4K LIVE VIDEO DELIVERY OVER HYBRID IP TO OTT

Live streaming platform, FuboTV, reaps the benefits of IP workflows with Zixi's Universal Video Gateway

The Broadcast industry is going through one of the most rapid and significant industry transformations in history and IP is a huge enabler of this movement. Companies that had long relied on SDI workflows are seeing the benefits of converting to an IP-based infrastructure that not only enables operational flexibility, agility, and modern economics, but also reliable broadcast-quality distribution of live video content over the Internet. While some organizations have been slow to migrate to IP infrastructures, one modern broadcaster has seen the potential of IP from the very beginning.

fuboTV is the sports-first live TV streaming platform available on the web and across mobile and connected TV devices. A leading OTT provider, fuboTV offers a wide range of live and on-demand content across 100+ channels featuring top leagues and teams, as well as popular shows, movies, and news for the entire household.

With its industry leading innovation across all functional groups, fuboTV considers itself a technology company first, an entertainment company second. With a unique distribution strategy that relies mainly on IP networks for distribution, fuboTV is a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) that has broken away from traditional broadcasting workflows for primary delivery of content.

With heavy reliance on IP, choosing the right broadcasting infrastructure was key for long-term success. Known as the only vMVPD streaming in 4K, fuboTV needed a live video delivery solution that would securely and reliably provide broadcast- quality content over an IP infrastructure. The right partner would need to ensure a high-quality viewing experience for fuboTV’s popular sports content, helping them retain subscribers in an increasingly competitive OTT marketplace. For the optimal live distribution solution, fuboTV turned to Zixi, the global leader in broadcast-quality, live video delivery over any IP network, utilizing its Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) for its ability to perform as a Universal Video Gateway.

With the SDVP, fuboTV can leverage a single platform for source acquisition of live linear content across fiber and satellite networks, and then normalize content for distribution to digital delivery targets. 

Initially the partnership started by leveraging third-party technology providers for the encoding, transcoding, and distribution of 75 channels of international content, but over the past year futoTV has migrated transcoding to the cloud. Today, the Zixi Broadcaster software takes content via MPEG TS – UDP from providers, then sends it through the firewall over the public internet using the Zixi Protocal into the Google Cloud Platform where it is transcoded. The transcoded content is then pushed out and distributed to the origin storage and CDN for ultimate delivery to endpoints like Smart TVs, mobile devices, desktop computers or set top box applications.

One of the significant advantages of using the SDVP is its interoperability, not only within the fuboTV software platform, but also within its expansive partner network. Zixi accepts 17 industry protocols, including Zixi, NDI, RIST, SRT and WebRTC and others, making it the most interoperable Universal Video Gateway for live distribution. Zixi also has the only platform and protocol that can provide six nines availability utilizing patented sequenced hitless and bonded hitless failover to ensure reliability and quality of streams over mixed IP networks such as internet, fiber, satellite, and cellular. The Zixi Enabled Network of over 200 integrated technology and service provider partners around the globe provides fuboTV with the ability to easily migrate from on-premises to cloud-based solutions.

“For fuboTV, the quality and reliability of live streams is of the utmost importance” says Geir Magnusson Jr., CMO, fuboTV. “Zixi’s interoperability in terms of its protocol acceptance and robust partner network meant that we could easily virtualize our content supply chain and leverage a tested and cost-effective solution that would allow us the flexibility to easily adapt to any future streaming needs.”

High-quality video means more subscribers, and Zixi has allowed fuboTV the ability to ingest broadcast quality video content at sub-second ultra-low latency with the strongest security, resiliency and scale. Zixi’s protocols and applications for real-time transport deliver the highest visual quality and user experience, while ensuring that latency is maintained and synchronized across devices, network locations and conditions so that content can be delivered in real-time to the end user with confidence. fuboTV recently expanded its Zixi deployment, adding hundreds of additional offerings so that by the end of the year, fuboTV will have stood up 500 channels using Zixi.

With streaming hitting new highs across the industry, fuboTV is poised to maintain its dominance in a crowded OTT landscape. A platform with a robust content offering to suit the whole family, delivered conveniently over the Internet at broadcast-quality, means this compelling payTV alternative will not be slowing down any time soon.

Learn more about Zixi: www.zixi.com