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Survey: Traffic management, QoE top streaming concerns

December 3, 2020

A survey, Growing Demands for Video Streaming Drive Companies to Intelligent Traffic Management Solutions,  conducted by streaming media analyst Dan Rayburn and modern application and access networking specialist NS1, shows that traffic management challenges and visibility into quality of experience (QoE) issues are top concerns for companies that engage in video streaming. As a result, 42 per cent of companies surveyed that do not currently have solutions in place are looking to implement automated, intelligent traffic management in the next six-to-12 months.

“Streaming requires content owners to be nimble and resilient within their workflows and infrastructure to deliver streams to end users over many different devices and platforms with a great user experience,” said Rayburn. “Companies gain additional benefits and can address top-reported viewer concerns by selecting traffic steering platforms that ingest quality of experience metrics—real-time data about playback failures, start-up times, rebuffering, and video quality—along with real user monitoring (RUM) and network data.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming was already on the rise, but video has become an integral part of entertainment, education, news, business, and people connecting all around the world. Moving into 2021, this trend will continue, as more than half of respondents expect an increase in volume of streaming content over the next year. Of those, 32 per cent say the volume of streaming content could potentially double in the next 12 months, and 10 per cent expect volume to more than double.

Other findings include:

  • Top challenges for maintaining high-quality streaming experiences include lack of visibility into QoE issues (42 per cent), efficient traffic routing across a multi-CDN deployment (33 per cent), and lack of visibility with vendor platforms (33 per cent).
  • 62 per cent of respondents ranked automated and intelligent traffic routing as the most important tool for delivering a positive end-user experience.
  • More than half of respondents lack the appropriate technology to dynamically adjust routing for shifts in network availability, latency, and congestion, which results in inconsistent performance.

“The video streaming industry is experiencing massive growth, and media companies throughout the value chain are going all-in on innovation to provide the best possible experiences for users,” notes Emily Pali, product manager, NS1. “It takes a community of providers to deliver great streaming video experiences at the scale, resilience, and performance required for today’s rapidly growing audience sizes, and we are uniquely positioned to bring valuable insight as we collaborate with others focused on solving these challenges.”

As a provider of intelligent traffic steering technology and an integration partner with industry-leading quality of experience monitoring solutions, NS1 says is a critical part of the streaming media value chain. In addition to serving many of the streaming industry’s largest content providers, the NS1 team and technology have been instrumental in supporting major livestreaming events. In its commitment to helping streaming service providers deliver the best experiences, NS1 is actively involved in industry organisations, such as the Streaming Video Alliance, that are working to address the industry’s most pressing challenges.

 

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