4 essential elements to ensure high-quality video distribution and boost end-user loyalty, so you can concentrate on your content.

    No matter what kind of channel you’re planning to launch, four primary elements play a critical role in the channel’s success for end-users and advertisers. Hosting, service quality, resilience and recovery must all be in place before a channel can focus on creating quality content.

    It doesn’t matter what programmes, shows or events you stream through your channel. Without the technical elements in place, no-one will watch, advertisers will pull out, and your channel will fail. Quality of experience is key for end-users - so ensuring that your hosting, service support quality, resilience solutions and recovery functions are well prepared is the first step towards creating a successful channel.

    Let’s look at each of these four elements in detail and what you can do to address each one when launching a new channel.

    Hosting

    What is it?

    Hosting refers to where your servers are located. It refers to the physical location of where your broadcasting streams originate.

    Why is it important?

    Without hosting, your channel simply doesn’t exist - If your servers go down, your broadcast abruptly stops. You need a location to store the hardware that takes care of broadcasting your content efficiently and effectively. By failing to invest in quality hosting, you risk equipment damage, data leaks, overheating and complete loss of information and broadcasting.

    What does a quality solution offer?

    If your provider doesn’t offer these elements, it may be time to consider alternatives.

    • Dedicated server rack into collocated or private rooms.
    • Secure site, physically and digitally.
    • Power, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.
    • Full redundancy with automatic monitoring and switching for power, heating, transmission systems and cabling.

     

    Service Support Quality

    What is it?

    Broadcasting quality comes down to what you offer as a channel and the equipment you possess to make it happen. However, things often go wrong and it helps to have quality service on hand to help you get back on track quickly. This is where service quality comes in as a major element to a channel’s success. Having technical assistance as well as a dedicated monitoring team on standby is the difference between a disaster and a close call.

    Why is it important?

    Sooner or later, hardware fails, bugs emerge and streaming quality dips unexpectedly. Without a team of experts to help you get your channel back online, you lose viewers and advertisers every minute. A provider that offers support focused on providing you with the quality of service you deserve prevents downtime, optimises your channel and enables you to bring in more viewers and reliable advertising revenue.

    What does a quality solution offer?

    If your provider doesn’t offer these elements, it may be time to consider alternatives.

    • Priority access to technical assistance in case of troubleshooting.
    • Full visibility over delivery monitoring and operations.
    • Fully redundant ground network architecture.
    • Remote expert support.
    • Short response times (under 15 minutes for critical incidents).

     

    Resilience Solutions

    What is it?

    For many services, interference from external factors can cause problems for their end-users. Broadcasting streams can grind down to a halt from circumstances such as unfavourable weather or accidental damage. Resilience solutions help mitigate the impact of those interferences, ensuring a smoother experience for your end-users.

    Why is it important?

    Interruptions and interference on a broadcast cause frustration on behalf of your end-users. This creates a negative experience with your channel, associating it with unreliability and low-quality service. Over time, you will lose viewers who can never seem to get a consistent experience from your broadcast. Resilience solutions help you to avoid that and keep external situations from hurting your channel.

    What does a quality solution offer?

    If your provider doesn’t offer these elements, it may be time to consider alternatives.

    • Interference detection through continuous monitoring of transmissions.
    • Specific transmission antenna used to increase broadcast power.
    • Uplink power control procedures to reduce the relative importance of external factors on transmissions.

     

    Recovery Functions

    What is it?

    In the case of critical disasters, faulty equipment or serious damage, recovery functions provide a  backup to channels and a guarantee of 24 broadcast operations with a disaster recovery plan.

    Why is it important?

    The ability to activate a back-up satellite transmission in less than 1 hour until the main uplink is repaired in case of a disaster is essential to offering a service to end-users. End-users today as well as advertisers expect a constant stream of broadcasting, ready to be accessed at any time. Recovery functions ensure that this is the case, even in the direst of circumstances.

    What does a quality solution offer?

    If your provider doesn’t offer these elements, it may be time to consider alternatives.

    • Quick fail-over solution (less than 1 hour)
    • Guaranteed access to backup transmissions
    • 24/7 monitoring and support
    • Highly reliable service operated on a WTA Tier 4 teleport

     

    A One-Stop Solution

    Each of these essential elements plays a major role in your channel’s success. Hosting, service quality, resilience and recovery all contribute to presenting your channel as one of quality and consistency.

    However, finding the right provider for each of these services can be complicated and cause unnecessary confusion. That’s why Eutelsat is a one-stop solution to deliver your video content safely and effectively. Eutelsat operates a full range of ground services for cost-effective access to their satellite fleet, including hosting, service support, resilience solutions and recovery options.

    It’s time to outsource to a reliable, cost-effective partner. Eutelsat consists of high-performance experts that are dedicated to your broadcasting success. If you would like to ensure the highest standards of quality in video distribution and boost your end-user loyalty through technical excellence, download more information about our services below and contact Eutelsat today.