SVG Sit-Down: Videon Central CEO Todd Erdley on Connecting Sports Fans Through Live Streamed Experiences
03/03/2021
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 12:45 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Since its founding, Videon Central has been supplying affordable live streaming and encoding solutions for a wide variety of production verticals. With EdgeCaster, VersaStreamer SDI, and VersaStreamer 4K leading the way, the company has made significant headway in supporting digital productions of some of sports' biggest events. SVG sat down with CEO Todd Erdley about how the company is virtually bringing fans together throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming technological challenges to provide this content, simplifying the user experience for better engagement, and where these at-home models of live streaming go after the pandemic ends.
Videon CEO Todd Erdley
How has the ongoing pandemic accelerated Videon's efforts in digital streaming?
Since people can't get to the venue, we're trying to come up with unique ways to bring content to the viewers by working with different sports leagues. We want fans to engage in an event in a meaningful way that feels like they're sitting next to each other but they're actually in two different households. Some of these examples include gamification, opportunities for micro betting, or a different camera angle. Since the start of the pandemic, another level of storytelling that's popped up is the larger idea of a second-screen experience. We want viewers to have the broadcast on the big screen, but also have people watch their favorite player on another screen.
What technological challenges is the company overcoming to produce a quality product?
Some leagues want a particular camera location to be streamed and delivered for remote operators to use. In addition, we might also blur some things that would otherwise be visible because we don't want full access to that type of video. We're really trying to produce elements in low latency video because that's extremely important for real-time engagement points. We're also talking about a rapid deployment of assets in a low-cost way to hook up video streaming and edge computing at every camera like a pylon cam and an in-car cam.
Aside from a production standpoint, how are you changing your behind-the-scenes workflow to better enhance the experience?
[The industry] hasn't put in the effort to create a quality product in live streaming that we have with broadcast. The typical video workflow has been encoding a video, pushing it up to the cloud, letting it re-encode in the cloud and break apart into pieces, and then send it to different destinations. That complex process takes time, requires money, and reduces reliability, so we've decided to simplify this workflow. We're now treating the supply chain of video in a way that we optimize it. For example, let's encode that video, put it in the right packaging, and deliver it directly to the CDN by bypassing the cloud. We want it to be correctly formatted so that it's going to play [efficiently ] on your phone, tablet, or computer. We also want to reduce costs and increase the number of opportunities that people have to deliver that video.
How do you see the streaming sector of the industry growing over the next 6 to 12 months? Will second-screen experiences have a lasting impact on viewing habits?
There are a couple of things that are going to happen. When fans go to a stadium and it's in between plays, they're going to be watching a specific angle of a replay or something that's personalized on a phone that's delivered in real-time. 5G in sporting venues will also be a perfect application of technology and will help with delivery. If they're not in the stadium, the experience will be able to include video, social media, and enhanced graphics.
Ultimately, we're not going to see a decrease in second screens, but actually an increase. The phrase second screen isn't going to be used within a year because it'll become a huge part of the primary screen. If you think about ad placement, there will be all sorts of different monetization opportunities for major sports leagues.
Lastly, the industry has controlled what we watch and what the pandemic has taught us is that live streaming is becoming democratized. Anybody can watch anything at any time. People want to watch corn hole or ax throwing league and they want to bet on sports like cricket. At the end of the day, we need to solve the steps that are within the supply chain. We want to automate complex elements like GOP structure and frame alignment to give an impressive user interface.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/03/03/svg-sit-down-videon-central-ceo... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
29/03/2024
Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB Show
PARIS Dalet has announced that during the 2024 NAB Show (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows that ...
29/03/2024
DirecTV Inks Deal to Carry 2024 Colorado Rockies Games
DENVER AND EL SEGUNDO, Calif. DirecTV has announced a new agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow Colorado Rockies fans to see this season's ga...
29/03/2024
S&P: Media, Telecom M&A Plunges to 13-Month Low
S&P Global Market Intelligence has released new data showing that dealmaking in the North America for media and telecom companies remains in the doldrums....
29/03/2024
NAB Show: Pebble Launches PRIMA Software Platform
EPSOM, Surrey, UK The automation, content management, and integrated channel specialist Pebble, has announced that it will be launching a new software platform ...
29/03/2024
Gray Television to Air Arena Football League Local Games
ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has inked a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League to bring Saturday arena football games over-the-air to local audien...
29/03/2024
Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...
29/03/2024
Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...
29/03/2024
My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sou...
29/03/2024
Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South ...
29/03/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...
29/03/2024
House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South African...
28/03/2024
No votes for all
Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...
28/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...
28/03/2024
The Best Shared Storage For Video Production
alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...
28/03/2024
Future-Proofing the B-52
L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....
28/03/2024
Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series
L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....
28/03/2024
ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set
NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....
28/03/2024
Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas
MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....
28/03/2024
Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network
NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...
28/03/2024
Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024
PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...
28/03/2024
Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films
Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...
28/03/2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...
28/03/2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...
28/03/2024
Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington
Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...
28/03/2024
The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth
TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...
28/03/2024
2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils
Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...
28/03/2024
JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies
With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...
28/03/2024
Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers
The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....
28/03/2024
GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming
Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....
28/03/2024
Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion
Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....
28/03/2024
Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus
Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...
28/03/2024
Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative
Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...
28/03/2024
Circle City Broadcasting Renews Nielsen Ratings Deal
Nielsen said that Circle City Broadcasting, owner of WISH-TV in Indianapolis, has renewed its local TV measurement deal....
28/03/2024
Lionsgate Extends Deal With Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures
Lionsgate Television said it extended its deal with Point Grey Pictures, the production company led by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver....
28/03/2024
Ariana DeBose Back as Tonys Host
Ariana DeBose returns as host of the Tony Awards Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount Plus. It is her third consecutive time hosting, and it will be the 77th T...
28/03/2024
The Steve Wilkos Show' Renewed for Season 18
The Steve Wilkos Show has been renewed for its 18th season in national syndication, Tracie Wilson, executive VP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News, sai...
28/03/2024
Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine
PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...
28/03/2024
Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal
NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...
28/03/2024
JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show
LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....
28/03/2024
Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0
BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...
28/03/2024
NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast
The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....
28/03/2024
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...
28/03/2024
DJ Sbu makes shock return to SABC radio after almost a decade
DJ Sbu makes shock return to SABC radio after almost a decadeRevered radio host, media personality, philanthropist, and businessman DJ Sbu will finally be back ...
28/03/2024
Smoke and Mirrors: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Smoke and Mirrors: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Afr...
28/03/2024
VEON Pays Back Outstanding Balance and Cancels its Revolving Credit Facility
28 Mar 2024 VEON Pays Back Outstanding Balance and Cancels its Revolving Credit Facility Amsterdam, 28 March 2024, 09.30 CET - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON, Euronex...
28/03/2024
TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio
TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio Marching bands, crowds make up for lack of court FX and wired players By Dan Daley, Audio Editor ...
28/03/2024
Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Shared Reality' Venues
Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Share...
28/03/2024
MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2024 Home Games
MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2...