OTT, SVOD, AVOD & FAST Streaming Platform News

UCLA researchers have developed a snapshot 3D image projection system that integrates a digital encoder with a passive diffractive optical decoder, jointly optimized through deep learning. This system can project 28-layer 3D images in a single shot, which is a significant advancement for compact, high-fidelity volumetric display technologies. Such a system could improve depth perception and visual comfort in next-generation AR/VR and holographic displays.

Online video revenues reached $176 billion in 2025, surpassing pay-TV for the first time, according to Omdia data. Global online video subscriptions grew 17.6% to 2.24 billion, largely driven by the adoption of lower-cost, advertising-supported subscription tiers. Omdia expects growth to moderate in 2026 as the market matures and platforms focus on revenue maximization over subscriber growth.

YouTube TV users on Google TV devices are experiencing an issue where channel up/down buttons are unresponsive, disrupting seamless navigation. This software-level bug is widespread, and Google is actively investigating it to restore functionality.

Agora has unveiled its Signaling SDK, designed to synchronize real-time application metadata with ultra-low latency across its global network. This SDK offers features like channel management, presence, and stream channels, boasting average global latency under 200ms and within-region latency under 100ms. The platform also integrates with AI extensions, including speech-to-text and noise suppression, catering to streaming industry professionals for robust real-time communication.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has published code examples for Kinesis Video Streams, demonstrating how developers can send and retrieve data, as well as enable HLS playback. These examples utilize various tools including a GStreamer plugin, Docker containers for RTSP sources, and the PutMedia API for sending pre-containerized video files. The documentation also provides guidance on parsing video fragments and rendering them, alongside HLS integration for web playback.

Agora offers a Broadcast Streaming API that allows developers to build live stream applications with up to 4K 60fps video and 192kbps audio. The platform routes traffic globally across 200+ countries, ensuring high quality and reliability, and includes various media services and AI extensions like real-time speech to text and noise suppression. It provides SDKs, a low-code UI Kit, and a no-code App Builder to facilitate quick integration for developers.

Agora offers Agora Analytics, a platform for real-time monitoring, issue detection, and diagnostics of streaming quality, featuring Call Inspector 3.0 and integration with Datadog and RESTful APIs. The platform provides data insights for streaming professionals to monitor, measure, and improve the quality of experience for voice, video, and live streaming services, including AI-powered real-time engagement tools. Agora's SDKs and APIs also support various AI extensions and add-ons, such as real-time speech-to-text, real-time translation, and AI noise suppression.

Amazon Prime Video is exclusively broadcasting the NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, marking a significant shift of live sports content to streaming platforms. The race, originally scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, was moved up to 1 p.m. ET due to inclement weather forecasts. This highlights Amazon's role as a major streaming platform for live sports, impacting how content is delivered and consumed in the industry.

BBC iPlayer is expanding its Ultra HD (UHD) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, including live coverage of UEFA Euro 2020 and Wimbledon 2021. The platform outlines necessary internet connection speeds and supported devices for viewers to access this enhanced content. The article also references BBC's past technical challenges and achievements in live UHD broadcasting.

Brightcove has released a quick start guide detailing how to use its Live module in conjunction with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) Studio. The guide covers event creation, encoder configuration, livestream publishing, and video-on-demand (VOD) clipping for live events. This resource aims to assist streaming professionals in integrating OBS with Brightcove's platform for live broadcasts.

France Televisions and YouTube announced a strategic partnership for content distribution, including thousands of hours of news programming and new YouTube-native content. The deal also incorporates YouTube's Likeness ID tool for AI protection and allows France TV Publicite to directly commercialize ad inventory, moving beyond standard revenue-sharing models. This agreement positions YouTube as a co-primary distribution window for the European public broadcaster.

Stingray, a connected streaming media company, has partnered with Vesta Stream, an OTT streaming platform, to expand the distribution of its music and lifestyle FAST channels across the U.S. and Canada. This agreement makes Stingray's audio and video channels available on Vesta Stream's multi-platform ecosystem, including mobile and connected TV devices. The move aims to enhance Vesta Stream's content offerings and broaden Stingray's reach to audiences in North America.

