The Business of Streaming and Digital Media (Paperback)

Description:

This book answers the question, "What is the value of using streaming and digital media for my business and what can I expect in return?" The Business of Steaming and Digital Media gives you a concise and direct analysis of how to implement a scalable, profitable venture, as well as the common and hidden pitfalls to avoid in your business. By focusing on both the business implications and technical differences between rich media and traditional broadcast distribution, you will learn how to gain significant time-to-market and cost-saving advantages by effectively using streaming and digital media technologies.

 

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction: The Current State of the Streaming and Digital Media Industry

Chapter 1: Why Get into Streaming and Digital Media?
1.1 The Key Question Is Not Can you Build a Streaming Business, But Should You?
–1.1.2 Digital Media’s Rapid Rise
–1.1.3 When Technology Becomes a Business
–1.1.4 Out of the Technology Ashes and into the Fiscal Fire
1.2 Using Digital Media for Revenue Generation: The Value in Managing your Own Content, Channels, and Customers
-1.2.1 Content Monetization
-1.2.2 Channel Control
-1.2.3 Customer Contact
1.3 Using Digital Media to Reduce Costs and Increase Communication: Leveraging Digital Media for Different Applications
-1.3.1 Telecommunication Expense
-1.3.2 Customer Service
-1.3.3 Information Quality
1.4 Early Successes Show Big Returns if It’s Done Right
-1.4.1 Case Study: Starbucks
-1.4.2 Case Study: New England Cable News (NECN)


Chapter 2: Technology Primer: The Basics of Streaming and Digital Media
2.1 Introduction to Streaming and Digital Media Technologies
-2.1.1 Internet Basics: Built for Reliability, not Quality
-2.1.2 Static Versus Streaming at the Content Level
-2.1.3 Enter Streaming Media
-2.1.4 Streaming Across the Internet
-2.1.5 Internet Distance Does not Equal Geographic Distance
2.2 Technical Variations of Internet Media from Traditional Broadcasting
2.3 The Fundamental Difference in Cost Structures Between the Old and New
-2.3.1 Traditional Broadcasting Cost Structures Are Heavy on Fixed, Low on Variable
-2.3.2 Streaming Media Cost Structures Are Low on Fixed, Heavy on Variable
2.4 Why Broadcast Quality is Different from Internet Quality
-2.4.1 Startup Time
-2.4.2 Playback Consistency
-2.4.3 Playback Size (for Video)
2.5 Typical Quality Measurements for Streaming and Digital Media
-2.5.1 Why Neilsen and Arbitron have had Trouble Measuring a Digital Media Audience
2.6 Content Security: Digital Media Means a User Can Record an Exact Copy
-2.6.1 Digital Rights Management and Content Encryption
-2.6.2 Walled Gardens Content Security
-2.6.3 The “Cheap and Easy Access” Security Strategy
-2.6.4 PC Client Content/Download Managers
2.7 Case Studies:
-2.7.1 palmOne
-2.7.2 Ernst & Young


Chapter 3: The Four Keys to a Profitable Streaming or Digital Media Business
3.1 Given these Technology Issues, What Should you Focus on When Building your Digital Media Business?
3.2 Four Key Principles of a Stable Digital Media Strategy are: Scalability, Security, Intelligence, and Quality
3.3 Scalability: A Scalable Delivery Strategy can Cut Delivery Costs Over Traditional Broadcast
3.4 Security: Digital Rights Management (DRM) Security Technologies Make Streaming and Digital Media Safe and Sound
3.5 Intelligence: Getting Accurate, Reliable, Usable Usage and Audience Intelligence
3.6 Quality: Assuring Media Fidelity and Quality When Delivering Content Over the Internet
3.7 Case Studies
-3.7.1 JPMorgan/Chase
-3.7.2 Unisys

Chapter 4: It’s Not Childs Play: Learning From the Pitfalls from of the Past Three Years
4.1 In the Internet Land Grab and Rush for Revenue, Early Companies Forgot to Manage the Costs for Streaming and Digital Delivery
4.2 You can Avoid the Top Four Mistakes Made in the Early Days by Understanding the Business Impact of Licensing, Security, Distribution, and Quality
4.3 Don’t Let your Strategy Get Sidetracked by Media Player Market Share Numbers
-4.3.1 There Are No Agreed Upon or Default Standards for Platforms--Yet.
-4.3.2 Understanding the Impact of Windows Media, RealNetworks, and MPEG Licensing Plans on your Business
-4.3.3 Why you Might Need Multiple Formats, Encoding Rates, etc.
4.4 The Changing Value of CDNs for Streaming and Digital Media Distribution
4.5 The Most Common Outsourced Application--Live Webcasting
-4.5.1 Understanding the Basics
-4.5.2 Determining your Business Needs
-4.5.3 The Bigger Picture
4.6 Quality is So Important Its Deserves Its Own Chapter--Chapter 5
4.7 Case Studies
4.7.1 Bumble and bumble

Chapter 5: Quality and Content Are King and Queen of the Digital Media Realm
5.1 If you Don’t Have Good Content or Sufficient Quality, Don’t Bother.
5.2 The Definitions of “Good Content” and “Sufficient Quality” Change Depending Upon your Target Audience, Usage, Price Charged, etc.
5.3 Some Content is Excellent for Streaming or Digital Media While Others Are Awful
-5.3.1 Your Content Dictates the Kind of Technology you Use, Not the Other Way Around
5.4 When Determining the Best Quality for your Company, Make Sure you Understand the Four Areas of the Digital Media "Business Square"
5.5 If you Change Audience Size, Then you’ll have to Change your Delivery Strategy
5.6 Content Size Does Matter When It Comes to Streaming and Digital Media
-5.6.1 Session Length of Streaming and Digital Media
5.7 Encoding Bit Rates Effect Content Quality -and your Target Audience
5.8 Security is Required, but There Can be Too Much of a Good Thing
-5.8.1 Case Studies

Chapter 6: Streaming or Digital Media Project Management: How to Implement and Manage a Profitable Business
6.1 Based on Interviews with People Building These Systems Today, Here Are Some Guidelines for Building and Managing a Streaming or Digital Media Business
6.2 Pricing: Understanding Costs and What you Should Pay
-6.2.1 The Service Provider Business
-6.2.2 Educating Yourself Before you Talk to Providers
-6.2.3 Choosing the Right Provider is Easy
-6.2.5 Our Best Advice: Negotiate
-6.2.6 Quality — Getting your Money’s Worth
6.3 Build versus Buy
6.3.1 Quality
6.3.2 Control
6.4 Understanding the Most Commonly Used Multimedia Applications for Enterprise Communications
6.5 A Summary Checklist to Use When Building a Successful Streaming Business
6.6 Case Studies
-6.6.1 The Cooper Companies
-6.6.2 Office Depot, Inc.

Chapter 7: Beyond Streaming Media: What Streaming and Digital Media Means to Other Areas of a Media Business
7.1 The Internet Can Significantly Impact Other Areas of a Media Business
7.2 Managed Delivery: Cut Weeks Out of Media Production Cycles and Push Post-Production Times to the Limit
7.3 Using Media as Part of a Customized Web Portal to Increase Sales and Improve Customer Satisfaction
7.4 Putting your Knowledge into Action
7.5 Case Studies
-7.5.1 MasterCard
-7.5.2 Wisconsin Department of Transportation Streams Historic Bridge Float
-7.5.3 New York City Public Schools
-7.5.4 The Solution

Appendix A: Use of Streaming and Digital Media Report
Appendix B: Enterprise Streaming: Return on Investment Report
Glossary
Index