Float Left

10/07/2021

We are proud to say Float Left made it onto the 2021 Streaming Media 50! Streaming Media's annual list of the most important, most innovative, and most interesting companies in the online video space.

"If content is king, then user experience is the castle. Float Left has always led with its user experience innovations, and today powers more than 450 apps on 10 different OTT platforms." - Tom Schaeffer, Float Left CEO

https://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/The-Most-Important-Companies-in-Online-Video-Tech-149372.aspx

Our annual Streaming Media 50 rounds up the most important, most interesting, and most innovative solutions providers in online video. You'll find names both familiar and unfamiliar here, as newer entrants join market veterans. So who made the list? Read on ...

10/04/2021

Last day to cast your vote for Streaming Media Magazine Readers' Choice Awards! Support us and vote "Float Left - Flicast" for best OTT Video Platform!

https://www.streamingmedia.com/Readers-Choice

The Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards has grown along with the industry. Back when we first gave the awards in 2007, we had 16 categories, in which 120 nominations were submitted. In 2021, we've got 22 categories, including the new Best Streaming Innovation, and nearly 200 nominations!

09/22/2021

Researching OTT solution providers? The Float Left team put together a comprehensive list of "must-ask" questions for potential partners. We point out industry standards, red flags, potential hidden fees, and limitations you may not be aware of right off the bat.

Click on the link to download this free resource! We hope this document will aid you in your research and help you choose the right vendor(s) for your business.

https://floatleft.tv/ott-vendor-research/

So you are starting to research OTT and video companies to assist you in building TV apps for Smart TVs, CTV devices, or mobile devices. I can’t stress this enough, research is THE MOST CRITICAL component because choosing the wrong partner can potentially make or break your business.

09/21/2021

Conviva just released their latest State of Streaming: Content Discovery 2021 report which provides insight into how U.S. consumers find content to stream. Content discovery is ultimately the source that builds an audience for streaming services. The larger and more loyal of an audience, the more opportunities the publishers have for monetization.

Conviva found the top 4 sources for content discovery:
1. Word of Mouth
2. Advertising
3. Social Media
4. Via Streaming Service (i.e. recommendations)

The full report is available here: https://lnkd.in/egrEA77V

09/15/2021

Comcast has partnered with Hisense to launch two smart TVs under the XClass TV brand. Unlike Comcast's set-top boxes and Xfinity Flex streaming box, the XClass TVs will be available to anyone, regardless of whether they subscribe to the company's cable services.

https://bit.ly/3Ek5wWD

The cable company is getting ready to launch two smart TV models manufactured by Hisense.

09/10/2021

Amazon's new self-branded smart TVs will allow users to say commands to their TVs the same way they would give commands to their Amazon Echo devices! Users will be able to use their voice to control the brightness, volume, playback, closed captions and more.

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/amazon-now-officially-building-its-own-smart-tvs

Amazon today debuted the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series and 4-Series smart TVs, its first “Amazon-built” TVs.

09/08/2021

Float Left's streaming solution, Flicast, has been nominated for Streaming Media Magazine's Readers' Choice Awards! Vote for it in the OTT Video Platform category by September 20th.

Flicast is a front-end-focused solution that brings together world-class video partners to build the most sophisticated OTT apps built to scale. You can learn more about Flicast on our website: https://floatleft.tv/flicast/



https://www.streamingmedia.com/Readers-Choice

The Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards has grown along with the industry. Back when we first gave the awards in 2007, we had 16 categories, in which 120 nominations were submitted. In 2021, we've got 22 categories, including the new Best Streaming Innovation, and nearly 200 nominations!

09/02/2021

BIG news! Next year Apple will allow developers of "reader" apps (yes, this includes OTT Apps) to link out to websites for user sign-ups and payments, bypassing the 30% App Store fee. This is a big step for Apple and we hope other platforms follow suit.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/apple-says-japan-fair-trade-001443747.html

SAN FRANCISCO/TOKYO (Reuters) -Apple Inc will let some apps like Netflix Inc provide links to their websites for user payments, a small concession that would allow app developers to bypass the controversial 30% App Store fee the iPhone maker charges. The concession was part of a settlement with Japa...

08/30/2021

We're excited to announce that we've extended our partnership with Beani, a leading internet entertainment service for kids! Beani TV will soon be available on Samsung and Vizio smart TVs.