Castr, a live streaming platform vendor, published a guide on how to live stream a wedding using its platform, covering aspects like camera setup, audio, internet connectivity, and privacy settings. The article highlights Castr's features such as multi-platform delivery, cloud recording, and pay-per-view monetization for videographers offering livestreaming as a service.

Castr, a vendor specializing in live streaming, outlines a guide for how to live stream a concert using its platform. The guide covers technical aspects like audio setup, multi-camera use, and platform configuration, with a focus on features such as multi-platform delivery, pay-per-view monetization, and content protection (password gates, domain restrictions, geo-controls). The article also cites market data on the growing concert livestreaming market.

Agora has launched its Interactive Whiteboard SDK, offering a comprehensive suite of collaboration tools for web, mobile, and desktop applications for education and business. The SDK features multimedia playback, annotation labels, and robust security meeting ISO and SOC 2 certifications, ensuring HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. It integrates with Agora's real-time communication platform, including voice and video calling, and offers AI extensions for speech-to-text, translation, and noise suppression.

Agora has launched a Chat SDK designed to add custom messaging experiences to real-time video and voice applications. The SDK supports rich media, channel management, and integrates with Agora Analytics and Datadog for monitoring, offering secure, scalable messaging across multiple platforms.

Agora has integrated its SDK directly with OpenAI's Realtime API to enable the creation of ultra-low latency AI voice agents for real-time conversational AI applications. This collaboration aims to deliver human-like emotional interactions with features like AI noise suppression and last-mile optimization for various use cases, including customer support, gaming, and IoT.

Streaming platforms like DAZN, Amazon, and Netflix are investing heavily in live sports rights, driving global sports media revenues over £40 billion in 2024. This intense competition for expensive rights, often leading to losses, indicates impending market consolidation. The article details how different platforms approach this strategy, highlighting DAZN's struggles, Amazon's marketing-driven approach, Netflix's late but aggressive entry, and Disney/TNT Sports' legacy transitions.

Agora provides a Software-Defined Real-Time Network (SDRTN®) platform designed for developers, offering ultra-low latency of 400 ms or less and 99.99% availability for real-time communication. The platform supports developers with SDKs across multiple platforms for voice and video chat, and interactive live streaming. It leverages machine learning to route traffic for optimal performance and aims to provide global coverage and scalability.

Irdeto has established a Memorandum of Understanding with Binance to enhance its cybersecurity services by targeting cybercriminals using cryptocurrency for piracy, particularly within the video entertainment and gaming ecosystems. This collaboration allows Irdeto to identify illicit crypto transactions and work with Binance to remove threat actors from the platform, disrupting their ability to receive payments for illegal services. The partnership also facilitates reporting to law enforcement to track and seize illicit crypto assets.

Spotify is hiring a Senior Applied Research Engineer focused on Media Quality to enhance its media experiences. The role involves working across the full media pipeline, from encoding to playback, and building evaluation frameworks for media platform and codec decisions. This position will influence how audio and video perform for hundreds of millions of users, impacting backend processing such as ingestion, encoding, delivery, and frontend aspects like buffering and synchronization.

Aircast.Tech won the Golfweek Tech Lab 2026 for its platform that delivers live sports video and audio to mobile devices in under a second. The technology aims to solve streaming delays for fans attending live events by integrating into existing mobile apps to provide custom, near-real-time viewing experiences from various camera angles.

Redge Technologies has enhanced Israel's KAN streaming platform with new sports-focused features, including EnhancedLIVE and vertical video, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This update enables interactive match data, personalized recommendations, and a TikTok-style vertical video experience. The project highlights broadcasters' increasing focus on interactive digital experiences for major live events through platform enhancements.

Bell Media has launched 16 new Connected TV apps for TSN and RDS, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup 2026. The expanded offering includes a dedicated FIFA World Cup hub with live matches, highlights, news, and stats, along with features like DVR functionality and condensed 'Matches in 30' viewing experiences. These new apps are available across major CTV platforms such as Samsung, LG, Roku, Amazon, Apple, and Google, representing a permanent upgrade to Bell Media's sports streaming experience.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber defended the league's streaming-exclusive deal with Apple, acknowledging it was "early" but a necessary risk for digital transformation. After ditching the MLS Season Pass and making games available to standard Apple TV subscribers, the league reported a 62% increase in streaming viewership. Garber believes in the future of digital distribution, even suggesting a multi-streaming partner landscape with companies like Netflix and YouTube for future rights deals.

