Playback

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Mar 2026

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Playback focuses on discussing tech advancements, trends, deployment strategies, certification best practices, and news around the OTT and streaming industry.

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33 recent

June 17, 2026Episode 3032 min

The Last Mile: Where AI Stops and Expertise Begins in Streaming, with Michael Chan and Edit Kovacs

How far can AI actually take you in a running streaming service? In this episode, Accedo's Edit Kovacs, VP of Europe and Latin America, and Michael Chan, VP of Operations North America, make the case for forward deployed engineering in the AI era. While AI has made the first 80% faster than ever, the last mile, the challenges from device fragmentation, DRM compliance, recommendation engines that need continuous care, and still demands something no model can provide: engineers with deep domain knowledge and enough scar tissue to know what breaks in production and why.The build-and-handover model is no longer fit for purpose. The future belongs to long-term embedded partnerships focused on continuous operation, evolution, and outcomes.Timeline: 01:15 What is forward deployed engineering and why now?04:15 Why AI has shifted the bottleneck from models to implementation05:32 The last mile problem in complex streaming environments08:50 Device fragmentation and the ceiling AI can't lower11:30 How AI changes the relationship between client and tech partner17:18 Maintaining context in long-term embedded engagements21:34 Domain expertise, regional compliance and the 20% that matters28:40 The future of FDE: from building to governing agentic workflows

March 31, 2026Episode 2925 min

Inside 20 Years of Streaming PR with Helen Weedon, Founder of Radical Moves

What does 20+ years in streaming PR teach you about what actually matters? In this episode, host Neil Van Zyl sits down with Helen Weedon, founder of Radical Moves PR, for a candid look at how the streaming industry has evolved, told through the lens of someone who has been shaping its communications from the very beginning.Helen brings a refreshing and rare perspective: not as a technologist or operator, but as a PR strategist who has watched trends rise, fall, and reinvent themselves across two decades. From crafting early IPTV messaging to navigating the AI hype cycle today, she offers sharp, honest takes on what's changed, what hasn't, and what the industry still hasn't quite figured out.In this episode, we cover:[00:47] How the streaming industry has evolved over the past two decades[05:57] Trends that didn't pan out - including the rise and fall of 3D TV[07:32] XR and why it still hasn't had its moment - but might be close[11:03] The shift away from "the next Netflix" toward niche and regional services[15:51] The biggest PR waves in streaming: OTT and the move to cloud[18:31] What's next: AI, authenticity, hybrid monetization, and new ad formats[23:51] What still excites Helen after 20+ years in the industry

February 24, 2026Episode 2920 min

Digital third spaces, XR sports and smarter operations — What’s next for streaming? (CES 2026 reflections)

Mrugesh Desai, VP of North America at Accedo looks back at CES 2026 and unpacks the trends he observed at the event that are about to shape the next phase of streaming.From the rise of digital third spaces and co-viewing experiences to increased investment in immersive XR sports, they examine how platforms are rethinking engagement, discovery, and audience expansion. The conversation also covers micro dramas entering Western markets, the ongoing impact of device fragmentation, and the strategic trade-offs between consolidation and standalone brands.On the operational side, they dive into efficiency, AI-assisted development, personalization through agentic AI, and the broader implications of synthetic content and regulation. While sparked by observations from CES 2026, the discussion focuses on the long-term shifts redefining OTT strategy in 2026 and beyond.00:32 General CES 2026 Takeaways02:41 XR and Immersive Media Use Cases03:54 Device Fragmentation in OTT05:14 New Entrants & Micro Dramas07:20 Digital Third Spaces & Social Discovery10:09 M&A Strategy: Consolidation vs Separate Brands14:16 Sports Investment & Audience Expansion15:20 OTT Operational Efficiency16:52 Practical AI Applications & Regulation

January 20, 2026Episode 2732 min

Surviving in the streaming industry and what to look out for in 2026, ft. Accedo’s co-founders Michael Lantz and Fredrik Andersson

In this episode of Accedo Playback, host Neil Van Zyl is joined by Accedo co-founders Michael Lantz and Fredrik Andersson for a forward-looking conversation on where the streaming industry is headed and what video businesses should be preparing for next. Drawing on decades of industry experience, they reflect on how recent market shifts are influencing strategic decision-making across OTT, and what these changes mean for sustainable growth in the years ahead.The discussion offers practical perspectives on how streaming services can navigate increasing complexity, balance innovation with profitability, and make smarter long-term choices around monetization, technology, and operations. You will gain insight into how industry dynamics are evolving, where real opportunities may emerge, and how media organizations can position themselves to stay competitive as the market continues to mature.This episode is aimed at anyone looking to better understand the strategic forces shaping the future of OTT and to gain informed, experience-driven guidance on how to adapt in an increasingly fragmented and fast-changing video landscape.00:55 Reflections on the biggest macro surprises in 2025 and how they will shape 202603:50 What types of M&A could actually deliver value next year?06:45 Why sports rights remain so valuable11:50 Advice for those starting an OTT service: strategy before tech14:30 What could be the best-positioned niches for 202616:50 Agentic AI use cases in 2026; how will Accedo Compose help?25:28 What is the industry paying too much attention to, and what isn’t getting enough focus?30:10 Final remarks and what to look out for in 2026.

