tend to complete 98% of all video advertisements.

In the same study, FreeWheel also found a 91% ad-completion rate from those who stream with a tablet, 86% from smartphones, and 84% from a desktop.

Whether it’s through laptops, tablets, smartphones, or desktops, nearly one-third of users were found to spend an hour or more per day streaming from their desired network. From their findings, it’s quite apparent that OTT platforms have the overall advantage when it comes to video advertisements.

Ads Aren’t That Much of An Issue For Most

In addition to their research, FreeWheel explained that most viewers who would use their OTT device to watch a video or live stream content were, “actively seeking out a specific series or network and tended to watch it all: both content and commercials” (Source).

This is a common occurrence for OTT subscribers who are looking to catch up on the latest episode of their favorite show that they might have missed the original airing of. Or, the viewer’s preference to watch both the video content and the commercials can be associated with the variety of advertisements that are used; whether they are static or interactive, or if their content coincides with the age group of the viewers.

OTT Content Viewers and The Devices They Use

Since their findings for the Q1 2017 study really highlighted OTT’s advantage in video ad-completion, FreeWheel dug a little deeper and narrowed down the devices which were used to stream OTT content, as well as the type of content that was regularly viewed.

Looking further into their research, FreeWheel found that 84% of advertisement views were completed through the use of attached devices. Attached devices are considered to be OTT devices that allow viewers to stream media on their TV, for example, a Roku player, Apple TV box, Chromecast, etc. On the attached devices, researchers found that advertisements were viewed in 52% of full episodes, 43% in live streaming, and 5% of small clips viewed by OTT subscribers. From there, it was noted that 11% of ad views were watched via gaming consoles; 53% of full episodes, 18% live streaming, and 29% of clips. Lastly, it was discovered that 5% of ad views were completed through the use of smart TVs; 78% full episodes, 5% live streaming, and 17% of clips. Overall, OTT devices have allowed viewers to be more engaged with what they are watching, not only in the content they stream but in the advertisements that are viewed.

OTT Expands Across The Globe

Since its commencement, the market for OTT content has grown exponentially and by the time 2021 makes its debut, the OTT TV market will increase to $65 billion nationwide.

Across the Globe

From the US to Europe and Asia Pacific, OTT content has grown exponentially and is only estimated to increase as the year’s progress onward.

Europe

In the Ooyala Q3 2016 Global Video Index, it was stated that Europe is currently in the lead with OTT mobile video streaming (Source). With 65% and 59% of viewers streaming OTT video content on the go, The Netherlands and Belgium are in the lead with the highest mobile play percentages. However, Great Britain and Ireland have the highest OTT mobile streaming in sports with 59% and 57%.

North America

Meanwhile, in the US and Canada, OTT TV and video on demand have continued to grow in popularity. As OTT content and media streaming continues to expand throughout many platforms, another trend–the binge-watching trend–has come to light.

Binge-watching is an activity that is popular amongst the Millennial generation. It involves watching an entire show series–or multiple seasons–in one sitting at a time. In most circumstances, viewers will spend the day or night watching their favorite TV shows and movies one after the other. Currently in the US, 70% of consumers who have a form of OTT TV, binge-watching shows. Due to the rise of the binge-watching trend, the Ooyala Global Video Index is beginning to track OTT streaming and viewing patterns differently. Now, these patterns are examined by the day, the time of viewing, and device consumers are streaming on.

This collection of data has the ability to be insightful to OTT providers in their quest to further increase their efficiency and popularity.

Latin America

Largely in Latin America, the streaming of live video–just another form of OTT–is very popular. In particular, live streaming of sports games is captivating audiences around all of Latin America.

Initially, many consumers were reluctant to cut the cord with their cable companies and join the OTT trend due to the lack of live sports options. Now, since OTT content has continued to expand and evolve throughout the years, more options are available to sports lovers, live video streaming of games being the main contender. This just goes to show how well OTT providers can adapt their services to the needs of their consumers.

Since there has been such a high demand for OTT content, many media logistics, also known as media supply chain management, are growing increasingly popular within the world of OTT and media streaming. Essentially, media logistics help to minimize OTT streaming complexities for viewers. Media logistics also assist with optimizing the visibility of the media as well as improving its efficiency with creating and delivering content to viewers. With a projected market to increase to $65 billion by 2021, it is essential for outlets like media logistics to carefully monitor the ways in which OTT content and video are being used by the consumers.

