Content is King for OTT, But Can Personalization Win The Game of thrones? Comprehensive Guide to LCEVC (MPEG-5), Latest News from Streaming Tech providers and more
OTTVerse Newsletter #55
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the OTTVerse newsletter.
This week, we present:
Latest OTT News
Latest News from Streaming Tech Providers
Content is King for OTT, But Can Personalization Win The Game of Thrones?
Comprehensive Guide to LCEVC (MPEG-5) – Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding.
And more!
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Latest OTT News
India vs Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy Match Sets New Streaming Records on JioHotstar- The India vs Pakistan showdown in Dubai during the ICC Champions Trophy broke all previous streaming records, with a staggering 60.2 crore viewers tuning in on JioHotstar.
JioStar Sets Sights on 1 Billion Viewers as IPL 2025 Becomes the ‘Year of the Advertiser’ - JioStar, the result of the merger between Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company’s Indian media assets, is aiming to make IPL 2025 the most-watched season ever. The network is targeting 1 billion viewers across TV and digital platforms.
Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV Plan Merger to Reshape India’s DTH Market - India’s Direct-to-home (DTH) industry is set for extensive transformation with Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV planning to merge through a share swap arrangement.
Netflix Pledges $1 Billion Investment in Mexico’s Film and TV Industry - Netflix has announced a $1 billion investment in Mexico’s film and TV industry over the next four years (2025-2028), strengthening its commitment to local content creation.
DAZN Demands €573 Million from French Football League Amid TV Rights Dispute - The conflict between the French Football League (LFP) and streaming platform DAZN has intensified, with DAZN seeking €573 million in damages.
Qvest and Arabsat Partner to Launch a New OTT Streaming Platform - Qvest has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arabsat to develop a new OTT streaming platform, marking a significant step towards expanding Arabsat’s direct-to-consumer services.
Starlink Nears Approval to Launch Satellite Internet in India, Opening Doors for OTT Expansion - Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service, Starlink, is on the brink of launching in India as it navigates the final stages of regulatory approvals.
Disney’s Fubo Acquisition Sparks Antitrust Concerns - Disney’s recent move to acquire a 70% stake in Fubo has ended its legal battle over the Venu Sports joint venture, but it has sparked fresh concerns about market competition.
Baidu Strengthens AI & Streaming Strategy with $2.1B YY Live Purchase - Baidu has officially acquired YY Live, JOYY Inc.’s video-based live-streaming business, for approximately $2.1 billion in cash.
Paramount Global Reports Q4 Financial Results Ahead of Skydance Media Sale - Paramount Global has released its fourth-quarter financial results, reporting a streaming loss ahead of its planned sale to Skydance Media.
Warner Bros. Discovery to Launch Max Streaming in Australia on March 31 - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has announced that its streaming service, Max, will officially launch in Australia on March 31.
Barb Expands YouTube Audience Measurement for TV Viewing - Barb, the television ratings and audience measurement organization, has announced an initiative in collaboration with Kantar Media to enhance its tracking of YouTube content watched on TV screens.
Amazon Prime Video to Exclusively Stream 21 New York Yankees Games in 2025 - Amazon has announced that 21 New York Yankees regular season games will be available exclusively on its Prime Video streaming service during the 2025 season.
Sky Criticizes Amazon Over Fire Stick Piracy Impact on Premier League - Sky has raised concerns over Amazon’s lack of action in tackling illegal sports streaming, claiming that Fire TV Sticks are a major contributor to piracy in the UK.
Formula 1’s Popularity Soars as Netflix Eyes 2026 TV Rights - Excitement is building for the upcoming Formula 1 season, especially with the Bahrain testing complete and the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, set to take place next month.
Czech Streaming Services Voyo and O2 TV Merge to Launch Oneplay on March 10 - Two of the biggest Czech streaming platforms, Voyo and O2 TV, are joining forces under a new brand, Oneplay, starting March 10.
EchoStar Reports Pay-TV Subscriber Loss in Q4 2024, But Sees Positive Free Cash Flow - EchoStar, led by Charlie Ergen, reported a decline in pay-TV subscribers for the fourth quarter of 2024, losing 253,000 subscribers. This marks an improvement over the 314,000 subscribers lost in Q4 2023.
Hulu Faces Streaming Issues During Oscars 2025, Viewers Left Frustrated - The 97th Academy Awards made history this year by streaming live on Hulu, but thousands of viewers encountered issues accessing the broadcast.
