WimTV offers an easy way to create a video presence for your business. In the last few weeks, we have extended the WimTV platform with new functionalities and features to make it more effective.

New functionality “WimBundle”

Nowadays, the subscription business model is all the rage. According to the “Entrepreneur” article (Why You Should Use a Subscription Business Model) subscription is a big component of company’s growth. So we developed WimBundle to support subscription models in WimTV and to help you have new perspectives for your business.

New features

If you want to promote your products or services, live streaming is a tool that you shouldn’t ignore. As the number of participants in live event grows, we have made our WimLive functionality more powerful by adding the capability to stream live events to an unlimited number of viewers.

In some business models, it is important to make content available only on a private web page. Now, our on-demand, live and scheduled services, have all a private mode. If you wish so, you don’t have to share your content on the WimTV platform, you may offer your content only on your website.

This is not the end of the story ? We have new things in the pipeline. We’ll keep you posted on new functionalities and improvements.

If you have any feedback, feel free to contact us at info@wimlabs.com

It may look odd, in 2017, to give a paper a title that starts with the two words “interactive television”, one of the oldest pairs of words in broadcasting and multimedia.

The reason is that, in spite of their long acquaintance, interactivity and television remains two words that, put together, make an oxymoron, unless one thinks that have broadcast and broadband on the same device makes television interactive.

So why the title? Because interactive television is no longer an oxymoron. There is an existence proof that interactive television exists.

Let’s roll the time axis back to November 2013 when the European Commission funded the BRIDging the Gap for Enhanced broadcasT (BRIDGET) project which had the goal to open new dimensions for multimedia content creation and consumption by enhancing broadcast programmes with brid­gets: links from a TV programme to external interactive media elements such as web pages, images, audio clips, video and synthetic 3D models.

Some members of the BRIDGET project proposed to MPEG the development of a standard that eventually became ISO/IEC 23000-18 – Multimedia Linking Application Format (MLAF).

What is MLAF about? It is a data format that describes, in a standard way,

• The source content (TV program): content ID, start and end time of bridget validity, metadata (typically connected to production) etc.
• The bridget (the link, well, that is also the name of the project, but with capital letters): metadata, information on how the bridget is presented to the viewer (during bridget validity) etc.
• The destination content (where the bridget takes the viewer to): content ID, start and end time of destination content, metadata etc.

Interactivity is at the level of content, not at the level of infrastructure. Of course if there is no infrastructure there will be no interactivity, but infrastructure alone does not provide interactivity.

A basics workflow of a TV program enriched with bridgets is

• A human editor has created a bridget relative to a time interval of a TV program
• That bridget becomes available at that time to a TV viewer
• If the TV viewer so decides the viewer can access the additional information that the editor had decided to make available.

Therefore we need two main elements

1. An authoring tool to create bridgets
2. A bridget “player”.

Interactive television is here because the elements required to implement the bridget scenario exist and can be deployed in the real world. They are called TVBridge and are shown in the figure below

To view or restart animation press crtl-R/cmd-R

In the figure one sees that

1. At the studio side
   1. The TV program is uploaded to the broadcast server and to the Bridget Authoring Tool
   2. The Authoring Tool computes the audio fingerprints of the program and uploads them to the Audio Fingerprint Server
   3. A human editor creates the bridgets and deploys them to a web server
2. At the viewer side
   1. A Bridget App listens to the audio coming from the TV set, computes the instantaneous fringerprints and sends them to the Audio Fingerprint Server
   2. The Audio Fingerprint Server identifies the program and the time, and sends the data to the Bridget App
   3. The Bridget App requests the list of bridgets of the program to the Bridget and Media Server and presents bridget icons at the appropriate time
   4. If viewer taps the icon the destination media are presented
   5. If viewer likes it, the bridget can be posted to a social network.

TVBridge utilises a specific technology (audio fingerprinting) to get an external device (second screen) in sync with what is going on on the TV set. Depending on context other technologies can be also be employed to do that job.

How does TVBridge look like? Let’s have a look at the following screenshot of the webapp.

At the centre the TV program to be bridgeted can be seen. On the right at the top there is a video navigation bar based on the shots identified. Below that there are tabs to preview the bridgets, to generate a zip file with all the bridgets and to deploy the bridgets on the web server. At the bottom all the bridgets that have already been created are displayed (in the figure only the first can be seen).

How are bridgets created? This is shown in the following figure.

The first line contains the bridget title, followed by tags, description and layout. This is used to indicated what layout is used to display the bridget information on the mobile app.

Finally here is an example of the end user experience of a bridget of the Visit London program.