OTT Video Continues To Expand Reach Beyond Millennials

OTT Growth

Ever since cable companies started to demand higher monthly subscription fees from its customers, cable subscribers have been in a desperate search for a more affordable way to watch their favorite shows and movies. Luckily, their search was not in vain; over-the-top (OTT) content introduced itself to the world and has been giving satellite and cable companies a run for their money ever since.

As the years have progressed, the popularity of OTT continues to increase.

Anatomy conducted a study in the beginning of 2017 stating that two-thirds of the US has access to an OTT video service while only 61% still subscribe to cable or satellite services (Source). That being said, it’s easy to attribute the two-thirds of OTT service users to the Millennial generation however, older generations have joined the cord-cutting bandwagon and subscribed to OTT services.

From One Generation to The Next

In May 2017, eMarketer decided to conduct a study on the progression of the use of OTT services between Millennials and non-Millennials. For the purposes of this study, eMarketer has labeled 18-34 year-olds as Millennials and those 35 years-old and up as non-Millennials.

First, eMarketer looked into cable usage and found that only 57% of Millennials had cable in their household as well as 65% of non-Millennials. In total, 61% of both non-Millennials and Millennials use cable at home.

Next, eMarketer looked at access and usage to OTT services and found that 77% of Millennials and 65% of non-Millennials use OTT streaming services rather than cable or satellite TV. Combined, 67% of non-Millennials and Millennials use OTT video services in the US. This percentage is projected to only grow even higher as the year’s progress and as technology makes further advancements.

Though the cord-cutting trend is relatively new, OTT content has been around for a quite some time now and this begs the question: If OTT services were quick to become popular within Millennials, why did it take non-Millennials much longer to join in on the trend?

It all comes down to the discovery habits of Millennials vs non-Millennials. It’s no secret that Millennials are savvy when it comes to social media and technology alike; it’s one of their biggest forms of communication. Whereas non-Millennials do not use this as nearly as much as Millennials. A study conducted by Anatomy showed that 58% of Millennials learn about new programming through friends and family on social media as opposed to advertisements on TV (Source). Non-Millennials are the exact opposite and are more prone to discover new facets of technology through TV advertisements or through word of mouth. Sometimes, though, it comes down to brand awareness and how OTT networks advertise across different media platforms.

Saving Money Transcends All Generations

The obvious reason many have decided to cut the cord and break up with their cable subscription came down to the cost.

For many non-Millennials, the rising cost of cable and satellite TV subscriptions was the determining factor to their canceled cable subscriptions and use of OTT services as a cheaper alternative.

For Millennials, the cost was a large component of the switch, but in the end, it all came down to convenience. The ease of accessibility plays an important role in this generation ever since the creation of smart devices. For Millennials especially, the idea of having a streaming service that allows you to view media while you’re on-the-go or in the comfort of your home is quite alluring. Just as real estate is all about ‘location, location, location’, OTT service are all about ‘convenience, convenience, convenience’. With low, affordable prices, accessibility from any device, and watching on-the-go features, it’s no wonder that more and more non-Millennials are jumping ship and hopping on the cord cutting bandwagon.

As OTT grows and expands, its network of viewers will as well. Currently, OTT services are believed to reach an annual revenue of $32 billion by the time 2019 rolls around.

Video on Demand Makes Gains In Mobile and With Older Audiences

It’s no surprise that there is such a high demand for cheaper TV subscriptions and more affordable alternatives with the cost of cable and satellite TV ever rising.

With the rise of OTT services and video-on-demand, more viewers are streaming their favorite shows and movies on their mobile devices while on the go. Video-on-demand also is becoming more popular with older viewers due to its easy accessibility and low subscription rates.

The Mobile Trend

Many consumers have been using their smartphones to stream audio and video content from the comfort of their home or while they are on the go.

Studies have shown that nearly 47% of long-form content (movies) was streamed through mobile devices while short-form video (TV shows, YouTube videos, etc.) was ranked at 40% (Source). Due to this, researchers from Ooyala have noted an increase in VOD service subscriptions (SVOD) as well as ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD).

