We worked closely with the Edgecast team to quickly orchestrate a highly available workflow defining our desired content channels and publishing them to our target platforms and video content distributors via Edgecast's Zixi syndication output. A 24/7 non-stop stream of our most popular content like “House Hunters,” “Chopped,” “90 Day Fiancé,” and more is another way we are delighting viewers with their favorite content.”
Alan Ramaley
Vice President of Product,
Global Video Platform, Discovery
Discovery, and its streaming service, discovery+, is home to exciting original programming and a massive content library across such household brand names as HGTV, TLC, Animal Planet, BBC, and more. As with every new OTT service, user acquisition and conversion is critical for success. While discovery+ got off to an impressive start with more than 18M paying subscribers across all the most popular OTT devices, they also sought new ways to stand out and engage viewers. Discovery+ objectives included:
A key advantage of managing a VOD library of Discovery’s size is the ability to package content in new ways, including linear viewing experiences (channels) that keep audiences tuned in. To enable discovery+ Channels, Discovery worked with the Edgecast Channel Scheduler and Syndication Publishing APIs to schedule and publish curated content managed in the Discovery CMS, allowing them to introduce automation and consistency to their workflow. In addition, each channel was defined with four redundant versions of the stream, enabling high availability and increased platform resilience.
Experiencing the discovery+ Channels service is as easy as signing in and selecting a channel. The viewer joins the channel already in progress, they don’t have to spend time looking for something to watch. They can just lean back and enjoy. These linear viewing experiences have proven valuable to content owners for maximizing content value and, more importantly, keeping viewers engaged and watching longer.
The Edgecast integrated solution empowered Discovery to consolidate their workflows onto a single platform and reach their targeted streaming devices and syndication destinations.
Channel Scheduler and Syndication Publishing capabilities are integrated into the Edgecast platform and available in the Control Center user interface or via APIs for easy integration. These workflow efficiencies helped Discovery focus on helping its viewers discover and enjoy their favorite content in a manner that best suits them and is sure to keep the discovery+ subscriber growth on an upward trajectory.