Warner Bros. Discovery Adds 6.4M Streaming Subscribers, Eyes 150M by 2026 - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced that it gained 6.4 million new global streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2024, bringing its total to 116.9 million.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max to Replace BluTV in Turkey on April 15 - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has announced that its streaming platform, Max, will officially launch in Turkey on April 15, 2024.
Premium OTT Services in Indonesia & Thailand: A Golden Opportunity for Advertisers - The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has released a new study, Premium OTT: Building Its Rightful Place in the Digital Market, highlighting the growing dominance of premium OTT services in Indonesia and Thailand.
YouTube Hits 125 Million Subscribers, Expands Premium Lite Plan - YouTube, the world’s leading video platform, has reached a major milestone with over 125 million subscribers for YouTube Music and Premium.
Tips Music & Sony Music Publishing Expand Global Partnership with YouTube - Tips Music and Sony Music Publishing have strengthened their global partnership, now including YouTube (worldwide, except India) as a key platform for expanding the international reach of Tips Music’s massive catalog.
Latest From Streaming Tech Providers
MwareTV unveils Lightning 3.0 support for award-winning App Builder at Mobile World Congress - MwareTV, a cloud-based multi-tenant platform provider, has integrated Lightning 3.0 into its unique no-code App Builder. This ensures users of the MwareTV platform can quickly create and distribute high performance user interfaces across all the devices they need to support, without the need for specialist staff or coding experience.
Hearst Networks EMEA moves to Synamedia cloud distribution to cut costs and increase reliability - Synamedia announced that Hearst Networks EMEA, formerly A+E Networks EMEA, has chosen Synamedia for cloud distribution of its linear channels, including The HISTORY Channel. Hearst Networks will use Synamedia SaaS-based Quortex PowerVu as a fully managed service, cutting costs while increasing the reliability of distribution to 10 affiliates across EMEA.
VisualOn Showcases Breakthrough AI-Powered CAE, Video Streaming, and Monetization Solutions at NAB 2025 - At NAB 2025, VisualOn will showcase major advancements in its AI-enhanced VisualOn Optimizer Universal CAE and AdFusion ad management solutions, service providers with superior video compression, bandwidth efficiency, effective monetization, and seamless ad integration across platforms.
For more OTT news and updates, please go to OTTVerse.com
Comprehensive Guide to LCEVC (MPEG-5) – Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding
The LCEVC (Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding) codec, standardized as MPEG-5, is designed to enhance existing video codecs like AVC, HEVC, VP9, and AV1 with improved compression efficiency at minimal additional complexity. By utilizing a base bitstream and an enhancement bitstream, LCEVC enables better video quality and reduced bandwidth usage while maintaining backward compatibility. This means that even if a device does not support LCEVC, it can still decode the base codec, ensuring a seamless viewing experience without requiring firmware or hardware updates.
LCEVC has significant applications in various industries, particularly in sports broadcasting and e-learning. With the rise of live sports streaming, LCEVC reduces data transmission requirements without sacrificing quality, making it ideal for large-scale viewership. Similarly, in the education sector, where online learning demands efficient video delivery, LCEVC can optimize bandwidth use while maintaining high-resolution video quality. Its ability to integrate with existing video infrastructures while reducing encoding and decoding complexity makes it a promising solution for the future of video streaming.
Krishna Rao Vijayanagar, founder of OTTVerse, shares details Comprehensive Guide to LCEVC (MPEG-5 Part 2) – Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding- https://ottverse.com/lcevc-mpeg5-part2-low-complexity-enhancement-video-coding-guide/
Content is King for OTT, But Can Personalization Win The Game of Thrones?
OTT platforms need to balance content promotion with personalized recommendations to keep users engaged. While content teams create high-impact shows, product and tech teams optimize discovery to enhance user experience. Economic Graph Models help achieve this by analyzing user behavior and matching viewers with relevant content, improving engagement and retention.
Implementing these models requires skilled teams, strong data pipelines, and cross-functional collaboration. Platforms should define success metrics, ensure data readiness, and take an agile, data-driven approach. Leading companies like Netflix and Spotify have successfully leveraged personalization to grow, and traditional media platforms are now adopting similar strategies to stay competitive.
Gireesh Ramji, Founding Collaborator at Fractal Dataminds and Jayesh Easwaramony, Founder/MD at Spectra Global Pte Ltd. To read more about Content is King for OTT, But Can Personalization Win The Game of Thrones? check out -https://ottverse.com/content-is-king-for-ott-can-personalization-win-the-game-of-thrones/
The End
That brings us to the end, and we’ll return with more information next week.
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