We are excited to bring you a recap of the innovative sessions on the Media & Monetization track from Brightcove’s 2021 PLAY event. We at Rev were proud to not only help sponsor the event but also to join Brightcove’s new Marketplace. Spread out over two days and featuring speakers from nearly a dozen companies and countries, there was a lot to cover at PLAY. And of course, who can forget the Guest Keynote by Shonda Rhimes? Let’s dive in!

Storytelling With a Purpose

Whether or not you watch Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, or Bridgerton, you have to admit that Shonda Rhimes knows how to tell a compelling story. And that’s what content creators need to focus on. The analytical data available is richer than ever, but as always, it comes down to how you use it.

In the session, “How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are Driving Video Solutions”, Patrick Wagstrom, Brightcove CDO, covered the benefits of Brightcove’s Video Intelligence approach. To work toward higher ROI, companies need a data focus on Discovery, Understanding, and Automation. These three tenets can help you more easily access your existing content through better organization, learn how viewers interact with your videos, and keep pace with ever-changing machine learning and AI.

Double Down on Content

The adage “shoot once, distribute everywhere” came out of the session, “Next Level Content and What it Takes to Create It”, hosted by John Steinberg, Founder & CEO of Cheddar News. As a startup founder, Steinberg knew that planning ahead maximized efficiencies and opportunities. Cheddar needed to spread its content across more distribution channels to reach more audiences. As well, they had to experiment time and time again to figure out what worked. 

Even established brands like ESPN have thrown a Hail Mary regarding content planning. For example, in the session, “Organic Marketing Must-Haves: How to Make Your Content Work for You”, Matt Volk, Audacy VP of Sports, talked about how producing a 30-minute show with a line cut (from six hours of interviews) allowed ESPN to give original content to different outlets while keeping the main story. 

In the session, “Sports and the Search for New Markets, New Fans, and Engagement”, John O’Neill from Tennis Australia, Brian Carroll from the LPGA, and Bogie de Guia from Tap Digital Media Ventures Corp all spoke on being part of the year-round sports conversation. With 40 million first-time internet users in SE Asia alone in 2020, it’s time for sports networks to balance the needs of new fans regarding interactivity and gamification, versus classic programming. The ability to reach new markets is exciting, but you have to be intentional.

If You’re Specific, They Will Watch

And from eSports to genre film, there is a viewer for every niche form of entertainment. On the sports side, Volk talked about understanding audience consumption. “If your audience is fragmented, you must fragment your content to reach them,” he said. Sports fans can vary by region, type, season, and age. “Just be strategic and thoughtful in how you make content and where it should live,” Volk said.

The pandemic provided many viewers the opportunity to discover niche entertainment they once thought out of reach. In the session, “Delivering a Flawless Entertainment Experience Across All Stages and Screens”, Sean Havrilla, Director of Met Opera on Demand, spoke about exposing “this elite form of entertainment to people at home in their PJs”. The Metropolitan Opera used its back catalog and eventually behind-the-scenes content to entice online new and existing viewers alike.

That’s All Folks

Designing, planning, creating, and distributing high-quality video content is a complicated process on its own. But what about reaching diverse audiences? Because Rev partners with Brightcove, you can caption and translate your videos with 99% accuracy by simply tagging your video in Brightcove. Turnaround is 24-hours for videos under 60 minutes. And even focusing on speed, Rev is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990 ruling and also meet FCC 508/509 requirements. 

Finally, all files are private and protected from unauthorized access. Our professionals have signed NDAs and we encrypt all data. Thanks for creating and hosting another wonderful virtual event Brightcove! We’ll see everyone next year, ready to learn.