Streaming media has irreversibly revolutionised the ways in which media is transmitted and consumed. Most of us engage with streaming media on a daily basis via platforms that deliver our entertainment: Spotify, YouTube and Netflix are new brands which many of us engage with daily for our information and entertainment. It has created upheaval in the entire value chain and wiped out industries slow to adapt to it (like the video store rental chain). And it continues to evolve. Streaming media is transforming business communications in myriad ways, and it is becoming almost as crucial for project managers and marketers to understand streaming technology as it is for media professionals. The Streaming Media Guide demystifies the technology and features behind a successful streaming media service, especially in the context of how it is used by broadcasters and other media organisations. Common terms and systems being used in this space are presented and defined simply and clearly for non-technical readers. Best practice examples from Michael D'Oliveiro's experiences demonstrate how this technology can be successfully implemented. This book equips any media professional with the most basic of traditional media knowledge to enable confident conversations in the typical media organisation they work in. For technology-based graduates or dedicated broadcast professional seeking to refresh their understanding, this book provides enough information to form a solid foundation for day-to-day work. Finally, for leaders in cross-functional senior management matrices, information is provided to enable you to understand and exploit streaming media capabilities as a business. This will be the ultimate reference source, guaranteed to be bedside reading for anyone serious about using streaming media.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures and Tables, Acknowledgements, Abbreviations, Introduction, Chapter 1. Streaming media today, Getting definitions right, Streaming media today: the basics, Media before the Internet Boom (1990 – 2000), Media during and after the Internet Boom (2001 – 2015), The Media Renaissance (2015 till the present day), New uses of streaming media today, Start with good content, Key takeaways, Chapter 2. Streaming media technology today, What is Cloud? Public Cloud and Private Cloud, Media types, What is an online video platform (OVP), What is a content management system? Cloud storage, What is transcoding and encoding? Video players, Video player features, Video analytics, Recommendation engine, Putting it together: a systems integrator (SI), Key takeaways, Chapter 3. Protecting your streaming media, The basics of encryption, Why we need DRM, Using a digital rights locker, Other ways to protect media, Preventing insider piracy, Key takeaways, Chapter 4. Distributing your streaming media, How traditional distribution worked, How internet distribution works, Internet distribution – the online-to-offline model, Internet distribution – the P2P model, Internet distribution – the CDN model, CDN types, Basic CDN capabilities, Paying for CDN services, Key takeaways, Chapter 5. User experience, What is UI? What is UX? Customer journey mapping – B2C, Customer journey mapping – B2B, Paying for UX/UI, Key takeaways, Chapter 6. Identity access management, Identity data, Authorisation of users, Data privacy of users, Entitlement of users, How entitlements work, IAM for better customer engagement, Compliance, Federated identity management, Paying for IAM services, Key takeaways, Chapter 7. Commercialising your service, How ‘windows’ affect content availability, The advertising model, Measuring advertising success, The subscription model, The transaction model, Hybrid models, Key takeaways, Chapter 8. Live streaming media, Live internal communications, Live external communications, Linear TV streaming, What is an encoder? Cloud encoding, Architecting live streams, Live streaming monitoring, Paying for live streaming, Professional solutions, Parting thoughts, Key takeaways, Bibliography, Index