By integrating its proprietary Channel Studio with a third-party video platform, Simplestream powers the channel in the cloud.
National World PLC, a prominent multimedia company hailing from the UK and overseeing a diverse portfolio of more than 100 brands spanning news, lifestyle, sports, and business domains, has selected Simplestream, a London-headquartered company operating in the video streaming space, as a technology partner to provide the core tech stack for the launch of Shots!, a new TV channel. Shots! is curated from an array of top-notch topical content, sourced from an extensive network of journalists situated within UK communities. This initiative aligns seamlessly with National World’s overarching strategy of curating exclusive and captivating content that resonates across a variety of platforms.
Simplestream deployed its proprietary Channel Studio to create Shots! TV channel in a cloud-based environment. This was made possible by harnessing the pre-existing media catalogue of National World, which is hosted by the third-party online video platform, Dailymotion.
This collaboration stands out as an exceptional instance in the global arena, showcasing the prowess of a channel assembler capable of crafting virtual and FAST channels. This is facilitated through the strategic incorporation of ad marker insertion to bolster server-side ad insertion (SSAI). The entire operation leverages resources stored with a third-party video vendor. Furthermore, a notable enhancement to Channel Studio has been introduced, rendering the product’s utility even more versatile. It’s now deployable by clients who might not be licensing Simplestream’s video platform Media Manager for their content library.
To complement these efforts, App Platform was seamlessly integrated into the mix. It facilitated the creation of a fully functional, mobile-responsive video web portal. This portal is further empowered by support for both server-side and client-side ad insertion. The latter functionality was seamlessly integrated due to the strategic partnership with National World’s monetisation collaborator, Axiom.
Commenting on the deal, Josh Harrington, Head of Sales, Simplestream, said: “We are delighted to be part of National World’s venture into the TV market. The platform we have built for Shots! has achieved an online and Freeview presence with a fast turnaround, and it now provides a scalable solution for further distribution of content in the future.”
Alan Renwick, National World’s Strategy Director, added: “Shots! is an important strategic move for National World as we follow our customers’ increasing desire to consume content in video format, and to be able to access this content on the device of their choice. Simplestream delivered a fast and effective solution enabling us to package our video into a TV channel and site, with the foundation for further distribution channels in the future.”