All this looks very nice, but you may ask “How can I take benefit from a system like TVBridge?” The answer is easy because there are so many applications possible and here is a first list.

• Education: while the lecturer or a documentary talks of something, a bridget pop ups. The student/viewer can tap the bridget and know more about the topic
• News: something important happens in a place that is not well know. By tapping the bridget media information about the place becomes available
• Advertisements: Follow up to product placement, user-centric advertising, user-selectable product ads
• Access to multilanguage
• Subscription based bridgets
• Commentator tracks to a program
• Program analytics
• And many more

Interactive television not only is here, but is here to stay. Some broadcasters are busy adapting TVBridge to TV programs. Yes, because technology is impotant because it enables interactive television, but television, even with bridgets, is in the hands of creatives.

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 Abstract

This paper examines a range of video services mobile operators can provide in a sustainable fashion and how.

• Chapter 1 introduces the notion of Online Video Service Platform as a flexible tool enabling mobile operators to develop mobile video formats;
• Chapter 2 considers 4 different video distribution options where the operator
  • distributes content,
  • hosts content providers,
  • provides mobile video formats,
  • hosts communities;
• Chapter 3 analyses the pros and cons of the 4 options;
• Chapter 4  identifies the features of a platform capable of supporting all 4 options;
• Chapter 5 offers an existence proof of such a platform;
• Chapter 6 draws operational conclusions.

1. Introduction

Some time ago mobile operators could not keep up with the demand of billions of people eager to communicate from anywhere to anyone anytime in speech and text. Now in many countries there are more SIMs than humans and internet channels many communication forms: free services such as Facebook, Whatsapp, YouTube and subscription services such as Spotify and Netflix. No surprise that consumers judge mobile operators on the size and cost of the data plans they offer.

Fortunately there is still room for mobile operators to prove their worth. With new technology – 4G or the coming 5G – mobile operators can offer higher bitrate in their cells, a boon for video services. So there is hope that the future of mobile operators is not just to sell more GBytes per month at less.

This paper finds that an Online Video Service Platform (OVSP) allows mobile operators to achieve this goal. With an OVSP a mobile operator can create video services and mobile video formats, and enliven communities. Most importantly an OVSP allows a mobile operator to draw the most out of its main asset: its subscribers.

Figure 1 shows how an OVSP lets a mobile operator can offer mutually beneficial business opportunities to external parties by allowing access to its subscribers through services created and offered by the OVSP.

Figure 1 – OVSP as a tool for doing business with partners

This is clearly not a new figure. What is new is that it is applied to video services and that a way to exploit it is given along the lines described in the next chapters.

2. Video distribution options

The figure below depicts a mobile operator’s OVSP and the type of users that can potentially be served – some business partners and some subscribers:

1. Mobile operator and its subscribers
2. Content providers/distributors and subscribers
3. Enterprises
4. Communities

1. Operator distributes content

The OVSP should obviously support the case in which a mobile operator offers video content as IPTV or OTT.

2. Operator hosts content providers

In this case a mobile operator offers content providers access to its subscribers, mobile payment systems, localisation services etc. Therefore it can offer content providers video distribution enhancing services running on its IT infrastructure and integrated with its assets .

A mobile operator can also offer services to companies who want to enhance their web presence with a web TV showing corporate content and live events, or in support to marketing campaigns, contests etc. A mobile operator hosts the companies’ web TVs on its IT infrastructure and sells the services supporting the companies’ web TVs bundled with internet access.

3. Operator provides mobile video formats

Through their programs, broadcasters can establish a good – albeit rather anonymous – connection with their viewers. Broadcasters try hard to get their viewers involved in their programs – reality shows, investigations, quizzes and more – but they have a hard task because the broadcasting channel is eminently one way. Occasionally broadcasters create back channels for specific programs but many of their viewers is lost in the process.

The relationship of mobile operators with their subscribers can be much more direct than broadcasters’ with their viewers because consumers have an intimate relationship with their devices connected to the mobile operator’s network, which often becomes an extensions of their selves. A mobile operator is thus in the ideal position to talk one-to-one to its subscribers and can do better than broadcasters.

I am not suggesting that mobile operators should start streaming interactive versions of Master Chef or beauty and quizz contests on their networks any time soon. I suggest instead to get inspiration from the notion of “format” of the broadcasting world and apply it to the mobile context. Let’s call the result “mobile video format”.

A “mobile video format” should be designed by the mobile operator or commissioned to a creative assisted by its experts, and involve different players that seek to reach a goal that requires intensive and qualified use of its infrastructure assets.

Here are some example use cases. These are not particularly recommended, but used to describe how business partners may have controlled access to the mobile operator’s subscribers in the context of a well defined mobile video format.

