The Evolution of Video Streaming: 2021 Predictions and Trends
data-src=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c562aaf4-bpthumb.jpg data-srcset=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c561c0e7-bpfull.jpg 2x class=lazyload avatar avatar-80 photo height=80 width=80 />
Brie Clayton January 29, 2021
0 Comments
Camilla Young, CEO & co-founder of VUALTO, gives her predictions for 2021.
It is without doubt that 2020 has proven to be a transformative year in the world of video streaming, not least due to the wide-reaching impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the UK alone, the number of households subscribed to a video on demand (VOD) service grew from 14 million in Q3 of 2019 to 17 million in Q3 of 2020, equating to 60% of households now having access to such a service. For content providers, the opportunities continue to grow, and the technologies to facilitate video streaming will only expand. With this in mind, what trends do organisations in the video streaming sector need to be aware of when devising their 2021 strategies?
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-765x1024.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2402324 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-765x1024.jpg 765w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-224x300.jpg 224w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-768x1028.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-1147x1536.jpg 1147w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200-624x836.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/29203301/Camilla_Young1200.jpg 1200w data-sizes=(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px />The Rise of Event-Based Streaming
Two of the biggest sporting events in the 2020 calendar, the Olympics and Euro 2020, have been pushed back to the summer of 2021, leading to what will be a busy sporting calendar next year. Event-based streaming has taken on a new level of prominence already this year due to fans being unable to attend stadiums and venues. With the likelihood of continued uncertainty and a cautious approach from many fans who would usually attend events in-person, event-based streaming will continue to provide a reliable avenue for fans to consume content in a safe way.
With this increased demand for events-based streaming, organisations are looking to rationalise their cloud streaming costs. Using infrastructure as code techniques enable them to adopt the cost-effective approach of only consuming cloud resources when they're required, a trend that is likely to continue into 2021. This dynamic approach to video orchestration, which entails banding together the required resources to spin up an event right before it begins and essentially decommissioning the technology post-event, not only provides greater flexibility and speed, but it also means that infrastructure can be scaled in line with demand, ensuring the best possible viewing experience at all times.
An increase in demand for live streamed events will open up a range of further considerations for content providers in 2021. One is digital rights management (DRM). Providers that have followed the strategy of facilitating access to free content as a goodwill gesture in the wake of the early months of the pandemic will need to consider monetisation of their valuable assets and switch to a paid platform to lay the foundations for sustainable future success. Ensuring an effective DRM solution is integrated with this will help enable content to be protected.
And it's not just DRM which will need to be considered. Implementation of an effective orchestration layer adds resilience and redundancy to a live streaming solution, which will become crucial for globally attractive events that will bring in potentially millions of viewers.
Any content provider that is looking to offer event-based streaming on a large scale will also benefit from adopting solutions that are complemented by second line support engineers and third line access to developers. This access to expertise will give reassurance to providers that are increasingly adapting to the growing trend of end-to-end over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
Enhancing the User Experience
As the video streaming market continues to become more fragmented and saturated, content providers will need to explore means of personalising the user experience to gain a USP over competitors. Netflix recently launched a linear TV channel in France, which broadcasts its catalogue of VOD content via an as-live' channel, giving viewers the opportunity to consume content through a traditional lean back' experience as opposed to having to actively choose from an extensive library. This provides a solution to many consumers who are facing option fatigue due to the wide range of choice available to them.
Metadata will also be a crucial element in providing personalisation and enhancing the user experience next year. Content providers that utilise metadata processes in 2021 will see their users able to search for particular content types more easily, plus the ability for more accurate recommendations to be shown to each user. Granular metadata can go beyond by allowing users to search for time-related events in content such as goals scored in a football match, and provides the basis for providers to share relevant clips via other channels such as social media.
In the rush for content providers to enhance their user experience offerings to customers due to the increasingly competitive market, they also need to ensure that they don't neglect the importance of providing accessibility options for users. Integrations such as vo
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
The Evolution of Video Streaming: 2021 Predictions and Trends 
