The proving grounds for the recent evolution of cloud-based broadcast operations has been free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST), a linear-TV streaming format that shares many advantages with internet-connected, NextGen TV broadcasting. One of these advantages includes a one-to-one advertising model that enables the targeting of advertisements to specific users and the collection of extensive, real-time data and analytics on how concurrent users are consuming a channel’s content — all without relying on panel-based reporting from market measurement firms.
Today, many cloud-based workflows originally designed for FAST-style streaming are now being considered for traditional over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting. This is applicable not only to those already invested in ATSC 3.0 but to any legacy OTA distributor.