Use case #1: Mobile operator hosts service providers who create TV-like (scheduled) programs with commercials that are accessible by mobile subscribers, e.g. without consuming their data plans.

Who gains

• Mobile subscribers: access to high quality programs
• Service providers: gain from mobile subscribers’ CPM
• Mobile operator: get revenues from service providers (different business models), retains mobile subscriber.

The figure below shows how an OVSP can support this use case.

Publishers creating TV-like programs use content is stored in the OVSP, live events streamed through the OVSP and ads from advertisers also stored in the OVSP. The OVSP provides the tools to create such TV-like programs and the platform checks that content is used as licensed. Subscribers watch TV-like programs and the OVSP monitors all events and provides Costs Per Mil (CPM) information so that publishers can be accurately paid by and Analytics information provided to Advertisers. Mobile operator’s gains depend on the business models applied.

Use case #2: Mobile operator hosts content providers who offer for free interactive videos containing product placements with links to related content (e.g. video containing a location linked to a video of a travel package) that a mobile subscriber may buy following the link.

Who gains:

• Mobile subscribers: get access to high quality programs with bargain opportunities
• Content providers: gain from mobile subscribers’ purchases (different business models)
• Mobile operator: get revenues from content providers (different business models), mobile subscriber retention.

The figure below shows how an OVSP can support this use case.

In this use case different content functionalities (e.g. creation of link to travel package, in the example used) are activated. The additional difference is that effecting a purchase may trigger another sharing of revenues.

Use case #3: Mobile operator hosts audio content provider who allows mobile subscribers to create and posts to their web pages playlists that other mobile subscribers can play.

Who gains

• Mobile subscriber: (active) get famous, share in revenues
• Mobile subscriber: (passive): access to community of playlist creators
• Content provider: get access to new customers
• Mobile operator: gain from payments (different business models).

The figure below shows how an OVSP can support this use case.

The platform provides the tools to create playlists. Analytics is used to drive payments to the different actors depending on their business relationships. The figure includes a possible participation of an advertiser posting ads to active subscribers’ web pages.

4. Operator hosts communities

Media and video in particular are very effective means to create communities. By communities I do not intend like YouTube, but environments where subscribers can post videos, stream live events, chat, create interactive content, stream TV-like programs, trade content and more, possibly as an extension of the notion of “mobile formats” introduced before.

3. Option analysis

Option 1 “Operator distributes content” looks like the easiest way to get into the video distribution business. Content publishing, however, is a special business characterised by its high stakes, talents trained in the business and its own special rules.

The business is learning/has already learned how to handle the technologies that enable content distribution:

• Content providers like Disney are planning to stream their content over the top (OTT) dropping intermediaries.
• Broadcasters are deploying video distribution services with their own content.
• Global distributors such as Netflix and Amazon Prime even produce part of the content they distribute and have ambitious plans to reach every corner of the planet with their services.

Option 2 “Operator hosts content providers” is a typical B2B case. Operators and content provider or distributors each do do what they know best.

One caveat is that the ICT infrastructure needed to support the two options are different because the requirements are different. In some cases content providers or distributors want to operate in a silo, in some others there is a degree of osmosis between content providers/distributors, in other cases mobile operators may wish to retain some content distribution role possibly in synergy with some of those operating on their platform.

Therefore a video distribution platform designed for Option 1 cannot be easily be extended to support Option 2.

Option 3 “Operator provides mobile video formats” looks exciting but there are important elements to be considered. Like in broadcast formats, there is no guarantee that what looks like a smart mobile format today will be a success tomorrow, the cost of implementing a mobile format from scratch every time is high, and new mobile formats must be connected with the “user experience” data coming from previously deployed mobile video formats.

Option 4 “Operator hosts communities” offers food for thought. Of course a completely “open” service will be very attractive to subscribers who will come in droves but it entails “moderation” costs. It would make sense to start from “reliable” communities and extend the scope of the community/ies gradually.

4. Requirements and solution

With many video distribution options it is obviously difficult to make a decision as to which to choose now. One could start with option 1 but it entails significant investments in content. Option 2 is less adventurous but also less rich in expectations. Options 3 and 4 promise a lot but the results are not here and now.

The best solution would be a video distribution platform that is flexible enough to follow a mobile operator who moves along the different options considered above. A platform with the following main features would do the job:

• Multitenancy – to enable different users to access functionalities of the backend with different rights
• Platform-wide DRM – to enable content rights management to different users of the platform
• Multi-user payments – to enable payments involving more than one payee
• API – to enable creation of new services and their front-ends
• Micro-services – to enable addition of new and upgrade of existing back-end functionalities.

