Just last month, Ricardo Arjona’s “Hecho a la Antigua” show became the most watched livestream concert in the history of Latin America. More than 150,000 fans across 80 countries purchased tickets for this virtual concert, setting a new record for Arjona.
Vye was created to connect artists to virtual audiences through livestream concerts, and for the “Hecho a la Antigua” show, we partnered with Brightcove and InPlayer to confidently handle the scale we were anticipating for this performance.
Brightcove handled the livestreaming, and InPlayer managed the authentication, payments, analytics and support. Both teams worked together to ensure fans could seamlessly log in and enjoy a reliable, broadcast-quality livestream while also protecting the artist’s content and revenue.
The absolute necessity of a reliable technology stack for livestream events is always important, and that’s further realized when things go wrong, which is exactly what the live events industry saw shortly after the Arjona event.
Another major Latin artist experienced technical difficulties on another video streaming platform, and ultimately ended up refunding fans and rescheduling a free performance to make up for the mishap. Unfortunate situations like this further highlight why it’s imperative to work with video technology leaders that have a history of successfully streaming large-scale events and are trusted partners throughout the process — before, during and even after a show.
At vye, we always place our artists and fans at the center of our services. We understand the cost and work that goes into a well-produced event, and we do everything we can to ensure the best experience possible for our artists and their fans.
Together, with Brightcove and InPlayer, artists can feel confident that their livestream concert will go exactly to plan, every time.
Even after the pandemic is behind us, musicians will continue to livestream shows. Livestreaming has proven to be a prime opportunity for artists to play in front of a seemingly limitless crowd, around the world, and generate revenue.
As vye continues to redefine the events experience worldwide, we aim to build trust and long-term partnerships with artists everywhere to thrive in this new era of live entertainment. And with strong technology partners behind us, fans can expect a reliable, broadcast-quality livestream experience, every time.
Maggie Seidel-Laws is CEO and Managing Partner at vye.

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Launching a global over-the-top (OTT) streaming service can be daunting. There’s so much to consider: content rights, languages, currencies, payment gateways, and more.
Brightcove recently sat down with a panel of experts to uncover the things you should think about if you’re planning an OTT service of your own:

Paolo Cuttorelli, VP APAC, Middle East and Africa at Evergent.Evergent provides an integrated revenue and user management application used by many of the world’s leading communication and media companies.

Moustapha Bekheet, VP and Managing Director at WatchiT!. Launched in 2019, WatchiT! is the first SVOD in the Arab world, reaching a global audience of 400 million people from its Egyptian headquarters.

Becca Paoletti, Co-Founder and CEO of CakeWorks. New York City-based video agency CakeWorks helps content creators, media companies, publishers, and startups around the world with challenges like how to monetize effectively.

Here are some of the insights they shared:
##On pricing and monetization

Study the market and launch with exclusive or niche content. When you’re faced with the challenge of trying to launch a subscription-based service in a traditionally free-to-air market, focus on offering viewers content they can’t get anywhere else. If viewers are going to pay for content, exclusivity equals value.

Know your audience – and your competition. Get to know your potential audience inside out: Who are they? What are they watching? What are their interests? What platforms are they on today, and how much are they spending? In the US, people are already paying for four to five streaming platforms. Understand the difference between content viewers will pay a premium for versus content that is available for free on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.

Start lower and offer multiple options. If your technology allows it, offer tiered pricing with a low entry-level option. Then be as flexible as your platform permits. For example, if you have higher-value content, monetize it through a transactional or premium subscription package.

Reduce or remove free trials. A lot of services, like Disney+, Netflix, Curiosity Stream, and just recently, HBOMax, are doing away with them. If you really want to offer a free trial, though, limit it to seven days or less. Some of the discounts and packages our panelists had the most success with were based on periods of six months or a year. That way, you know you have a viewer who’s interested in your content and who’s willing to commit, and you’re not dealing with marketing to them throughout the duration of a free trial.

