Research, page-1520

Hi @Stewart

There are several competitors to TV2U with different technologies and business models. Several I'd put at the low end of the spectrum. Others are serious players. The company I was referring to is probably the best among them considering their technical platform, business solution, the number and size of their customers, and their annual growth rate (over 50% annually).

The company's solution is modular, there are modules for media creators (media creation platform), for content providers (media integration and aggregation), and for distributors (over multiple platforms and operating systems). For example, ESPN can use the platform to create and edit videos of sporting events, have videos available to content providers or integrate external content (from say Fox Sports) and manage the lot through their CMS, and distribute their contents over their own TV and streaming networks. They do have their own monitoring and analytics tools. Also, their business model is quite different. What I can say, for example, is that this company does not own or license content (with very few exceptions that are generic to all markets). Content is very diverse and much of it is market specific especially when it comes to live streaming (news, local sports, etc), so for better or worse, they elected not to go down that path. The company deals mostly with big players that have their own content and localisation capabilities (like Globo or Fox Sports) but want to improve content generation, management, and distribution. They also deal with companies that negotiate diverse content and want a unified distribution platform (like Telstra).

Apologies if I am not more explicit. I did not write a detailed comparison of the platforms and associated services because my research could be incomplete or deficient and I don't want to promote (or denigrate) another company.

One thing that I'd like to add, and that will sound like stating the obvious, is that this is a very dynamic sector in which companies and technologies are in constant evolution. We are likely to see significant market consolidations taking place. Technologies are also affecting how media is packaged, distributed, and even searched (e.g. what Linus Technologies is doing). More companies will start exploring ways to enhance their offering, including companies that are not obvious at this stage, like mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung and LG. They will bundle media streaming capabilities with their mobile offering. Many mobile operators in developing countries are unable to compete with the national big players because they can't do for example what Telstra is doing. If Samsung or LG can do that for these operators they will change the market dynamics. All this to say that there are still windows of opportunity for everyone and there are many other companies already doing or trying to do what TV2U is doing. How they do it technically and commercially is what will determine how effective and competitive their solution will be.

Cheers