December 11, 2025Episode 2647 min

Inside XRSA: Building the business case for immersive sports experiences, lessons from real-word deployment

Host Lucy Trang Nguyen (Director of Strategic Alliances & Business Development for Emerging Technologies, Accedo) is joined by Laurence Boyd (Chief Content & Product Officer, E1 Series) and Charles-Edwin Root (Digital Manager, HBS) to unpack the first pilot of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) — and what it means for rights holders, broadcasters, and tech partners who are beginning to take immersive seriously.Using XRSA’s real-world deployment with the E1 Series as a case study, the discussion goes behind the scenes of bringing XR into live sports. You’ll hear how the teams approached strategy, operations, and collaboration, and what they learned from capturing immersive content on boats, buoys, podiums, and in XR headsets.Learn where XR in sports is today, what actually resonates with fans, and how to build toward sustainable monetization instead of isolated experiments.What XRSA is and why it matters for the industry – 02:00Why now is the moment to test and learn in XR – 05:30XRSA’s first deployment with the E1 Series and lessons learned – 08:40What immersive really adds for fans, and who needs to be convinced internally – 19:45User testing insights: motion sickness, content formats, and reuse for social – 22:18Interactive XR, brand engagement, and the path to monetization – 29:00Practical advice on KPIs, rights constraints, and how to get started with XR today – 39:00

October 23, 2025Episode 2538 min

The agentic AI era: Rethinking technology, costs, and creativity - with AWS and Merapar

In this episode of Playback, host Bleuenn Le Goffic, VP Business Transformation at Accedo is joined by Michael Schmidt, Global Director, Industry Partnerships at AWS and Simon McGrath, Chief Marketing office at Merapar to explore how AI’s role in media and entertainment is rapidly evolving from experimental projects to fully operationalized, business-critical systems. Together, they dive into the rise of agentic AI, composable architectures, and FinOps, and how these trends are reshaping technology investment, cost management, and audience engagement. 3:39 AI’s development in Media & Entertainment industry - have we moved past experimentation to operational use cases?12:01 What would be the impact of AI on investment strategy and software procurement?18:08 How AI distills data into decision points and reduces time to resolve operational events.25:27 A shift in AI strategy to focus on growth, subscriber acquisition, churn reduction, and monetization strategies.33:38 The future of OTT and consumer experience with AI

September 3, 2025Episode 2445 min

Inside next-gen OTT observability with New Relic

In this episode, Stephen Shaw (Senior Solutions Architect at New Relic) and Luke Gaydon (Head of Offering and Portfolio Management at Accedo) talk about the hurdles organizations face when deploying observability tools, and why it’s time for the industry to stop flying blind. From real client objections to the evolution of the technology itself, they explore and exchange experiences on what’s worked, what hasn’t, and the risks of waiting too long to embrace the next-gen OTT observability stack.

July 31, 2025Episode 2354 min

From zero to 100K subs: Building a streaming service that scales

How do you turn an idea into a growing streaming business? It takes more than just great content—and our guest speakers know it well. In this episode, David Guinan (General Manager at Major League Table Tennis) and David MacPhie (Global Sales Director at Accedo One) dive into the must-ask questions and practical decisions every organization faces before going to market: Is there real demand for your service? What monetization model makes the most sense for your content? How should you split your first-year investment? And which tech is the best fit for a greenfield project like this? With firsthand stories from launching, running, and advising OTT platforms, they unpack what works, how needs evolve as your service hits key growth milestones, and what they’d do differently if they were starting all over again.00:58 - What are the first things you consider when starting an OTT service?04:38 - How should a startup/nascent video service go about making decisions to define their OTT technology strategy? 11:55 - How do you build a brand and tackle marketing as a new service?17:28 - What are the most useful/critical analytics data points?23:10 - What to focus on when you have a running service?40:35 - How do you budget for your service among technology, operational team, marketing, etc.?

June 25, 2025Episode 2232 min

Reimagining guest and patient experiences through video experience with Hibox

Mathias Johnson (Product Manager, Hibox) and Rasmus Almqvist (VP Global Sales) join us to explore how video is transforming the guest and patient experience across the hospitality, healthcare, and enterprise sectors.They explain how Hibox as a global provider of interactive TV and OTT solutions is driving innovation by enabling seamless, multi-screen video services tailored for hotels, hospitals, and workplace environments.Topics covered include typical user journeys in hospitality and healthcare (2:25), shifts in the hospitality industry and staying ahead of the competition (11:40), monetization strategies across verticals (15:00), and how to drive adoption through innovation (29:05).

May 28, 202536 min

Streaming monetization beyond subscriber growth ft. Vijay Sajja, CEO at Evergent Technologies & Michael Lantz, CEO at Accedo

Featuring Vijay Sajja (Founder and CEO of Evergent Technologies) and Michael Lantz (Co-founder and CEO of Accedo), this episode dissects the critical shift from pure subscriber growth to sustainable monetization in video streaming. The conversation explores the resulting challenges and delves into potential future monetization options that can effectively balance revenue generation and user experience. Vijay and Michael also touch upon the vital role of analytics and usage data in unlocking successful OTT monetization and share the hyper-critical success factors that, based on their experience, are often overlooked by streaming providers and can hinder a profitable business.00:56 How can OTT services balance monetization and user experience to maximize revenue while retaining subscribers?02:57 How can frontends/UX's affect user choices when it comes to subscriptions?08:36 How will subscription tiers change or trend in the next 3-5 years?18:20 What role does data and analytics play in the future of OTT monetization?29:50 What are some aspects when developing or operating an OTT service that are hyper critical, but often not considered?