Uptime Institute's latest report reveals that IT and networking issues, operational complexity, and human error now cause 23% of cloud outages, shifting the risk from physical infrastructure failures. This trend impacts streaming professionals as resilience increasingly depends on managing complex software layers. The report highlights that scale can magnify operational weaknesses and that better change management and procedural quality are needed to improve cloud reliability.

YouTube is surpassing Netflix in average daily viewing time across 18 international markets, forcing traditional broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 to feed their premium content onto the platform. Broadcasters are compelled to use YouTube despite a 45% ad revenue split, indicating YouTube's growing control over content distribution and monetization dynamics.

This article discusses the increasing importance of the TV operating system (OS) as the primary gatekeeper for television, controlling discovery, advertising, and data in a fragmented media landscape. It explains how TV OS owners leverage their control over the user interface to drive revenue and influence content discoverability, making it a critical battleground for global market opportunities. The piece highlights the strategic value of home screen advertising, native FAST integration, and first-party data collection for advertisers and programmers.

Spectrum is enabling live streaming of 104 soccer matches in 4K through its Spectrum TV App, integrating content from FOX and Telemundo. This move leverages Spectrum's existing pay-TV infrastructure to offer a premium sports viewing experience, including features like Multiview and 4K streaming. The initiative demonstrates how a major customer is using streaming technology to enhance its service offering for subscribers.

Fanatiz, owned by Fz Sports, has expanded its US footprint by launching a new 24/7 pay-TV linear channel, Fanatiz1, and an interactive YouTube streaming hub. This move aims to target the US Hispanic audience with South American soccer content and leverage hybrid media consumption models. The new offerings include exclusive coverage of top-tier Brazilian, Peruvian, and Venezuelan soccer leagues, along with original analysis and pre/post-match content.

DirecTV Latin America is experiencing a significant decline in its pay-TV and DTH subscriber base, prompting a strategic shift towards OTT platforms and new infrastructure. The company is actively pursuing diversified strategies including partnerships with local ISPs, leasing neutral fiber networks (DFibra), M&A of fiber ISPs (ZAAZ), and an exclusive alliance with Amazon Kuiper for LEO satellite services starting in 2026. This complex transition aims to build the necessary scale and connectivity for its digital streaming future as its legacy DTH infrastructure approaches end-of-life.

Clipy detailed its video sharing platform, highlighting features that enable recipients to watch video links without accounts or app installs, utilizing Open Graph and oEmbed for broad compatibility. The platform integrates a Mux player for HLS playback and offers AI-powered summaries, transcripts, and interactive video chat features to enhance user experience and reduce friction.

Harmony Media published an AVOD content delivery checklist detailing technical specifications for video masters (ProRes 422 HQ), subtitle formats (WebVTT), metadata fields, ad breakpoints, music cue sheets, and artwork. These guidelines are crucial for ensuring content ingestibility and discoverability on AVOD platforms, affecting executives and engineers in streaming video.

Amazon IVS now integrates with Amazon EventBridge, enabling users to monitor stream status changes for IVS Low-Latency Streaming. This integration provides detailed notifications on ad breaks, stream health, stream session events, and limit breaches, enhancing operational visibility for streaming services. The feature allows streaming operators to create rules to trigger actions based on these events, aiding in debugging and performance management.

Dataxis has announced its 2026 events calendar, including 'NXT Media Days' and 'Own Stream Days' events focused on television & OTT, and 'CTV Ad Days' and 'Commerce Media Days' for advertising and commerce media. These conferences will take place across various global cities like Paris, Mexico City, New York, and Dubai, bringing together industry professionals to discuss trends and strategies in media and advertising. The events aim to foster innovation and collaboration within the media, advertising, and streaming sectors.

