Author:James Patrick

February 7, 2019
In All
By James Patrick

7 Tips to Grow Your Video Streaming Service

Success for a streaming service hinges on audience acquisition and retention. Growth has to be a conscious effort. The “if you build it they will come” mindset is a mistake new streaming services cannot afford to make. Consistent growth in any industry rarely happens by accident, and in an increasingly competitive OTT marketplace, it is near impossible. Consumers are hungry for new content from brands in the verticals they care about – but getting their attention is not easy. Simply...

Continue Reading
November 30, 2018
In All
By James Patrick

The Future is AVOD – Pt 3 & 4: Why AVOD is Hard and How Unreel Has Solved it

In part one and two of our blog series, "The Future is AVOD", we established that advertisers are hot on OTT and that an AVOD model can grow and support industry-leading streaming services at scale.  With an expected 225% growth in OTT ad spend predicted over the next 3 years, the market is inarguably on a torrid trajectory. However, with money increasingly pouring in, there is unexpected friction for streaming services looking to implement ads.  There is no shortage of...

Continue Reading
October 30, 2018
In All
By James Patrick

The Future is AVOD – Pt. 2: Can Streaming Services Scale on Ads Alone?

Give a moment’s thought to consider the early heroes of OTT.  For most — Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Amazon Prime come to mind as the Mount Rushmore of streaming.  With their hefty financial and corporate backings, ultra-premium content libraries, and consistent subscription revenue sources, it’s fair to say that they’ve dominated the streaming world thus far.  Their inarguable growth has led to a false narrative in the industry and a misinformed belief held by many; that subscriptions are necessary to...

Continue Reading
October 16, 2018
In All
By James Patrick

The Future is AVOD – Pt 1: Why Advertisers Love OTT

In OTT’s nascent state subscription services such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime have stolen the spotlight.  It’s time they made room. Advertisers are putting an increased emphasis on OTT. They view the burgeoning technology as an extremely valuable part of their funnel moving forward, and recognize the unique advantages the medium provides. For streaming services able to capture the new ad dollars pouring into the space, the unit economics behind an AVOD business model paint a picture more attractive...

Continue Reading
September 26, 2018
In All
By James Patrick

What Networks Should Know About Live-Streaming an Event Online

This article originally appeared in Streaming Media as a guest post that can be viewed here.     At Unreel, we’ve taken part in the enormous undertaking of live streaming an event across multiple over-the-top (OTT) channels including the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards and the Dew Tour. We want to share the challenges and tips we have from these experiences with networks that might want to stream their next event live online.   Click here to read the rest of the article. ...

Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
In All, Product Releases
By James Patrick

Introducing Unreel’s New Video Player!

Unreel has released a newly redesigned video player across the over 6,000 video streaming sites that we power. The new player is sleeker, features an improved intuitive design, and most importantly is faster. This significant update keeps Unreel and our partners on the cutting edge of video streaming UI and UX.  See the new player in action here.     Improvements: Besides actual content, the most important aspect of a user's experience on an OTT streaming services is the player. It is the frame...

Continue Reading
August 20, 2018
In All, App Spotlight
By James Patrick

High Times Launches ‘High Times TV’ on OTT with Unreel

Using Unreel's platform, High Times, the leading magazine publication for the Cannabis lifestyle, has launched their own branded video streaming service 'High Times TV' across every OTT device.  The ad supported service features original High Times content and also serve as a point of additional distribution for established video brands including CustomGrow420, StrainCentral, Ruffhouse Studios, High Rise TV, Stoner Mom, The Green Market Report and That High Couple with new content from Now This Weed and Doug Benson’s “Getting Doug...

Continue Reading
August 13, 2018
In All, App Spotlight
By James Patrick

Unreel and Hard Knocks Fighting team up to Launch Battle Zone TV

  Hard Knocks Fighting is a premier MMA league, showcasing the world’s elite up and coming athletes on a global stage.  With hundreds of hours of exclusive fight videos and a million plus likes on their Facebook page, Hard Knocks came to Unreel seeking a path to distribute and monetize their content on OTT to fans.  Together we have launched a new branded OTT video streaming service called Battle Zone TV.   Content on Battle Zone has been taken directly from The Hard...

Continue Reading
August 2, 2018
In All
By James Patrick

A Blast From The Past: Why Cult Classics And Older Titles Are Seeing A Resurgence On OTT

This story first appeared as a guest article on www.VideoInk.com, a leading news publication covering the online video space.    Film and TV content has never been more accessible. With the click of a button, over-the-top (OTT) subscribers have thousands of titles to choose from – covering just about every genre imaginable. However, there is something that’s been missing from major streaming services: old classics. Netflix, for example, only boasts 22 titles released before 1960, and Hulu just features 17 movies and...

Continue Reading