It has been estimated that within years, standard TV will evolve into something that resembles as mix of SVOD and AVOD.

Currently, 50% of consumers in North America are using ad-supported video-on-demand services on their mobile devices and that number is soon to rise.

Video on Demand and Older Viewers

Older audiences tend to be slower to adopt advancements in technology and initially, this was true for OTT and VOD services. However, many researchers are finding that the consumers are ranging from teens to older viewers.

Bernstein research states that ad-supported video-on-demand programs grew 24% with viewers 25-54 years of age(soon to become the fastest-growing audience).

Research shows that Millennials have the highest usage of SVOD totaling to 39.9% while older viewers that range from 35-49 years of age showed at raise of 39% (Source).

We at TikiLIVE provide high quality video-on-demand services to all of our customers. Our services allows all consumers to access their favorite videos, TV shows, movies, and even radio shows on their mobile device through our smartphone app. Our mobile app allows our audience access all their favorite video and audio content from the comfort of their home, or while they are on the go. We give full access anywhere and anytime.

IPTV vs OTT: What’s the Difference

With cable and satellite TV companies charging their customers an arm and a leg for their TV services, people have been on the lookout for cheaper alternatives. The rise of cord-cutting has brought two TV solutions to light: OTT (over-the-top) and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

Over The Top Content

OTT or over-the-top describes the content–movies and TV shows–that are streamed through the Internet without requiring users to subscribe to a cable or satellite TV company.

Internet Protocol Television

IPTV is media content that is delivered through the Internet by ways of a privately managed network. In many cases, IPTV providers offer a Triple Play service where their package includes video on demand services, broadband Internet, VoIP for video and voice chat.

What’s The Difference?

OTT content is streamed through a standard, unmanaged network; the same network that emails and web browsing stream through.

Unlike OTT, IPTV solutions travel through a private network for better and more consistent service.

The Pros and Cons

OTT:

Pro: Low monthly prices.
Pro: Great range of providers to choose from.
Pro: Offers VoD Services
Pro: Easy accessibility allows viewers to watch at home or on the go.
Con: Sometimes the content needs to buffer
Con: Some content may not be available on OTT platforms

IPTV:

Pro: High definition video streaming
Pro: Offers VOD services
Con: Slightly more expensive than OTT, but still affordable in comparison to cable

Even though these two solutions have their slight differences, there is one thing that they have in common and that is the way they store their downloaded media. Both IPTV and OTT services store their programming and previously streamed media on servers. By doing this, they are allowing their customers to access the content whenever they want.

TikiLIVE offers a variety of IPTV and OTT solutions. Contact us to learn more about TikILIVE.

OTT Market Expected to Grow 14.4% Over The Next Seven Years

Throughout the years, OTT content has developed exponentially and has now reached a point where it is revolutionizing the way we listen to and watch media content. As 2016 came to a close, researchers concluded that we should expect the OTT market to grow 14.4% from now until 2023.

Steady Growth of The OTT Market

With cable companies constantly fluctuating their subscription rates in an economy that demands cheaper services, it’s no wonder researchers have seen an influx of customers cutting the cord and turning to OTT services as a reliable and affordable means of streaming TV media.

In 2015, the OTT market was valued at $28.75 billion by the end of 2023 and is expected to increase by 14.4% (Source). Now that it has evolved into multiple media platforms, OTT content is in high demand. In order to sustain this growth and keep up with competitors, many OTT providers have to expand their platforms that their content can be streamed from. For example, many services allow you to stream from your smartphone, laptop, and tablet. Now, these services are even expanding to gaming consoles and smart TVs.

Researchers have also noted that a slowdown in the growth can occur through certain areas of competition. HD content is a prime example of this. Many forms of OTT content is available in HD through a variety of service providers. Of course, each OTT provider charges a different fee for this upgrade and many don’t offer this option at all.

Another area of competition is the countries these OTT providers are allowed to offer their services to. Since OTT has gone global, many national governments are requiring OTT providers to obtain licenses that will allow them to offer their streaming services in other countries. Many researchers believe that this can slow down the OTT market growth as the years progress.

OTT Services Are In High Demand

With this trend being in high demand, there may be a few obstacles OTT providers will face. Right now, many providers are focusing on ways that will successfully deliver HD content to the screens of their customers.