A platform with these features exists and is called WimTV. It is a white label solution that natively runs on the cloud, but can also be installed in and interfaced with a mobile operator’s IT/cloud infrastructure.

In the following chapter we demonstrate that WimTV can support all the 4 options considered above because there is an actually deployed service that implements the most challenging Option 4 “Operator hosts communities”.

5. Community services with WimTV

At www.wim.tv WimLabs has deployed a WimTV instance that implements Option 4 as depicted in the figure below. This  hosts a community of some 8,000 professional registered users doing business on the platform and distributing content to a large number of possibly unregistered consumers.

To restart animation press crtl-R/cmd-R

Let’s walk through the figure taking into account that the numbers in the bulleted list correspond to the numbers in the figure:

1. To make good use of his videos John uses the WimBox service to upload his videos to WimTV
2. John publishes his videos with the WimVod service setting the licence used in the service
3. Sara watches John’s videos according to the licence set by John (creative commons or copyright free or copyright pay). In the last case Sara uses the platform payment system
4. John selects some of his videos in WimBox and offers them as subscriptions with the WimBundle service
5. Sara selects a subscription, pays the amount set by John and watches the videos in the subscription for the duration set by John
6. John wants to presents his company on the web. He knows the power of video on the web – immediacy – but also its weakness – viewers get tired soon. So he uses WimBridge to create a navigable video
7. Sara enjoys navigating the video. She concentrates on the parts that are more interesting to her and shares the relevant portions on her social network
8. John uses the WimLive service to create and publish live events by setting start time, duration and, possibly, price. When the event is over John finds the video in his WimBox for possible reuse
9. Sara sees the event published on the WimTV live event page. She watches the event on her mobile phone, possibly after paying for the event on the platform payment system
10. John likes WimTV’s TV-like programs running on his web site because they provide opportunities for serendipitous encounters. He uses the WimCast service to stream scheduled services made up of videos and live events
11. Sara watches John’s program on her tablet. She feels as if she were watching television
12. John has some videos that he wishes to monetise. So he uses the WimTrade service to sell his videos to others. He posts his videos on WimTrade with a licence specifying duration, location (on WimTV or downloadable) and remuneration (lump sum, fixed amount for each view, percentage on each view).
13. When Jim needs a video he goes to WimTrade, pays using the platform payment system and uses the video as per licence. WimTV takes care that John is remunerated for all uses of his licensed video as stipulated in the licence.

6. Conclusions

This paper has identified 4 possible option the allow mobile operators to enhance their role with video services. To keep its options open, a mobile operator should use a solution that can flexibly handle all options so that it can plan and execute more advanced business models as the need appears.

One such solution exists and is called WimTV, a white label solution that natively runs on the cloud, but can also be installed in and interfaced with a mobile operator’s IT/cloud infrastructure.

The most challenging Option 4 has been implemented in the WimTV instance at www.wim.tv to demonstrate the potential and to test the platform while it evolves. This, however, should not be taken to imply that this is the only effective use of the platform.

If interested please contact

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(You can also view a Powerpoint presentation)

Being able to stream audio and video in a variety of models – VoD, Live, Scheduled, Subscription, Pay or Free – is a must for video service providers. Some mobile telcos are in the same league, but for many others the main purpose of an OTT video platform is to engage – and keep engaged – customers by providing ever new custoner experiences.

Some examples:

1. Create and publish playlists of content drawn from own repository and some platform content
2. Create navigable aggregations of content drawn from own repository and some platform content
3. Create interactive content posting products that end users can buy
4. Post a clip of a navigable video it to a social network that other users can edit and post
5. Collect geo-referenced videos around places
6. Create video contests that users can vote on
7. Trade (sell or buy) content
8. Publish VoD and SVoD content with a variety of business models
9. Publish and stream live events with associated chat rooms
10. Create, publish and stream TV-like scheduled content made of on demand and live content

Many OTT video platforms are simply not designed for this type of use, but  a Mobile OTT Video Platform should support a set of requirements that include:

1. Multitenancy – different platform users operate on the platform, with different rights, to upload, edit, publish, trade and stream content
2. Internal DRM – different platform users can “do business” with other plaform users
3. Service offering – different platform users can “offer services” to other platform users or end users
4. Flexible payment – different platform users can make transactions between them and with end users accessing their services
5. Content editing – different platform users may edit and aggregate content to create new forms of content
6. Content sharing – different platform users and end users can share certain content on social network
7. Frontend change – different platform users can change the look and feel of existing services
8. New service creation – different platform users can develop new services

WimTV is the Mobile OTT Video Platform that support the above requirements and offers the following basic features:

