Features
Music Television Revolution: Multiview Media Puts Fans In The Director’s Seat
– Multiview Media
The band performing is Of Monsters And Men.
British start-up Multiview Media has launched a multi-camera angle streaming platform allowing fans to pick their own viewing angle of livestreams as well as historic video recordings.
The first opportunity to experience this new format comes this weekend, Feb. 12-14 at the JBTV’s Revolution Television Virtual Music Festival.
The ability for fans to switch between camera angles should make for a more engaging concert viewing experience compared to traditional broadcasting formats.
– Ray Meadham
CEO of Multiview Media.
The way it works is that content owners provide Multiview Media with live or historic video content, which is then placed into Multiview Media’s encoder software, which converts the content into a digital form that can be streamed in multi-camera angle formats via Multiview Media’s platform (or player embedded in their site).
Using auto-detection technology, Multiview Media is able to predict when a viewer is about to select a specific camera angle, at which point the stream is upgraded to a higher quality, ensuring that the change between camera angles is smooth and seamless.
The technology behind Multiview Media is able to deliver the multiple camera streams very quickly, “at sub-0.5s latency to be exact,” as company CEO Ray Meadham told Pollstar.
He explained, “Having a multi-angle player means that the multiple camera streams are broadcast seamlessly with smooth transitions between camera angles. What’s more, this multi-angle player can be embedded on a website and by third parties, for example, by a ticketing company.”
The Multiview Media team believes its multi-angle platform opens up new revenue opportunities by making traditional revenue generating formats like pay-per-views, sponsorships or box sets more engaging for fans.
Meadham considers the multi-angle view “a vast improvement upon traditional broadcast and offers the type of perspectives that even an in-person attendee would not be able to experience or control, such as being on stage with the band, and close-ups of the audience, and artists in a matter of moments.”
– Bastille live.
Fans can pick their favorite camera angle.
Multiview Media isn’t yet creating its own original content, but has plans to do so going forward, Meadham added.
It would mean a lot more involvement in the recording process, working directly with artists and bands on the production. “This also opens up opportunities to make the viewing experience more immersive with technology like virtual reality (VR) being introduced,” he said.
Meadham said, “before agreeing to any partnership, Multiview Media ensures that all the appropriate rights have been cleared with artists, songwriters, composers, publishers, and other copyright holders involved.
“The company recognises the importance of protecting rights holders’ intellectual property and fully supports their revenue stream where possible. This is all done in collaboration with the partner (Multiview Media’s client).”
The first partnership Multiview Media has announced is with JBTV, by its own admission “America’s longest-running music television programme.”
Multiview Media first global broadcast will be the JBTV Revolution Television Virtual Music Festival, Feb 12-14. The lineup includes The Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, Filter, Atlas Genius, The Joy Formidable, Failure and more.
The livestream begins daily at 12 p.m. PST/2 p.m. CST, 3 p.m. EST. Single day tickets cost $12, a three-day ticket that also allows for on-demand access to the shows for seven days after the festival go for $20.
The partnership between Multiview Media and JBTV is meant to last beyond the virtual festival, paving the way to stream subsequent live shows in this new format.
Meadham said the JBTV partnership “really showcases what our technology can achieve (…) during a time when people are streaming and consuming more content than ever before – expecting something new and innovative.”
JBTV executive producer Peter Bowers commented: “We are very excited to bring the JBTV ethos of breaking bands for 30 years to the world with our partners in the UK, Multiview Media.
“Its multi-angle and multi-stage player technology is perfectly suited for delivering our live classic performances of the JBTV experience. We are looking forward to working with Multiview Media in what will be a long-term partnership, and ultimately delivering to the fans the most interactive way to enjoy our shows.”