BYUtv
How BYUtv added DRM with zero development.
BYUtv was one of the first television networks to stream the majority of its live shows online. Learn how our Media Platform and Smartplay DRM helped them expand their programming lineup and improve their production workflow so they could rapidly grow audiences.
Challenge
BYUtv is a production powerhouse, reaching 54 million U.S. homes with almost 100% original content. But to grow its audience, BYUtv needed to add licensed content – a change that required digital rights management (DRM).
BYUtv estimated it would need at least two full-time developers and months to build and maintain a scalable DRM solution. Beyond DRM, BYUtv’s reliance on proprietary content IDs, manual loading of assets into the CMS, and a fragmented live programming process required engineering resources to spend considerable time managing the content lifecycle. DRM was more than an upgrade, it was a major project complicated by:
- Fragmented DRM industry standards
- Limited engineering resources for building, scaling, and maintaining the technology stack
- Publication inefficiencies created by rigid systems and third-party vendors
Solution
We upgraded BYUtv to our pre-integrated video streaming workflow that included DRM support for Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady. Our solution also included encoding, packaging, delivery, and playback. We enabled BYUtv to improve other aspects of their production workflows, too. BYUtv now has the flexibility to add custom content tags to video assets, cutting production time by 50%, and paving the way for full digital publication automation.
Our advanced streaming product gave BYUtv more flexible bit rate management, closed captions, and a host of features that reduced development costs and inefficiencies. BYUtv could now migrate their entire streaming workflow in weeks without significant capital expenses. The Verizon Media Platform provides BYUtv:
- Built-in DRM for Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady
- Flexible content tagging and publication workflow automation
- Streamlined live production file management workflow
Outcome
In a rapidly evolving world of streaming standards, it’s not just the costs of building and integrating a new tech like DRM into the tech stack that’s challenging. There’s also technical debt: maintaining lines of code for rapidly changing standards. With the Verizon Media Platform, BYUtv avoided both.
Without the burden of major CapEx outlays, integration expenses, and new developers, BYUtv could move forward with new programming launches ahead of schedule. With a scalable streaming technology stack, BYUtv had all the features needed to support growing content libraries, improve publication workflows, and drive audience growth. Verizon Media helped BYUtv:
- Avoid months of development delays and millions in costs with our built-in DRM capability
- Eliminate production steps such as manual tagging
- Increase their production workflow speed by 50%
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