Reinvent and Improve the Live OTT Experience, 10 steps to launching your own OTT, Latest OTT News and more!
OTTVerse Newsletter #62
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the OTTVerse newsletter.
This week, we present:
Latest OTT News
Reinvent and Improve the Live OTT Experience
10 steps to launching your own OTT: Content, business, and technology Requirements Simplified,
And more!
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Latest OTT News
Netflix and Balaji Telefilms Announce New Creative Collaboration for Streaming Content - Netflix has announced a new creative partnership with Balaji Telefilms Ltd., one of India’s production houses, to develop original streaming content across multiple formats.
Warner Bros. Discovery to Split Into Two Companies: One for Streaming, One for Traditional TV - Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to split into two separate publicly traded companies one focused on streaming and content creation, and the other on traditional television.
Netflix Pledges €1 Billion to Spain as It Doubles Down on Spanish Originals - Netflix has announced a major new investment in Spain, committing to spend €1 billion ($1.1 billion) by 2029 to boost its production of Spanish original content.
Zee Channels Removed from Airtel DTH Packs Amid Ongoing Fee Dispute - Airtel Digital TV has removed all channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) from its Direct-to-Home (DTH) packs.
Apple TV+, Disney+ Expand Catalogues as SVOD Platforms Add 4,500 Titles - Global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms increased their content offerings by approximately 5% in Q2 2025, according to Gracenote, a content data business unit under Nielsen.
Disney and Universal Sue Midjourney Over AI Use of Popular Characters - Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney, a company known for its artificial intelligence (AI) image-generation tools.
Canal+ and Netflix Join Forces to Bring Global and African Content to French-Speaking Africa - Canal+ has announced a landmark distribution deal with Netflix to offer Netflix content across 24 French-speaking countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
TVN Warner Bros. Discovery and Vectra Sign Long-Term Content and Advertising Deal - Poland’s top broadcaster, TVN Warner Bros. Discovery, and cable operator, Vectra, have signed a new long-term partnership agreement that will strengthen their cooperation in both content distribution and advertising.
Starz Gains 530K U.S. Subscribers in Q1 2025 Despite $177M Restructuring Charge - Starz, now operating as an independent company after its separation from Lionsgate, released its first financial results as a standalone entity for the quarter ending March 31, 2025.
Disney+ Launches New Loyalty Program ‘Perks’ With Exclusive Rewards and Discounts - Disney+ has introduced a new loyalty program for its subscribers in the United States. Called Disney+ Perks, the initiative offers a variety of rewards, ranging from discounts and savings to unique experiences and sweepstakes opportunities.
UK SVoD Access Reaches 20.1 Million Homes in Q1 2025 as Paramount+ Leads Growth - According to the latest Barb Establishment Survey, the number of UK households with access to Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVoD) services reached 20.1 million in the first quarter of 2025.
I&B Ministry Demands ₹16,000 Cr from DTH Firms Amid Legal Disputes - The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has sent licence fee demand notices totalling ₹16,000 crore to India’s four private Direct-to-Home (DTH) companies.
FuboTV and DAZN Announce Multi-Year Sports Streaming Partnership in the US - FuboTV and DAZN, two major names in the sports streaming industry, have entered into a multi-year partnership to bring their exclusive sports programming to wider audiences in the United States.
FanCode to Broadcast UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, U21 Men’s Championship in India - FanCode, India’s premier digital sports platform, has acquired exclusive broadcast and digital rights for two of Europe’s most prestigious football tournaments the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 and the UEFA U21 Men’s Championship 2025.
AMC Networks Partners with Runway to Use AI for Content and Marketing - AMC Networks has entered a new phase of innovation by partnering with Runway, a New York-based artificial intelligence company that specializes in synthetic media tools.
Warner Bros. Discovery Cuts Cable Jobs Amid Cord-Cutting Pressure - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has made targeted job cuts in its cable television division, reflecting the continued decline of the traditional TV business amid falling viewership and shrinking ad revenue.
Disney, Bell Media Launch Streaming Bundle with Disney+, Crave, and TSN in Canada - Disney and Bell Media have expanded their partnership to launch a new streaming bundle that combines Disney+, Crave, and TSN.
ESPN’s Next Era Begins Fall 2025 with Streaming App - ESPN is using the NBA Finals 2025 as the stage to launch a bold new marketing campaign titled “Sports Forever” a nostalgic and forward-looking effort that highlights the network’s legacy while preparing audiences for its next big leap: a direct-to-consumer streaming service launching in Fall 2025.
Malaysia’s sooka Boosts Free Streaming Options with wedotv Deal - wedotv, the free, ad-supported streaming TV network (FAST), has signed a new content distribution agreement with sooka, one of Malaysia’s leading streaming platforms.
Disney Finally Buys Full Control of Hulu from Comcast for $9 Billion - Disney has officially bought Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu, making it the sole owner of the streaming platform.
MUBI Raises $100M Amid Slump in Media Startup Funding - While media-related startup funding has cooled significantly since its 2021 peak, a few notable deals are still making headlines.
HBO Max Expands to 12 New Countries as Warner Bros. Discovery Eyes 100 Markets - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is pushing forward with its global expansion plans by bringing HBO Max to 12 new countries this July.
Reinvent and Improve the Live OTT Experience
Delivering a high-quality live OTT experience involves balancing speed, quality, and cost. Users expect fast channel changes, crisp audio/video, minimal latency, and zero buffering. However, OTT platforms must also manage rising CDN costs. Zee5 addressed these challenges by optimizing segment size to 4 seconds, transitioning from HLS TS to HLS CMAF for efficiency and future readiness, and fine-tuning encoding parameters like bitrate and GOP structures. These backend improvements enhanced user experience without compromising visual quality or increasing latency. Early results show measurable gains in streaming performance, reduced rebuffering, and lower bandwidth usage marking a strong step forward in live OTT delivery.
Rahul Banerjee, Principal Architect, Zee5, shares how platforms can reimagine the live streaming experience through personalization, low-latency delivery, and fan-first engagement strategies that go beyond just broadcasting content - https://ottverse.com/reinvent-and-improve-the-live-ott-experience/
10 steps to launching your own OTT: content, business, and technology requirements simplified
Over-the-top (OTT) platforms are transforming how audiences consume video content, and building one involves more than just uploading videos. This guide breaks down the key steps required to launch a successful OTT platform, starting with crafting a content strategy based on your audience's preferences. From selecting the right content formats to building a content calendar, the focus is on driving consistent engagement. It then explores different monetization models like subscriptions, ad-supported, and transactional, helping businesses choose the right revenue path. Selecting a technology platform whether custom-built or off-the-shelf critical, along with ensuring a seamless user interface across devices. The importance of content protection through DRM and licensing compliance. Finally, it delves into marketing strategies, including social media, influencer outreach, and data-driven targeting to build visibility and attract subscribers. Throughout the process, aligning content, tech, and business goals is vital to creating a scalable and engaging OTT service.
Krishna Rao Vijayanagar, Founder, OTTVerse, breaks down the content, business, and technology essentials to make the OTT launch journey simple, strategic, and scalable for creators and companies alike - https://ottverse.com/10-steps-to-launching-your-own-ott-streaming-platform/
The End
That brings us to the end, and we’ll return with more information next week.
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