Verizon: Quality Isn't There Yet for OTT Video

When streams buffer, viewers click away. At the recent Streaming Media East conference in New York City, Stephen Condon of Verizon Digital Media Services emphasized that quality is still an issue for over-the-top (OTT) video.

"We're not meeting the needs necessarily of consumers at the moment. Quality may be increasing, but still Conviva released some data during this month that showed of the 2 billion samples -- they talk of video streams and they're analyzing them from the actual player side, so they're seeing what's going on for the users of their content -- now, over 60 percent of them were some way impacted by quality," Condon said.

What's worse than a selected video buffering? The ad before the selected video buffering. When that happens, there's no way to keep viewers engaged.

"I think that's one of the biggest things we need to address in this marketplace is how we deliver a better over-the-top quality experience in terms of views because the ad model seems to be getting some traction and consumers are getting more used to the advertising, but I tell you what, if that ad is buffering before a video is playing there's nothing more frustrating," Condon said. "Not only have I got to watch an ad, but it's buffering in front of me. That's terribly frustrating. One of the things we're hoping to solve is to try and ensure that quality of over-the-top video is as best as it can be."

For more on OTT delivery, watch the full panel discussion below.

Designing Content Services For The OTT Revolution

Broadcasters design their OTT distribution platforms considering many different factors, some of which can conflict with one another. Designing a product that both appeals to customers and enhances the offering can be constrained by budget, technical limitations, a fluctuating consumer device market, and existing licensing agreements and partnerships. This session will explore how some of the most notable content owners in the industry are looking to satisfy the desires of consumers as they successfully deliver their product through non-traditional distribution.

Moderator: Jose Castillo, President, thinkjose
Speaker: Stephen Condon, Market Development, Verizon Digital Media Services
Speaker: Kun Gao, CEO, Co-Founder, Crunchyroll
Speaker: Frank Besteiro, VP, Head of Business Development and Partnerships, AOL Video
Speaker: Jonathan Weitz, Partner, IBB Consulting Group