Backend

1. Robust open source infrastructure
2. Micro-service architecture for increased scalability
3. Rich set of API
4. On cloud/on premises operation
5. Modern streaming technologies

Frontend

1. Completely separated by API from the backend
2. Customisable video player
3. Fully responsive
4. Fully customisable without changing the backend

Use case #1

• Mobile operator Weiguo wants to leverage on his subscribers to create a video-centred community with WimTV
• Weiguo designs his role as platform manager, develops special applications, provides services etc.
• Weiguo subscribers upload, edit, post, share and trade content
• Weiguo attracts and retains subscribers and gains from transactions effected in the community

Use case #2

• Mobile operator Bill offers his WimTV platform to Hassan, a new type of content creator
• Hassan uses WimTV to extend the appeal of an entertainment video that contains some product placements by adding links (called bridgets) that signal the viewer that more information is available on what is shown in the video
• Amira watches Hassan‘s video and clicks on a bridget related to a scenic place: while the video is in pause mode, she buys a holiday package using the operator’s payment system and shares the bridget on social networks for others to enjoy
• Bill gains from CPM and transactions

Use case #3

• Mobile operator Ganesh offers his WimTV platform to service provider José
• José creates TV-like scheduled programs made up of stored videos and scheduled live events interspersed with commercials
• Ganesh subscriber Ann watches José‘s programs at scheduled times without consuming her data plan.
• José uses part of his revenues (commercials) to pay for content and use of Ganesh network.

Use case #4

• Mobile operator Ali offers his WimTV platform to audio content provider Hideo
• Keiko creates one of her great playlists and posts it to her page on Ali‘s WimTV platform
• Ali subscriber Rosy, with an account on Ali‘s WimTV platform, plays Keiko‘s playlist
• Hideo and Ali, and Hideo and Ali share revenues according to their respective business agreements

Use case #5

• Mobile operator Yuichi offers his customers the means to create video contests
• Manufacturer of a consumer brand Jane offers 5,000 $ in Yuichi services for best video on her product
• Yuichi subscribers post their videos to WimTV market WimTrade
• A committee assesses the best video

WimTV is real

WimLabs has deployed a WimTV  instance at www.wim.tv implementing the business model depicted in the figure and hosting a community of some 8,000 professional users doing business on the platform.

Let’s walk through this figure taking into account that the numbers in the bulleted list correspond to the numbers in the figure:

1. To make good use of his videos John uses the WimBox service to upload his videos to WimTV
2. John publishes his videos with the WimVod service setting the licence used in the service
3. Sara watches John’s videos according to the licence set by John (creative commons or copyright free or copyright pay). In the last case Sara uses the platform payment system
4. John selects some of his videos in WimBox and offers them as subscriptions with the WimBundle service
5. Sara selects a subscription, pays the amount set by John and watches the videos in the subscription for the duration set by John
6. John wants to presents his company. He knows the power of video on the web, but also its weakness. So he uses WimBridge to create a navigable video
7. Sara enjoys navigating the video. She concentrates on the parts that are more interesting to her and shares on her social networks the portions
8. John uses the WimLive service to create and publish live events setting start time, duration and, possibly, price. At the end of the event John finds the video in his WimBox for possible reuse
9. Sara sees the event published on the WimTV live event page. She watches the event on her mobile phone, possibly after paying for the event on the platform payment system
10. John likes WimTV’s TV-like programs running on his web site because they provide serendipitous encounters. He uses the WimCast service to stream scheduled services made up of videos and live events
11. John has some videos that he wishes to monetise. So he uses the WimTrade service to sell his videos to others. He posts his videos on WimTrade with a licence specifying duration, location (on WimTV or downloadable) and remuneration (lump sum, fixed amount for each view, percentage on each view)
12. When Jim needs a video he goes to WimTrade, pays using the platform payment system and uses the video as per licence.

The purpose of the WimTV instance at www.wim.tv is to demonstrate the potential of the platform and to test the platform while it evolves. It is not meant to suggest that this is the only effective use of the platform.

WimTV has been designed to provide different access levels to the platform

1. The simplest is to use wim.tv, and copy/paste videos, subscriptions, events, scheduled programs and interactive videos on a web site
2. A more advanced solution is to design web pages with the look and feel that matches your target web site’s so that, by updating your content on your WimTV account, your web pages are automatically updated
3. If you have a CMS-based website you can develop appropriate pages and manage your media content directly from the CMS dashboard
4. Lastly you can run your own WimTV instance – on premises or on the cloud

Contact us at

+39 335 612 11 59

info@wimlabs.com

www.wimlabs.com