http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/Live-...big-growth.php
Live linear OTT set for big growth
With online video competition significantly increasing in mature payTV markets, new research forecasts that live linear OTT video services will grow to some $7 billion of worldwide revenue by 2021.
This will be from a base of $1 billion in 2016, says ABI Research, as service providers are decreasing marketing on their cable, satellite, and IPTV products that offer managed quality of service in favour of new products that use OTT technologies to compete with Amazon and Netflix. The most recent OTT service launch is DirecTV Now, an AT&T national product with live linear TV.
"These services meet the consumer demand for anytime, anywhere programming and mobile-centric viewing while targeting a larger national audience," says Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "The services fit within carriers adopting mobile-first mindsets."
As mobile video consumption increases, mobile operators are exploring policy-based approaches to meet customer expectations and manage the effects of video services on mobile data caps.
The technical challenges are so significant that many operators made significant investments in technology platforms. AT&T/DirecTV purchased Quickplay Technologies to gain better control of its OTT launch. Even so, some outages occurred as the platform scaled. Disney took an equity stake in BAMTech (formerly MLB Advanced Media) to have better strategic control over its syndication platform.