Brightcove launches updated cloud playout solution

Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, offering new ways to create linear channels, monetize media and streamline workflows in one platform.

Brightcove’s Cloud Playout 2.0 allows users to leverage their existing content catalog and live streams to build a channel in minutes. The enhanced Cloud Playout includes a linear scheduler to create an electronic program guide (EPG), which can be displayed on apps and FAST platforms. Once a channel is built, media companies can operationalize the distribution of their linear channels to owned-and-operated (O&O) properties or FAST platforms. Managing this end-to-end experience within the Brightcove platform allows media companies to optimize their content with first-party data and analytics and control their ad monetization.

“Cloud Playout 2.0 gives media companies an efficient way to grow reach, increase engagement, and monetize their content,” said Scott Levine of Brightcove. “This expansion creates a centralized platform for driving new business models, content windows, and experiences, allowing our customers to save time, money and resources. Cloud Playout 2.0 works with our leading monetization and insights tools to ensure every stream drives business value and enables our customers to delight their audience.”

Cloud Playout 2.0 helps media companies with:

• Reach and Engagement: Create channels on their owned websites and apps to increase viewer engagement and extend their reach by delivering those channels to new audiences and markets with FAST aggregators.
• Monetization: Adapt their monetization strategy across channels to increase revenue with a multi-tier approach, including Brightcove’s
• Server-side ad Insertion (SSAI) to manage ad placement durations and bypass inconvenient ad blockers without diminishing quality and the user experience with issues like prolonged buffering.
• Ad Monetization service to maximize ad revenue through full-stack or unsold ad inventory.
• Free, ad-supported (FAST) channels to reach new audiences and drive viewers to subscription VOD catalogs to explore new releases and premium content.
• Test and iterate ad rules across channels in minutes to improve revenue.
• Efficiency: Create efficient workflows that run schedules in one platform. Customers can create and manage complex schedules for their channels while offering a VOD streaming service and live events through one platform. The linear scheduler enables users to easily search, add assets and channels, and see potential conflicts. From there, customers can convert schedules into an EPG to keep audiences up to date on the latest content.
• Insights: Cloud Playout 2.0 works with Brightcove’s insights and analytics solutions so media companies can assess viewing habits and content performance to inform their programming and promotion strategies.