In this episode of Playback, host Bleuenn Le Goffic, VP Business Transformation at Accedo is joined by Michael Schmidt, Global Director, Industry Partnerships at AWS and Simon McGrath, Chief Marketing office at Merapar to explore how AI’s role in media and entertainment is rapidly evolving from experimental projects to fully operationalized, business-critical systems.
Together, they dive into the rise of agentic AI, composable architectures, and FinOps, and how these trends are reshaping technology investment, cost management, and audience engagement.
3:39 AI’s development in Media & Entertainment industry - have we moved past experimentation to operational use cases?
12:01 What would be the impact of AI on investment strategy and software procurement?
18:08 How AI distills data into decision points and reduces time to resolve operational events.
25:27 A shift in AI strategy to focus on growth, subscriber acquisition, churn reduction, and monetization strategies.
33:38 The future of OTT and consumer experience with AI
In this episode, Stephen Shaw (Senior Solutions Architect at New Relic) and Luke Gaydon (Head of Offering and Portfolio Management at Accedo) talk about the hurdles organizations face when deploying observability tools, and why it’s time for the industry to stop flying blind.
From real client objections to the evolution of the technology itself, they explore and exchange experiences on what’s worked, what hasn’t, and the risks of waiting too long to embrace the next-gen OTT observability stack.
How do you turn an idea into a growing streaming business? It takes more than just great content—and our guest speakers know it well.
In this episode, David Guinan (General Manager at Major League Table Tennis) and David MacPhie (Global Sales Director at Accedo One) dive into the must-ask questions and practical decisions every organization faces before going to market:
Is there real demand for your service? What monetization model makes the most sense for your content? How should you split your first-year investment? And which tech is the best fit for a greenfield project like this?
With firsthand stories from launching, running, and advising OTT platforms, they unpack what works, how needs evolve as your service hits key growth milestones, and what they’d do differently if they were starting all over again.
00:58 - What are the first things you consider when starting an OTT service?
04:38 - How should a startup/nascent video service go about making decisions to define their OTT technology strategy?
11:55 - How do you build a brand and tackle marketing as a new service?
17:28 - What are the most useful/critical analytics data points?
23:10 - What to focus on when you have a running service?
40:35 - How do you budget for your service among technology, operational team, marketing, etc.?
Mathias Johnson (Product Manager, Hibox) and Rasmus Almqvist (VP Global Sales) join us to explore how video is transforming the guest and patient experience across the hospitality, healthcare, and enterprise sectors.
They explain how Hibox as a global provider of interactive TV and OTT solutions is driving innovation by enabling seamless, multi-screen video services tailored for hotels, hospitals, and workplace environments.
Topics covered include typical user journeys in hospitality and healthcare (2:25), shifts in the hospitality industry and staying ahead of the competition (11:40), monetization strategies across verticals (15:00), and how to drive adoption through innovation (29:05).
Featuring Vijay Sajja (Founder and CEO of Evergent Technologies) and Michael Lantz (Co-founder and CEO of Accedo), this episode dissects the critical shift from pure subscriber growth to sustainable monetization in video streaming. The conversation explores the resulting challenges and delves into potential future monetization options that can effectively balance revenue generation and user experience. Vijay and Michael also touch upon the vital role of analytics and usage data in unlocking successful OTT monetization and share the hyper-critical success factors that, based on their experience, are often overlooked by streaming providers and can hinder a profitable business.
00:56 How can OTT services balance monetization and user experience to maximize revenue while retaining subscribers?
02:57 How can frontends/UX's affect user choices when it comes to subscriptions?
08:36 How will subscription tiers change or trend in the next 3-5 years?
18:20 What role does data and analytics play in the future of OTT monetization?
29:50 What are some aspects when developing or operating an OTT service that are hyper critical, but often not considered?
Recorded live at NAB 2025, this episode explores the findings of the latest industry study on Streaming Analytics in the Age of AI, led by Mrugesh Desai (VP North America) and Professor Serguei Netessine (The Wharton School).
Guest speakers David Guinan (Major League Table Tennis), Kirby Grines (Founder & CEO at The Streaming Wars), and Jesús Herrero Valverde (Co-founder at Jump AI Technologies) share their real-world experiences and discuss how leading video streaming platforms are currently leveraging data analytics to enhance the viewing experience.
They discuss the current analytics landscape (2:54), challenges in live sports (4:58), KPIs and data quality (7:54), how AI is influencing decision-making (12:55), quality of service metrics (16:35), the shift toward real-time analytics (21:00), inefficiencies in analytics tools (24:35), the evolution of personalization (27:10), and what’s next for AI in streaming (32:20).
Pernilla Wraneus and Sadie Groom take the stage in this special episode celebrating Women’s History Month. The conversation highlights the importance of mentorship, inclusive leadership, and industry-wide efforts to create equal opportunities for women in media and technology.
They discuss Sadie’s career journey in the media tech space (1:15), the inspiration behind Rise (9:18), what companies can do to support women into leadership roles (14:55), strategies for achieving workplace diversity (19:10), and the qualities of a good mentor (22:35).
Learn more about Rise here.
Music by: Jahzzar
In this episode, Neil van Zyl talks to Chris McNair, Head of New Business & Strategy at Accedo, and Paddy Buckley, Business Development Director at Accedo, about how publishers can no longer wait with implementing a video-first strategy, taking cues from broadcasters and the wider media and entertainment industry. The discussion centers around themes such as the importance of owning the entire customer journey, how long-form video opens up new routes to monetization, and how big screen applications are a powerful complement to a publisher's existing web and mobile presence. The guests also share their top UX best practices as well as insight into how video can be used to boost both user satisfaction and ad revenues.
Music by: Jahzzar
In this conversation, the guests Tommy Flanagan and Mrugesh Desai cover key themes such as the focus on profitability, innovative monetization strategies, the impact of AI and personalization, lessons from Netflix's success, device expansion strategies, and the ongoing fragmentation in the TV OS landscape.
The dialogue also explores the rise of multi-view support, insights from CES, the shift towards managed services, and the importance of personalization in streaming experiences.
Music by: Jahzzar
Will Pickett and François Polarczyk discuss the multifaceted aspects of sustainability in the streaming business, emphasizing the importance of assessing the impacts of companies on society as well as the environment.
They explore the complexities of emissions reporting (3:00), the DIMPACT initiative aimed at reducing emissions in digital media (6:04), and the ECOFLOW project focusing on energy consumption in the streaming supply chain (10:00). The conversation also highlights carbon offsetting (27:07), and the role of AI in sustainability (32:35).
Learn more about the ECOFLOW project and Accedo’s sustainability initiatives.
Music by: Jahzzar
In the latest episode, Neil Van Zyl had the honour of hosting Kirby Grines, founder of 43Twenty and The Streaming Wars, and Mrugesh Desai, Accedo's VP of North America, to discuss the evolving landscape of the streaming and OTT industry. They explore the importance of user experience (5:20), the challenges media companies face in adapting to new technologies (11:44), and the need for collaboration over competition (18:03). The conversation also touches on the significance of cost efficiency (27:24), SEO strategies (41:27), and the future outlook for the industry amidst ongoing changes.
Check out The Streaming Wars.
Music by: Jahzzar
The conversation with Chris McCarthy, Industry Solutions Lead, New Relic, and Steven Kopec, Head of Service Management, Accedo, sheds light on the vital role of observability and metrics, the proactive nature of observability tools in resolving platform issues, and touch on key trends such as generative AI and the integration of diverse data sources.
To learn more about how to tackle observability challenges, download this ebook.
