{"id":4361,"date":"2019-07-12T19:04:27","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T19:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/?p=4361"},"modified":"2019-12-12T18:37:45","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T18:37:45","slug":"the-hype-and-realities-of-streaming-video-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/index.php\/news\/the-hype-and-realities-of-streaming-video-in-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hype and Realities of Streaming Video in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#edeef2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third fusion-column-first\" style=\"width:66.666666666667%;width:calc(66.666666666667% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.66666666666667 ) );margin-right: 4%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-1 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:31px;\"><h1 class=\"title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\"><h1 class=\"entry-title\" data-fontsize=\"24\" data-lineheight=\"60\">The Hype and Realities of Streaming Video in Latin America<\/h1><\/h1><\/div><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"855\" image_height=\"600\" image_id=\"4372\" title=\"48241891292_c05f087caf_o\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-4372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209-200x140.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209-400x281.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209-600x421.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209-800x561.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.visualon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/48241891292_c05f087caf_o-1-e1562958696209.jpg 855w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 855px\" \/><\/span><\/br>\n<\/br><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Latin America is an attractive market for pay-TV services due to its sheer size and the rising wealth of its population. The region is expected to have 77 million subscribers by 2024, according to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital TV Research<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With the 2017 recession behind the region, operators are looking for new growth areas and maintaining their competitive edge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, OTT video and streaming services have been disruptors across Latin America. Since launching in the region in 2011, Netflix accounts for 36% of SVOD subscribers today. And when combined with Amazon Prime Video, the two main OTT stakeholders will account for 91% of Latin American paying SVOD subscribers by the end of 2023, according the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019 IABM Regional Report on Latin America.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OTT video also presents opportunities to deliver programming to viewers that might not otherwise be available, particularly sports, such as the Copa America tournament, which included <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/copaamerica2019live.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live streaming<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from DirecTV sports and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.\u00a0 Telemundo also was one of the official Spanish-language broadcasters for the Women\u2019s World Cup and live streamed the matches on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telemundodeportes.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TelemundoDeportes.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and on\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telemundodeportes.com\/envivo\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telemundo Deportes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 where <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/stream-2019-womens-world-cup-free\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seven matches were aired exclusively on the app<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Interdependence between traditional and OTT providers<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the leading OTT video providers are changing the dynamics in the industry, they also understand the value of working with local players. For instance, Netflix announced a multi-year partnership with Telef\u00f3nica to integrate the Netflix app into Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s set-top boxes, and make it accessible from the Movistar Play Video OTT service. IPTV provider TotalPlay was the first operator in Mexico to integrate Netflix into its pay-TV platform and Uruguay&#8217;s Antel promoted an introductory offer for a six-month subscription of Netflix on its platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some countries, Netflix, and its U.S.-produced content, has become somewhat of a status symbol for the mid- to upper-class. And in some instances, this also includes U.S. cable programming, like CNN and ESPN. As in other regional markets, it behooves traditional and OTT service providers to seek partnerships to increase overall competitiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interdependence between traditional and emerging operator runs deeper in Latin America, mainly due to content creation. Many of the major pay-TV provider groups also produce or own original content, like Claro, Televisa and Globo. With the increasing demand for more TV fiction original programming, the costs \u2013 and risks \u2013 have also increased.