Preview content. Free episodes are a smart alternative to free trials. Someone can watch one episode of a series, and if they like it, they can subscribe for the rest.

##On going global

Make the entire experience as easy as possible. Going global introduces so many potential hurdles into the viewing experience, from whether content is available in a particular region to the currencies and payment options your platform will accept. From a customer’s perspective, there’s nothing worse than going through the entire process of finding a show they want to watch and getting ready to pay, only to find at the last moment that the content isn’t available in their region, or they can’t use the credit card they were intending to pay with. You want to make things as easy as possible for them, so put any critical information that may impact their ability to enjoy your content at the beginning of the process, not at the end.

When they’re ready to pay, meet customers on their terms. Payment methods vary greatly from region to region. In Asia, for example, customers expect to be able to pay for a streaming service with a bank transfer. In developing economies, digital wallets are popular, and in some places, you can piggyback on the relationship a consumer has with their cell phone carrier. You should strive to meet customers on their own terms and give them the opportunity to pay in whichever way works for them.

##On building a successful service

Keep costs in balance. Understand your costs for content, marketing, and technology, and make sure they’re in balance. You don’t want to have the best platform with every bell and whistle without enough marketing or content to take advantage it. So if you’re starting small and you have a small content budget, go small. Put a basic platform together with some baseline marketing strategies that leverage what you can do on social with little to no money.

Understand churn to reduce it. Once you have a customer, it’s vital to keep them. Gain a deep understanding of what they expect, then exceed their expectations. Knowing exactly why viewers leave is the first step in getting them to stay.

Encourage gifting. If someone really loves your content and believes it’s a good value, they’re going to be willing to buy it to give to someone else as a gift. So give them that opportunity. Sharing your service with others is the ultimate endorsement of your content and your pricing. Let your most passionate viewers be ambassadors for your brand.

And remember, if you’re looking to launch an OTT streaming service, we can help.
Brightcove Beacon features an advanced monetization module powered by Evergent that allows your viewers to easily make payments in their local currency and with their preferred payment method – just what you need when your potential audience is the world.

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Forced by necessity and driven by creativity, performing arts organizations today are embracing a hybrid model and finding innovative ways to use video to engage existing audiences and make new ones in every corner of the globe. This transformation was already underway when the pandemic kicked it into high gear. With theatres lowering their curtains, stadiums closing their gates, and film sets shutting down indefinitely, it was critical for the entertainment industry to adapt by leveraging digital solutions.
The show must go on: Combining arts and technology
Rising to the challenges of the past year, performing arts groups all over the world had to find new ways to engage fans, monetise content, and grow audiences in response to many in-person seasons being cancelled.
With a mission to bring the power and beauty of orchestral music to more people in more places, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has been using video to grow its audience and share performances with people who might not be able to attend the symphony in person.
During the lockdown, the SSO smoothly transitioned to video and made pre-recorded concerts and productions available on demand to audiences across the globe. Of course, for an orchestra, delivering high-quality performances with exceptional sound is critical, so they use Brightcove to deliver first-rate video experiences that capture every nuance of the music and keep their audiences coming back for more.
Going behind the scenes: Bringing the audience experience closer than ever
Livestreaming performances on a platform like Brightcove’s allows arts groups to deliver unmatched viewing experiences for virtually any size audience – and everyone gets a front-row seat from the comfort of their own home. But lovers of the performing arts have insatiable appetites for cultural content, and video provides them with immersive experiences that can take them backstage, let them peek into rehearsals, or participate in a Q&A session with a favorite artist.
In response, video has become an integral part of many arts and entertainment organizations as they seek to offer both in-person and digital experiences.
For example, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra recently launched MSO.LIVE, their digital platform to deliver accessible, affordable, world-class digital experiences to all audiences, to support their 2021 season. Offering 24-hour entertainment, both live and pre-recorded, MSO.LIVE delivers premium content as an alternative to traditional, in-person orchestral experiences.
The orchestra has been able to attract new audiences from around the world with the MSO.LIVE platform, and they are continually enhancing their video content by releasing new performances each month and partnering with other world-class orchestras.
The venue got a lot bigger: All the world’s a stage
While 2020 made it urgent to pivot to new digital video experiences in response to the pandemic and its impact, many arts and entertainment organisations are now embracing these experiences as a long-term growth strategy.
Video has literally opened up a new world of opportunity for these organisations to attract and engage new fans. No longer limited by their physical location or geographic borders, their performances and associated content can now be viewed virtually anywhere by anyone and at any time.
As the world opens up once again and in-person performances return, the focus will shift to how video can be used to enhance and supplement these performances as well as how it can be used to create unique and enhanced experiences for a deeply engaged digital audience. Arts organisations can look forward to a hybrid future built on the twin pillars of in-person and video.
And artists and fans can anticipate more of the connections that make performances and everything that surrounds them so powerful and meaningful.

