Live Events in a FAST Channel

Seth DunkinOct 20, 20265 min read

Why blend both Live and VOD content in a F.A.S.T. Channel?

That depends. Broadcast TV networks, for example, typically operate news outlets in at least one of the stations they control, which means their prime time slots will contain a blend of post-produced shows (VOD) and (Live) news coverage. Naturally, they’d prefer their streamed content to mirror what they broadcast over the air (OTA), to maintain parity across outlets.

Other examples include sports organizations and social media content creators. Many of them produce a mixture of live streams and VOD content. Being able to feature both in a single FAST channel simplifies distribution, ad-insertion, analytics, and other things.

Not every kind of publisher needs both Live and On-Demand content in a single channel. But for the ones that do need it, finding a distributor who can properly execute it can be a real challenge. So here are some factors to consider as you look for a distributor with the right set of tools.

Factor 1 – The HLS Protocol

Unless you’re an expert insider, you probably don’t really know what a “streaming protocol” is, let alone how the options differ from each other, or why any of it matters. So first, let me save you some time – you need a distributor that can send a 24/7 FAST Channel using a protocol called “HLS”. Now let me explain why.

In short, the reason why is Apple – specifically, iOS devices. HLS just happens to be the only streaming protocol with a patent that involves Apple. As a result, Apple has configured their iOS ecosystem so that HLS is the only streaming protocol that has native support on iPhones and iPads. And since those devices comprise a large share of the US market, almost every 3rd-party viewing platform you’ve ever heard of ensures that their streams use the HLS protocol.

Now you might be wondering, “But that’s just what the platforms send to the viewers. Why should my distributor send the same protocol TO those platforms?”

The answer to that question is: To eliminate conversions. If you’ve ever made a copy of a copy, or tried to convert a lossy media format to some other lossy format, you already understand the importance of this point. Conversions reduce quality, plain and simple. So the more you can eliminate any conversions that would otherwise be necessary, the better the overall quality of the final product.

Now, most distributors can use HLS for either VOD or Live content. But there aren’t all that many who can do both VOD and Live in a single HLS-based FAST channel. That’s called “Hybrid HLS,” and it’s extremely rare.

Factor 2 – Can You Go Live Off-Schedule?

Any news outlet knows how crucial it is to be able to deliver “breaking news” as it happens. And since life doesn’t always happen on a schedule, you need the option of interrupting your FAST Channel with an unscheduled live segment, while still supporting ad breaks.

This, in turn, brings up a lot of important questions that each distributor will answer differently. Here’s how ViewNexa answers some of them.

What kind of encoders do you support?

Almost any kind. ViewNexa is one of the only distributors in the world with a hardware-agnostic, cloud-based encoder scheduler. So you can set up an automation for your encoder, using the same CMS interface as for setting up your FAST channel.

How easy is it to initiate ad breaks while Live, off-schedule?

Ad breaks require something called a “SCTE trigger” which is essentially a kind of data packet that tells the streaming engine when breaks should begin and end. Your encoder might support embedding the triggers into the video signal being fed to the encoder itself. But if not, ViewNexa can do it in the cloud. Either method can be used manually whenever necessary.

How, exactly, do you transition out of a live segment and back into “regularly scheduled (VOD) programming”?

With a ViewNexa FAST channel, scheduled programming resumes automatically, as soon as the live encoder session is ended. You can have the transition happen totally seamlessly, or include transitionary interstitials telling the audience about the transition just before it happens. At every stage, you decide how the viewing experience should be.

Factor 3 – Destination Complexity

Say you want to go live across all your viewing destinations, including apps you have on OTT and/or CTV platforms, as well as any 3rd-party FAST platforms – all at once. The question isn’t whether that’s possible, because it certainly is. The real question is – How much effort will it take?

With ViewNexa, you control all your FAST channels and OTT/CTV pipelines from the same one CMS. So once everything is set up, when it’s time to go live, all you need to do is start the encoder. There’s no need to flip numerous switches across multiple interfaces. You can even monitor the live feed on all outputs from one dashboard.

Conclusion

While there are lots of distributors who can help you deliver both live and on-demand content, there’s only one that can do all the following at once: