Conviva Leadership
Blog
With the March Madness Final Four just a day away, we’re really amped up! Even more so because we’re working with NCAA Turner Sports, which lets you live-stream every game of the tournament via their “March Madness Live” for TNT, TBS, and truTV cable customers. This is just another fine example of the significance of TV Everywhere! You can get the app on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Kindle, letting fans feed their addiction – no matter when or where they are.
With several close games and upsets this year, NCAA March Madness Live, managed by Turner Sports, showed record video streams and engagement. They generated 64 million live video streams, up 40% in the first two weeks of the tournament compared with 2013, and netted 13.5 million hours of live video watching, up 7% over last year’s tournament. NCAA March Madness Live also had especially large growth on smartphones and tablets, with live streams up 87% and viewing hours up 53% during the first three days compared to last year.
Despite record high usage, all video streams ran smoothly –– with no reported outages or other issues. Unfortunately, the technology required to deliver video online, especially during peak viewing of a live event, isn’t without its challenges, and Conviva understands just how many issues can arise when delivering video online – (Conviva made over four million corrective actions per day in 2013 to improve viewing experience).
Given how many audiences are turning to mobile and tablets to watch their favorite content, networks must prepare for the upsurge in audiences that are certainly going to tune in for these large live streaming events. When delivering video over the shared, open internet, the best way to ensure quality is to have real-time intelligence and control over your video delivery. By leveraging our global data and using a diversity of paths, Conviva chooses the optimal delivery route based on each viewer at every moment given their local network.
Conviva is proud to work with Turner March Madness to deliver real-time, per-viewer rich stats with alerts allowing them to understand how their video is being delivered at every moment of the game, ultimately enabling a better experience.
You can get NCAA March Madness Live at NCAA.com, Turner’s Bleacher Report and CBSSports.com. Apps are available via Apple’s iTunes App Store – where it’s currently the No. 1 free app for iPad and iPhone – along with Google Play, Amazon Appstore and Windows. In addition, games are live streaming on the websites and apps for TNT, TBS and truTV, and websites of participating pay-TV providers. Tune-in this Saturday for the Final Four match up!
For more, check out the full story on NCAA.com
Diana Paschal
Digital Marketing Team
