June 2018 - Streaming Video Blog

Internal Communication Tools and Best Practices

Written by Anthony Romero in Tips & Tutorials on 27 June 2018

Looking for some best practices around using internal communication tools?

This article walks through some tips and advice for crafting an internal communication strategy. Topics covered range from collaboration tools to a strong focus on internal video solutions as well. It also emphasizes the importance of the ability to have communication that can be not only archived, but also in a search friendly manner as well to improve ROI (return on investment).

For those looking for strategies specific to video, download this Using Video for Internal Corporate Communications, Training & Compliance white paper.

Video Marketing Software with Lead Generation

Written by Anthony Romero in Tips & Tutorials on 13 June 2018

Looking for video marketing software with lead generation capabilities?

This article talks about how important video marketing can be for a variety of use cases. It then dives into important features for these use cases from video marketing software as a service (SAAS) solutions in the cloud. These features range from integrated CTAs, to lead generation and prospect tracking as well.

For more advice on video marketing use cases, also be sure to download our How to Increase Conversions with Online Video white paper. For brand and retail marketing use cases, watch this Live Video Inspiration Webcast with Brandlive, a live video platform solution for marketing.

Enterprise Video Search and Discoverability with Watson

Written by Anthony Romero in Product Updates on 8 June 2018

Data from a Wainhouse Research report shows that 27% of enterprises that are over 500 employees are adding at least 25 hours of on-demand video content to their archives each month. This explosion of content is proving key for applications like training and educating a workforce, or used as collateral to engage prospects. However, with these growing archives also comes with it a challenge of discovery, of being able to quickly locate relevant content when needed.

One way to address this challenge, though, is by improving overall content discoverability. This can be achieved through implementing a sophisticated enterprise video search and improving metadata for your video assets, ideally though methods that don’t also increase the time commitment to managing the video archive. This article talks about ways to improve asset discovery, why it should be something to strive for, and discusses recent updates using IBM Watson that are aimed at addressing these needs.

IBM and FOX Sports Team Up to Enhance Sports Viewing Experience with AI Technology

Written by David Mowrey in AI Video Technology on 7 June 2018

As fans around the world get ready to head to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this June, FOX Sports and IBM are launching a historical AI collaboration across multiple FOX Sports properties and programming— the first of its kind for the broadcaster.

Beginning with the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FOX Sports is tapping IBM Watson Media’s specialized AI video technology and IBM iX’s proven expertise in designing user experiences to streamline production workflows to quickly classify, edit and access match highlights in near real-time. The advancements to production and distribution will enable FOX Sports to curate engaging video clips and match highlights so that sports enthusiasts back home don’t miss a single play, penalty kick, or goal.

Enhanced Professional Plans and Sunsetting Free Streaming

Written by Anthony Romero in Company News on 4 June 2018

On September 17th, 2018, IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream) will be sunsetting free streaming.

As part of this change, your free account will no longer be able to broadcast or have viewers watch your content.

To keep your videos and access to our video streaming platform, please upgrade to a paid plan before August 1. This will also provide you with lots of premium features.

If you decide not to upgrade, please make sure to download all of your videos and data, because you will not be able to log in and use our product starting August 1st. Normally content remains on free accounts to be watched and downloaded for 30 days, but after August 1st you will not be able to log in and download these stored videos nor will they be watchable by viewers.

See plans and features

Note: The plans and pricing page will be updated on August 1st to match the upgraded plans described in this blog post.

In addition, the Watch and Discovery experience, found at ustream.tv/explore/all, will be retired as part of this transition. That will happen in September, after free streaming has been shut down. This will not impact individual channel pages, which will still exist.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. IBM Watson Media will be improving the professional plans to include a greater array of features, increased video storage and expanding the number of channels per account. You can read about these features should you choose to upgrade or sign up for a plan in the near future.

[note: free streaming has been extended to September 17th, 2018, from its original sunset date of August 1st]