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Waving giant foam fingers and eating overpriced hotdogs will always be the ultimate way to enjoy a live sports event. But as the past year or so has shown us, video has become an essential part of the fan experience, and teams and organizations are accelerating their use of video to connect with fans in powerful ways.
Recently, Brightcove sponsored The National Sports Forum Spring Summit and hosted a marketing workshop called “How To Keep Sports Fans Connected With Video.” This roundtable discussion featured the insights of:

Aalum Jaffer, VP Brand, Victory Creative Group
Amanda Weiner, Senior Director, Digital Media and Ticketing, USGA US Golf Association
Keisha Wright, VP Integrated Marketing, THINK450/NBPA National Basketball Player Association
Mary Pink, Associate Athletic Director, Marketing and Promotions, Iowa State University

Here are key highlights of this conversation, offering new and unique ways for you to extend your audience reach and increase your revenue with sports video.
Think beyond the game
The actual sporting event or game is certainly a main attraction. But for passionate fans, the love of the game doesn’t end at the final buzzer, and you can continue to engage them in many ways.

Develop a streaming app that offers content all year round
Give fans a choice of the content they experience, from quick highlights and a weekly recap to select plays or the entire broadcast event
Explore ways to curate content – for example, by creating a separate video channel of Top 10 players and their top moments
Repurpose all the old video content you may have in your archives that fans would love to see: old telecasts, films, documentaries, etc.
Take your sport and gamify it, giving fans a fun, hands-on experience that lets them compete and win
Begin a draft-day event, bringing fans and past players together

Create original content
As the panel noted, the internet has unlimited shelf space, so your creativity is limited only by your imagination. Surprise and delight your fans, and they’ll come back for more.

Create a customized video player showing more than just a leaderboard with player scorecards, highlights, live polling, live trivia, and more
Original programming is huge right now – develop series that tell emotional and inspiring sports stories, both short and long form
Come up with promotions to offer during live events, partnering with a sponsor and a personality/host to create excitement
Showcase your players outside the game, from community involvement to fun ways they express themselves
Kick-off a new season with a launch party, creating a robust event with corporate sponsors, home delivery of food and gear, DJ performances, and more

Keep up the momentum
The ways to use and monetize video are increasing rapidly as sports organizations discover how to tap into this powerful and popular medium.

Even the biggest arena or ballpark is limited in size – see how video vastly increases your audience, reaching fans who might not be able to attend
Partner with influencers to promote your sport and players
Integrate the unique social media platforms of your players into your content
Continually look at ways to package your content, from quick hits to full events
Capitalize on data you gain from video usage, using insights to refine and target content
Always seek different voices and perspectives that can translate into content for eager fans

Sports fans will always have a love of the game, and video will simply strengthen and amplify that connection they have to your team and your players. As a premiere video software platform, Brightcove can make the most of your digital connection by delivering a high-quality and highly monetizable video experience across devices. Let us deliver serious fan video engagement for you.

