Increasing Prominence of Live and Live Linear OTT Streaming Services Demonstrates Provider Confidence in Quality of Online Video Delivery, New Akamai Survey Shows

More Than Half of Online Video Service Providers Believe Streaming Quality Meets or Exceeds Traditional Television--Or Will do so Within Six Months

News provided by

Akamai Technologies, Inc.

Mar 28, 2018, 01:00 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the world's largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, today released survey data demonstrating growing confidence from online video service providers (OVSPs) in their live and live linear streaming offerings to compare favorably to traditional broadcast television. The finding is one of many within a new study, commissioned by Akamai and conducted by nScreenMedia and NewBay Media, that investigates how OVSPs are managing the quality of their over-the-top (OTT) video service offerings.

The study, "Scale My Service: OTT Video Providers Closing in on the TV Benchmark," included a survey of 350 U.S. and U.K. company managers with responsibility for the technical implementation of a video streaming service. A significant majority (63 percent) of survey respondents include live or live linear channels as a significant part of their current offerings. Nearly three quarters (71 percent) believe the quality and reliability of their online service either already meets or exceeds that of traditional television, or will within one year.

"OTT services are offering an increasingly diverse array of content and options as streaming technologies continue to evolve and help ensure high-quality viewer experiences," said Shawn Michels, director of media product management at Akamai. "Online video service providers are also thinking more strategically about their OTT services, and they are attaching key performance indicators to these services, indicating that these services are no longer a novelty. The study results lend credence to the view that we are within reach of the long-promised reality of the OTT experience being comparable to broadcast."

Sixty-five percent of U.S. respondents have set key performance indicator goals for their service, a jump of 20 points from the results of a similar survey in 2017. Goals include video resolution, video performance, service uptime and consumer experience. As an indicator that these providers are concerned about the impatient nature of the viewer, 76 percent cite startup time – or, how long it takes a video to start after selecting play – as the most important quality parameter for their service.

Akamai will host a live webinar to discuss these and other key findings, featuring report author and nScreen Media Chief Analyst and Founder Colin Dixon, Akamai Director of Media Product Management Shawn Michels, and TV Technology Editor in Chief Tom Butts as moderator, on Thursday, March 29, 2018, at 2:00 pm ET. To register for the webinar, please visit: http://bit.ly/2ptnlOn.

Akamai is exhibiting at the 2018 NAB Show April 9^th through April 12^th in Las Vegas, where it plans to demonstrate its award-winning media delivery and security solutions and services. Company experts will also deliver presentations and participate on panels covering key industry topics such as data breaches, the latest in video innovation and cross-industry efforts to achieve interoperability. To learn more about Akamai's Media and Security solutions, visit them at NAB booth SL3324 or set up meeting in advance at Akamai's NAB site.

About Akamai Technologies
As the world's largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, Akamai makes it easier for its customers to provide the best and most secure digital experiences on any device, anytime, anywhere. Akamai's massively distributed platform is unparalleled in scale with over 200,000 servers across 130 countries, giving customers superior performance and threat protection. Akamai's portfolio of web and mobile performance, cloud security, enterprise access, and video delivery solutions are supported by exceptional customer service and 24/7 monitoring. To learn why the top financial institutions, e-commerce leaders, media & entertainment providers, and government organizations trust Akamai please visit www.akamai.com, blogs.akamai.com, or @Akamai on Twitter.