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, we are seeing collaboration, or co-opetition, with different players to help share the costs and risks. In Argentina, TNT and Cablevisi\u00f3n co-produced \u201cThe Cockfighter\u201d and equitably shared the distribution rights. It has been reported that Televisa has rented out its studio space to Netflix, as well as co-produced programs with Amazon Prime Video. According to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hollywood Reporter, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Netflix plans to produce 50 new TV series and movies in Mexico over the next two years, the most for any one territory. This underscores how service providers of all types are adapting to market conditions to be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Infrastructure realities<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More aspects of market conditions are the infrastructure realities and regulatory issues across the region. While there are strides in different countries to improve broadband and wireless networks, many challenges stand in the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smaller regional internet service providers (ISPs) have been leading the expansion of fixed broadband in Brazil, where they have been responsible for nearly half of the newly laid fiber in the country as reported by telecom regulator Anatel. Yet they face \u201ccritical operational hurdles\u201d which include high prices to use utility poles from power companies, high taxes, and restricted access to credit to help finance broadband expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, mobile broadband subscriptions already outnumber fixed broadband subscriptions by a ratio of more than five to one, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) from 2017. The potential of 5G services is making headlines, and some pilot projects have been announced, but most countries are delaying launches and taking a \u201cwait-and-see\u201d approach. Regulators and government bodies have not taken on subsidizing this infrastructure build out, like we\u2019ve seen in other developing countries like China and less developed countries in Europe, such as Albania and Bulgaria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The question becomes, what can operators do now to maintain their competitive edge and gain new subscribers? The answer comes from embracing the opportunities and technologies as they exist today. And that means operators need find ways to deliver OTT services with less-than-ideal network conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook is an interesting example. The company recently announced a partnership with local players, including Telef\u00f3nica, to create the Internet para Todos (IpT) Peru, a project to form an open access wholesale rural mobile infrastructure operator. The goal is to enable any mobile operator in Peru to use IpT\u2019s 3G and 4G infrastructure to deliver retail mobile services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At VisualOn, we are finding that operators \u2013 large and small \u2013 don\u2019t necessarily have the experience in-house to navigate through all the infrastructure challenges. They look to partners like us to help them develop a super-efficient video streaming platform \u2013 with added functionality that makes the experience \u201cas good as linear.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We help operators address low latency issues through our video player solutions and figure out how to serve subscriber segments with features like image-based subtitles. We also provide our User Experience Monitor (UEM) to allow for real-time monitoring and troubleshooting to ensure the most reliable video delivery and best viewer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telef\u00f3nica is one example of us having solved many OTT video streaming issues to ensure a high-quality experience for their subscribers in Latin America. Our OnStream MediaPlayer+ Video Framework deployed on Android and iOS supports enables Telef\u00f3nica to smoothly add more services in the apps, such as Download Manager, which enables consumers to download and watch content offline as well as use MPEG-DASH for expanded cross-platform interoperability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are also working on an initiative to reduce the demand on network infrastructure for streaming video, allowing smooth playback without rebuffering or frame drops in challenging network conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019d love to see how we can help you achieve success with your OTT video streaming service in Latin America.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_3 1_3 fusion-one-third fusion-column-last\" style=\"width:33.333333333333%;width:calc(33.333333333333% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.33333333333333 ) );margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 50px;\"><\/br>\n<\/br><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Written by:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Michael Jones<\/span><br \/>\nSVP and Head of Business Development<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpforms-container wpforms-container-full\" id=\"wpforms-3707\"><form id=\"wpforms-form-3707\" class=\"wpforms-validate wpforms-form\" data-formid=\"3707\" method=\"post\" enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" action=\"\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4361\" data-token=\"e42d3b617acf3a359b44d4039b8c2883\"><noscript class=\"wpforms-error-noscript\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.<\/noscript><div class=\"wpforms-field-container\"><div id=\"wpforms-3707-field_1-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-email\" data-field-id=\"1\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-3707-field_1\">Subscribe to get the latest news <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><input type=\"email\" id=\"wpforms-3707-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1]\" placeholder=\"Email Address\" required><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-hp\"><label for=\"wpforms-3707-field-hp\" class=\"wpforms-field-label\">Website<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"wpforms[hp]\" id=\"wpforms-3707-field-hp\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-submit-container\" ><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpforms[id]\" value=\"3707\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpforms[author]\" value=\"11\"><button type=\"submit\" name=\"wpforms[submit]\" class=\"wpforms-submit \" id=\"wpforms-submit-3707\" value=\"wpforms-submit\" aria-live=\"assertive\" data-alt-text=\"Sending...\" data-submit-text=\"Subscribe\">Subscribe<\/button><\/div><\/form><\/div>  <!-- .wpforms-container --><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#edeef2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,134],"tags":[83,103,105,106,107,104,84,109,108],"class_list":["post-4361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-news","tag-android-tv","tag-av1","tag-iptv","tag-latam","tag-latin-america","tag-low-latency","tag-ott","tag-pay-tv","tag-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Hype and Realities of Streaming Video in Latin America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Latin America is an attractive market for pay-TV services. 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