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For media companies, so much is riding on your choice of video platform. And while making a decision this impactful, you can already hear the questions: Will it be worth the expense? How will it help? What kind of return can we expect on this investment?
These can be difficult questions to answer because there are so many factors to consider. So we commissioned Forrester Consulting to explore them. Their findings are contained in “The Total Economic Impact of Brightcove on Media Organizations” – download it here.
What they discovered
The big takeaway? Forrester found that media companies can realize a 226% ROI over three years with Brightcove.
Breaking things down a little, media organizations experience many benefits while using the Brightcove platform. You can:

Attract a 15-20% larger audience due to the ability to quickly deliver content to new markets and devices.
Spend 80% less time migrating content thanks to the ability to quickly transcode massive amounts of video.
Dedicate 83% less time to manual content management because of an easy-to-use interface and better overall UX.
See 75% fewer compliance problems due to built-in security features that significantly reduce the risk of SLA violations and the fines that result.
Gain 50% of employees’ time back from the ability to process videos from any vendor without quality loss or outages.
Increase customer lifetime value as a result of a better overall viewer experience.

Media organizations operate in fast-moving and ever-changing environments. They require all parts of their organizations to provide high-quality content at a moment’s notice. As media organizations continue to expand digital video offerings globally, the need for video quality, speed to market, and platform flexibility becomes even more critical.
– “The Total Economic Impact of Brightcove on Media Organizations,” a Forrester study commissioned by Brightcove

For media companies, it’s essential to get video right
Any organization that depends on delivering flawless video must understand the distinction between a platform built for serious business and one that is built for… much less. Learn what you need to know in “The Total Economic Impact of Brightcove on Media Organizations” – you can download it here.
Give your employees and your audience an experience they’ll both love. Because there’s video… and there’s Brightcove video.

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During this year’s PLAY 2021 event, I experienced one of the the highlights of my professional career (and personal life!), interviewing Shonda Rhimes about the future of storytelling.
Shonda’s work has been celebrated through numerous awards, including induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She is the CEO of the global media company Shondaland, which approaches innovative storytelling through branded partnerships, merchandise, and content for film, digital, audio, editorial, and streaming. Shonda’s work has shifted the entertainment industry’s business model, and she has changed the face of television.
During my conversation with Shonda, she divulged her insights into how she and her team tell such amazing stories like Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. Here are four tips from Shonda that you can use in your very own content creation.

Be Authentic. “Audiences are very smart these days. They watch a lot. They read a lot. They are very well-versed, and they have a nose for what feels authentic to them and what doesn’t, and you have to respect that. The simplest way to engage and connect with an audience is to be completely authentic. But pure honesty and vulnerability is surprisingly powerful for an audience in every medium.”
Honor the Creative Process. “Sometimes I spend the morning in regency England, the afternoon in modern-day Seattle, and the evening in New York. It’s a fascinating time with all the different stories that are being told. And so I’m jumping from area to area to area. It feels very important to me to compartmentalize. You have to live in the story that you’re in. It is important to stick to the story and to make sure that you’re following the lines of the story that you wanted to tell. Because the audience isn’t jumping around. They’re watching it all at once. They’re watching it in a binge. So you want them to have that experience. “
Be Inclusive. “Shows that have more inclusive casts, that showcase a bigger variety of types of people, make more money. They have a higher advertising dollar rate. They draw in bigger audiences.”
Don’t Limit How You Tell Your Story. “The best way to really look at an idea when it comes to you and you’re excited about it is to figure out where it belongs. We have stories that belong as documentaries. We have stories that belong as podcasts. We have stories that belong as simply just articles on our website. I always like to give an idea time to germinate and grow and see where it’s going and make sure that it’s placed in the right place for it to be successful.”

Be sure to check out all the content from PLAY 2021 that’s waiting for you on PlayTV, and read our recap post for more insights from our speakers.

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