The newly rebranded Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA), a global technical association devoted to developing solutions to address critical technical challenges in delivering a high-quality video experience at scale, has this week announced its name change from the "Streaming Video Alliance" to the new moniker.
Founded in 2014 by industry leaders from the online video ecosystem, with the stated intention "of solving the technical challenges of streaming video and ensuring online video will continue to flourish," the SVTA says it is modifying the name to better reflect its mission.
A far-reaching misson
Over the years, SVTA membership has grown to include over 100 member companies globally, seven Technical Groups, and over 30 documents published to date, which include technical specifications, best practices, guidelines, and tech briefs on key industry trends.
The SVTA Technical Groups are at the core of the Alliance, where a focus on important streaming video issues allows a diverse group of streaming experts to reach agreement on best practices, policy and proposed standards. The cross-industry collaboration that these Technical Groups fosters helps define the open architecture for streaming and promote the SVTA’s vision for its future. Technical Groups also contribute to software projects in SVTA LABS, an initiative started two years ago to codify technical specifications into reference code. Over 70 member company engineers participate in the initiative’s efforts.
Meanwhile, now in its fifth year, the SVTA recently established the Grant Membership Program to enable smaller organizations, such as startups, that may not have the financial means to cover the Alliance’s membership fees, to participate in and contribute to the Alliance’s work as Principal Members for a year from the date of acceptance.
SVTA also introduced the Fellow Program with the mission of honoring significant contributions individuals have made to the streaming industry and Alliance efforts. Nominated fellows are reviewed by the Fellow Nominations Committee and recommended to the board for approval. Fellow awards represent lifetime recognition. (Current fellows can be found at https://fellows.svta.org.)
Additional accomplishments include the selection of the SVTA by the Open Authentication Technology Committee (OATC) to permanently host the association’s rich library of technical documentation. Earlier this year, the SVTA was awarded a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for the OATC’s role in the development of the Event Scheduling and Notification Interface (ESNI), SCTE-224, a standard that allows channel originators to express usage rights, blackouts, and digital advertising rules for channels distributed over the internet.
SVTA membership roster
Members of the Alliance include companies from across the streaming video ecosystem such as network operators, technology providers, service providers, and content owners.
Current members include: Adobe, AERQ, Agile Content, Alibaba, allt, Amazon, ARK Multicasting, ATEME, Bitmovin, Blockcast, Brightcove, Broadpeak, CBC, Ceeblue, Charter Communications, Cisco Systems, Citrix, Comcast, CommScope, Compira Labs, Conviva, Datazoom, Deutsche Telekom, DidjaTV, Disney Streaming, Dolby, Eluvio, Equus Compute Solutions, Ericsson, Fastly, Friend MTS, Globo, Google, Harmonic, Hughes Satellite Systems, INKA Entworks, Intel, Intelsat, InterDigital, Interra Systems, Irdeto, Liberty Global, Lilac Cloud, Limelight Networks, Lumen Technologies, Mainstreaming, Nagra, NCTA, Netskrt, Neustar, Nice People at Work, NTT, Optus, Orange, Panasonic Avionics, picoNETS, Plex, Qwilt, ServiceNow, Siden, SiriusXM Radio, Sky, SSIMWAVE, ST Engineering iDirect, Stackpath, Streaming Global, Synamedia, Telefonica, Telekom Malaysia, Telestream, Thales, The Football Association Premier League, THEO, Touchstream, Unified Streaming, Varnish Software, Vecima Networks, Velocix, Verizon, ViacomCBS, Viasat Inc., WarnerMedia, Western Digital Corp., and Wowza.
The Alliance also sees participation from other brands owned by, or associated with, member companies which include Globecast, Hulu, NBCSports, Paramount, Peacock, PlutoTV, Prime Video, Twitch, Verizon Media, Viaccess-Orca, and Virgin Media.
“Updating the name of the Alliance is a key step in our strategy to clearly communicate to our audiences that all of our work focuses on addressing technical challenges throughout the streaming workflow,” concluded Jason Thibeault, executive director at the Streaming Video Technology Alliance. “Our original mission of providing a forum for the industry to collaborate on technical solutions for delivering high-quality streaming video at scale remains the same, and now our brand clearly supports that focus.”