TikiLIVE provides a variety of OTT solutions including Video on Demand, live video and radio channels, and much more.

2017 Looks To Be a Big Year For Cord Cutting

Cord Cutting is Trending

2016 seemed to be a harsh year for TV providers. With such a high demand for cheaper TV subscriptions and more affordable alternatives on the rise, nearly 1 million subscribers decided to cut the cord and drop their network providers. As the year progressed, OTT content started to gain more popularity.

So, the question is: what does 2017 have in store for cable TV services? Will this be the year that OTT content takes over? It just may be.

From 2013 to 2016, cord cutting had a steady increase in households. At the end of the 2nd quarter of 2013, just under 9% of consumers dropped their cable network for an antenna only TV service. At the end of 2016’s 3rd quarter, it increased to 15% (Source).

With pay TV subscriptions dropping each year, and a projection of nearly 1.7 million cable TV/satellite subscribers to cut the cord in 2017, this may be the year for the cord cutting trend to flourish.

OTT Services Will Be There When You Cut the Cord

With cable companies constantly raising their prices in an environment that demands less costly subscriptions, it’s no wonder cord cutting has become the newest phenomenon.

Many are beginning to realize that it is a lot simpler to jump ship and choose an alternative that fits comfortably in their price range. Think about it, many cable providers can charge a minimum as much as $50 per month and some packages can easily exceed $85 a month. Why empty your pockets and look under the cushions in search for loose change to pay your cable bill when there is a more cost friendly alternative at your fingertips?

Business Insider created a chart of the state of cord cutting around the world based on one of their surveys. A portion of the chart showed that 31% of Generation Z and Millennials subscribed to an OTT streaming service and nearly 30% of Generation Z, and over 25% of Millennials will plan to cut the cord from their cable/ satellite service,

What This Could Mean for Cable TV Providers

Cord cutting has definitely proven to be a thorn in cable networks’ side, but will it ever come to the point where cable companies throw in the proverbial towel?

Most likely not. There will always be a percentage of people who won’t make the switch from cable to Internet TV. Since cord cutting is a new trend, many of the Generation Z’s, Millennials, and Generation X’s are finding this shift in technology useful and efficient in saving money.

Generations like the Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation will most likely not gravitate towards the switch from cable to Internet. In 2016, Business Insider produced a survey of 30,000+ online consumers in 61 countries who use cable TV, have subscriptions to OTT services, and those who plan to cut the cord. Their survey showed that less than 10% of consumers 65 years and older plan to cut the cord as well as only 10-15% of consumers between the ages of 50-64. Basically stating that the great majority of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation will keep their subscription to their cable/satellite service.

Could the fear of losing favorite channels or sports steer people away from making that change? It is a possibility. Though, most people don’t realize that many OTT services provide almost every channel to stream from. They would have to pick and choose which service fits their needs the most. Many also believe they will lose the ability to watch their favored sports teams each week, but don’t realize that there are OTT services that will allow you to stream every game.

Although cable services lost about 1 million viewers in 2016, there is still around 98 million homes that still pay for cable or satellite TV. In an effort to even out the competition, cable companies will resort to creating their own OTT services, and we will be seeing a lot of that in 2017.

TikiLIVE Makes It Easy to Cut The Cord

TikiLIVE is an OTT solution that provides you with different, affordable packages to stream shows and movies from.

TikiLIVE is compatible with Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV and more.

Increased Smartphone Users and Cheaper Data Is Leading to Massive OTT Growth in India

Businesses are bullish in 2017 — and they have a reason to be. 2017 global consumer trends anticipate a greater year of growth due to increased urbanization, greater availability of electronics, more stable infrastructure, and 3.5 million people coming online per week globally in 2017.

India Seeks Entryway into the Digital World

India is a developing nation whose citizens are seeking self betterment, self actualization, education, entertainment, and a way out of poverty. This makes them no different than other people of the world, who are seeking betterment through the consumption of the resources now available through the digital world. Part of this entryway into the digital world will be facilitated by video on demand services and OTT providers.

OTT Content Growth

OTT, otherwise known as over the top services, OTT is defined as “the audio, video, and other media content delivered over the Internet without the involvement of a multiple-system operator (MSO) in the control or distribution of the content” (Source). Video content that was primarily consumed over television sets that ran through underground cables and telephone poles can not be accessed on smartphones that are connected to the internet through WiFi.

