Comcast Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CMCSA) recently announced a direct-to-consumer (D2C) solution to help content providers build, launch and manage over-the-top (OTT) services. It is a turnkey offering, with video processing, management, multi-CDN distribution, playout capabilities, as well as monetization options from subscription management and promotion to billing.
However, the approach is not one-size-fits-all. The D2C solution is built with the acknowledgement that customers may have unique needs. Therefore, flexibility is key.
"(We) enable content providers to reduce complexity, accelerate time to market and optimize their workflows, user experience, and monetization models as needed," said Barry Tishgart, VP Comcast Technology Solutions.
The solution offers flexibility in several areas, beginning with the business model. Is the offering advertising-supported, SVOD, subscription? Next come existing vendor relationships.
"We think some companies particularly value that. There are some with deep engineering relationships vs. others who have a business idea, want to invent this much money, and have a partner to be end-to-end," Tishgart said.
Digital rights management (DRM) is a third area where there is flexibility to accommodate a company's choice. While the D2C solution has a prescriptive all-in-one option, it also can accommodate a particular DRM or payment vendor, Tishgart said.
Ultimately, however, the D2C solution is about simplicity, repeatability and speed. A recent PwC survey indicated that 78% of U.S. consumers subscribe to at least one OTT service. Time-to-market becomes crucial in this customer-rich environment.
If a customer selects vendors and tries to stitch them together, it increases the time it takes to complete the project, Tishgart said. One of the complicated components can be the user interface (UI), and Comcast Technology Solutions wants to make integration seamless. The company has thus far partnered with Accedo and You.iTV, which means out-of-the-box integration into the D2C solution's user experience (UX) layer. There are repeatable, pre-integrated templates, but also the ability to customize interfaces.
"What makes project turnaround quick and a speedy idea to revenue … is if the APIs and interfaces are all specified ahead of time. The project is more simplified and repeatable," Tishgart said, noting that a template-based approach enables easy rollout even if a company has divisions in seven global regions with seven different languages.
More integrations with other companies are in the works. The capabilities they provide might be similar, but with a different geographic focus. "We do business globally and know some companies are strong in Europe, but don't necessarily have a U.S. presence," Tishgart said.