Music by: Jahzzar
In an insightful conversation with Vishal Parikh, CPO, LiveLike, the episode discusses how interactivity can help retain users(2:00), increase revenue opportunities, and capture valuable user data. Vishal highlights how sports and entertainment brands leverage engagement and interactivity (7:00) and how LiveLike's platform, with its unique features, enables audience engagement and gamification with loyalty and rewards programs (14:31).
The discussion also includes the crawl-walk-run approach to implementing engagement and interactivity features (19:07) and the exciting developments at LiveLike, including the rewards platform and mini-games. (22:35)
Check out LiveLike.
Music by: Jahzzar
In Episode 12, our host, Neil van Zyl and guest Eric Tang, CTO and founder of LivePeer, discuss the high-performance and cost-effective video streaming platform and the benefits of blockchain and decentralization in the video ecosystem (1:47). They also explore the potential for alternative revenue streams for creators and the concept of digital scarcity (2:55). Tang also highlights the use of blockchain technology for content authenticity and the importance of choosing the right infrastructure for live streaming (5:44). He shares insights on the challenges of monetization, the rise of interactive live streaming, and the need for content segmentation and operational efficiency.
Check out https://livepeer.org/
Music by: Jahzzar
In the latest episode, our host Neil is joined by Siva Natarajan, SVP, Amagi, to explore the dynamic world of FAST. Tune in on your favorite podcast platforms as they dive into the rise of original content in FAST (6:06) and examine how big media brands are making strategic moves into this space.
Siva also shares why Single IP Channels have succeeded (9:50), and invaluable advice for content owners looking to enter the FAST market (19:50) detailing the essential steps to prepare assets and businesses for a successful transition.
Music by: Jahzzar
Michael Lantz, founder and CEO of TV app specialist Accedo, buries the hatchet with some contentious coverage on the pages of Faultline from years gone by.
Fast forwarding to the present day - managed services, personalization, acquisitions, and the "new media" customer all come under the microscope in this exclusive interview.
Music by: Jahzzar
In part 2 of our UX series, continuing our conversation with Nikki Perugini, our host, Neil van Zyl, delves into the trends and predictions in UX Design that we foresee in the upcoming period.
Tune in to the episode to gain thought-provoking insights on Content Discovery and how to end the pain point for users (1:30), how interactive video is growing (8:12), and what are Super Apps and why is it popular in Asia? (14:30).
Music by: Jahzzar
In episode 10, part 1, of Playback, Nikki Perugini and Sonia Lafontaine, explore what UX in OTT entails and how it goes beyond aesthetics- functional design, intuitive navigation, and accessibility across devices (1:06).
They also share insights about the advantages of user research (5:16), the considerations for designing a high-quality UX (11:58), the common design pitfalls (20:20), and the role that automation plays for UX designers (25:07).
Tune in to the full episode, which delves deeper into how a focused UX strategy can provide actionable insights for your product growth.
Music by: Jahzzar
In this episode, we explore the critical aspects of OTT that have changed, improved, or remained constant over the last decade. From the rise of Roku as a dominant force in the streaming device market (3:11) to the emergence of ad-supported streaming models (5:30), the OTT space has seen substantial shifts.
The conversation also delves into how user expectations and their viewing experience have led to high-end UX enhancements (7:20), the proliferation of sports OTT services due to advanced tech (15:41), and how the strategic use of contextual/dynamic ads can interact with users while bringing in revenue (24:07).
Read more on BNS Inc.: https://boldnew.com/
Music by: Jahzzar
Dive into the near future of the OTT and the streaming industry with our latest podcast episode, straight from CES 2024. Our host, Neil van Zyl, and our guests, Mrugesh Desai, Ashley Desatnik, and Pritesh Modi, dissect the trends and innovations unveiled at the event (3:59), the changes in consumer behavior, and the essential strategies OTT providers need to adopt for both immediate and long-term success (8:29).
They also share their bold predictions for the year (24:17), highlighting the emergence of new sports digital services, shoppable experiences, how bundling services can provide value to users, and more.