Learn more: https://floatleft.tv/float-left-extends-partnership-with-beani-tv-on-samsung-and-vizio/

Float Left and Beani.tv, a children’s channel, founded by the former head of Walt Disney have teamed up once again to extend their brand onto Samsung and Vizio. Float Left successfully launched Beani.tv globally on Roku last year and they continue to help the brand grow on additional platforms. Sa...

08/27/2021

nScreenMedia estimates that ad revenue earned by virtual linear channels will grow from $2.1 billion in 2021 to $4.1 billion in 2023!

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/pluto-tv-tubi-and-others-will-see-u-s-fast-market-hit-4-4b-by-2023

Pluto TV, Tubi, the Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus and other leaders in the free, ad-supported streaming television space can expect a revenue boom in the near future.

08/24/2021

Roku, the most dominate streaming platform in the United States, is expanding to Germany! Their biggest hurdle will be competing for market share with Amazon Fire TV, but analysts think Roku's low-cost operating system will help keep them competitive internationally.

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/roku-to-start-selling-streaming-hardware-germany

Roku will start selling its streaming players in Germany and is reaching out to content creators with information on how they can update their video applications to support the German market, Fierce Video has learned.

08/19/2021

Float Left is building two new platforms for Fuse along with FAST Channels and a subscription component.

Read more: https://floatleft.tv/float-left-selected-to-build-two-new-ott-platforms-for-fuse-tv/

Fuse has selected Float Left to develop two new OTT platforms for Fuse TV: iOS and Android Mobile. Previously, Float Left developed and launched the Fuse TV web application, and connected TV platforms Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV in collaboration with JW Player. In addition to the new platforms, Floa...

08/16/2021

New data from a Hub Entertainment Research study indicates that about two-thirds of moviegoers expect streaming at home to become a regular part of their consumption of new movies. They also found that those people with smart TVs upgraded their home viewing set-up by purchasing new smart TVs in 2020 or later (40%).

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/report-38-of-movie-goers-plan-to-stream-new-releases-at-home/

It’s been an interesting year for streaming as Hollywood scrambled to find alternatives to theatrical releases for blockbuster films. Some releases (like James Bond) were postponed altogether, some opted for straight-to-streaming releases (Tom Hanks’ Greyhound), and others have split the differe...

08/10/2021

This is a great article that discusses viewing trends and content strategies for VOD, as reported by Ampere. SVOD services’ subscriber numbers are typically driven by the quality of their original content and exclusive titles, while AVODs’ have been driven by offering high volumes of non-exclusive content from major studios. Not surprisingly, AVODs are starting to narrow the content-quality gap by investing in their own original content to differentiate their offerings and reduce reliance on licensed content.

Read more: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/365845/25-of-us-net-users-have-both-avods-and-svods

SVOD stacking levels reached 4.4 per household, but viewers using SVODs without AVODs declined from 55% to 49%, while those using only AVODs edged up from 2% to 3%.

08/04/2021

Benefits of having niche content include less competition and more brand loyalty. According to ANTENNA, some niche SVODs are growing at a faster rate than Netflix and Hulu.

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/amc-and-other-niche-svods-growing-faster-than-netflix-hulu

AMC+, BET+, Cinemax, CuriosityStream and other “specialty” SVOD services have enjoyed a two-year growth rate that outpaces their bigger peers like Netflix and Hulu.

07/27/2021

We are excited to announce that Gravitas Ventures is now on VIZIO SmartCast, the 7th platform Float Left has developed for them! By expanding to Vizio, Gravitas will be able to reach an even larger audience than before.

Read More: https://floatleft.tv/float-left-launches-gravitas-ventures-ott-on-vizio-smartcast/

In 2019, Float Left teamed up with Gravitas Ventures to launch the Gravitas Movies TV apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Web, iOS, and Android Mobile. Most recently, Float Left and Gravitas added an additional platform to the mix, Vizio SmartCast! Since its launch, the Gravitas Vizio app has se...

07/21/2021

Our take when we get asked, "What's the most popular OTT platform?"

Read: https://bit.ly/3zkNUGL

“What’s the most popular OTT platform?” This is a question that we get asked a lot, but it doesn’t necessarily have a clear and concise answer.  Are you asking for the most popular device or operating system? Should we measure “most popular” by users, households, or something else? Do w...

07/14/2021

Streaming services added new subscribers at record rates during the pandemic but lost them just as quickly. By shifting focus to target high-value customers and deliver an experience that keeps them coming back, streaming services will be able to build a foundation for sustainable growth.

Read More: https://deloitte.wsj.com/cmo/2021/07/12/streaming-services-tune-in-to-customer-experience/