TikTok's Global Head of Sport, Rollo Goldstaub, emphasizes the platform's strategy to complement traditional broadcasters rather than compete directly, citing its FIFA World Cup deal and MLS Messi cam. TikTok aims to grow fan bases, converting younger and female audiences to third-party broadcasters by offering complementary content, such as behind-the-scenes access and short-form highlights. The platform is also working with athletes and retired legends to maximize authentic storytelling and engagement during events like the World Cup.

Disney+ in France will add the free-to-air linear sports channel La Chaîne L'Équipe to its platform, marking the first live linear channel for Disney+ in the country as part of its ESPN offering. This partnership aims to enhance Disney+'s sports content and allow La Chaîne L'Équipe to reach younger, digitally native audiences. Disney+ general manager Karl Holmes highlighted the commitment to working with broadcasters to extend content reach.

V-Nova Studios will showcase its immersive technologies, including PresenZ (a 6DoF format) and the ImmersiX distribution platform, at Annecy 2026. The company is particularly focused on expanding cinematic 6DoF content delivery to Apple Vision Pro and other XR devices through pixel streaming, aiming to dramatically increase market reach. This initiative involves integrating PresenZ into existing animation and VFX pipelines and advancing ImmersiX for broader device compatibility.

The article discusses how live sports represent the ultimate test for streaming infrastructure, demanding massive concurrency and low latency. It emphasizes that adopting a "sports-first" infrastructure mindset is crucial for streaming platforms to maintain viewer trust and drive future growth. The piece highlights that building an infrastructure capable of reliably delivering live sports will enable it to handle other content effectively.

The article discusses how the 2026 World Cup will accelerate the shift from linear TV to streaming and social media, driven by fragmented viewership and time zone differences. This shift makes traditional marketing and viewership measurement obsolete for streaming professionals, highlighting the need for new data synthesis approaches.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) launched WatchAEW, a direct-to-consumer FAST channel on its MyAEW.com platform, in a move to deepen fan engagement globally and gain greater control over audience data and ad revenue. This strategy bypasses traditional OTT distribution by offering a direct-to-fan experience alongside existing broadcast and streaming partnerships. Kiswe, a technology company, assisted AEW in launching the channel and platform.

Sports streaming platform DAZN has entered into a multi-year agreement with DirecTV Latin America to bring DSPORTS channels to its platform in five Latin American countries. This partnership expands DAZN's sports offerings, including live coverage of all 104 World Cup matches, and significantly boosts its presence in the region. The deal falls short of any broader acquisition but is part of DAZN's global growth strategy.

YouTube TV is offering new subscribers discounted rates for its base plan through June 30, with the article contrasting its transparent pricing and technical advantages, such as an unlimited cloud DVR and adaptive bitrate streaming over Google's CDN, against traditional cable's hidden fees and hardware requirements. The service aims to surpass traditional cable providers in subscriber count by 2027, driven by its infrastructure and cost efficiencies.

A developer successfully built a real-time, distributed video transcoding and adaptive streaming platform on AWS, leveraging services like S3, SQS, and CloudFront. The article details the architecture, design choices, and lessons learned, providing a blueprint for scalable media pipelines. It covers direct-to-S3 uploads, event-driven processing, ABR transcoding, edge security, and declarative infrastructure with Terraform.

Zixi asserts that the C-band transition necessitates a re-evaluation of control and accountability in live video, as inherent IP limitations require software-defined solutions. The company stresses that broadcast-grade reliability and governance, previously implicit with satellite, must now be actively orchestrated through software over IP networks. This architectural shift separates control from connectivity, enabling adaptability and consistent operation across diverse environments.

Xperi highlights the necessity for Smart TV OEMs to focus on cultural and linguistic personalization for content recommendations during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This approach aims to transform Smart TVs into primary destinations for global sports viewing by delivering tailored live matches, local commentary, and highlight reels. The article emphasizes leveraging recommendation engines and understanding evolving fan behavior to provide a more equitable and personalized entertainment experience.

Content distributors, streamers, and pay TV providers are investing in a "surround-sound" experience around the 2026 World Cup to engage global, digital-first audiences. This strategy involves creating adjacent content and continuous experiences, from analysis to betting integrations, to build lasting loyalty beyond the live matches. Companies aim to use audience insights to continuously optimize content and blur the lines between traditional broadcast, social media, and personalized experiences.