Barriers to Entry Consist of Dated Infrastructure

Hoping to catch up with the rest of the developed nations of the world, India is using OTT as a way to bypass traditional infrastructure construction. Traditional infrastructure refers to miles of underground cables, power stations, and telephone poles. This type of infrastructure is expensive to construct and requires the uprooting of many residential areas, and present challenges both in urban areas and villages.

However, in order to connect a large percentage of its population to OTT content – and accordingly the digital world, Indian municipalities across the country are opting to construct newer methods of communication. These methods consist of countrywide internet, making internet available to its citizens in the coming years. If such a project were to go through, it would allow the Indian subcontinent the ability to connect to the internet through their electronic devices, thereby bypassing the need for traditional infrastructure.

Cell Phone Boon

Currently, India currently around 220-250 million smartphones and is expected to touch more than 500 million by 2020. And with users more likely to browse the internet on mobile devices as opposed to desktop devices, this bodes well for OTT providers operating out of India.

Amazon Video India country head Nitesh Kripalani had this to say about the trend. “We believe industry is growing fast with over a 110 million customers and over 170 million broadband users. With rising smartphone sales, growth in video intake, falling data charges, and rising data speed, we feel the opportunity is now” (Source).

Increased Urbanization

A projected 55% of the planet’s people are forecast to live in cities next year. That means individuals in rural villages will be leaving the less profitable farmland – and the manual labor that comes with it – in favor for jobs in the city. And with 3.5 million coming online every week globally in 2017, the world’s largest populated countries are poised for massive OTT growth – India being one of them (Source). Ten years ago in 2007 was the first year in human history that the global urban population first surpassed the rural population. In 2017, 55% of the planet’s people are projected to live in urban areas, while 45% will live in rural areas.

Final Thoughts

A culmination of greater internet access, increased urbanization, and greater cell phone use in India will lead to greater OTT content consumption in the world’s second most populated country.

TikiLIVE provides innovative OTT solutions and services. Contact us today for more information

Many People Aren’t Even Watching Half of The Channels They Pay For

Millions of people across the world are paying extra money for services they don’t use. A recent report by uSwitch finds that 71% of people who pay for TV packages don’t watch half the channels they are subscribed to. What’s more, the rates traditional media companies (including satellite and cable) are not fit for the modern consumer, who is stuck fronting the bill for a large amount of channels that go unwatched. .

Costs for IPTV and OTT content are about five times less than the average price one would have to pay for traditional cable and satellite TV services.

uSwitch is an independent reporter that largely conducted their research in the UK and they found that the British viewers were having the same issue as Americans with expensive service and a large majority of unnecessary/unwatched channels. British viewers expresed discontent with packages as a whole but reported being “too busy” to change from cable or learn about other alternatives. The full report by uSwitch can be found here.

**“You want me to pay how much for my sports channels?!”**

Nielsen data reports that sports are not bringing in as much revenue as they used to. Currently, the TV audience for sports makes up 4 percent or less of households across the United States. Local sports fare even worse, with less than 3 percent of TV-owning households tuning in to watch their home teams play. Despite this, sports make up around 20 percent of the entire cable bill.

Which begs us to ask the question:

“Why are we paying for things we don’t need!?”

Through all this, both DirectTV and AT&T have scaled back their sports programming. They are aware that sports are not as catchy as they used to be, with modern day viewers busier than ever, they do not watch a full sports game from start to finish. The modern day sports fan is okay watching a few minutes of the game, or catching the highlights online. Alternatively, sports are not raising enough eyeballs (read, “viewers”) and the distributors have cut back on the programming they purchase, and are more hesitant about entering into million dollar contracts with national and local content creators that shoot live sports.

A New Market for Media

New media is squaring off against old media in the battle for control America’s living rooms. New media includes services that are delivered through internet, while old media generally refers to services delivered over cable and satellite. As IPTV providers and Video on Demand broadcasters compete with entrenched players like Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Media, and NBC the divide between generations is starting.

TikiLIVE offers a variety of IPTV subscription packages that contain all your favorite programming for much less than traditional cable or satellite TV.